The GRE is one of the most common tests to fulfil your dreams of studying abroad. According to the criteria of the University, you applied for, they might ask for two types of GRE scores: GRE General Test scores and GRE Subject Scores. This article focuses on the syllabus of both the types of GRE and including the GRE Quant Syllabus, GRE Analytical test syllabus and the GRE Verbal Reasoning Syllabus.
| Exam Name | GRE |
| Exam Format | GRE General Test and GRE Subject Test |
| Conducting Body | ETS – Educational testing service |
| GRE Fees | General test – $250, except India, Turkey, China, Australia, and Nigeria. Subject Test – $150 worldwide |
| Mode of Exam | Computer and Paper-based |
| GRE General Tests | Analytical Writing, Quantitative reasoning, and Verbal Reasoning |
| GRE Subject Tests | Chemistry, Biology, Literature in English, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology |
| GRE contact | +91-1244517127 or 000-800-100-4072. Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. IST Email: GRESupport4India@ets.org |
Different Sections of the GRE General Test
The GRE General Test is divided into the following categories:
- Verbal Reasoning: This section focuses on the student’s ability to read and comprehend information through understanding words and sentence and paragraph formation.
- Quantitative reasoning: This section of the GRE General Test measures a student’s ability to understand mathematical concepts and complete mathematical problems within a time frame.
- Critical thinking and analytical skills: This section of the test assesses a student’s ability to understand and explain complex information in terms of analysing and critiquing an argument.
GRE Syllabus for Verbal Reasoning
The GRE Verbal Reasoning section tests your ability to read and comprehend the meanings of words and sentences. It makes an assessment of your ability to form relationships among terms and concepts.
The questions ask you to analyze and draw conclusions from the discourse, interpret and infer the author’s assumptions/perspective, recognize and decipher multiple levels of meaning.
The topics covered in GRE Verbal Reasoning are:
| Modifiers and Parallelism | Idioms and Idiomatic expressions |
| Verb tense | Pronoun Agreement |
| Subject-Verb Agreement | Nouns, Adjectives, Pronouns |
The GRE verbal Syllabus is subdivided into three parts:
- Reading Comprehension: This consists of one to five paragraphs to test the ability to understand what is conveyed in the passage. All the information asked in the questions will be from the passage itself.
- Sentence Equivalence: This consists of a single sentence with just one blank, and you are to find two choices that lead to a complete, coherent sentence while producing sentences meaning the same thing.
- Text Completion: assesses your ability to form a complete picture out of the incomplete text presented. You are supposed to choose two ways to complete the sentence with a similar meaning.
GRE Quant Syllabus
The Quantitative Reasoning measure of the GRE General Test assesses your:
- basic mathematical skills
- understanding of elementary mathematical concepts
- ability to reason quantitatively and to model and solve problems with quantitative methods
The questions asked in Quantitative Reasoning are a mixture of real-life settings scenarios and purely mathematical scenarios. Many of the questions are framed as “word problems,” which must be translated and modelled mathematically. The students are assessed on the following four essential areas: Arithmetic, Geometry, Data Analysis and Algebra.
| Arithmetic | Geometry | Data Analysis | Algebra |
| Property and types of integer | Lines and angles | Descriptive statistics such as Median, Mean, Range, Mode, Percentiles, etc. | Exponents |
| Power and roots | Circles | Interpretation of data based on graphs, circle graphs, scatter plots, etc | Algebraic Expressions – Factoring and Simplifying |
| Statistics | Triangle | Probability | Equations and inequalities |
| Estimation | Quadrilaterals | Permutation and Combination | Linear and Quadratic inequalities |
| Number properties | Polygon | Venn Diagrams | Linear Equations |
| Percentage | Three-dimensional figures | Sets Theory | Quadratic equations |
| Exponents and Roots | Area, Perimeter, Volume | Word Problems | |
| Ratio and proportions | Angle Measurements | Speed, distance, and Time | |
| Simple and Compound Interest | Profit and Loss | ||
| Arithmetic Operations | Coordinate geometry |
The content in the GRE Quant Syllabus of the GRE General Test includes high school mathematics and statistics. The questions are set at a level that is generally not any higher than that of the second course in algebra; it does not include higher-level mathematics like trigonometry, calculus or others.
There are some important assumptions about numbers and figures in the Quantitative Reasoning section directions apart from conventions. Some of those are:
- All numbers used are real numbers.
- All figures are assumed to lie in a plane unless otherwise indicated.
- Geometric figures, such as lines, circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals, are not necessarily drawn to scale. Do not assume the exact quantities of the lengths and angle measures as they appear in a figure. It may vary. You should assume, however, that lines shown as straight are actually straight, points on a line are in the order shown, and more generally, all geometric objects are in the relative positions shown. Answering the questions with geometric figures should be based on geometric reasoning, not on estimating or comparing quantities by sight or by measurement.
- Coordinate systems, such as xy-planes and number lines, are drawn to scale; therefore, you can read, estimate, or compare quantities in such figures by sight or by measurement.
- Graphical data presentations, such as bar graphs, circle graphs, and line graphs, are drawn to scale; therefore, you can read, estimate, or compare data values by sight or by measurement.
Additional information about conventions and assumptions appears in Mathematical Conventions (PDF).
GRE for Quant Syllabus: Question Types
The Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE General Test has four types of questions:
- Quantitative Comparison Questions
- Multiple-choice Questions — Select One Answer Choice
- Multiple-choice Questions — Select One or More Answer Choices
- Numeric Entry Questions
For issues regarding whether or not GRE General tests allow a calculator the answer is yes, you are allowed to use a basic calculator on the Quantitative Reasoning measure. Subject to the type of tests you appear for the guidelines may vary. For the computer-delivered test, the calculator is provided on-screen. For the paper-delivered test, a calculator is provided at the test centre.
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GRE Syllabus for Analytical Writing
This section measures your analytical writing and critical thinking skills. This section is used to measure how well you can articulate complex ideas in clear and lucid language. Backing up your point with an example is expected. It requires you to provide focused responses based on the given tasks.
The GRE syllabus for analytical writing is divided into two tasks:
Analyse and Argument: This requires evaluation of a given argument according to specific instructions.
Analyse and Issue: This requires presenting an option on the issue of general interest along with your opinion with specific instructions on how to respond to that issue.
The tasks in the GRE General Test Analytical Writing section is related to a broad range of topics such as fine arts, physical science, humanities, and more. No background knowledge is required for this section. The tasks are generally structured in a way that does not demand specificity but a general understanding of the idea.
GRE Syllabus: GRE Subject Tests
The GRE Subject Test might help you in preparing for an in-depth understanding of a specialised field. Taking the GRE Subject tests might also be beneficial for a better job opportunity. Not only is it beneficial in the admission process but also for placements and hiring. Here is a list of GRE Subject tests and the focus area for the preparation of the test. Know more about GRE Scholarship from here https://eduaims.in/gre-scholarship/.
GRE Subject Test: Chemistry
The test consists of around 130 multiple-choice questions. The focus areas of Chemistry for GRE Subject Test are:
| Analytical chemistry (15%) | Inorganic chemistry (25%) |
| Organic chemistry (30%) | Physical Chemistry (30%) |
GRE Subject Test: Biology
The test consists of around 188 five-choice questions. Some questions are based on descriptions of field and laboratory situations, experimental results, or diagrams. The topics covered are:
| Cellular and Molecular Biology (33-34%) | Organismal Biology (33-34%) | Ecology and evolution (33-34%) |
GRE Subject Test: Literature in English
This test has approximately 230 questions based on drama, poetry, biography, novel, literary theory, and history of the language. The focus areas are:
| Literary analysis (40-55%) | Identification(15-20%) |
| Cultural and historical context (20-25%) | History and theory of literary criticism (10-15%) |
GRE Subject Test: Mathematics
This GRE Subject test consists of approximately 66 multiple-choice questions based on courses offered at the undergraduate level. The topics include:
| Calculus (50%) | Algebra (25%) | Additional Topics (25%) |
GRE Subject Test: Physics
Consisting of approximately 100 five-choice questions grouped in sets and based on materials such as graphs, diagrams, and experimental data, the Physics test includes.
| Classical mechanics (20%) | Electromagnetism (18%) | Optics and wave phenomena (9%) |
| Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics (10%) | Quantum mechanics (12%) | Atomic Physics (10%) |
| Special Relativity (6%) | Laboratory methods (6%) | Specialized topics (9%) |
GRE Subject Test: Psychology
The test consists of around 205 multiple-choice questions. The focus areas include:
| Biological (17-21%) | Cognitive (17-24%) | Social (12-14%) |
| Developmental (12-14%) | Clinical (15-19% | Measurement/methodology/other (15-19%) |
GRE General Test pattern for paper-delivered test:
Here is the time and questions break up for the GRE General Test pattern for the paper-delivered test:
| GRE sections | No. of Sections | Duration |
| Verbal Reasoning | 2 sections – 50 questions | 70 minutes |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 2 sections – 50 questions | 80 minutes |
| Analytical Writing | 2 sections – 2 tasks | 60 minutes |
The total time you will be allowed for the GRE Paper-delivered test is 3 hours 30 minutes.
GRE General Test Pattern for computer-delivered test:
Here is a glimpse of the time break up of GRE General for the Computer-delivered Test pattern.
| GRE sections | Duration | No. of sections |
| Verbal Reasoning | 60 minutes | 2 sections – 40 questions |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 70 minutes | 2 sections – 40 questions |
| Analytical Writing | 60 minutes | 1 section – two tasks |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the topics covered in GRE Verbal Reasoning section?
The topics covered in GRE Verbal Reasoning are:
| Modifiers and Parallelism | Idioms and Idiomatic expressions |
| Verb tense | Pronoun Agreement |
| Subject-Verb Agreement | Nouns, Adjectives, Pronouns |
What is the syllabus for GRE Quants?
| Arithmetic | Geometry | Data Analysis | Algebra |
| Property and types of integer | Lines and angles | Descriptive statistics such as Median, Mean, Range, Mode, Percentiles, etc. | Exponents |
| Power and roots | Circles | Interpretation of data based on graphs, circle graphs, scatter plots, etc | Algebraic Expressions – Factoring and Simplifying |
| Statistics | Triangle | Probability | Equations and inequalities |
| Estimation | Quadrilaterals | Permutation and Combination | Linear and Quadratic inequalities |
| Number properties | Polygon | Venn Diagrams | Linear Equations |
| Percentage | Three-dimensional figures | Sets Theory | Quadratic equations |
| Exponents and Roots | Area, Perimeter, Volume | Word Problems | |
| Ratio and proportions | Angle Measurements | Speed, distance, and Time | |
| Simple and Compound Interest | Profit and Loss | ||
| Arithmetic Operations | Coordinate geometry |
What is the marks distribution for GRE subject test Chemistry?
| Analytical chemistry (15%) | Inorganic chemistry (25%) |
| Organic chemistry (30%) | Physical Chemistry (30%) |
What is the marks distribution for GRE subject test Biology?
| Cellular and Molecular Biology (33-34%) | Organismal Biology (33-34%) | Ecology and evolution (33-34%) |
What is the marks distribution for GRE subject test Literature?
| Literary analysis (40-55%) | Identification(15-20%) |
| Cultural and historical context (20-25%) | History and theory of literary criticism (10-15%) |
What is the marks distribution for GRE subject test Mathematics?
| Calculus (50%) | Algebra (25%) | Additional Topics (25%) |
What is the marks distribution for GRE subject test Physics?
includes.
| Classical mechanics (20%) | Electromagnetism (18%) | Optics and wave phenomena (9%) |
| Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics (10%) | Quantum mechanics (12%) | Atomic Physics (10%) |
| Special Relativity (6%) | Laboratory methods (6%) | Specialized topics (9%) |
What is the marks distribution for GRE subject test Psychology?
| Biological (17-21%) | Cognitive (17-24%) | Social (12-14%) |
| Developmental (12-14%) | Clinical (15-19% | Measurement/methodology/other (15-19%) |
Can we use a calculator for GRE Quants?
Yes, you are allowed to use a basic calculator on the Quantitative Reasoning measure. It varies according to the type of tests you appear for. For the computer-delivered test, the calculator is provided on-screen. For the paper-delivered test, a calculator is provided at the test centre.
What does the GRE Quants section assess?
The GRE Quants section assesses your aptitude for problem-solving using a mathematical concept.
What does the GRE Verbal section assess?
The GRE Verbal section assesses your grasp over understanding the given paragraph or passage and how well you can articulate it to explain in simple terms.
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