GRE General Test Content & Structure - ETS

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The GRE General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills that have been developed over a long period of time and are required for success in today's demanding programs.

Learn more about the GRE General Test content.

Verbal Reasoning measure

The GRE Verbal Reasoning measure assesses the ability to:

• analyze and draw conclusions from discourse; reason from incomplete data; identify author's assumptions and/or perspective; understand multiple levels of meaning such as literal, figurative and author's intent
• select important points; distinguish major from minor or relevant points; summarize text; understand the structure of a text
• understand the meanings of words, sentences and entire texts; understand relationships among words and among concepts

See Verbal Reasoning Sample Questions (PDF) and watch the video that provides an overview of this section of the test.

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Quantitative Reasoning measure

The GRE Quantitative Reasoning measure assesses the ability to:

• understand quantitative information
• interpret and analyze quantitative information
• solve problems using mathematical models
• apply basic mathematical skills and elementary mathematical concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis

The Quantitative Reasoning section includes an on-screen calculator.

See Quantitative Reasoning Sample Questions (PDF) and watch the video that provides an overview of this section of the test.

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Analytical Writing measure

The GRE Analytical Writing measure assesses critical thinking and analytical writing skills, including the ability to:

• articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
• support ideas with relevant reasons and examples
• sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion
• control the elements of standard written English

In addition to the skills measured above, the GRE Analytical Writing measure also provides authentic samples of an applicant's writing.

See Analytical Writing Sample Questions (PDF) and watch the video that provides an overview of this section of the test.

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See If You're Not Using GRE® Analytical Writing Scores, You Might Be Missing Out (PDF).

How does the Analytical Writing measure differ from the Verbal Reasoning measure?

Because the Analytical Writing measure is a performance test, test takers must articulate and support their own ideas as they:

• discuss a complex issue
• construct and evaluate arguments
• sustain a focused and coherent discussion

The Verbal Reasoning measure of the GRE General Test assesses the ability to:

• analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it
• analyze relationships among component parts of sentences
• recognize relationships among words and concepts

Whereas the Verbal section measures a test taker's ability to understand complex ideas expressed in written passages and to recognize relationships among words and among concepts, the Analytical Writing section measures the ability to articulate and support ideas and to analyze arguments.

How does the Analytical Writing measure differ from the TOEFL iBT® test Writing section?

The Writing section of the TOEFL iBT test and the GRE Analytical Writing measure are intended to measure different sets of skills. The TOEFL iBT test primarily measures the ability of non-native speakers to communicate in academic English. The TOEFL Writing section contains two writing tasks:

• an integrated task that asks test takers to write responses that integrate and organize information from a reading passage and a lecture
• a writing for an academic discussion task where test takers will be asked to state and support an opinion on a given topic in an online class discussion

These writing tasks are not designed to measure higher levels of critical thinking and analytical writing, but center instead on candidates' composition skills and command of English vocabulary, grammar, spelling and syntax, with some analysis and synthesis of material. Therefore, scores on the two tests are not comparable.

Because the TOEFL test emphasizes fundamental writing and comprehension skills, the TOEFL score can supplement an Analytical Writing score by helping faculty determine whether a low score on the GRE Analytical Writing measure is due to lack of familiarity with English or lack of ability to produce and analyze logical arguments. See Using Scores.

Test structure of GRE beginning September 22, 2023

Section	Number of Questions	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

Test structure of GRE before September 22, 2023

Section	Number of Questions	Time
Analytical Writing (One section with two separately timed tasks)	One "Analyze an Issue" task One "Analyze an Argument" task	30 minutes per task
Verbal Reasoning (Two sections)	20 questions per section	30 minutes per section
Quantitative Reasoning (Two sections)	20 questions per section	35 minutes per section
Unscored or Research Section	Varies	Varies

*The structures displayed above pertain to the standard computer-delivered administration.

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