GRE 2024: Exam Dates, Registration, Syllabus, Score and Sample Papers
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GRE 2024: Exam Dates, Registration, Syllabus, Score, and Sample Papers

Yatin Kumar logo

Yatin Kumar

| Updated On - Oct 25, 2024

Highlights:

  • Acceptance: GRE is accepted for MS and MBA courses in abroad countries like USA, Canada, UK and more.
  • Sections: GRE is divided in 3 sections. The total score is 340 for the quant and verbal section. The analytical writing score ranges on a 0 to 6 scale.
  • Validity: GRE test score validity is for 5 years from the date of the exam.
  • Retaking: You can retake GRE test 5 times a year, with a gap of 21 days in between.
  • Cut Off: The top universities worldwide has a GRE cut off of 300 and above.​

GRE is designed to evaluate candidates to study the MS program in top universities worldwide. GRE exam score is required for pursuing postgraduate degrees in the USA, Canada, and other English-speaking countries. Candidates can get their GRE registration from the comfort of their homes as an alternative to taking the exam at a test center. Some of the Indian top institutes now accept GRE scores for master programs. GRE syllabus consists of three sections; Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. The verbal and quant sections range from 130 to 170 each. GRE test timing from the beginning of September 22, 2023, is about 1 hour and 58 minutes. Top universities require a GRE’s score of 150 to 160 for verbal and quantitative sections. GRE fees for 2024 in India are INR 22,550 and GRE online test fee is also INR 22,550 INR. Top business schools worldwide now accept GRE exam scores for MBA programs in addition to GMAT scores. General GRE test dates are available throughout the year.

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GRE Highlights

The GRE graduate record examination is designed for candidates who have completed their undergraduate studies, and it may be more challenging than the ACT or SAT. The verbal reasoning section evaluates vocabulary through difficult reading passages, text completion, and sentence equivalence questions. In comparison, GRE quant section is considered easier than other competitive exams. You must check GRE eligibility before applying. The purpose of taking GRE is to assess the candidate's level of academic excellence in undergraduate subjects. Before taking GRE exam, it's important to consider whether the selected course requires, such as ACT, and whether there are any fellowships or scholarships available for merit-based applicants. 

Exam Name

GRE

GRE full form

Graduate Record Examinations

Official Website

https://www.ets.org/gre.html

Most popular for

MS courses in the USA

Also accepted for

MBA courses outside India

Conducted by

ETS (Educational Testing Service)

Mode of Exam

Computer-delivered test

Paper-delivered test

GRE at Home

GRE Exam Fees

GRE General Test: INR 22,550

GRE Subject Test: INR 14,500

GRE Validity

5 Years

Score Range

Verbal Reasoning score range: 130–170

Quantitative Reasoning score range: 130–170

Analytical Writing score range: 0–6

GRE Contact

+91-1244517127 or 000-800-100-4072

Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. IST

Email: GRESupport4India@ets.org

GRE Registration

To register for GRE Online, candidates need to create a My GRE Account on the official website. GRE exam registration can be done in three ways, that includes:

  • Online Registration
  • Registration over Phone
  • Registration over Mail

The steps for GRE Registration 2024 are given below:

  1. Create a My GRE Account on the official GRE website-ets.org/gre.
  2. To create a profile, candidates must fill in their data correctly. They need to fill in the following credentials Name, Date of Birth, Address, Phone Number, Communication Preferences, etc. Candidates can then log in to the ETS portal with their newly created Username and Password.
  3. Then candidates need to choose the test type: (i) GRE General Test, or (ii) GRE Subject Test.
  4. GRE Exam centers and GRE exam dates can be chosen from the available list of GRE exam dates in 2024.
  5. Lastly, GRE exam fees of US $228 will be paid via credit or debit card.

Note: Candidates can make GRE Registration via phone by calling 1-800-473-2255. All necessary information will be given over a call.

GRE Exam Fees

GRE registration fee in Indian rupees 2024 is about INR. 22,550. Here are GRE exam fees for different exam services given below:

Special Handling Request Fees
Rescheduling fee INR 5,000
Changing test center INR 5,000
Changing your Subject Test INR 5,000
Additional score report INR 2,900
Score review INR 5,900
Score reinstatement INR 5,000
Returned payment INR 2,900

Note: GRE fee waiver of 50% is offered by ETS. The reduction in the total registration fee for candidates facing financial hardship. The form for this fee waiver is available on the ETS website and it is known as GRE Fee Reduction Programme.

GRE Test Dates 2024 

Candidates can book GRE graduate record examination five times a year, once after 21 days. Both GRE at home and test center facilities are available. For GRE at home registration, candidates can get appointments only after 24 hours of registration. GRE test dates 2024 for the coming 2 months are listed below.

August 2024 01,05,06,07,08
September 2024 02,03,04,05,06, 09, 10,11,12,16,17
October 2024 01,03,07,08,11,14,15,16,17
November 2024 04,06,07,11,15
December 2024 02,03,04,05,06,09,10,11,12, 16,17,18,19

GRE Eligibility

According to ETS, there are no particular GRE exam eligibility criteria. Anyone, regardless of age or education, can sign up for this GRE exam. Candidates must take GRE, nevertheless, if they are applying for master's programs. The only other consideration for a candidate is that they will need to present their original passport as identification at the testing facility, thus they must have a current passport to register for GRE exam. As of July 1, 2021, applicants can utilize their Aadhar Card as part of their identity documentation when registering for GRE.

GRE Exam Pattern

GRE Exam Patterns for both computer-based and paper-based are different. GRE exam pattern for the computer-based exam is adaptive. GRE General Test format has 3 different sections namely, GRE analytical writing assessment, GRE verbal reasoning, and GRE quantitative reasoning. All these sections have 2 subsections. The total time span for GRE General Test is 1 hour and 58 minutes. The three main sections of GRE general test are as follows:

Sections Number of Questions Allotted Time
Analytical Writing (One section) One "Analyze an Issue" task 30 minutes
Verbal Reasoning (Two sections)

Section 1: 12 questions

Section 2: 15 questions

Section 1: 18 minutes

Section 2: 23 minutes

Quantitative Reasoning (Two sections)

Section 1: 12 questions

Section 2: 15 questions

Section 1: 21 minutes

Section 2: 26 minutes

GRE Analytical Writing  

GRE Analytical Writing is always the first section of the test which comprises two types of questions. Analyze an Issue and Analyze an Argument are two types of tasks asked in GRE Analytical Writing section. Candidates get 30 minutes to attempt one section for GRE Analytical Writing in which they are required to analyze the logical soundness of the argument. You can go through GRE AWA practice papers for further practice. GRE vocabulary practice is very important for this section. 

GRE Verbal Reasoning

GRE verbal reasoning evaluates the candidate's ability to analyze written material and incorporate data acquired from it. Candidates find GRE verbal reasoning section difficult because of its tricky question types. Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, and Sentence Equivalence are three types of questions in this section. Verb Tense, Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions, Pronoun Agreement, Subject-Verb Agreement, etc., are some topics included in GRE verbal syllabus. Candidates have to attempt 27 questions in 41 minutes. Go through GRE Verbal Practice Papers for further practice. GRE Text completion is a part of the verbal reasoning test. GRE verbal tricks can help you solve the questions with mindful strategies and practice tips. GRE sentence equivalence, which is a part of the verbal section, is designed to test your ability to conclude how a passage should be completed on limited information. GRE Reading Comprehension is a part of the verbal reasoning test in GRE. You can improve your verbal GRE scores by thoroughly solving sample papers and following different strategies. 

GRE Quantitative Reasoning

 With little practice, GRE quantitative reasoning can change the scorecard of the candidates. Quantitative comparison, Problem-solving, and Data interpretation comprise GRE quant syllabus. GRE quantitative reasoning contains questions that are modeled in real-life settings or completely in mathematical settings. These data interpretation questions are exhibited in tables, graphs, or other data displays. Candidates have to attempt 27 questions in 47 minutes. You must know that GRE geometry is no longer assessed in the quant section. Go through GRE Quant Practice Papers for further practice. GRE verbal section is comparatively easier than what the Power Prep series comprises, and candidates can score higher than what they generally obtain during the PowerPrep practice tests. Whereas, GRE quant section’s first part is harder than what PowerPrep’s first part offers. Also, the last part of PowerPrep’s quant section is harder than what the actual test offers. From actual test-takers, it has been concluded that GRE quant section, though it might appear easy is tricky. The experimental quant section is even harder.  Arithmetic for GRE includes various topics of divisibility, factorization, prime numbers, remainders, odd and even integers; arithmetic operations, exponents, and radicals. You must know that GRE Data analysis has been eliminated from the quant section and now is considered a separate section of the test. 

GRE Subject Test

Apart from the General test, GRE has another test; GRE subject tests. This test is designed to check the knowledge of the candidates in their preferred subjects. 6 subjects are included in GRE subject test - Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, English Literature, Psychology, and Biology. Aspirants take GRE subject tests to make their applications outstanding by showing deep knowledge about a specific subject. ETS provides GRE practice books for each subject as study material. GRE subject tests are available only in the paper-based format of GRE and these tests are available thrice a year – in September, October, and April. Scores are measured on a scale of 200-990 with 10-point increments. GRE test timing from the beginning of September 22, 2023, is about 1 hour and 58 minutes. Most candidates who aim to pursue higher studies at the postgraduate level take GRE Subject Test.

GRE_PostGraduate_Demography

Percentage of Candidates Pursuing GRE at Post Graduate Level

In this above-mentioned picture, it is observed mostly people from life sciences backgrounds appear for this subject test comparatively higher. Students prefer to study science subjects from abroad due to the huge scholarships available for specific subjects. 

GRE Score

GRE Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning are scored on GRE score range of 130-170 with 1 point increment. The average GRE score for Analytical Reasoning is measured on a scale of 0-6 with a half-point increment. If any question remains unattempted, no Score (NS) will be stated. As per the data collected from ETS between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2019, the mean scores for GRE General Test are as follows:

Sections Mean
Verbal Reasoning 150.37
Quantitative Reasoning 153.39
Analytical Writing 3.58

In GRE Subject Test, all these 6 subject tests are scored on a scale of 200-290 with 10-point increments. Biology and Psychology have a subscore range of 20-99 score scale with 1 point increment. As per the data collected from ETS between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2019, GRE mean scores for the Subject Test are as follows

Subjects Mean
Biology 665
Chemistry 689
Literature in English 542
Mathematics 664
Physics 714
Psychology 619

GRE Scaled Score Percentiles for General Test

The below-mentioned table below explains the score v/s percentile scale for GRE Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning as follows

GRE Verbal & Quantitative score in Percentile

Similarly for GRE Analytical Writing, the score percentile is measured in the following table

GRE Analytical Score

GRE Score Report

The official GRE General test results will be available 8-10 days following your exam date in your ETS account. Unofficial GRE scores can be visible right after completing the test but they are not a part of the score report. Candidates can check their GRE Score Report which contains the following information:

  • Contact details like phone, name, email ID
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Preferred graduate major
  • GRE Exam dates
  • GRE test score and the percentile score
  • Authorized score recipients

GRE Score Sending

After receiving the score, applicants will get the Scoreselect option to send test scores GRE to the graduate schools where they want to pursue any course. This Scoreselect option is available in both General and Subject Tests. After getting a good score on GRE exam test, it is completely dependent on the candidate whether to send it to the university or not. After the test day, you need to pay a fee to send your scores and you can choose from the following options:

  • Most Recent: Send your scores from your most recent test.
  • All: Send your scores from all test administrations in the last five years.
  • Any: Send your scores from one or as many test administrations as you like from the last five years.

GRE Cutoff

GRE cutoff ranges from 150 to 165 in top universities like Harvard University, Stanford, MIT, and the University of California – Berkeley. GRE cutoff depends on the college and program course that candidates’ are choosing. It is very important to understand GRE cutoff and scoring method before you start preparing for the exam. GRE consists of three sections:

  • GRE verbal (130-170 score scale)
  • GRE quantitative reasoning (130-170 score scale)
  • GRE Analytical Writing (0-6 score scale)

To get admitted to the top universities in the US to study MS or Ph.D. an overall goal score of 320+ and 4.5 in GRE AWA is required. GRE cutoff for some of the top universities are:

GRE Preparation Books

GRE prep books are extremely beneficial for test-takers worldwide for studying from home. Here is a list of the best GRE preparation books that will be provided with the necessary details:

GRE Preparation Tips

Candidates pursue different kinds of classroom or in-person courses for GRE preparation. Usually, the candidates take around 2-4 months before the scheduled date. To perform the best, candidates must target the score first. Here are a few GRE preparation tips to help you during your GRE preparations:

  • Always keep calm and come back to questions you couldn't solve in the end.
  • GRE Prep Books, and Free GRE practice papers. 
  • Get your hands on authentic study materials and practice papers.
  • Taking crash courses online will help to acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses.
  • Hire a personal tutor to get regular feedback on the status of your preparation.
  • Know details about the syllabus and exam pattern of GRE.
  • Candidates can mix and match their preparation materials like GRE Prep Books, CDs, videos, sample questions, and webinars. 
  • Taking regular mock tests will help in effective preparation. It will evaluate the readiness of your preparation.
  • Making a proper study plan will help in monitoring the growth status.
  • Understand the contextual meaning of GRE words
  • GRE study plan will help you to prepare for the exam in a structured way. 
  • Reading different types of analytical non-fiction works will help candidates
  • While solving sentence equivalence and text completion questions, read the passage thoroughly
  • Enroll yourself in top GRE coachings like Manya, Jamboree, IMS, and more.

GRE Sample Papers

GRE sample papers are helpful as candidates get to practice from the previous year's papers. Here are the PDFs of all 3 sections of GRE sample papers for candidates to practice from: 

GRE Verbal Practice Test

To improve your verbal skills, you shall solve GRE verbal sample papers

GRE Quant Practice Tests

You must solve GRE quant practice papers to improve your critical and logical reasoning skills. 

GRE AWA Samples

In order to enhance your argumentative skills, practicing GRE AWA papers can be the best hack. 

General Test format has 3 different sections namely, GRE analytical writing assessment, GRE verbal reasoning, and GRE quantitative reasoning. All these sections have 2 subsections. The total period for GRE General Test is 1 hour and 58 minutes. There are no specific GRE eligibility criteria provided by ETS, anyone can register for the exam. GRE is designed to evaluate candidates for master's programs, so candidates must have a graduation degree.

FAQs

Ques: What is the GRE exam used for?

Ans: GRE exam is used as an entrance exam required for pursuing postgraduate degrees in the USA, Canada, and select other countries. Candidates can get their GRE registration from the comfort of their homes as an alternative to taking the exam at a testing center. 

Ques: What is GRE exam fee in India?

Ans: GRE exam cost for 2024 in India is INR 22,550 for the general test, and if you are taking subject test, you need to pay INR 14,500. Top business schools worldwide now accept GRE scores for MBA programs in addition to GMAT scores.

Ques: Who is eligible for GRE?

Ans: There are no specific GRE eligibility criteria provided by ETS, anyone can register for GRE exam. The exam is designed to evaluate candidates for master's programs, so candidates must have a graduation degree.

Ques: What is a good score in GRE?

Ans: Achieving a score above 160 in both the verbal and quantitative sections and 4+ in the analytical section is considered as a good score.

Ques: What is the syllabus of GRE?

Ans: General Test format has 3 different sections namely, GRE analytical writing assessment, GRE verbal reasoning, and GRE quantitative reasoning. All these sections have 2 subsections. The total period for GRE General Test is 1 hour and 58 minutes.

Ques: How many Indians apply for GRE?

Ans: According to the previous data in 2021-2022 year approximately 56,782 candidates take GRE exam in India. Most of the candidates came from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Ques: Is GRE considered for MBA?

Ans: Some of the top business schools in India, and worldwide now consider GRE score for MBA admission, Basically most of the candidates take GMAT for MBA admission.

Ques: Is there negative marking for GRE?

Ans: There is no negative marking for incorrect answers in GRE. Candidates are advised to attempt all the questions in GRE exam.

Ques: Is 275 a good GRE score?

Ans: A GRE score above 310 is considered a good score in GRE. To get admission to some of the best universities worldwide, candidates need to achieve a higher score on GRE.

Ques: is a 75% on the GRE?

Ans: Achieving a score of 75% means that the candidate scores 157 in Verbal and 161-162 in the Quantitative section.

Ques: Is GRE harder than ielts?

Ans: GRE is harder than IELTS, because GRE is designed to evaluate candidates for master's programs, and IELTS exam is designed to evaluate a candidate's English language proficiency level.

Ques: Does Harvard prefer GMAT or GRE?

Ans: Harvard accepts both GMAT and GRE for their master's program. The required score varies and depends on the program candidates are applying. 

Ques: What is the highest GRE score?

Ans: The highest GRE score is 340. GRE verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning section scores range from 130-170 for both. GRE analytical writing section score is scaled on 0-6 level.

Ques: Can I take GRE online?

Ans: You can register for a computer-based test or GRE at home to take the exam online. Indian candidates need to pay an exam fee of INR 22,250 for GRE.

Ques: Does Harvard MBA accept GRE?

Ans: Harvard now accepts both GMAT and GRE for admission to MBA. GRE score for Harvard MBA admission ranges on a scale of 295-340.

Ques: Does 12th marks matter in GRE?

Ans: GRE is taken by students to get admission to a master's program admission. Candidates need to have a graduation degree to apply for GRE registration.

Ques: What is the age limit for GRE?

Ans: There is no specific age limit to take GRE exam. Candidates need to submit their valid passports to register for GRE.

Ques: What is GRE exam eligibility?

Ans: There are no specific GRE eligibility criteria provided by ETS, anyone can register for GRE exam. The exam is designed to evaluate candidates for master's programs, so candidates must have a graduation degree.

Ques: How many attempts are there for GRE?

Ans: You can take GRE 5 times a year. You need to maintain a minimum gap of 21 days between two attempts of GRE exam. 

Ques. How do I submit my scores?

Ans. At the end of the test, candidates will have the option to submit the most recent score or all of the scores from the past five years. They will also have the option to specific sets of test scores. Candidates may control which scores will be sent out. However, candidates will only be able to send complete sets of scores (ie, combining section scores from different exams are not allwoed, scores for an entire exam must be sent).

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.

Comments


2 Comments
P
puja sao
How can we pay GRE exam fees?
R
rubab

You can pay the GRE registration fee using a Credit/ Debit Card (American Express, Diners Club International, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, Rupay Global, UnionPay, and Visa), PayPal, E-Check Service, Money Order/ Certified Check/ Voucher, etc. Any credit/ debit card branded with one of the seven accepted credit card logos can be processed.

Note: For registration, cash payments will not be accepted.

K
kashish tomar
Is GRE conducted in PBT mode?
R
rubab

Yes, GRE is conducted in PBT mode. The paper-based exam includes two sub-sections of each of the main categories- Analytical Writing, Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning. The analytical Writing part contains two tasks with a duration of one hour (60 minutes). Verbal and Quantitative reasoning each contains two sections and 50 questions with a maximum time limit of 60 and 70 minutes, consequently.


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