Updated: Sep 28, 2023
Graduate Record Examination, or more popularly known as the GRE, is a standardized international test designed to measure your verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking skills. The test is conducted by the ETS (Educational Testing Services) that serves as an entrance score for admission to various English speaking countries and more specifically the United States for a Masters level program.
Though the ETS does not lay down any specific eligibility criteria for GRE, it varies from institute to institute. However, an applicant irrespective of any age factor or qualification can take the GRE exam.
Steps are as followed:
GRE Registration
To register for the GRE, you need to create an account on the official website of the ETS- www.ets.org/gre
Create a My GRE account and register. You can register through mail, phone, fax or online. However, in case you are taking the GRE Subject Test, you can only register by way of mail or online registration.
There is no specific date for taking the GRE exam, you can take in at any time of the year but make sure you plan it wisely as, during the peak season of August to December, it is very difficult to get a GRE exam date and center of your choice.
The GRE exam is mostly a computer-based test conducted primarily by the Prometric Network. However, in places where the computerized GRE exam test is not available, you may have to take a paper-based GRE exam. Here is the information on both the Computerized and paper-based sections in the GRE exam.
(i) Analytical section consisting of two essays with 30 minutes time for each essay which is followed by a 10 minutes break.
(ii) Verbal reasoning section consisting of two parts each containing 20 questions with 30 minutes time for both parts.
(iii) Quantitative reasoning section which is again divided into two parts with 20 questions in each part and 35 minutes time each for both.
(iv) The final part consists of an experimental or research section which does not count towards your final score but is used by the ETS to experiment with new questions.
The test will consist of the Analytical section as the first part of the test but the other five sections may occur in any order.
(i) The analytical section split into two parts
(ii) The Verbal reasoning section split into two parts
(iii) The Quantitative Reasoning section split into two parts.
There is no experimental or research-based section in this test. The GRE Subject Tests may be taken in the following fields of study- Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology; Biology; Chemistry; Literature in English; Mathematics; Physics; and Psychology. The length of each exam is 170 minutes.
An aspirant can give the GRE exam in two formats- GRE General Test or a GRE Subject Test. The syllabus for both tests is different. The GRE General Test is a very broad form of the GRE exam that measures a candidate’s 5 general skills- verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing and critical thinking. On the other hand, the GRE Subject Test is a more specific form of the GRE exam that focuses on judging a candidate’s knowledge and expertise in a particular field of knowledge.
The GRE exam you choose to give depends upon the purpose and the requirements of the institute you are applying to.
The GRE result is conveyed to the candidate within 10-15 days of taking the GRE exam.
The registration fee for GRE exam is $205 which may be waived off for candidates who are able to prove financial hardship. The average cost of taking the GRE Exam in India is 12,000 INR but the rates vary with the exchange rate. Further, you may have to pay $50 extra charge if you decide to reschedule your GRE exam or change your test center.
At present, the GRE exam can be taken in the following cities- Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Gandhinagar, Gurgaon, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nashik, New Delhi, Nizamabad, Patna, Pune, Trivandrum, Vadodara and Vijayawada.
The GRE scores are valid for a period of 5 years from the date of taking the exam.
Any other detail relating to the GRE can be availed from the official ETS site- www.ets.org/gre
