GRE General Test Overview and Format

The GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) General Test is administered by ETS (Educational Testing Service) and used by many graduate and business school programs as one piece of an admissions file among several -- transcripts, recommendations, and personal statements typically all matter alongside it, and no single score is ever the whole story. The test measures three skill areas: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing.

The computer-delivered GRE takes approximately 1 hour 58 minutes in total and consists of five sections: one Analytical Writing section, two Verbal Reasoning sections, and two Quantitative Reasoning sections. Unlike IELTS or TOEFL, there is no Listening or Speaking section at all -- the GRE is not primarily an English-proficiency test, though Verbal Reasoning does draw on advanced academic vocabulary and reading skill.

Two rules shape how you should approach the test. First, there is no negative marking: incorrect answers are never subtracted from your score, so leaving a question blank is strictly worse than guessing. Second, you cannot return to a previous section once you've moved on to the next one, but within your current section you generally can move freely between its questions and use "mark and review" to flag a question and revisit it later, as long as time remains in that section.

This course teaches the test's structure and practical strategy for each question type. It never claims, and cannot claim, to predict, simulate, or guarantee any specific official GRE score -- only ETS administers and scores the real exam.