Fact Sheet: The
GRE (General) Test
Format:
The Verbal Reasoning section measures
your ability to understand what you've read and
how you apply your reasoning skills — with many
new questions that focus on your ability to
analyze and evaluate written material. Good news
— antonyms and analogies are no longer part of
the test. Vocabulary is still important, but
it's used in the context of a reading passage.
The Quantitative Reasoning section
measures how well you interpret and analyze
quantitative information. You’ll need to have an
understanding of basic math concepts
(arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data
analysis). And there’s an increased emphasis on
data interpretation and real-life scenarios. In
this section, you may use the on-screen
calculator.
The Analytical Writing section: This
section measures your critical thinking and
analytical writing skills, specifically the
ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and
effectively. You will be asked to provide
focused responses to the tasks presented to
effectively demonstrate your skill in directly
responding to that task. You have 2 separately
timed essays to write, one where you express
your views on a critical issue and one where you
evaluate a logical argument. For each essay
task, you are given a topic and specific
directions for responding to that topic. Your
responses will be evaluated on whether you can
integrate critical thinking and analytical
writing by fully addressing the tasks you're
presented.
Note: For more information about
what's in all the sections and to see sample
questions, click
here.
Preparing:
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Review what the givers of the GRE, ETS, have
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tests as well. Click
here to learn more.
Timing:
The computer-based test takes about 3 hours
and 45 minutes.
Verbal Reasoning Two 30-minute sections
Approximately 20 questions in each section
Quantitative Reasoning Two 35-minute
sections Approximately 20 questions in each
section
Analytical Writing One section with two
separately timed 30-minute essays Two essay
tasks
There's a 10-minute break following the third
section and a 1-minute break between the other
test sections.
Scoring:
Here's a look at the score scale for each of
the 3 sections:
Verbal Reasoning scores are reported on a
130 — 170 score scale, in 1-point increments.
Quantitative Reasoning scores are
reported on a 130 — 170 score scale, in 1-point
increments.
Analytical Writing scores are reported on
a 0 — 6 score scale, in half-point increments. |
