Students from around the world take the Graduate Record Exam, or GRE. Most people who take the GRE are undergraduate students who want to continue their education by earning a master's or doctoral degree. If you're considering a graduate degree, your college may require the GRE.

In recent years, however, some schools have moved away from requiring students to take the GRE and other standardized tests. Education and student rights advocates say standardized tests aren't useful indicators of a person's academic potential.

On the other hand, taking the GRE can give you an advantage. Many schools continue to use the GRE as an important part of their admissions process. Having GRE scores to submit can mean having access to more program choices. 

Keep reading to learn more about how you take the GRE, the types of test questions you'll see, when and how you take the exam, and how it's scored.

Key highlights about the general GRE

What skills does the GRE test for?

The Educational Testing Service, the nonprofit organization that administers the test, says that the GRE measures your aptitude in three areas: Analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning. According to ETS, the GRE tests you on skills that can help you succeed in a graduate school program. 

Here is a breakdown of each section's focuses.

Analytical writing

• Use standard English to explain complex ideas
• Examine ideas and evidence
• Sustain a focused discussion

Verbal reasoning

• Read, analyze, and draw a conclusion from a writing passage 
• Identify important ideas in a written passage
• Recognize the relationships among words in written material

Quantitative reasoning

• Analyze and interpret quantitative information
• Solve problems based on mathematical concepts 
• Analyze and interpret data in tables and graphs

In addition to the general GRE, ETS also offers four subject-specific tests. These tests focus on chemistry, math, physics, and psychology. Some graduate schools require or consider scores from subject-specific GRE tests as part of their admissions process.

The general GRE is a computer-based adaptive test, which we explain in more detail below.

How is the general GRE scored, and what's a good GRE score?

In the US, the GRE is a computer-only and computer adaptive test. That means as you take the test, the computer will change the difficulty of upcoming questions in the next test section based on your responses in the previous section.

People who take the GRE receive a three-part score. For the verbal and quantitative sections, scores range from 130-170 in one-point increments. Scores for the analytical writing sections range from zero to six in half-point increments.

Upon completing the GRE, you can submit or cancel your scores. If you choose to submit the report, you'll see your unofficial scores in the verbal and quantitative sections right away. 

GRE essays are partly scored by humans, so you'll receive that third score