About Test
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is an admissions test used around the world to screen graduate school applicants in a multitude of disciplines in the arts and sciences. It is a standardised international level test accepted for admission to various disciplines at many graduate schools in the world. Students looking to pursue master’s or doctoral programmes can take the GRE test. It comes in two formats- General and Subject test.
Why take the test?
The GRE is intended to test verbal and quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing ability. The GRE presumes fluency in English, but its verbal reasoning sections emphasize efficient reading and understanding words in context, rather than memorization. The GRE is accepted at thousands of graduate and business schools. The importance of a GRE score can vary from being a formality to being one of the most important factors in graduate school admissions. The importance placed upon GRE scores varies widely among schools and even among departments within schools. High GRE scores are most important when applicants have weaknesses in their other credentials.
General Facts
General Facts
| Date and Frequency | You can take the test once every 21 days, up to five times within any continuous rolling 12-month period |
|---|---|
| Center and Admit Card | The GRE test is conducted in over 1000 tests centres across the world. Applicants can select a test centre depending on their location and convenience. |
| Result | The GRE test results are usually available within 10 -15 calendar days. Test takers can get their GRE results online or from the test centre where they appeared for the test. ETS, the conducting body of GRE, sends test takers an email notification when their test results are out. |
| Score Reporting | GRE test takers are allowed to send their scores to four graduate schools. Candidates have to select the four institutions at the time of registration through the Score Select option. |
| Score Validity | 5 Years |
| Date and Frequency | |
| You can take the test once every 21 days, up to five times within any continuous rolling 12-month period | |
| Center and Admit Card | |
| The GRE test is conducted in over 1000 tests centres across the world. Applicants can select a test centre depending on their location and convenience. | |
| Result | |
| The GRE test results are usually available within 10 -15 calendar days. Test takers can get their GRE results online or from the test centre where they appeared for the test. ETS, the conducting body of GRE, sends test takers an email notification when their test results are out. | |
| Score Reporting | |
| GRE test takers are allowed to send their scores to four graduate schools. Candidates have to select the four institutions at the time of registration through the Score Select option. | |
| Score Validity | |
| 5 Years |
Fees
Registration Fees
USD 205Late Fee
USD 25Rescheduling Fees
USD 50Test Center Change Fees
USD 50REGISTRATION
GRE Exam Registration Process
Aspirants can register online for both GRE General test and subject tests, although, registrations via phone and mail are possible. Online registration is the most common way to apply for GRE test.
Step1
Signup on GRE official portal
Step2
Submit personal information
Step3
Profile details submission
Step4
Selection of Test centre, date and time
Step5
Payment & completion of registration
FAQs
Starting a few years ago, the GRE became an acceptable entrance exam alongside the long-standing GMAT exam for admission to most business school programs, including the traditional MBA. The GRE is increasing in popularity, and more and more students are applying to business school with it instead of the GMAT for various reasons. However, it’s still a good idea to check with the business schools you’re applying to and make 100% sure that they do in fact accept the GRE — and, more importantly, that they’ll view it as an equal to the GMAT when considering your application. While a huge majority of the world’s business schools are now on board with the GRE, but it's advisable to check.
The GRE and GMAT are more alike than they are different. They both test roughly the same mathematical concepts, they both test your ability to comprehend what you read, and they both test your analytical reasoning ability, though in slightly different ways. The difference between the two exams comes in how they test these concepts. On the GMAT you’ll find a unique quantitative question type called Data Sufficiency, for example, while on the GRE you’ll find the infamous Quantitative Comparisons questions. On the GMAT you’ll find an explicit Critical Reasoning section, while the GRE is more vocabulary-intensive with its Sentence Completion questions. And of course the scoring metrics are different as are some of the logistical test-taking options (e.g. you can skip questions and come back to them on the GRE, whereas you can’t on the GMAT). For a full breakdown of the key differences between these two tests, watch the video below so that you can make the best decision for you as to which exam to take.
Registration fees for GRE General test is $205 US, while for GRE Subject tests it is $150