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Format
of the GRE
The Graduate Record
Examination (GRE) consists of three
distinct
sections, the Analytical
Writing Assessment, Quantitative section, and Verbal section.
Analytical Writing
Assessment
The writing assessment section requires you to write - or type - two
short essays. The first is the
Analysis
of an Issue task, in which you need to analyze the issue presented and
explain your views on it. For the Issue task, you will be able to choose
1 of
2 essay topics selected
by the computer from the pool of topics. You will get
45 minutes to
write or type this essay.
The second essay is
Analysis of an Argument, in which a given argument has to be critically
analyzed and evaluated. The Argument task does not offer a choice of
topics; the computer will present you with a single topic selected from
the topic pool. You will get 30
minutes to write or type this essay.
For both the essays, the
emphasis is on the "Analytical" part, and not on the "Writing" part.
This implies that a concise essay with well-reasoned points written in
simple English will be looked upon more favorably than an essay which
falls short on the analytical aspects even though it is high on writing
skills.
Quantitative
Section
Following an optional ten-minute break, you begin the Quantitative
Section of the GRE. This section tests you on a level of Maths that is
comparable to Class 10
mathematics, with questions on Number Systems, Percentages, Fractions &
Decimals, Algebra (including Quadratic Equations), Geometry (including
Basic Coordinate Geometry), Ratio & Proportion, Area & Volume of
2-D and
3-D figures, and
Probability. This list is not exhaustive; questions from beyond these
topics may also be asked. The section has 28
questions to be completed in 45
minutes.
Verbal Section
After a second optional ten-minute break, you begin the Verbal Section
of the GRE exam. The verbal section in GRE Test requires a good
vocabulary level, the basic skills of correct English coupled with
reasoning and analysis. The 30
questions, to be attempted in 30
minutes, consist of four types : Antonyms, Analogies, Sentence
Completion, and Reading Comprehension. The four types are intermingled,
with no fixed number for each type.
GRE Exam Format and Length
| Test
Section |
# of
Questions |
Timing |
|
Analytical Writing Assessment |
|
|
|
Analysis
of an Issue |
1
topic |
45
Minutes |
|
Analysis of an Argument |
1
topic |
30
Minutes |
|
Optional Rest Break |
|
10
Minutes |
|
Quantitative Section |
28
questions |
45
Minutes |
|
Optional Rest Break |
|
10
Minutes |
|
Verbal Section |
30
questions |
30
Minutes |
|
Antonyms |
|
|
|
Analogies |
|
|
|
Reading Comprehension |
|
|
|
Sentence Completion |
|
|
|
