The GRE is the standard admission requirement that almost every graduate school and many business schools require for admissions.
It is frequently used in the USA and Canada. The test is similar to the SAT, which is required for undergraduate admissions.
The GRE measures your knowledge and aptitude in areas such as verbal reasoning, mathematics, vocabulary, and analytical writing. Since it is a standardized test, the entire purpose of the exam is to test your relative readiness for graduate admissions compared to other applicants.
If you’re interested in grad school, here are a few things you should know about:
When can you take the GRE?
The GRE test is offered by recognized test centers or Prometric centers. There are many test dates available, but some centers won't administer the test on certain days. You should give yourself a two to three month period to adequately prepare for the GRE. In the 2016 report provided by ETS (the Educational Test Service), there were about 584,677 annual test-takers, so you should apply as early as possible. Although it takes about 10-15 days to send the scores to the institutions, you should take the test about two months before you have to apply to your program.
If you want to leave some time for retaking the test, leave a month before each test. The GRE rules require you to leave a gap of 21 days between each test and only allow you to take it five times in 12 months. A month gives you sufficient time to study and check the GRE test dates.
What’s on the GRE
GRE tests your skills or aptitude in three broad categories:
1: Analytical writing: In this section, you will have to write essays which include analyzing:
- An issue (30 minutes)
- An argument (30 minutes)
2: Verbal reasoning: There are 20 questions in two sections and 30 minutes per section for:
- Sentence equivalence (4 questions): In this section, you will need to complete a sentence by choosing any two words to fill in the blanks. The resulting sentence should have the same overall meaning.
- Text completion (6 questions): This section too is multiple choice where you need to select the correct choice to fill in the blanks.
- Reading comprehension (10 questions): This is the most crucial part of the test. You need to read the comprehensive passage and select the sentences which correctly describe the meaning from the passage.
3: Quantitative Reasoning: There are two sections with 20 questions in each and 35 minutes for each section:
- Quantitative comparisons (8 questions): You need to compare quantity A and B here to figure out which statement describes the comparison the best.
- Problem-solving items: In this section, you will need to understand the problem and provide a solution for it.
- Data interpretation questions: Graphical data is presented, and you will need to understand the data and present a comparison or solution.
What constitutes a good GRE score?
A good score is subject to the institution you are applying to. Many schools require a minimum score, and you will have to speak to current students of the institution to see how they fared in comparison to other GRE test takers. You can interpret your score depending on the number of questions you have answered and on how many you have scored correctly. You can also compare your percentile score to the relative performance.
How long does the GRE last?
You can expect to be there for roughly about 3 hours and 45 minutes, excluding check-in time. You should arrive 30 minutes before the test and expect a break of one minute after the essay section and 10 minutes after the third section.
How long should I study for the GRE?
Many students study for at least two to three months and a few hours every week. For best results, try studying about eight hours per week for a total of 120 hours.
Start researching and preparing in advance
Although it isn’t possible to fail the GRE, the institution you are applying to will require a minimum score to make sure you are fit for the course or program. One of the best things you can do is collect material to practice on and solve any and every question you come across. Starting early and getting as much practice as possible will ensure that you get the score you want.
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