GRE General Test Overview

About the GRE General Test

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test is a standardized test used for admissions to graduate programs worldwide. Administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the GRE General Test assesses a candidate’s abilities in verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing.

The GRE General Test closely reflects the kind of thinking you’ll do in today’s demanding graduate school programs, including business and law. It measures your verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills — skills that have been developed over a long period of time and aren’t related to a specific field of study but are important for all.

GRE General Test Sections

1. Verbal Reasoning
   Skills Tested:
   ∙ Analyzing and evaluating written material
   ∙ Synthesizing information
   ∙ Understanding relationships among parts of sentences
   Question Types:
   ∙ Reading Comprehension
   ∙ Text Completion
   ∙ Sentence Equivalence
2. Quantitative Reasoning
   Skills Tested:
   ∙ Understanding, interpreting, and analyzing quantitative information
   ∙ Solving problems using mathematical concepts and techniques
   Question Types:
   ∙ Quantitative Comparison
   ∙ Problem Solving
   ∙ Data Interpretation
3. Analytical Writing
   Skills Tested:
   ∙ Articulating complex ideas clearly and effectively
   ∙ Examining claims and evidence
   ∙ Supporting ideas with relevant reasons and examples
   ∙ Tasks:
   ∙ Analyze an Issue (30 minutes)