GRE General Test 2026 Format: What Changed and How ASEAN Applicants Should Prepare
By Muntasir • Published Nov 15, 2025 • Updated Aug 08, 2026 • Admissions & Applications, Study in Southeast Asia
From September 2023, ETS shortened the GRE General Test to about 1 hour 58 minutes, down from roughly 3 hours 45 minutes. You now answer 27 Verbal and 27 Quantitative questions and write one Analytical Writing task instead of two, and scores arrive in 8-10 days.
⏱️ Total test time: about 1 hour 58 minutes
27 scored Verbal Reasoning questions across two sections
27 scored Quantitative Reasoning questions across two sections
One Analytical Writing task ("Analyze an Issue"), the "Analyze an Argument" task is gone
No unscored experimental section
Score scale unchanged: 130-170 per section, AWA scored 0-6
What Changed in the GRE General Test
From test dates starting September 22, 2023, ETS cut the GRE General Test down to under two hours, according to the ETS press release announcing the shorter test . The new test runs about 1 hour 58 minutes, roughly half the length of the previous version, which ran close to 3 hours 45 minutes. If your prep materials describe a test near four hours long with two writing tasks, they cover the retired format and need updating before you use them.
| Feature | Retired format (before Sept 2023) | Current format (from Sept 2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Total time | About 3 hours 45 minutes | About 1 hour 58 minutes |
| Verbal questions | 40, across two sections | 27, across two sections |
| Quantitative questions | 40, across two sections | 27, across two sections |
| Analytical Writing tasks | Two: "Analyze an Issue" and "Analyze an Argument" | One: "Analyze an Issue" only |
| Unscored research section | Present, unmarked | Removed |
| Score delivery | 10-15 days | 8-10 days |
Section by Section: What You Sit For Now
The shortened GRE keeps the same three test areas, with fewer questions and one major cut to the writing section.
Analytical Writing: one task, "Analyze an Issue." The "Analyze an Argument" task was removed entirely.
Verbal Reasoning: 27 scored questions split across two sections.
Quantitative Reasoning: 27 scored questions split across two sections.
The Quantitative and Verbal sections each dropped from 40 questions to 27, according to the same ETS announcement. ETS also removed the unscored research section that used to appear without warning during the test, so every section you sit now counts toward your score.
Scoring Stays on the Same Scale
ETS kept the score scale unchanged specifically so schools can compare scores from before and after the September 2023 change without a conversion table. Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning each score 130-170 in 1-point increments, and Analytical Writing scores 0-6 in half-point increments, per ETS's comparison of the current and shorter GRE . Score reporting also got faster: you get your official scores in about 8-10 days instead of the 10-15 days the previous format took.
What This Means for ASEAN Applicants
A shorter test changes your test-day experience more than your prep content. With 27 questions per section instead of 40, each question carries more weight, so a slow or shaky start costs you more than it used to. Build timing practice around the actual current section lengths rather than pacing yourself for the old 40-question sections.
Faster score delivery gives you more room to schedule your test closer to an application deadline, though you should still leave a buffer for a retake if your first score falls short. If you sat the GRE before September 2023 and are reusing that score, it stays valid and comparable, since ETS did not change the scale, only the test length.
The test still gives you a basic on-screen calculator during the Quantitative Reasoning section, and you can still skip questions within a section and return to them before time runs out, mark questions for review, and change answers before you move to the next section. ScoreSelect also still applies: you choose which test date's scores to send to each school after you see your unofficial scores, so a weaker sitting does not have to reach every program on your list.
Where to Sit the Test in ASEAN
ETS runs computer-based GRE testing through Prometric centers across the region, including in Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore. Seats fill up around September to December, the peak season for graduate and MBA application deadlines, so book your slot as soon as you settle on a test date rather than waiting until a month before your deadline.
How to Adjust Your Prep
Confirm any prep book, course or practice test you use covers the shorter format. Older material with 40-question sections and two writing tasks no longer matches the real test.
Practice under the real timing: two Verbal sections and two Quantitative sections at 27 questions total each, plus a single 30-minute "Analyze an Issue" essay.
Since the unscored section is gone, every section you see during the real test counts, so treat all sections with equal focus rather than guessing which one might be experimental.
Schedule your test with the 8-10 day score turnaround in mind, but still book early enough to allow a retake before your program's deadline.
If your target graduate programs list a required or recommended GRE score from before September 2023, treat it as still current, since the scale did not change.
Drop practice for the retired "Analyze an Argument" essay from your study plan and put that time into "Analyze an Issue" practice instead, since only one essay task appears on test day now.