The GRE guide.
Format, scores, and leading schools.

The GRE General Test is an admissions test used for master’s and doctoral programs, as well as some management and law programs. It takes 1 hour 58 minutes and has three separately scored measures: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. The Schools page also lists 152 programs at leading schools and universities that accept the GRE, from the Americas to Oceania, across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia: MBAs, master’s degrees, and doctorates in economics and law. ETS sources cover test format and scores; each institution is the source for its admissions requirements.

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What is the GRE?

The GRE General Test is published by ETS. It is used for applications to graduate study, including master’s and doctoral programs and some management and law programs. It has three measures: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. ETS reports three separate scores and no official total score.

This guide covers the GRE General Test. ETS offers GRE Subject Tests separately. When reviewing a program’s admissions requirements, note the exact name of the test it requires. A reference to the GRE General Test does not mean a Subject Test is also required, and one should not automatically be substituted for the other.

The test has five sections and lasts 1 hour 58 minutes. Analytical Writing always comes first: one 30-minute “Analyze an Issue” task. The two Verbal Reasoning sections—12 questions in 18 minutes, then 15 in 23 minutes—and two Quantitative Reasoning sections—12 questions in 21 minutes, then 15 in 26 minutes—follow in a variable order. Since September 2023, the test has had no unscored section or scheduled break.

Two features distinguish the GRE. It is section-level adaptive: the first section of each measure is of medium difficulty, and the difficulty of the second depends on your performance in the first. Within a section, you can move freely—skip a question, flag it, return to it, or change an answer while time remains. There is no penalty for wrong answers: ETS says scores depend on the number of correct answers and therefore recommends answering every question. A basic on-screen calculator is available for Quantitative Reasoning only.

Before following an old tip

What has changed

  • Since September 22, 2023 The test is shorter: about 1 hour 58 minutes across five sections, compared with about 3 hours 45 minutes across six sections previously, and now has one writing task. Before returning to an old study plan, check that it covers “Analyze an Issue” and the current timing. A session built around the old sections no longer reflects the test’s time management. Test structure  (opens in a new tab)

What are the three sections?

For each one: its format, method, and a worked example.

  1. Analytical Writing

    Analytical Writing always comes first 30 min

  2. Verbal Reasoning

    Verbal Reasoning, in two sections 27 questions · 41 min

  3. Quantitative Reasoning

    Quantitative Reasoning, in two sections 27 questions · 47 min

How is the GRE scored?

ETS publishes the score scales, the conversion approach, and score validity. The sources cited here do not provide a table for converting the number of correct answers into an official score.

  1. Verbal Reasoning

    Verbal Reasoning

    2 sections · 27 questions · 41 minutes · scored from 130 to 170

  2. Quantitative Reasoning

    Quantitative Reasoning

    2 sections · 27 questions · 47 minutes · scored from 130 to 170

  3. Analytical Writing

    Analytical Writing

    1 section · 1 “Analyze an Issue” task · 30 minutes · scored from 0 to 6

Three separate scores, with no official total: each reasoning measure is scored from 130 to 170 in one-point increments, and Analytical Writing from 0 to 6 in half-point increments. All questions within a section carry equal weight.

Your raw score—the number of correct answers—is adjusted through an equating process that accounts for difficulty differences between test versions and those introduced by the adaptive second section. The number of correct answers alone cannot reconstruct your official score, so we do not offer a score calculator.

Read the three scores separately. The essay receives a holistic score on a six-point scale and is also scored by e-rater, an engine developed by ETS. If you do not answer any questions in an exam, it is reported as NS—No Score.

The score report also includes a percentile rank for each score. We do not reproduce percentile figures or program cutoffs here.

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Which leading schools and universities accept the GRE?

Explore leading MBA programs; master’s degrees in management, finance, economics, computer science, and artificial intelligence; doctoral programs in economics; and law programs around the world.. Our selection details 152 programs on the Schools page, each based on its official admissions page.

  • 152programs, across 6 continents 101 schools in this selection Europe 64 · North America 45 · South America 7 · Asia 28 · Oceania 5 · Africa 3
Schools that accept the GRE

A non-exhaustive selection based on admissions pages reviewed on October 5, 2026. One dot may represent several nearby schools and programs; the Schools page lists each program and its requirements.

How do you take the GRE?

Register
Through your ETS account online, or by phone in most locations for an in-person test. Bulletin 2026-27 (PDF)  (opens in a new tab)
Where
At one of more than 1,000 test centers, or at home: the content and format are the same. The GRE  (opens in a new tab)
Price
US$249 before tax in France. VAT applies in the European Union; the bulletin also lists a nonrefundable 4% online service fee. Check the total shown during registration. Fees and charges (2026–27 bulletin, PDF)  (opens in a new tab)
Sessions
Year-round, subject to availability; at home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Bulletin 2026-27 (PDF)  (opens in a new tab)
Passages
Once every 21 days, up to five times in any rolling 12-month period, even if you canceled scores from an earlier attempt. Register  (opens in a new tab)
Results
Official scores arrive 8 to 10 days after the test. Unofficial Verbal and Quantitative scores appear at the end if you choose to keep your scores. Get your scores  (opens in a new tab)
Validity
Scores can be sent for five years after the test date. Get your scores  (opens in a new tab)
Sending scores to schools
Choose four score recipients at no charge on test day; after that, each recipient costs US$40. Scores  (opens in a new tab)
Canceling your scores
At the end of the test, before viewing your scores, you can cancel scores for all sections. You can request reinstatement within 60 days of the test for US$50, plus applicable tax and fees. ScoreSelect lets you choose which test sessions to send; check whether your program requires every attempt. Annulation and ScoreSelect (bulletin 2026-27, PDF)  (opens in a new tab)

ETS sources checked on October 15, 2026; fees effective August 1, 2026, in US dollars. Base prices may not reflect the total you pay; check taxes and fees during registration.

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