GRE Syllabus 2026

The GRE General Test (ETS) is used for graduate and business-school admission worldwide. It has three measures — Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning — and is section-adaptive; Verbal and Quant are each scored 130–170.

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GRE exam pattern

SectionQuestionsDuration
Analytical Writing (1 essay · 30 min)2030 min
Verbal Reasoning (27 Q · 41 min)2741 min
Quantitative Reasoning (27 Q · 47 min)2747 min
Total74118 min

Marking: 1 mark per correct answer, no negative marking. Scale: 260–340.

GRE syllabus — topic-wise

Analytical Writing

Verbal Reasoning

Quantitative Reasoning

How to cover the GRE syllabus

The GRE General Test, from ETS, is a graduate admissions test for master’s, MBA, specialised master’s, JD and doctoral programmes worldwide. It was shortened in 2023 to about 1 hour 58 minutes: one Analytical Writing task, two Verbal Reasoning sections (27 questions) and two Quantitative Reasoning sections (27 questions), with Verbal and Quant section-adaptive. Verbal and Quantitative are each scored 130–170 and Analytical Writing 0–6, with scores reportable for 5 years.

✅ Preparation tips

  • Prepare for the shortened structure — one essay, no unscored section.
  • Build vocabulary in context and quantitative reasoning.
  • Use the official POWERPREP practice tests.

⚠️ Common mistakes

  • Preparing for the old longer format with a second essay.
  • Neglecting the section-adaptive nature of Verbal and Quant.

Frequently asked questions

What is the GRE syllabus?

The GRE syllabus covers Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning. The GRE General Test (ETS) is used for graduate and business-school admission worldwide. It has three measures — Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning — and is section-adaptive; Verbal and Quant are each scored 130–170.

What is the GRE exam pattern?

Graduate Record Examination has 74 questions across 3 sections in 118 minutes with no negative marking.

How many sections are there in GRE?

GRE is organised into 3 sections: Analytical Writing (1 essay · 30 min), Verbal Reasoning (27 Q · 41 min), Quantitative Reasoning (27 Q · 47 min).

Where can I practise the full GRE syllabus for free?

Wrexa Edge offers 10 free full-length GRE mock tests that cover the entire syllabus in the real exam interface, with instant scoring and topic-wise analysis.

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