1.1 About the GRE General Test

About the GRE General Test

Quick Answer: The GRE General Test is a 1-hour-58-minute standardized test owned by Educational Testing Service (ETS) that measures Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. The current shortened version launched September 22, 2023, and costs $220 in the U.S. through July 31, 2026 ($249 for registrations on or after August 1, 2026) Scores are valid for 5 years and are accepted by thousands of graduate and business school programs worldwide.

What Is the GRE General Test?

The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test is a standardized admissions test used by graduate, business, and (increasingly) law school programs to evaluate applicants' readiness for advanced academic study. Owned and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS), a nonprofit founded in 1947 and headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, the GRE is delivered year-round at Prometric test centers and via the At Home option in most countries. The official ETS site (https://www.ets.org/gre) is the authoritative source for registration, fees, content, and policy updates.

The General Test is distinct from GRE Subject Tests, which are separately administered exams in fields such as Psychology, Physics, and Mathematics. The General Test is what most applicants mean when they say "the GRE."

Who Takes the GRE and Why?

Test takers typically fall into one of three groups:

• Graduate school applicants submitting scores for master's and PhD programs in the humanities, social sciences, STEM, education, and public policy.
• MBA applicants applying to business schools that accept the GRE as an alternative to the GMAT. Most leading MBA programs now accept GRE scores on equal footing.
• Law school applicants applying to JD programs that accept the GRE in lieu of the LSAT. A growing list of ABA-accredited law schools now accept GRE scores.

Admissions committees use GRE scores as a common, standardized benchmark that can be compared across applicants from very different undergraduate institutions, majors, and countries. Many programs also use GRE scores (and especially the Analytical Writing score) to filter international applicants whose transcripts are difficult to interpret.

A Brief History and the September 2023 Shortening

The GRE General Test has been revised several times since its 1936 debut. The most recent major revision before 2023 was the 2011 launch of the "GRE revised General Test," which introduced the section-level adaptive structure and the current 130-170 score scale.

On September 22, 2023, ETS launched a substantially shortened version of the test. The previous format ran nearly 3 hours 45 minutes and included two Analytical Writing tasks (an Argument task and an Issue task), 40 Verbal questions across two 20-question sections, 40 Quantitative questions across two 20-question sections, and an optional unscored or research section. The new format cuts total testing time to 1 hour 58 minutes with no breaks, removes the Argument essay, drops to 27 Verbal and 27 Quantitative questions, and eliminates the unscored/research section entirely. The shortened format preserves the same 130-170 / 0-6 score scales, the same content blueprint, and the same section-level adaptive algorithm—so a score from the new format is directly comparable to a score from the old format.

The Three Measures at a Glance

The GRE measures three constructs:

1. Analytical Writing (AW) — A single 30-minute "Analyze an Issue" essay. Always first on test day. Scored 0-6 in half-point increments.
2. Verbal Reasoning (V) — 27 questions in two sections (12 then 15). 41 minutes total. Scored 130-170 in 1-point increments.
3. Quantitative Reasoning (Q) — 27 questions in two sections (12 then 15). 47 minutes total. Scored 130-170 in 1-point increments. An on-screen calculator is provided.

The order of V and Q sections after AW varies randomly—there is no fixed sequence. You will see all five scored sections (1 AW + 2 V + 2 Q) in a single sitting.

What the GRE Is Not

The GRE is not an IQ test, a vocabulary memorization contest, or a math exam that requires calculus. The Quantitative Reasoning measure covers only arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis—no trigonometry, no calculus, no inferential statistics, and no proofs. The Verbal measure rewards critical reading and reasoning, not rote vocabulary recall, although a strong working vocabulary is essential for Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence items.

The GRE is also not a pass/fail exam. Every score report shows three scaled scores and three percentiles, and each graduate program sets its own expectations for what counts as "competitive." A score that is excellent for one program may be marginal for another.

Free Official Prep Resources

ETS publishes a substantial amount of free official material. Use these before you buy anything else:

• POWERPREP Online — Two free full-length practice tests that mirror the shortened format, including the on-screen calculator and basic word processor.
• GRE Math Review PDF — A 100+ page official review of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis topics covered on the Quant section.
• GRE Math Conventions PDF — The notational conventions the Quant section uses (e.g., what a shaded region means, when figures are drawn to scale).
• GRE Issue Topic Pool — The published list of every Issue prompt that can appear on test day. ETS publishes the entire pool so you can practice writing to genuine prompts.
• Khan Academy GRE videos — Free instructional videos covering Quant topics in the official Math Review.

What Comes Next in This Guide

The remaining chapters walk through every measure and content area on the GRE: Analytical Writing strategy, Verbal Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, and vocabulary building; Quant Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Data Analysis; Quantitative Comparison and other Quant question formats; and test-day strategy and study planning. Each section includes teaching content, worked examples, and quiz questions to check your understanding.