
Highlights:
GRE is administered by ETS and is considered one of the most widely accepted examinations for students who wish to pursue a Master's in law or business schools. GRE's graduate record exam is a test that is used to evaluate your general academic performance, which is a mandate for graduate schools. To start your preparation for the exam and GRE syllabus, you need to know the exam cost and ETS GRE Registration fee.
GRE test registration can be done by creating an account in ETS and fill all your required information and you can pay through credit or debit card. However, before starting the registration process, you need to understand the GRE eligibility.

Gradutate record exam assesses your analytical writing, quantitative aptitude, and verbal thinking skills via GRE General Test. You can create your own GRE study plan or take from the ones available online. This test has three sections which you will need to attempt which are Analytical thinking of 30 minutes, then comes the Verbal reasoning part which has two sections 1 and 2 with an allotted time of 18 and 23 minutes respectively.
ETS GRE subject test measures your proficiency in a particular topic. GRE subject tests include topics like Mathematics, Physics, or Psychology. For Mathematics, you will have to solve 66 multiple-choice questions from Calculus, GRE Algebra, and other additional topics. If you want to appear for the physics and Psychology test, you will have to solve 75 multiple-choice questions for Physics and 144 multiple-choice questions for Psychology. GRE exam time allotted is 2 hours and 50 minutes for the Mathematics Test and 2 hours for the Physics and Psychology tests.
GRE test registration process is flexible. Candidates can complete GRE Registration via online and phone registration. Candidates may also register via fax or postal mail. You must have a valid passport or Aadhar Card throughout the GRE Registration process. Additionally, a debit or credit card to pay the $228 GRE registration fee. You can also apply for GRE scholarship programs from the official website. GRE Registration Process are of following types:
For GRE ETS booking using the online option, you must follow the instructions below. After the registration process, you can also check the eligibility for GRE scholarships.
You need to call the Regional Registration Center (RRC) which is located in Gurgaon. The phone number to register for GRE is 91-124-4147700. Candidates will have to call the register number at least 2 days before the desired test date. When called for GRE registration candidates must be provided with a confirmation number, reporting time, and the test centre address. You can aslo prepare for GRE grammar through many vocabulary apps. Candidates will have to pay the registration fee through JCB, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or Visa credit or debit card.
Note:
ETS has not made any specifications regarding GRE eligibility. GRE is required mostly for MS/MBA admissions, and there are GRE accepting universities in Canada for MBA. However, most US universities require a standardized score submission. Candidates can register for GRE irrespective of their age and educational qualification. Candidates must take GRE in order to be considered for master's programs. Candidates must have their original passports as identification at the test centers. As of July 1, 2021, candidates can use their Aadhar Card as part of their identity proof when registering for GRE.
GRE exam fees vary depending on the location. GRE exam price for India is INR 22,550 ($228).
Special handling requests
| Special Handling Request | GRE Fee |
|---|---|
| Rescheduling fee | INR 5,000 |
| Changing Subject Test | INR 5,000 |
| Changing test center | INR 5,000 |
Scoring services
| Service | GRE Fee |
|---|---|
| Additional Score Reports (ASR) | INR 2,900 |
| Score reinstatement | INR 5,000 |
| Score Review | INR 5,900 |
| Returned payment | INR 2,900 |
Wondering about the availability of the test dates for both general and subject tests? You should know that you can book the dates at your convenience as there are various GRE exam dates available. You must book the dates two or three months before the opening of the university application openings.
| June 2024 | 03, 04, 05, 06, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27 |
|---|---|
| August 2024 | 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 30 |
| September 2024 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30 |
| October 2024 | 1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31 |
There are more than 22 cities that conduct GRE exam in India. GRE exam centers are present in Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Gandhinagar, Gurgaon, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nashik, New Delhi, Nizamabad, Patna, Pune, Trivandrum, Vadodara, and Vijayawada. Most test centers offer computer-based test options. ETS has launched GRE General Test at-home for locations where the computer-based test format is unavailable for the convenience of candidates.
You must know that there are two types of GRE gradute record examinations pattern depending upon your requirements - The General tests and GRE Subject Tests.
GRE graduate record examination pattern is divided into three sections: Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. The Analytical Writing section will always come first, although the Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and unscored components can appear in any sequence in GRE exam pattern. The format of GRE general test paper-based and online tests vary in addition to the time limits.
The first section of GRE is AWA, which consists of one type of questions. GRE Analytical Writing includes only one task: Analyze an Issue task. Candidates have 30 minutes to complete the sections of GRE Analytical Writing.
GRE verbal reasoning tests a candidate's ability to read and analyse textual information. Due to its challenging question styles, candidates find GRE verbal reasoning portion to be challenging. There are three different types of questions in this section: reading comprehension, text completion, and sentence equivalence. GRE verbal syllabus includes topics like Verb Tense, Idioms & Idiomatic Phrases, Pronoun Agreement, Subject-Verb Agreement, etc. There are two sections – Section 1 has 12 questions for 1:18 minutes and section 2 has 15 questions for 2:23 minutes.
GRE quantitative reasoning can change the scorecard of the candidates. GRE quant syllabus comprises-Quantitative comparison, Problem-solving, and Data interpretation. GRE quantitative reasoning contains questions that are modeled in real-life settings or completely in mathematical settings. These data interpretation questions are exhibited in tables, graphs, or other data displays. You will need to attempts 12 questions in 1:21 minutes for section 1 and 15 questions in 2:26 minutes in section 2.
Here is the detailed comparison between GRE Computer-Based Test and GRE Paper-Based Test. GRE geometry is a part of the subject test.
| Sections | Number of Questions | Allotted Time |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical Writing | One "Analyze an Issue" 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 |
GRE subject tests ensure that specific graduate schools take notice of your knowledge in the subject matter. GRE subject tests examine skill in specified areas of interest. The specific test subjects are
Mathematics, Physics and Psychology have been shifted to the comuter delivered-test format in September 2023. GRE subject test for Physics and Pscyhology duration has been reduced to 2 hours.
Candidates wonder about the differences between GRE General Test and GRE Subject Test.Irrespective of which test you take, it is necessary that you have to self-prepare for GRE apart from all the resources. In the below table a detailed difference between GRE General Test differs from GRE Subject Test is mentioned.
| Area of Difference | GRE General Test | GRE Subject Test |
|---|---|---|
| About the test | GRE General Test is not related to any specific field of study, but rather assesses important and long-developed verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills. | GRE Subject Test assesses knowledge of a specific field of study. Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology are among the subjects covered in GRE Subject Test. |
| Duration | 1 hour and 58 minutes | 2 hours and 50 minutes. |
| GRE Exam Fee | India - US$228. Worldwide - US$220 | Worldwide -US$150. |
| GRE Test Date | Held online from a GRE test centre or at home comfort using GRE at Home facility. Held multiple times a day and on most days of the month. | Offered at paper-delivered test centres worldwide, three times a year. In September, October, and April. |
GRE Verbal and quantitative reasoning are graded on a scale of 130-170 with a one point increment. The total GRE score ranges from 260 to 340. The average GRE AWA score ranges from 0-6, with each half-point representing one point. If a question is not answered, there will be no score reported (NS). GRE Subject Test scores all 3 subject tests on a scale of 200-290 with 10-point increments. Each of the individual test scales occupies only a portion of the 200 to 990 score range. Biology and Psychology have a subscore range of 20-99 on a 1 point scale. You official GRE General scores will be available in your ETS account within 8 – 10 days after the test date.
To better understand how your GRE score range will be calculated, candidates should understand how the scoring pattern works. According to the official website, GRE Score Report includes the following components, as well as their GRE score range.
| Section | GRE Score Range | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| GRE Verbal Reasoning | 130–170 | 150 |
| GRE Quantitative Reasoning | 130–170 | 152 |
| GRE Analytical Writing | 0–6 | 3.6 |
| Total | 260–340 | - |
GRE score range calculation process is simple. You can understand the score calculation by using GRE Score Calculator with the points given below.
You can also check GRE to GMAT score conversion online. Check the table below to understand GRE percentiles scores based on GRE scaled score:
| Scaled Score | Verbal Reasoning Percentile Rank | Quantitative Reasoning Percentile Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 170 | 99 | 97 |
| 169 | 99 | 97 |
| 168 | 98 | 95 |
| 167 | 98 | 93 |
| 166 | 97 | 91 |
| 165 | 95 | 89 |
| 164 | 94 | 87 |
| 163 | 92 | 85 |
| 162 | 90 | 82 |
| 161 | 88 | 79 |
| 160 | 85 | 76 |
| 159 | 82 | 73 |
| 158 | 80 | 70 |
| 157 | 75 | 67 |
| 156 | 72 | 63 |
| 155 | 68 | 59 |
| 154 | 64 | 55 |
| 153 | 60 | 51 |
| 152 | 55 | 47 |
| 151 | 51 | 43 |
| 150 | 47 | 39 |
| 149 | 42 | 35 |
| 148 | 38 | 31 |
| 147 | 34 | 27 |
| 146 | 30 | 24 |
| 145 | 26 | 20 |
| 144 | 23 | 17 |
| 143 | 19 | 14 |
| 142 | 17 | 12 |
| 141 | 14 | 10 |
| 140 | 11 | 8 |
| 139 | 9 | 6 |
| 138 | 7 | 4 |
| 137 | 6 | 3 |
| 136 | 4 | 2 |
| 135 | 3 | 1 |
| 134 | 2 | 1 |
| 133 | 1 | 1 |
| 132 | 1 | – |
| 131 | 1 | – |
| 130 | – | – |
To find out their GRE scores, candidates must go to the ETS official website and proceed with GRE results login in their ETS account. Print option for GRE exam results is also available on this website. After saving GRE score report PDF, candidates can print their GRE computer-based test results. You can also get GRE percentiles through the score calculator.
The validity period for GRE scores is five years from the date of the test. Candidates cannot use their ETS GRE results after 5 years. In the event of a retake, the date of GRE retake will be used to calculate the 5 years.
GRE fees include free score distribution to four universities, but candidates must specify the destinations on the test day. Sending GRE scores to multiple institutes costs US$ 27 per destination.
If any candidate is disappointed with GRE scores, he/she can cancel them. He/she will have to retake GRE in this case. So, for GRE score candidates must practice more for GRE in order to obtain a higher GRE score. To meet the specific GRE score requirement of globally top universities. Having a target GRE prepration time can prevent you from cancelling the exam dates if you are not confident.
Admitted candidates' GRE scores range from 155 to 163 for Verbal and 155 to 167 for Quants. Many programs require GRE scores of 160s, or in the top 10-15 percentile. To get admitted to the top universities in the US to study MS or Ph.D. an overall goal score of 320+ and 4.5 in AWA GRE is required. GRE cutoff of some of the top universities are:
| Top Universities | Verbal (Average Score) | Quant (Average Score) |
|---|---|---|
| MIT | 158 | 162 |
| Stanford University | 159 | 165 |
| UC Berkeley | 154 | 160 |
| Imperial College, London | 162 | 167 |
| Oxford University | 160+ | 160+ |
| London School of Economics | 163 | 163 |
| Illinois Urbana Champaign | 154 | 162 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 160 | 162 |
| Georgia Tech | 155 | 161 |
| UCLA | 155 | 167 |
| University of Virginia | 163 | 166 |
| University of Texas Austin | 155 | 160 |
| University of Michigan Ann Arbor | 154 | 161 |
| University of Toronto | 150 | 150 |
| Duke University | 155 | 165 |
| Arizona State University | 154 | 162 |
| University of California – San Diego | 162 | 160 |
| University of Wisconsin – Madison | 163 | 163 |
| Northwestern University | 154 | 161 |
| University of Washington | 156 | 159 |
| University of Connecticut | 153 | 157 |
| University of Maryland College | 154 | 160 |
| University of California Irvine | 151 | 161 |
| Johns Hopkins University | 163 | 164 |
| Vanderbilt University | 157 | 166 |
| University of Cincinnati | 155 | 159 |
| University of Melbourne | 304 | |
The minimum cutoff for MS courses in the US in particular depends on the college the candidates are applying to. Candidates must have an idea about average GRE scores across Top US universities. Here is the good score considered by different colleges:
The average GRE score is highly dependent on the university admission guidelines. Some universities do offer MS in USA without GRE, but the alternate to it will be a GMAT score submission. Candidates must have an understanding of their average GRE score from the points below.
Candidates can log in to their ETS account and download their GRE score report within 5 weeks of taking the test. Students will receive notification that ETS has received the scores and has delivered the scores to the selected universities. After completing GRE general test, students will be given two options: report GRE score or cancel GRE score report. They can view the Unofficial GRE score Report by clicking on the "Report" option, which includes the GRE quant and verbal scores. Because GRE essay scoring is a detailed and time-consuming process, the Analytical writing assessment score cannot be seen in unofficial GRE score card. However, if the student wishes to cancel GRE score report, they must do so for all sections. Only if the students select the "Report" option will the universities or GRE score receivers accept the score. When you click "Cancel," neither the students nor the recipients will receive their GRE results.

GRE preparation can be done with self-study and seeking professional guidance. Candidates must choose according to their convenience. Here is a few GRE preparation for beginners tips that candidates must keep in mind while preparing for the exam:
Some students prefer traditional private tuition, coaching classes, or self-study, while GRE online prep courses have recently become popular among students. Candidates confused between coaching classes and online GRE coaching. Here are a few points to help understand which one to choose between online and offline GRE classes:
For candidates looking for “GRE coaching near me” can find the below classes helpful. These classes provide GRE subjects and GRE course online and classroom classes. Here are the top coaching centers for GRE:
GRE preparation books comprises previous year questions, answers and explanations. Here are the top GRE preparation books for candidates who are looking to ace their GRE questions in the exam.
Solving GRE Sample papers is one of the easiest ways to be ready for GRE. By completing GRE practice test, candidates may assess their own performance and be ready for the test day. There are numerous sources of getting GRE question papers like online sites, preparation books, and also coaching. Attempting GRE mock test free more frequently, 2-3 tests per week will help analyze the performance.
You can solve GRE verbal practice papers by availing the below-mentioned links –
To imorove your skills for the quant section, it is very important that you practice GRE quant sample papers which are mentioned below -
Analytical section needs a lot of practice to brush uo your argumentative skills. Hence, the below-mentioned GRE AWA sample papers will helo you to do so.
GRE administered by ETS is a benchmark for candidates aspiring to pursue graduate education. With its distinctive format and rigorous assessment, GRE sets a high standard for evaluating applicants' academic aptitude and potential. Understanding GRE exam pattern and scoring system is essential for effective preparation, enabling test-takers to strategically allocate their study time and focus on areas of improvement. While the GRE GMAT are both widely recognized entrance exams, GRE is accepted across various colleges and programs making it a preferred choice for many students. Ultimately, achieving competitive GRE scores showcases a candidate's intellectual capabilities and enhances their chances of securing admission to esteemed educational institutions.
Ques: What is the GRE used for?
Ans: GRE exam is used to measure your suitability in terms of your analytical and verbal reasoning skills if you want to go for a Master's in Law or Business School in the USA.
Ques: Who is eligible for the GRE?
Ans: There are no such eligibility criteria for this exam neither there are any age restrictions. You must have an undergraduate degree in any of the fields.
Ques: What is the fee for the GRE in India?
Ans: The registration fee for the general test in GRE is INR 22,550 and for the subject test, the fees are INR 14,500. When registering for the exam, you can pay through a debit or credit card.
Ques: What is a good score on the GRE?
Ans: The good score for the GRE varies from college to college. However, here is a list of the average scores that are considered good by most of the colleges: GRE Verbal Section:152–158; GRE Quantitative section - 153-158; GRE Analytical section - 4.0
Ques: Is there any negative marking on the GRE?
Ans: No, there is no negative marking in the exam. Even if you are not sure about any of the questions, you can still answer all the questions. You don't need to worry about the score deductions.
Ques: Can I prepare for the GRE in one month?
Ans: To be able to score well in the exam by preparing within a month, you will have to practice several methods for the GRE like solving GRE practice papers, and need to manage your time accordingly.
Ques: What is the mode of the GRE?
Ans: The exam is conducted in two modes: Computer and paper-delivered tests. Both of these modes include three sections - Verbal reasoning, analytical thinking, and quantitative aptitude.
Ques: Are calculators allowed in the GRE?
Ans: The new revised GRE General tests allow you to use calculators for the quantitative tests and in the computer-delivered tests, you are required to use an on-screen calculator for solving the problems.
Ques: What is the difference between the GRE general and GRE subject tests?
Ans: While the GRE general tests are used to evaluate your overall skills suitable for the master's program you want to pursue, the GRE subject tests measure your expertise in a specific subject.
Ques: What are subjects included in the GRE subject tests?
Ans: Initially, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology were included in the subject tests but the revised GRE Subject tests enable you to test your knowledge in only Mathematics or Physics or Psychology.
Ques: Which is the hardest section of the GRE?
Ans: The difficulty level of the examination depends upon the individual and their way of preparing for the exams. It also depends on their strength and weaknesses.
Ques: What is the cost of the GRE Subject tests?
Ans: The cost of the GRE Subject test in India is 14,500, and it occurs every two weeks in September, October, and April.
Ques: Is there a fee to reschedule the GRE?
Ans: You have to pay a certain amount for rescheduling the GRE in India which is about INR 5000 and if you want to change the test center, then the fees would be INR 5000.
Ques: What is the new pattern of the GRE?
Ans: The revised GRE general tests have removed Analyze and Argument from the analytical thinking section and the new pattern consists of 55 questions.
Ques: Are there any study materials for preparing for the GRE?
Ans: Many reputable coaching centers prepare you for the GRE across India and besides that, there are also numerous online materials and platforms where you can study for the GRE.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.