The Graduate Record Examinations (most commonly abbreviated to GRE), is a required portion of most graduate program applications in the US. In some ways this is reminiscent of the SAT or ACT for college admissions, or the MCAT for medical school, but with some clear differences.
Whether you are planning on applying for an MBA, a doctoral program or some other master’s program, there is a good chance you will end up needing to take the GRE. In this article then, we’re going to explain what this test is, how it works, and how you can prepare for it. We’re also going to look into how it’s used in graduate admissions, and whether or not it’s something you will need to worry about dealing with. Let’s jump right in!
What is the GRE?
Founded in 1936 by the Educational Testing Service, the GRE was and remains a metric by which schools attempt to measure a student’s reasoning, writing, and critical thinking skills, especially those developed over a long period of time, such as during college. How much graduate programs care about this varies by both college and program; some view it as a mere formality, while others place a significant amount of weight on these scores.
The test is offered primarily in a computerized format, and must be taken at an official testing center. The test consists of six separate sections; the first is always the writing section; the other five are two verbal reasoning sections, two quantitative reasoning sections, and an experimental section. The experimental section does not count towards your final score, but is not distinguishable from a scored section. It may be either verbal or quantitative.
The GRE is an adaptive test; you may shift between questions freely within a section, but your performance on one section impacts the next, so doing well on your first verbal reasoning section gets you a harder one for the second section, while performing worse will get you an easier one. The only way to attain the maximum score is to take the harder version.
The entire testing procedure lasts approximately three hours and forty-five minutes. A one minute break is offered after each section, with a ten minute break after the third section. As with most tests of this kind, outside materials are not allowed in the testing center; lockers are generally provided for phones and other sundry materials you bring with you.
There is a paper version of the test available, but is used less often. It is not adaptive, and does not include an experimental section; instead the writing section is split in two.
The Verbal Section
The verbal section tests reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and vocabulary. Each section of this portion of the test consists of 20 questions, to be completed in 30 minutes. In general, each section has the following breakdown of questions:
- Six on text completion
- Four on sentence equivalence
- Ten on critical reading questions
This is general, the exact numbers may vary slightly on different versions of the test. In earlier versions of the test there was more of an emphasis on rote knowledge of vocabulary, but the GRE moved away from that. Some of the questions allow for the selection of multiple correct answers. This section is scored from 130-170, on 1 point increments.
The Quantitative Section
The quantitative sections test knowledge and reasoning skills you are expected to have learned in secondary level math and statistics courses. Each section consists of 20 questions, which are to be answered in 35 minutes. An on-screen calculator is provided in the computerized test, this is a simple calculator, made to speed the process of division or finding square roots. They note that you will not need the calculator for most questions, and should not use it simply because it is there. In general, each section has the following breakdown of questions:
- Eight quantitative comparisons
- Nine problem solving
- Three on data interpretation
The topics covered by the GRE do not go beyond those you would cover in Algebra II, and do not require knowledge of calculus. You will also not be required to perform proofs on these tests. The subjects you will find questions on are:
- Arithmetic, including factorization, exponentiation, roots, estimations, absolute value, and other concepts
- Algebra, including operations, functions, equation solving, linear equations, quadratic equations, graphs of functions, systems of linear equations, and other concepts
- Geometry, including shapes, area, circumference, volume, parallelism, pythagorean theorem, angles, degrees, and other concepts
- Statistics, including mean, median, mode, range, standard deviations, charts and plots, probability, counting method, and other concepts
This section is scored from 130-170, in one point increments. Some questions are multiple choice, while others require you to fill in a numeric entry.
The Analytical Writing Section
This section consists of a single essay, referred to as the “issue task.” This is to be written on the computer, using a special program designed by the GRE. This is an extremely basic word processing program, and does not include a spell checker. You are not judged overly harshly on grammar or spelling, but your writing is expected to be clear and well constructed. Your essay is scored from 0-6 in half-point increments by two readers. If the scores are within a point of each other, they are averaged out; otherwise a third reader is called in to review.
For the issue task, you are given 30 minutes to write an essay about a specific topic. You can find the entire pool of these topics on the GRE’s website; note that you will be required to provide an email address to access these. Which topic you are asked to respond to varies by test, but it will be one of the ones from this pool.
How to Prepare for the GRE
The GRE themselves offer a significant amount of study materials (for a fee of course), along with official practice tests. We do advise making use of the practice tests; the form and format of the exam is somewhat odd, and getting used to that alone will save you a great deal of grief later on.
For general studying, you should have learned all of the content and concepts covered by the GRE in high school or college. This is not a test like the MCAT, designed to quiz you deeply on esoteric and complex fields. Instead, the goal is to try and measure your skill as an analytical thinker, and determine if you have learned through college to think critically and analyze what you read and encounter.
Some subject review may be necessary; if you focused on a math heavy field then reviewing the form and format of the verbal section and written arguments will be helpful, while students in the humanities may need a refresher on math skills they were once familiar with, but not called to exercise for some time.
In general, we advise a strategy similar to the one we lay out in our secrets of test prep article. Take a practice test to determine where your weaknesses are, and then focus in on them specifically while studying. This way you get the maximum possible returns for your effort, and don’t waste time mastering that which you already know. You should take practice tests periodically, both to acclimate yourself to the format of the test and to make sure that your studying is taking you in the right direction.
Will You Need to Take the GRE?
Whether or not you need to take the GRE, and how important it is, depends on what you intend to do in graduate school. Some law schools and medical schools accept the GRE, but most prefer their own specified test. Most other graduate programs require the GRE, in the US and for some schools in Canada. Programs in Europe may or may not; this depends entirely on the school and program in question.
If you are planning on applying to a graduate program, then you should take the GRE. The point is so that schools have some kind of benchmark against which to compare candidates who had very different undergraduate experiences. Note that different programs weight these scores differently, even within a school. MBA programs prefer to see very high scores, while engineering programs are more flexible with what they accept.
Programs in the humanities tend to only look at your scores on verbal sections, while those in the sciences only look at your quantitative scores, though the extent of this varies a lot by school and program.
You must schedule your test online. Tests are generally given in testing centers, though there are now options for at-home testing. You may take the test up to five times in a 12 month period. These tests must be at minimum 21 days apart. Tests are offered continuously through the year, though availability may vary by location. We recommend scheduling your tests well in advance, to make sure seats are available.
It takes 8-10 days for scores to come out, so if you intend to enter graduate school directly out of undergrad, then you should plan on testing during your junior year, or in the summer between junior and senior year. This means you should begin studying around six months in advance, to be sure you are well prepared.
Final Thoughts
The GRE is a staple of those preparing for graduate education, and is even expanding its reach, as law schools are beginning to consider it alongside the LSAT as a viable option for evaluating applicants. We hope that this article has given you a solid introduction to the mechanics of this test, and what you can expect to experience when you take it.
Of course, preparing for these tests is never a simple task, even if you know what to expect from them. If you are looking for advice on your own preparations, or other guidance on applying to graduate schools, then Ivy Scholars can help. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can make your life easier; we have helped a great many students find the perfect graduate program for them, and are always happy to hear from you.
