GRE (Graduate Record Examination)

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a standardised test that is accepted for admission to various disciplines at many graduate and business schools across the globe. Aspirants who are interested in pursuing a master's degree, specialised master's course, MBA or doctoral degree can sit for the GRE. GRE Test 2018 is conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a US based organisation.  It is available both in computer-based and paper-based formats. In addition to the GRE 2018 general test, there are seven GRE subject tests that evaluate candidates’ knowledge in their respective fields. The GRE Test 2018 is available at over 1000 test centres in more than 160 countries. It covers three major sections- Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning. While Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning are scored on a scale of 130-170, analytical writing is scored on a scale of 0-6.

 

Overview of GRE:

The GRE test is available in 2 formats

1. The GRE general test

2. The GRE subject test

 

Syllabus for GRE

The test syllabus is different for both the formats. The general test of GRE is designed to evaluate a candidate’s verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills. Whereas, the GRE subject test aims at measuring the candidate’s expertise in specific fields like literature, mathematics, biology and other major subjects. Another important thing is that both the test use different yardsticks to evaluate a candidate’s ability. The GRE general test is measured on a scale of 130 to 170 while the subject test is scored on a scale of 200 to 990.

 

GRE General Test

As per the latest syllabus the GRE for general test, it covers three sections:

1.Verbal reasoning

2. Quantitative reasoning

3. Analytical Section

 

Here is a tabular representation of syllabus for GRE 2018:

 

Paper-Based		GRE Sections	Computer-Based
Duration	No. of Sections		No. of Sections	Duration
60 minutes	2 Sections, 2 tasks	Analytical Writing	1 Section, 2 tasks	60 minutes
70 minutes	2 Sections, 50 questions	Verbal reasoning	2 Sections, 40 questions	60 minutes
80 minutes	2 Sections, 50 questions	Quantitative Reasoning	2 Sections 40 questions	70 minutes
	Varies	Unscored	Varies
	Varies	Research	Varies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Syllabus for GRE General Test

1. The Verbal Reasoning Section

The section includes three kinds of questions that are: Comprehension, Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence. This section of GRE test is to evaluate a candidate’s ability to analyse and come to conclusions and to understand and add value to incomplete data by identifying the perception of the author. In this section, the candidate is required to identify important points and make a differentiation between relevant and irrelevant points. The candidate must be able to understand the meaning of words and summarise the whole structure of a text. The candidates should be able to understand the relationship between the words and the concepts.

 

2.The Quantitative Reasoning Section

This section of the GRE test is designed in such a way that this will assist in understanding the capacity of the candidate to understand and analyse the given quantitative information and to make interpretation of information accurately. They also require you to solve problems using mathematical models and applying the basic mathematical skills. It is based on basic mathematics and concepts of arithmetic algebra geometry and data interpretation.

 

3. The Analytical Section

 The analytical section is designed to evaluate a candidate’s ability to understand complex ideas and articulate them effectively with perfection and clarity. The candidate’s ability to support the ideas with reasoning and relevant examples are put to test in the analytical writing section of GRE general test. Candidate Should have the ability to maintain his focus and participate in the coherent discussion. This section expects candidate corroborate and support the ideas with associated facts and remain well focused in the discussion.

 

GRE Subject Test Syllabus

GRE subject test is a test that is meant for candidates who have substantial knowledge in a particular field of study. It is designed to test the candidate for the knowledge in one of the seven main subjects. The seven main disciplines are:

1.Biochemistry, cell and molecular biology

2.Biology

3.Chemistry

4.Literature in English

5.Mathematics

6.Physics

7.Psychology

 

GRE Exam Pattern and Marks

GRE is that segment of the admission application which helps the board of admissions to get a clearer picture of the candidate’s intellectual ability in a highly artificial and stressful environment. Evaluation of a candidate’s intellectual ability becomes easier by knowing there GRE scores. Excellent GRE scores important to get admission at the top universities.

 

Additional Info

Refer to the website: https://www.ets.org/gre