About GRE
The GRE® revised General Test — the most widely accepted graduate admissions test worldwide — can bring you one step closer to achieving your career goals. There has never been a better time to take the one test that gives you more opportunities for your future. And now, with the new Score Select option, you can approach test day with even more confidence knowing that you can send institutions the scores you feel show your personal best.
The GRE revised General Test, introduced in August 2011, features a new test-taker friendly design and new question types. It more closely reflects the kind of thinking you’ll do in graduate or business school and demonstrates that you are ready for graduate-level work.
Verbal Reasoning — Measures your ability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it, analyze relationships among component parts of sentences and recognize relationships among words and concepts.
Quantitative Reasoning — Measures problem-solving ability, focusing on basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis.
Analytical Writing — Measures critical thinking and analytical writing skills, specifically your ability to articulate and support complex ideas clearly and effectively.
Test Format
Introduced in August 2011, the GRE® revised General Test features new types of questions that more closely reflect the kind of thinking you’ll do — and the skills you need to succeed — in today’s demanding graduate and business school programs. It is designed to provide a friendlier, more flexible test-taking experience. Get a look at the structure of the computer- based or paper- based GRE revised General Test.
The GRE revised General Test measures your verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills — skills that have been developed over a long period of time and are not related to a specific field of study but are important for all. 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:
- 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:
- 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.
Computer-based GRE® revised General Test Content and Structure
The overall testing time for the computer-based GRE® revised General Test is about three hours and 45 minutes. There are six sections with a 10-minute break following the third section.
| Measure | Questions | Allotted Time |
| Analytical Writing | One “Analyze an Issue” taskOne “Analyze an Argument task | 30 minutes |
| Verbal Reasoning (Two Sections) | 20 questions per section | 30 minutes per section |
| Quantitative Reasoning (Two Sections) | 20 questions per section | 35 minutes per section |
| Unscored1 | Varies | Varies |
| Research2 | Varies | Varies |
¹An unidentified unscored section that does not count toward your score may be included and may appear in any order after the Analytical Writing section. Questions in the unscored section are being tried out either for possible use in future tests or to ensure that scores on new editions of the test are comparable to scores from earlier editions.
²An identified research section that is not scored may be included in place of the unscored section. The research section will always appear at the end of the test. Questions in this section are included for ETS research purposes and will not count toward your score.
The Analytical Writing section will always be first. The Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and unidentified/unscored sections may appear in any order; therefore, you should treat each section as if it counts toward your score.
Paper-based GRE® revised General Test Content and Structure
The overall testing time for the paper-based GRE® revised General Test is about three hours and 30 minutes. There are six sections with a 10-minute break following the second section.
Structure of the Paper-based Test
| Measure | Questions | Allotted Time |
| Analytical Writing( Two Sections) | Section 1:“Analyze an Issue” taskSection 2:“Analyze an Argument” task | 30 minutes30 minutes |
| Verbal Reasoning( Two Sections) | 25 questions per section | 35 minutes per section |
| Quantitative Reasoning( Two Sections) | 25 questions per section | 40 minutes per section |
The Analytical Writing sections will always be first, while the other four sections may appear in any order.
Test Design Features
- When taking a Verbal Reasoning or Quantitative Reasoning section, you are free, within that section, to skip questions and come back to them later or change the answer to a question.
- There are paper-based equivalents for most of the new question types, including text completions and numeric entry.
- Answers are entered into the test book, rather than a separate answer sheet.
- You will be provided an ETS calculator to use during the Quantitative Reasoning section; you may not use your own calculator.
Scores
GRE® test scores are valid for five years after the testing year in which you tested (July 1–June 30). Currently, scores earned from July 1, 2007, to the present are available.
Scores Reported
GRE® revised General Test (tests taken on or after August 1, 2011)
| Measure | Scores Reported |
| Verbal Reasoning | 130 – 170, in 1 point increments |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 130 – 170, in 1 point increments |
| Analytical Writing | 0 – 6, in half point increments |
If no questions are answered for a specific measure ( e.g. Verbal Reasoning), then you will receive a No Score (NS) for that measure.
GRE® General Test (tests taken prior to August 1, 2011):
| Measure | Scores Reported* |
| Verbal Reasoning | 200 -800, in 10- point increments |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 200 -800, in 10- point increments |
| Analytical Writing | 0 -6, in half- point increments |
If no questions are answered for a specific measure (e.g., Verbal Reasoning), then you will receive a No Score (NS) for that measure.
*Score reports include Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores on the prior 200–800 scales as well as estimated Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores on the new 130–170 score scales.
Score SelectSM Option
The new ScoreSelectSM option lets you decide which test scores to send to the institutions you designate. You can send scores from your most recent test administration or scores for all of the times you’ve taken a GRE test as part of your four free score reports. After test day, you can send scores from your Most Recent, All or Any specific test administration(s) for a fee when ordering Additional Score Reports. Just remember, scores for a test administration must be reported in their entirety.
This new option is part of the more test-taker friendly GRE® revised General Test. It helps you approach test day with more confidence, knowing you can send scores you feel show your personal best. The new ScoreSelect option is available for both the GRE revised General Test and GRE Subject Tests, and can be used by anyone with reportable scores from the last five years. For more information on your score reporting options, see Sending Your Scores.
Other Information
| Exam Fee | Test Validity | Full Marks | Minimum Requirement |
| US $205 | GRE scores are valid for 5 years. One can request a rescore up to 3 months after your test date. | Three scores are reported on the GRE General Test: a Verbal Reasoning score reported on a 200 – 800 score scale, in 10-point increments, a Quantitative Reasoning score reported on a 200 – 800 score scale, in 10-point increments, an Analytical Writing score reported on a 0 – 6 score scale, in half-point increments | 200 * |
Local Test Center in Nepal
Kathmandu STC # 8914- APCU-8914, Fulbright Commission in Nepal (USEF/N), Gyaneswor, Kathmandu, Nepal
Fee Structure
| Fee Structure & Duration: | |
| Admission & Placement Test | Rs. 1000 |
| Course Fee | Rs. 15,000 |
| Duration | 6 weeks ( Monday to Friday) |
| Note: This course fee includes study materials and 4 mock tests. | |
FAQs
With the introduction of the GRE revised General Test on August 1, 2011, ETS has enhanced the test in many significant ways to give you a better test experience and better demonstrate your skills and readiness for graduate-level work:
A new test-taker friendly design for the computer-based test lets you edit or change your answers and skip questions, all within a section, and use an on-screen calculator.*
New types of questions in the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections, many featuring real-life scenarios that reflect the kind of thinking you’ll do in today’s demanding graduate and business school programs.
Since there were substantial changes to the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures when the GRE revised General Test was introduced in August 2011, the score scales were changed for these sections.
The Analytical Writing score scale is the same.
Three scores are reported on the revised General Test:
A Verbal Reasoning score is reported on a 130–170 score scale, in 1-point increments.
A Quantitative Reasoning score is reported on a 130–170 score scale, in 1-point increments.
An Analytical Writing score is reported on a 0–6 score level, in half-point increments
ETS has revised the test to better reflect the kind of thinking you’ll do in graduate or business school and improve your test-taking experience. New types of questions now more closely align with the skills you need to succeed in today’s demanding graduate and business school programs.
Business schools worldwide accept GRE scores for their MBA and other graduate business programs, including many top-ranked programs. Please contact us to view list of business schools accepting GRE scores for MBA admissions.
The Verbal Reasoning section measures your ability to analyze and draw conclusions from discourse, understand multiple levels of meaning, select important points and understand the meanings of sentences and entire texts.
The Quantitative Reasoning section measures your ability to interpret and analyze quantitative information and use mathematical skills such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, probability and statistics to solve problems.
The Analytical Writing section measures your ability to sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion, articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively, support your ideas with relevant examples and examine claims and accompanying evidence.
The GRE revised General Test uses the foundations of high school math to test quantitative reasoning. The test material measures your ability to understand basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis; to reason quantitatively; and to solve problems in a quantitative setting.
The TOEFL iBT® Writing Section and GRE Analytical Writing measures are intended to measure different sets of skills. The TOEFL iBT Writing section contains two writing tasks: an independent task asks test takers to support an opinion in writing, and an integrated task that asks test takers to write responses that integrate and organize information from a reading passage and a lecture. 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.
You can register for the computer-based GRE revised General Test online, by phone, by mail or fax. For more details see: www.ets.org
Test centers fill up quickly so early registration is recommended to get your preferred test location and date selection.
The total testing time for the computer-based test is around 3 hours and 45 minutes, plus short breaks.
Test has included an on-screen calculator for use in the Quantitative Reasoning section to reduce the emphasis on computation and to focus more attention on reasoning skills. The calculator has four functions
Computer-based Test:
The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures are section-level adaptive. This means the computer selects the second section of a measure based on the performance on the first section. Within each section, all questions contribute equally to the final score. For each of the two measures, a raw score is computed. The raw score is the number of questions answered correctly.
The raw score is converted to a scaled score through a process known as equating. The equating process accounts for minor variations in difficulty among the different test editions as well as differences in difficulty among individuals’ tests introduced by the section-level adaptation. Thus a given scaled score of a particular measure reflects the same level of performance regardless of which section was selected and when the test was taken.
Computer-based Test:
For the computer-based test, each essay receives a score from at least one trained reader, using a six-point holistic scale. In holistic scoring, readers are trained to assign scores on the basis of the overall quality of an essay in response to the assigned task. The essay score is then reviewed by e-rater, a computerized program developed by ETS, which is used to monitor the human reader. If the e-rater evaluation and the human score agree, the human score is used as the final score. If they disagree by a certain amount, a second human score is obtained, and the final score is the average of the two human scores.
The final scores on the two essays are then averaged and rounded to the nearest half-point interval on the 0–6 score scale. A single score is reported for the Analytical Writing measure. The primary emphasis in scoring the Analytical Writing section is on your critical thinking and analytical writing skills rather than on grammar and mechanics.
Paper-based Test:
For the paper-based test each essay receives a score from two trained readers using a six-point holistic scale. In holistic scoring, readers are trained to assign scores on the basis of the overall quality of an essay in response to the assigned task. If the two scores differ by more than one point on the scale, the discrepancy is adjudicated by a third GRE reader. Otherwise, the two scores on each essay are averaged.
The final scores on the two essays are then averaged and rounded to the nearest half-point interval on the 0–6 score scale. A single score is reported for the Analytical Writing measure. The primary emphasis in scoring the Analytical Writing section is on critical thinking and analytical writing skills rather than on grammar and mechanics.
Three scores are reported on the GRE revised General Test:
- A Verbal Reasoning score is reported on a 130–170 score scale, in 1-point increments.
- A Quantitative Reasoning score is reported on a 130–170 score scale, in 1-point increments.
- An Analytical Writing score is reported on a 0–6 score level, in half-point increments.
GRE scores are valid for five years after the testing year in which you tested (July 1–June 30). Currently, scores earned from July 1, 2007, to the present are available.
It costs USD 175 worldwide.