GRE General Test: Format, Sections, and Scoring Explained
By Muntasir • Published Sep 18, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Graduate & Professional School
The GRE General Test takes 1 hour 58 minutes and covers Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing.
🎓 Verbal and Quant each score on a 130 to 170 scale
⏱️ Analytical Writing is one 30 minute task, scored 0 to 6
💵 Registration costs $249 in the US
📩 ScoreSelect lets you choose which scores schools see
Scores stay valid for 5 years after your test date
What the GRE General Test measures
The GRE General Test is a standardized exam most graduate programs and a growing number of MBA programs accept for admission. It tests reasoning skills built over years of study rather than knowledge from one course, and it splits into three areas: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. You can sit for it at a test center or from home, 365 days a year, through ETS .
Section by section format
The full test runs 1 hour 58 minutes, shorter than older versions of the exam that ran closer to 4 hours. Analytical Writing appears once, and Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning each appear twice.
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical Writing (Analyze an Issue) | 1 task | 30 minutes |
| Verbal Reasoning (Section 1) | 12 questions | 18 minutes |
| Verbal Reasoning (Section 2) | 15 questions | 23 minutes |
| Quantitative Reasoning (Section 1) | 12 questions | 21 minutes |
| Quantitative Reasoning (Section 2) | 15 questions | 26 minutes |
Verbal Reasoning uses text completion, sentence equivalence, and reading comprehension questions to test how you read and connect ideas. Quantitative Reasoning covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis, and you get an on-screen calculator for every question. The test adjusts to your performance between sections: how you do on the first Verbal section sets the difficulty of the second, and the same happens with the two Quant sections.
How the GRE is scored
Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning each score on a 130 to 170 scale, in 1-point increments. Analytical Writing scores separately on a 0 to 6 scale, in half-point increments, based on how clearly you build and support an argument under time pressure. There is no single combined score across all three areas. Programs look at your Verbal, Quant, and Writing scores as separate data points, often weighting them differently depending on your field.
You see unofficial Verbal and Quant scores on screen right after you finish. Your Analytical Writing score and full official report take about 8 to 10 days, since both a human reader and an automated scoring engine review your essay.
Registering and sending scores
The GRE costs $249 to register in the US . You register through your ETS account and pick either a test center appointment or an at-home test with remote proctoring and ID verification.
ETS ScoreSelect lets you choose which test dates to send to each school after you already know your scores, so one weak attempt does not have to reach every program on your list. Scores stay valid for 5 years, so you can test early in your application timeline and reuse a good score across multiple application cycles.
Retaking the test
You can retake the GRE General Test, though ETS limits how often. Space out attempts so you have real time to address weak areas rather than repeating the same mistakes on a rushed retake.
Should you take the GRE
Most master's and PhD programs across fields accept the GRE, and many MBA programs now accept it as an alternative to the GMAT. Check your target program's admissions page for its expected score range, since what counts as a strong score varies widely between an engineering PhD program and an MBA program.