GRE Guide and Resources

The GRE is increasingly being accepted by graduate and law schools (in place of the GMAT and LSAT). Check here and with the specific institutions you are applying with to see if the GRE is an option. To learn more about the GRE visit the ETS website.

In general, the COMPUTER-delivered GRE is about 3 hours and 45 minutes. There are 6 sections, with a 10 minute break after the 3rd section. The Analytical Writing section will always be 1st, while the other 4 sections can appear in any order:

Analytical Writing:
- One “Analyze an Issue” task (30 minutes) and one “Analyze an Argument” task (30 minutes)
- Assesses your ability to:
  - articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
  - support ideas with relevant reasons and examples
  - examine claims and accompanying evidence
  - sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion
  - control the elements of standard written English
Verbal Reasoning:
- 2 sections, 20 questions per section, 30 minutes per section
- Types of questions:
  - Reading Comprehension
  - Text Completion
  - Sentence Equivalence
- Assesses your ability to:
  - analyze and draw conclusions from discourse; reason from incomplete data; identify author’s assumptions and/or perspective; understand multiple levels of meaning, such as literal, figurative and author’s intent
  - select important points; distinguish major from minor or irrelevant points; summarize text; understand the structure of a text
  - understand the meanings of words, sentences and entire texts; understand relationships among words and among concepts
Quantitative Reasoning:
- 2 sections, 20 questions per section, 35 minutes per section
- Types of Questions:
  - Quantitative Comparisons
  - Multiple-Choice – Select ONE Answer
  - Multiple-Choice – Select ONE OR MORE Answers
  - Numeric Entry
- Assesses your ability to:
  - understand, interpret and analyze quantitative information
  - solve problems using mathematical models
  - apply basic skills and elementary concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis

There may also be 1 unidentified unscored section that does not count toward your score. It can appear in any order after the Analytical Writing section. Questions in the unscored section are being tried out either for possible use in future tests or to ensure that scores on new editions of the test are comparable to scores from earlier editions. Or, in place of the unscored section, there may be 1 identified research section that does not count toward your score. The research section will always appear at the end of the test. Questions in this section are included for ETS research purposes.

The GRE is a computer-adapted test with a complex scoring algorithm. Fortunately, the advanced adaptive design of the GRE General Test allows you to freely move forward and backward throughout an entire section. Specific features include:

Preview and review capabilities within a section
“Mark” and “Review” features to tag questions, so you can skip them and return later if you have time remaining in the section
The ability to change/edit answers within a section
An on-screen calculator for the Quantitative Reasoning section

You also have the option to take the PAPER-delivered version of the GRE, which is offered up to 3 times a year at various locations. Check the available locations and dates here.

The paper-delivered GRE is about 3 hours and 30 minutes. The paper-delivered version is the same as the computer-adapted version in the following ways: there are 6 sections, with a 10 minute break after the 3rd section; the Analytical Writing section will always be 1st, while the other 4 sections can appear in any order; the same skills (listed above) are assessed in each section. However, there are some important distinctions in regards to number of questions and timing. On the paper-delivered test:

Analytical Writing:
- One “Analyze an Issue” task (30 minutes) and one “Analyze an Argument” task (30 minutes)
Verbal Reasoning:
- 2 sections, 25 questions per section, 35 minutes per section
Quantitative Reasoning:
- 2 sections, 25 questions per section, 40 minutes per section

With the paper-delivered version:

Answers are entered into the test book, rather than a separate answer sheet.
You will be provided an ETS calculator to use during the Quantitative Reasoning section; you may not use your own calculator.

Need help preparing for the GRE? We can help! Contact us to hire a tutor who can teach personalized lessons to help you improve your score.

Here are a list of FREE resources to get you started:

GRE:

ETS PowerPrep – 2 free online tests and Explanations

Peterson’s GRE 2019 book with questions & 1 test

Peterson’s GRE 2018 book with questions & 4 tests

ETS Practice GRE book 2017 with questions & 2 tests

ETS Practice GRE book 2017 with questions & 1 test

ETS Practice GRE book 2010 with questions & 1 test

McGraw-Hill GRE 2010 book with questions & 4 tests

Peterson’s GRE 2009 book with questions & 7 tests

Barron’s GRE 2009 book with questions & 3 tests