GRE Information
The GRE takes about 4 hours to complete and includes challenging Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning content and question types.
Section |
Question Types |
Questions |
Time |
Analytical Writing |
Analysis of an Issue, Analysis of an Argument |
2 essays |
30 mins |
Quantitative Sections (2) |
Quantitative Comparison, Problem Solving, Data Interpretation |
about 20 per section |
35 mins per section |
Verbal Sections (2) |
Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, Reading Comprehension |
about 20 per section |
35 mins per section |
There is a 10-minute break following the third section and a 1-minute break between other sections.
- Admissions officers report that an applicant’s GRE score is the most important admissions factor[1].
- Most admissions officers say a strong GRE score will help a student receive merit-based scholarships.
- The acceptance rate at top masters, MBA and professional programs is less than 20%.
- Getting just another question or two correct in a given section will catapult you ahead of tens of thousands of other test takers and set you up for admissions success. [1] Kaplan Graduate School Admissions Officer Survey, August 2010
How is the GRE scored?
Percentile |
Verbal |
Quantitative |
95th |
164 |
167 |
90th |
162 |
164 |
80th |
158 |
158 |
70th |
155 |
155 |
60th |
153 |
152 |
Scaled scores are tightly clustered on the GRE:
answering a couple more questions correctly can improve your score significantly.
Source: ETS