The computer-based GRE contains three distinct sections with various types of questions: 

GRE scores are used by admissions or fellowship panels to supplement your undergraduate records, recommendation letters and other qualifications for graduate-level study.

Here’s a look at content covered in the three test sections — Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing.

Verbal Reasoning
The Verbal Reasoning section measures your ability to:

Verbal Reasoning
The Verbal Reasoning section measures your 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.

Featuring new types of questions, the Verbal Reasoning section measures your ability to understand what you read and how you apply your reasoning skills.

Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative Reasoning section measures your ability to:

Analytical Writing Ability: One 30-minute “Analyze an Issue” task, and one 30-minute “Analyze an Argument” task.

Quantitative Ability: 

One 30-minute question section containing arithmetic, algebra, geometry, quantitative comparisons, and data interpretation questions.

Verbal Ability: 

One 30-minute question section containing antonyms, sentence completions, and comprehension reading questions.

Prospective graduate and business school applicants from all around the world take the GRE revised General Test. Applicants come from varying educational and cultural backgrounds and the GRE revised General Test provides a common measure for comparing candidates’ qualifications.

Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative Reasoning section measures your 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, probability and statistics

With increased emphasis on data interpretation and real-life scenarios, this section has new types of questions that require you to show your quantitative reasoning ability. To reduce the emphasis on computation, the computer-based test includes an on-screen calculator. And, if you are taking the paper-based test, a calculator will be provided at the test center.

Analytical Writing
The Analytical Writing section measures your ability to:

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

The Analytical Writing section requires you to provide focused responses based on the tasks presented, so you can accurately demonstrate your skill in directly responding to a task.

You will need an international passport as a form of identifying document on the day of the exam.
At least two months of good preparation is required for the GRE examination.