All You Need To Know About the GRE Exam/GRE Guide

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is a standardized test for admissions in various graduate schools or in other words business graduate schools in different countries, especially in the United States.

This test is owned and managed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Applicants from approximately 160 countries take the GRE general test at 700 test centers. The test was first introduced in 1936 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Aspirants interested in pursuing a master’s degree, specialized master’s course, MBA, MS, MEM or doctoral degree can sit for the test. Apart from the general test, there are six GRE subject tests to evaluate a candidate’s knowledge in the respective field.

The GRE test is conducted to measure verbal reasoning, analytical writing, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking skills which you have acquired over a long period of learning. The content of the GRE exam comprises of specific algebra, arithmetic, geometry, and vocabulary. For admission in the graduate schools, it is important to assess these skills and consider it as a major selection factor for any student.

Graduate Record Examination test is taken for admission to Graduate Programmes in most of the universities across the world.

• Candidates who wish to appear for GRE have to complete their undergraduate course successfully.

• A student can register for the exam irrespective of age and qualification.

It is very important to note the fact that not all universities and all programmes require a GRE score for their Graduate Program. It is entirely dependent on the university whether a candidate requires to appear for his GRE exam.

• For an applicant, it is always advised to apply before the priority deadline which increases your chances of admission at a particular university.

For example - the best time to take the GRE for Fall 2018 is before September is before September 2017. Usually, the application season starts in September and October. It is always recommended to give GRE one year before applying.

A candidate will receive three scores on the GRE exam:

• Analytical Writing
• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections of the GRE test are scored on a scale of 130 to 170. The mean score for Verbal Reasoning is 151, and the mean score for Quantitative Reasoning is 153. The Analytical Writing Assessment is scored from 0 to 6 in half-point increments, and the mean score is 4.0.

Analytical reasoning -

The analytical writing section is to evaluate a candidate’s ability to comprehend complex ideas effectively and clearly, support ideas along with relevant reasons and examples, examine a claim and the supporting evidence to it, sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion and control the elements of standard written English.

Verbal Reasoning -

The verbal reasoning section tends to evaluate a candidate’s ability to analyze and infer conclusions from discourse, reason from incomplete data, select important points, summarize text, understand the text structure, understand the meanings of words, distinguish major from minor or relevant points, understand relationships among words and concepts. Some topics covered under the verbal section are:

Some of the Basic Sentence structure -

• Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives
• Verb Tense
• Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions
• Pronoun Agreement
• Subject-Verb Agreement
• Modifiers
• Parallelism

Quantitative Reasoning

The quantitative reasoning section measures the candidate’s ability to understand quantitative information, interpret and analyze quantitative information, solve complex problems using mathematical models, and apply basic skills and elementary mathematical concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics. Some of the topics are-

• Number properties
• Order of operations
• Percentage
• Ratio and proportion
• Profit and loss
• Simple and compound interest
• Speed, distance and time
• Permutation & combination
• Linear equations
• Quadratic equation
• Sets Theory
• Statistics: Average, Median, Mode, Range, Standard deviation
• Powers and roots
• Probability
• Pipes, cisterns, work, time
• Lines and angles
• Triangles
• Polygon
• Quadrilateral
• Circles
• Coordinate geometry
• Volume and surface area

You can take the GRE revised General Test once in every 21 days, up to five times within any continuous rolling 12-month period (365 days). This is applicable even if you canceled your scores on a test has been taken previously. If you take the paper-delivered GRE revised general test, you can take it as often as it is offered.

It is always suggested that the ideal time to take the GRE is during the first year of your college. If you are planning to attend graduate school immediately after college, then it is better to take the test during your junior years.

When compared to exams like ACT and the SAT, the GRE is usually considered as more difficultbecause GRE exam has more difficult questions in terms of vocabulary and reading passages. Though the math questions in GRE is of a lower level than SAT and ACT, the problems have trickier wording and also require a higher level of reasoning.

GRE is considered less difficult when compared to other graduate exams like MCAT, LSAT or GMAT as GRE requires less specialised knowledge and has less difficult math questions when compared to other graduate exams.

If GRE scores are required by the program, the test is not waived. Some graduate programs require the GRE and others do not. The Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) accepts both GRE and GMAT scores.

Your official GRE scores will be available in your ETS Account and also the score would be sent approximately 10 to 15 days after your test date.

Some of the schools that don’t require GRE are as follows:

• Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)
• Purdue University Global
• Rochester Institute of Technology
• Johns Hopkins University
• Walden University
• Colorado Technical University
• Northcentral University
• Liberty University
• University of Southern California
• Simmons College
• Nova Southeastern University
• University of Scranton
• Benedictine University
• American University
• NYU School of Social Work
• Boston University
• Antioch University
• Utica College
• Ashford University

It takes 3 hours and 45 minutes.

You need to bring three or four sharpened No. 2 or HB pencils and a good eraser at the test center. Pencils and erasers will not be supplied at the test center. Also, mechanical pencils and pens are also not permitted.

The cost is 220 USD for all countries across the world except for Australia, China, Nigeria, and Turkey

The GRE exam fee is quite expensive and some people find it difficult to pay the entire amount. ETS offers a partial waiver to make the test fee accessible for all. You need to pay half the registration fee if you are eligible for the GRE Fee Reduction Program. The reduced cost for the General GRE is $102.50 (instead of $205), and the cost for a Subject Test is usually $75 (instead of $150). The fee reduction program by ETS is only open to US citizens and permanent residents, but you may have other options if you’re an international student

You can’t pass or fail in the GRE exam. There’s no GRE pass rate or score. Instead, you can send universities any GRE scores you wish to send, irrespective of how high or low they are.

There are three different types of scores on the GRE General Test.

This includes a -

• Verbal Reasoning score based on a 130–170 score scale, in 1-point increments
• Quantitative Reasoning score based on a 130–170 score scale, in 1-point increments
• Analytical Writing score based on a 0–6 score scale, in half-point increments.

The Quantitative and Verbal Sections are each out of 170 points which makes the highest possible score on the GRE a 340. The Analytical Writing Section is scored on an independent scale where a student gets a score from 0 to 6, with 6 being the highest.

There is no such thing as pass score in GRE exam. The GRE score depends on the university requirements for a particular program. The more you score, the better are the chances to get into a reputed university.

The higher GRE percentile you have, the better is your score is compared to other candidates. For example- A 99th GRE percentile score, means you have scored better than 99% of test-takers, and you’re in the top 1%. A 50th GRE percentile score means you scored right in the middle, which is an average score.

No, there is no negative marking in the GRE exam.

The Verbal and Quantitative portions of the GRE are scored between 130-170, and the average score is somewhere around 150-152. The Analytical Writing section of the GRE is scored between 0 and 6 in half-point increments, and the average hits somewhere around 3.5.

Can a high GRE score get you a scholarship?

Many grad school scholarships use GRE scores during the selection process to identify strong candidates. However, GRE scores are typically just a single factor in your overall application, so you aren’t necessarily guaranteed a scholarship even if you manage to get high GRE scores.

What is GRE score required for a scholarship?

Scholarships based on scores of GRE and TOEFL are very less. However, you need to score at least above 165 in the quantitative and verbal part of GRE, 4.5 in writing skills part of GRE and above 110 in TOEFL to get a scholarship.

Does GRE offer scholarships?

The GRE aspirants must note that ETS, the body that conducts GRE does not provide any scholarship even to the top scorers. There is no such thing as GRE scholarship. Scholarships are provided by the graduate schools and GRE score is not the sole criteria for granting the financial aid.

MBA programs at Harvard, MIT, Instituto de Empresa, and CEIBS, usually accept the GRE test for admission, instead of GMAT. Similarly, many Master’s programmes accept GMAT scores instead of GRE. Universities that accept GRE scores for admissions to some or all of their MBA programs are listed on the ETS website.

GRE is mandatory for students aspiring to pursue a masters program in the USA. For countries like Canada, Australia, and European countries, GRE is an optional exam but TOEFL or IELTS is mandatory. It is a standardized test to evaluate your aptitude for pursuing a masters program abroad. However, there are few universities in the USA which do not require a GRE score.

• California Baptist University (MS Software Engineering, MS Civil Engineering, MS Mechanical Engineering)
• California Lutheran University (MS Information Technology)
• City University of Seattle (MS Computer Science)
• Fairleigh Dickinson University (Master of Public Administration)
• Oklahoma City University (MS Computer Science)
• St. John’s University (MS Data Mining & Predictive Analytics)
• Long Island University Post (MS Management Engineering, MS Medical Biology, MS Information System, MPA)
• The University of Mary Hardin, Baylor (MS Information Systems)
• Wichita State University (MS Engineering Management, MS Computer Networking, MS Computer Science, MS Electrical Engineering)
• Western New England University (MS Electrical Engineering, MS Mechanical Engineering, MS Civil Engineering, MS Industrial Engineering, MS Engineering Management)
• Murray State University (MS Applied Engineering & Technology Management, Master of Public Administration)

GRE is usually required for admission to Australian universities. However, IELTS or TOEFL is compulsory for a student visa. GMAT is required by some universities for the MBA program.

Most of the Ph.D. programs in the US will require a GRE score. At least in Engineering and Science, it will be a standard requirement. If you want Ph.D. admission without GRE score, then you will have to try other countries, especially in Europe.

GRE is mandatory for almost all graduate-level programmes in the USA, including management studies. While all universities require GRE general test score, there are some universities also ask the student to take GRE subject tests.

GRE is usually required by top-ranked Public Universities in Canada. It is true that lower ranked universities might not ask for GRE or if they do, they usually waive it. Colleges like George Brown College, Seneca – Toronto, Canada do not ask for GRE. The universities might waive off IELTS or TOEFL score too.

What topics are on the GRE?

The GRE General test measures a candidate’s verbal reasoning ability, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills, the GRE Subject Test evaluates the candidate’s expertise in specific fields like-

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Literature in English
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Psychology

GRE mathematics section only tests basic mathematics. The Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE Test comprises four types of questions:

• Quantitative Comparison Questions
• Multiple-choice Questions – Select one answer
• Multiple-choice Questions – Select one or more than one answer choices
• Numeric Entry Questions

Compared to exams like ACT and the SAT, the GRE is usually considered more difficult because, even though the math questions tested on the GRE is a lower level than the math tested on the SAT and ACT, the math problems in GRE have trickier wording or require higher-level of reasoning.

The computer-delivered GRE General Test takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes. The quantitative reasoning in a computer-delivered GRE test comprises of two 35-minute sections, each containing 20 questions.

The paper-delivered GRE® General Test takes up to 3 hours and 30 minutes and consists of three separately timed sections. The quantitative reasoning part in the GRE test comprises of two 40-minute segments, where each section contains 25 questions.

The Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE General Test comprises of four types of questions:

• Quantitative Comparison Questions
• Multiple-choice Questions – Selecting One Answer Choice
• Multiple-choice Questions – Selecting One or More Answer Choices
• Numeric Entry Questions

Students can use a calculator for solving GRE questions, but they cannot bring their own. Those who are giving the test on a computer can use the on-screen calculator on GRE quantitative questions. Alternatively, students who are appearing for the GRE paper test may borrow a calculator at the testing location.

The computer-delivered GRE General Test takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes and consists of three separately timed sectionS -

• The verbal reasoning section comprises two 30-minute segments, each containing 20 questions.
• The quantitative reasoning part has two 35-minute segments, each containing 20 questions.

Questions in each section vary, starting from multiple choice, comparison questions to text completion or reading comprehension questions.

When you are taking the computer-delivered GRE General Test, you can skip questions which you might difficult to answer. Nothing will be deducted from your score if you answer a question incorrectly. Since there is no negative marking, it is advised to answer every question.

The GRE General Test generally includes an optional 10-minute break after the third section and one-minute breaks in between the remaining sections of the test. You cannot exceed these break times.

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