ETS · Graduate school, and many business and law programmes.
The GRE General Test
Under two hours since the 2023 shortening, and adaptive between sections.
The shape of it
| Section | Time | Questions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytical Writing | 30 min | 1 task | "Analyze an Issue". Always first. |
| Verbal Reasoning I | 18 min | 12 | |
| Verbal Reasoning II | 23 min | 15 | Difficulty set by section I. |
| Quantitative Reasoning I | 21 min | 12 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning II | 26 min | 15 | Difficulty set by section I. |
Every claim, and where it came from
Hover or focus a row to read the wording that supports it; the dagger opens the page it was read from. Nothing on this list was written from memory.
Total testing time About 1 hour 58 minutes CONFIRMED
The shortened GRE, in place since 22 September 2023.
GRE test structure page: total testing time "about 1 hour and 58 minutes", for the format beginning September 22, 2023.
https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/prepare/test-structure.html
Analytical Writing 30 minutes · one task CONFIRMED
One "Analyze an Issue" essay.
Test structure table: Analytical Writing — one "Analyze an Issue" task, 30 minutes.
https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/prepare/test-structure.html
Verbal Reasoning 18 min / 12 q, then 23 min / 15 q CONFIRMED
Two sections.
Test structure table: Verbal Reasoning section 1 — 12 questions, 18 minutes; section 2 — 15 questions, 23 minutes.
https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/prepare/test-structure.html
Quantitative Reasoning 21 min / 12 q, then 26 min / 15 q CONFIRMED
Two sections.
Test structure table: Quantitative Reasoning section 1 — 12 questions, 21 minutes; section 2 — 15 questions, 26 minutes.
https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/prepare/test-structure.html
Adaptive Between sections, not between questions CONFIRMED
How you do on the first section decides the difficulty of the second.
Test structure page: "The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections are section-level adaptive" — the difficulty of the second section in each measure depends on performance in the first.
https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/prepare/test-structure.html
Section order Analytical Writing is always first CONFIRMED
Verbal and Quant may come in either order after it.
Test structure page: "The Analytical Writing section will always be first. The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections may appear in any order".
https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/prepare/test-structure.html
Inside a section You may skip and go back CONFIRMED
Unlike a question-adaptive test.
Test structure page: the design lets you "skip questions within a section, go back and change answers", with preview, review and mark-for-review.
https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/prepare/test-structure.html
Verbal and Quantitative scale 130–170, in 1-point increments CONFIRMED
Reported separately, not added together.
GRE scoring: Verbal Reasoning "130–170, in 1-point increments"; Quantitative Reasoning "130–170, in 1-point increments".
https://www.ets.org/gre/score-users/about/general-test/scoring.html
Analytical Writing scale 0–6, in half-point increments CONFIRMED
GRE scoring: Analytical Writing "0–6, in half-point increments".
https://www.ets.org/gre/score-users/about/general-test/scoring.html
When you can sit it Year round, at a centre or at home CONFIRMED
There is no fixed national calendar.
ETS GRE General Test page: "Schedule the GRE on your terms - available 24/7, 365 days a year", with both a Test at Home and a Test Center option.
When you can sit it
No calendar. Continuous.
There is no GRE calendar to count down to. ETS offers the General Test year round, at a test centre or at home, so the date that matters is your programme's application deadline — work backwards from that.
Practice, from the people who write it
Two free POWERPREP practice tests from ETS, in the real test's interface. Official practice for the GRE.
This site reproduces no testing body’s questions. Official practice material is the only material written by the people who write the real test, and it is free for every test on this list.