## What you need to know about the GRE

The GRE is a test that is used to assess your ability to succeed in business or graduate school. Combined with an undergraduate record of study and letters of recommendation, it can be used for admission purposes and qualification for monetary assistance, such as fellowships and grants.

The GRE tests the 3 subject areas listed below and is divided into 6 sections.The Analytical Writing section is always given first, with the remaining sections following it, in random order. Among these last 5 sections, there will be 2 sections each of Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning, plus one of the following:

• an unscored section that is not labeled as such. It could be any of the last 5 sections

• a section labeled “Research” that is always at the end of the test.

Neither of these last 2 sections affect your score in any way.

### When is it available?

The GRE is given at many locations around the world. You must register in order to make an appointment for the test location and session you choose. Registration may be completed online and there is more information about this process on the official Educational Testing Service website .

The paper version of the test is only offered in places where the computer version is not available. See list of these locations here .

### Tips & Tricks

Take time to review specific skills covered in each of the sections of the GRE. Be sure you are practicing these concepts at a graduate level of difficulty.

### Time Allowed

It is a good idea to plan to be at the testing location for a total of about 4 1/2 hours. This would include arriving about 30 minutes early. The computer version of the GRE requires a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. There are six sections with a 10-minute break after the third section. The GRE paper version lasts for 3 hours and 30 minutes and includes a 10-minute break after the second section.

Additional notes: At the end of your test session, you can designate which institutions will receive your scores. If you choose to wait for your test results before making this decision, you will need to pay a fee of \$27 for each recipient and submit a separate request at a later date.

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