The Graduate Record Examination or the GRE is an internationally recognised exam which is administered by Educational Testing Services or ETS. The GRE examination is taken by prospective students for postgraduate programs in foreign universities and GRE scores are accepted in colleges and universities in over 160 countries across the globe. The GRE tests a candidate upon his or her readiness for postgraduate level education and the testing areas for the GRE General Test include quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning and analytical writing. The GRE General test is a primary requirement for most international postgraduate programs.
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Apart from the GRE General test, there are specialised GRE subject tests for candidates applying for niche postgraduate programs which require proof of subject expertise. The various GRE Subject Tests are:
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Biology
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Chemistry
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Literature in English
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Mathematics
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Physics
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Psychology
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For tests taken on or after July 1, 2016, scores are reportable for 5 years following your test date.
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GRE Eligibility Criteria
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There is no specific eligibility criteria for the GRE exam. Candidates must instead meet the individual eligibility criteria for prospective colleges and universities of application.
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A candidate must carry a valid passport at the time of the GRE exam.
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As the GRE exam is for admission to postgraduate programs, it is generally expected that the candidate has completed or is near completion of his or her undergraduate study.
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GRE Application Process
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In order to apply for the GRE exam, candidates must first create an ETS account.
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The candidate must register for a new account with ETS either online, via phone or via mail. The most common and simple application procedure is the online method. - https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about
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The candidate must fill in the required details and information in order to successfully create an ETS account.
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After creation of an ETS account, the candidate can schedule a GRE test.
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The candidate must select which test he or she wishes to schedule: the GRE General or the GRE Subject test.
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The candidate must then select the desired test centre and the test date from dates available for that centre.
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The final step in the application procedure is the payment of the exam fee for GRE. For the GRE General Test, the fee is USD $205 and for the GRE Subject Test, the fee is USD $150.
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GRE Preparation Tips
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In order to prepare for the GRE test, candidates must keep the following preparation tips in mind:
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Candidates should regularly practice vocabulary words with sentences rather than memorising word lists and meanings.
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Candidates should read the verbal question slowly and in a sectional manner in order to properly comprehend the question and possible answers.
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Candidates should practice verbal and quantitative questions in a timed environment.
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Candidates should understand the quantitative concepts which commonly appear in the GRE General test.
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Candidates should practice essay writing for both the issue and argument tasks of the Analytical Writing Assessment. Practice should be done in a timed environment.
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Candidates should thoroughly understand the exam pattern and the type of questions in the GRE General test so as to be prepared on the test day.
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GRE Exam Pattern
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The GRE General exam primarily comprises 3 sections:
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Verbal Reasoning
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Quantitative Reasoning
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Analytical Writing Assessment
The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections consist of multiple choice questions with one answer correct and multiple choice questions with more than one answer correct. The Analytical Writing Assessment section comprises 2 essay tasks. There is no negative marking in the GRE exam. Apart from the three scored GRE sections, another unscored section is provided by ETS for research purposes. This unscored section is either Quantitative or Verbal Reasoning and the candidate will not know which section is the unscored section prior to or after the exam.
GRE General Exam Pattern
Verbal Reasoning - 30 minutes - 20 questions
Quantitative Reasoning - 35 minutes - 20 questions
Analytical Writing Assessment - 60 minutes (30+30) - 2 essay tasks (Analyse an Issue; Analyse an Argument)
Unscored Section - Can be either verbal or quantitative - No. of questions varies
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GRE Biology Exam Pattern
The GRE Subject Test for Biology comprises 190 multiple choice questions which 5 options each. The test is divided into 3 broad sections which focus on the following domains:
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Cellular and Molecular Biology
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Organismal Biology
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Ecology and Evolution
The final score for the GRE Subject Test in Biology features a total score as well as individual subscores for each of the three subcategories.
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GRE Chemistry Exam Pattern
The GRE Subject Test in Chemistry comprises approximately 130 questions which are multiple choice type. Along with the test booklet, candidates are provided with a periodic table as well as requisite physical constants and SI conversion factors. Logarithmic values are also provided where required. The exam content is divided into 4 broad subcategories of Chemistry which are:
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Analytical Chemistry
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Inorganic Chemistry
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Organic Chemistry
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Physical Chemistry
GRE Literature in English Exam Pattern
The GRE Subject Test in Literature in English comprises approximately 230 questions of multiple choice type on various topics such as drama, history of the language, poetry, the short story, the essay, biography, criticism, the novel and literary theory.
The exam is broadly divided into four subcategories, namely:
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Literary Analysis
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Identification
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Cultural and Historical Contexts
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History and Theory of Literary Criticisms
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GRE Mathematics Exam Pattern
The GRE Subject Test for Mathematics comprises approximately 66 questions of multiple choice type. These questions are from mathematical topics which are generally covered in undergraduate level mathematics.
Approximately 50% of the Mathematics exam are based on calculus and its various applications. Another 25% are based on linear algebra, number theory, abstract algebra and elementary algebra. There is no specific syllabus for this GRE Subject Test.
GRE Physics Exam Pattern
The GRE Subject Test for Physics comprises approximately 100 multiple choice questions with 5 choice each. The test focuses on fundamental concepts of Physics which are generally covered in undergraduate education. Along with the test booklet, candidates are provided with requisite physical constants as well as SI conversion factors. The exam content can be broadly classified into the following subcategories:
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Classical Mechanics
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Electromagnetism
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Optics and Wave Phenomena
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Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
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Quantum Mechanics
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Atomic Physics
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Special Relativity
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Laboratory Methods
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Specialised Topics
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GRE Psychology Exam Pattern
The GRE Subject Test for Psychology comprises approximately 205 questions of multiple choice type which have 5 choices each. The Psychology test's terminology and classifications adhere to those listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition). The exam content can be broadly classified into six subcategories:
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Biological
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Cognitive
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Social
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Developmental
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Clinical
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Measurement/Methodology
The final score for the GRE Subject Test in Psychology features a total score as well as individual subscores for each of the six subcategories.
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GRE Exam Centers
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GRE Biology Exam Centers
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Gujarat
Ahmedabad
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Karnataka
Bengaluru
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Tamil Nadu
Coimbatore
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West Bengal
Kolkata
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Maharashtra
Mumbai
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Delhi
New Delhi
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Rajasthan
Pilani
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GRE Chemistry Exam Centers
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Gujarat
Ahmedabad
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Tamil Nadu
Coimbatore
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Karnataka
Bengaluru​
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Delhi
New Delhi​
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Maharashtra
Mumbai​
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Rajasthan
Pilani​
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West Bengal
Kolkata​
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GRE Literature in English Exam Centers
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Gujarat
Ahmedabad
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West Bengal
Kolkata
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Maharashtra
Mumbai
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Delhi
New Delhi
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Tamil Nadu
Coimbatore
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Karnataka
Bengaluru
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Rajasthan
Pilani
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GRE Mathematics Exam Centers
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Gujarat
Ahmedabad
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Karnataka
Bengaluru
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Tamil Nadu
Coimbatore
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West Bengal
Kolkata
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Maharashtra
Mumbai
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Delhi
New Delhi
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Rajasthan
Pilani
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GRE Physics Exam Centers
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Gujarat
Ahmedabad
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Karnataka
Bengaluru
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Tamil Nadu
Coimbatore
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Delhi
New Delhi
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West Bengal
Kolkata
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Maharashtra
Mumbai
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Rajasthan
Pilani
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GRE Psychology Exam Centers
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Gujarat
Ahmedabad
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Rajasthan
Pilani
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Maharashtra
Mumbai
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Tamil Nadu
Coimbatore
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Delhi
New Delhi
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West Bengal
Kolkata
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Karnataka
Bengaluru
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Documents Required at GRE Exam
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Current valid government issued passport
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GRE Result
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The GRE result for the Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections is displayed on the computer screen of the candidate immediately after completion of the exam. This makes up the overall GRE General score of the candidate.
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The score for the Analytical Writing Assessment section is available with the unofficial score report approximately 10-15 days after the test day.
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The GRE Subject Test score reports are available to the candidates online approximately 5 weeks after the date of the test. Candidates will receive an email from ETS once the GRE Subject Test scores are available.
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GRE General Scores:
The Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections are scored on a 130-170 point scale with 1 point increments. The total GRE General score is the summation of the Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning scores and is calculated on a 260-340 point scale.
The Analytical Writing Assessment scores are reported separately and are calculated on a 0-6 point scale with 0.5 point increments. The Analytical Writing Assessment score does not contribute to the total GRE General score.
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GRE Subject Test Score:
Each of the GRE Subject Tests is scored on a 200 to 990 point scale with increments of 10 points and the candidate’s raw score is determined by the number of questions he or she answers correctly. The GRE Subject Test for both Biology and Psychology also feature a score on a 20-99 point scale with increments of 1 point.
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