GRE Exam 2024: Registration, Dates, Fees, Eligibility, Syllabus and Tips

  The GRE, or Graduate Record Examination, is a competitive test to analyse students' analytical skills and English language proficiency. The GRE exam quantifies your ability to evaluate, think critically and solve problems. It is a standard computer-based test that encompasses multiple-choice type questions.

These test scores are required to secure admission to the best universities in the world. The GRE exam score is attached to the application, along with a letter of recommendation and statement of purpose. A good score may even help you land a scholarship. A GRE exam is popular among students planning to pursue MS or MBA Abroad.

The GRE exam is organised annually and is associated with the Educational Training Service (ETS). The test scores apply in approximately 160 countries and almost all the B-schools and universities worldwide. The population of GRE exam takers has seen a whopping hike from 3.1% in 2020-2021 to 68% in 2021-2023, indicating the popularity of the exam.

The GRE exam is a general test to analyse your skills and the academic excellence of candidates willing to pursue higher studies abroad. The standard test scores are accepted worldwide for admission to master's programmes. Moreover, the students looking to enrol in MS, MBA or any other professional course may also appear for the GRE exam.

Here are some facts to understand why people opt for the GRE exam before applying.

• The GRE contains 3 sections- Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing. 

• The test has 2 formats, i.e., paper-based and computer-based. However, the computer-based test is more popular. 

• The GRE in a computer-based system follows the section-adaptive policy, which is well-known to eliminate ineligible candidates. It keeps on getting tough as you proceed further. So, if the bar of questions is rising in every section, then just know that you are doing well in the test.

Example: The initial section contains verbal and quantitative segments with medium difficulty. Your performance in the previous section will decide the difficulty level in the next section. If you perform well, it gives you a chance to earn a better score. The candidates who did not score well in the first section will eventually be ruled out. 

• Every section in the GRE should be assessed separately, as suggested by the ETS.

If you plan to pursue a master's degree abroad, you can book a slot for the GRE. The GRE exam eligibility also depends upon the university you opt for. Moreover, a valid passport is the only document required to apply for the exam.

Note- The expired IDs accepted by ETS are up to 90 days after the expiration date. 

Booking a GRE exam date is a vital step, and it only takes 15 minutes! Book a slot as soon as you decide to take the test because, due to last-minute bookings, the students face slot availability issues. You have a 2-month time to book the GRE exam date, but it is suggested that you book it in advance. This helps avoid any inconvenience; as an early bird, you can get a slot and an exam centre of your choice!

There are different ways to register for the GRE exam. The popular ways to write are either online or over the phone, and other ways are email and fax. You need to follow a 4-step process to register for the exam, and the steps are as follows:

1. Create your GRE account through their official website: https://www.ets.org/mygre

2. Fill in your details and credentials, such as name, contact number, username, password, etc. 

3. Select one of the two tests you want to take: GRE general or GRE subject test. 

4. Choose the time/date as per the availability of the slot and your suitability.

5. Complete the registration by paying the fees, i.e., INR 16,180.

Before appearing for any exam, it is vital to understand the GRE exam pattern and format. So, GREs are of two types, i.e., GRE general test and GRE subject test. The available test is computer-based, and the subject test is paper-based.

The GRE general test format uses a holistic approach to analyse a candidate’s performance. In simple terms, the exam will test your analytical skills, command over the English language and aptitude.

The exam is divided into 5 categories: Quantitative reasoning, Verbal reasoning and Analytical writing. There are two more sections, namely, Unscored and Research.  

The GRE computer-based exam is different from the GRE paper-based exam. Let us give you a relevant difference between the two.

GRE Computer-based exam’s pattern is as follows:

Further, the paper-based GRE exam’s pattern is as follows:

The subject-based test format shows your interest in a particular area. However, it is not a standard test compared to the GRE General test, which measures a student's capabilities. The subject-based test is taken along with the general test and is also for students who want to pursue graduate programmes abroad.

The GRE subject test is only available in paper-based format, which is divided into 4 categories: GRE Maths, GRE Physics, GRE Chemistry and GRE Psychology. The time duration for this test is 2 hours 50 minutes.

Every section is assessed individually, which allows students to show their expertise in a particular area.

The GRE test syllabus is different for both general and subject-based tests. The general test is an exam that contains sections like quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, and analytical writing skills. Whereas, the GRE subject test is for students who want to pursue a particular subject from a specific university.

Here is a sneak peek of the GRE general test syllabus. Take a look at the table below.

GRE Verbal Reasoning Syllabus

GRE Quantitative Reasoning Syllabus

GRE Analytical Writing Syllabus

The GRE subject test is not so common and is only offered to check the capability of a student in a certain area of study. It is taken along with the GRE General test and is usually 2 hours and 50 minutes long. Let us understand it in brief with the table given below.

After registering for GRE exam, a registration fee is applicable. The application charges are USD 228 or INR 18,854. Apart from the exam fee, there are other charges that you must know about.

Note- Fee waivers are offered by ETS for the students facing financial constraints. GRE offers a 50% fee exemption, and the programme is also known as the GRE Fee Reduction Programme.

You will hear people say that “A perfect GRE score does not exist”, and GRE is a way to filter out the candidates. Well, we cannot challenge the beliefs, but we can put forward the average score of different sections in the GRE. The average GRE scores in different sections are

So, the minimum score for GRE is 130 and maximum is 170 in every section. The total score depends upon the verbal and quantitative reasoning sections so the GRE score may be between 260-340.

Apart from the standardised score criteria set by the ETC, there are different criteria in distinct universities. You can check the criteria on the website of a particular university. Now, the table below gives you a better understanding of GRE scores for the top-notch universities in the world.

You can easily send your scores to the universities once the results are out. Now, the question arises, “How do you send the results to the universities you aim for?” The answer to your question is in this section. 

• Computer-Based Test: The computer-based test gives you the privilege of receiving the unofficial test scores right after taking the test but only in two sections, i.e., verbal and quantitative. All sections' overall GRE scores appear on the ETS account after 10-15 days. 

• Paper-Based Test: The results of this type of test appear after 5 weeks of attempting the test. You can check the scores on your ETS account.  

Once the GRE score chart is official, you can send it to 5 universities directly from your ETS account. Moreover, if you want to ship your results to more than 5 universities, you must pay USD 30 or INR 2,500.

The GRE exam is the globally used and widely recognised admission test for professional and graduate schools.

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GRE Exam Coaching Features of Meridean Overseas Education:

➢  Student Centric Plan:

1. Diagnostic test

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➢  Comprehensive Study Material:

1. Verbal and quantitative reasoning books containing 2000+ questions

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➢  Holistic Support:

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• Student Centric Plan

• Personalised Attention 

• Comprehensive Study Materials 

• Expert Trainers

• Practice Tests

• Unlimited Doubt-Solving 

You will find solutions to all the problems you are facing in terms of scores, identifying your strengths and weaknesses, schedules and target scores, etc. The experts of Meridean Overseas Education Consultants (MOEC) experts help you through these difficult times.

When you plan to prepare for the GRE exam, the field advisors provide some vital tips to make you a GRE exam expert. Here are some things to remember:

• Set a score goal and base your GRE prep plan on achieving it. 

• Thoroughly understand the GRE exam pattern, format and syllabus. Start practising with mock tests and past years' GRE exam papers. 

• It is essential to understand your strengths and weaknesses, keep your target score in mind and then develop a prep plan.

• You can pick free and paid courses or books, but the resources must be relevant and reliable. 

• You need to see the question type. Moreover, you must record the sections you are in and the weaker ones. 

• Vocabulary is an essential part of the GRE exam prep because it directly impacts verbal reasoning and analytical writing sections. 

• Keeping track of time is vital when attempting the GRE exam. The time dedicated to each section should be well-managed, so try to improve your speed to solve questions.

1. What is the GRE General Test? 

The GRE general test is an entrance exam that helps students get the opportunity to study in graduate and business schools abroad. Most universities in the world accept the GRE exam score. The GRE exam General Test consists of 3 major sections:

• Verbal Reasoning,

• Quantitative Reasoning, 

• Analytical Writing.

The quantitative and verbal reasoning section may range between 130-170, whereas analytical writing scores range on the scale of 0-6.

2. What is the GRE Subject Test?

The GRE general test measures reasoning, critical thinking, analytical writing, etc. However, the GRE subject test measures your expertise in a particular area, i.e., biology, chemistry, English, physics, psychology and mathematics. The GRE subject test is taken along with the GRE general test; it is not taken separately. The subject test is paper-based, and the duration of this test is 2 hours and 50 minutes. Moreover, there are no separate-timed sections like the GRE general test. Almost every university asks for a GRE general test; only a few ask for a subject test for a particular field.

3. Can we check the GRE score chart online?

We can check both GRE General and Subject test scores online. 

The GRE general test score is declared on the ETS account within 10-15 days after the GRE exam date. The test takers create an ETS account during registration.

GRE Subject Test is announced five weeks after the test date. Students receive an email from ETS or can check the official scores by logging into the ETS account. 

4. What is the maximum score in the GRE exam?  

The GRE exam score ranges from 260 to 340. The score is a total of two sections, i.e., verbal and quantitative reasoning, and has a score range of 130-170 for each section. The third section, the analytical writing section, is scored on a scale of 0-6. So, the highest score in the analytical writing section is 6. 

5. What is the best time to apply for the GRE exam?

The best time to apply for the GRE exam is two months before the application deadline of a particular university.

The two things to remember while applying for the GRE exam are the deadline for the university application and the preparation plan, which must be well-formed and executed. So you are fully prepared for the test before applying for it.