Last Updated on March 6, 2024
If you’re considering taking the GRE General Test to apply to graduate school, you may be wondering exactly what subjects appear on the test. In this article I’ll provide you with an overview of the subjects on the GRE along with some tips on how to prepare for each section.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- The Format of the GRE General Test
- The Analytical Writing Section of the GRE
- What Appears on the GRE Verbal Reasoning Section
- The GRE Quantitative Reasoning Section
- Key Takeaways
- What’s Next?
Let’s begin by discussing the basic format of the GRE.
The Format of the GRE General Test
The computer-based GRE, which is the version of the exam taken by the vast majority of GRE test-takers, is approximately 1 hours and 58 minutes long and is made up of five sections. The sections are an Analytical Writing section, two Verbal Reasoning sections, and two Quantitative Reasoning sections. The Analytical Writing section always appears first, and then the Verbal and Quantitative sections follow in any order.
The paper-based GRE exam, which is available in a limited number of locations, also includes the Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative sections. So, although there are some minor differences between the paper-based GRE and the computer-based GRE, what is discussed in this article also applies to the paper-based GRE.
KEY FACT:
The GRE is approximately 1 hours and 58 minutes long and is made up of six sections, five of which are scored.
Now that you understand the basic structure of the GRE, let’s discuss the subjects that appear in each section of the GRE, starting with the Analytical Writing section.
The Analytical Writing Section of the GRE
The Analytical Writing section of the GRE give you 30 minutes to complete one writing task: the Analyze an Issue essay.
For the Analyze an Issue task, you are presented with a statement about an issue, and you will be asked to write an essay that expresses an opinion on that issue. The opinion doesn’t have to be one you actually have. As long as your essay is well-reasoned and clear, you could come at the issue from any angle, even one you don’t really agree with. The Analyze an Issue task measures your ability to think critically about an issue and express your thoughts about it in writing.
Preparing for the Analytical Writing Section of the GRE
Since the purpose of the Analytical Writing section is to test your reasoning and writing skills, no specialized knowledge is needed for the section. The issues presented involve commonly understood ideas and contain any information you need.
So, to prepare for Analytical Writing, you can first review the information ETS provides on the section, such as details of how the essay is scored, to better understand how to complete the writing tasks. Then, you can review a handful of the possible issues, which are also provided by ETS, and practice by writing an essay or two.
TTP PRO TIP:
To prepare for the Analytical Writing section of the GRE, review some of the official essay prompts and write a couple of practice essays.
Now that we understand what’s involved in the Analytical Writing section, let’s move on to discussing the Verbal section of the GRE.
What Appears on the GRE Verbal Reasoning Section
Each of the two Verbal Reasoning sections of the GRE includes 3 main types of questions: Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, and Reading Comprehension. The first Verbal section gives you 18 minutes to complete 12 questions, and the second Verbal section gives you 23 minutes to complete 15 questions.
Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence Questions
Both Text Completion (TC) and Sentence Equivalence (SE) questions require you to choose words to fill in blanks in sentences in order to convey a coherent meaning. These questions assess both your vocabulary and your ability to analyze sentences and understand relationships between components of sentences. Accordingly, the best way to prepare for TC and SE is to study vocabulary, learn strategies for answering these types of questions, and practice by answering dozens of TC and SE questions until you’re skilled in determining which words best fill the blanks.
KEY FACT:
Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions assess both your vocabulary and your ability to analyze sentences and understand relationships between components of sentences.
Reading Comprehension Questions
GRE Reading Comprehension (RC) questions always present a passage, and then ask anywhere from one or six questions about that passage. The RC questions appear in the following formats:
- Main Idea: These questions ask you to identify the main idea or primary purpose of a passage or paragraph within a passage.
- Author’s Tone: These questions ask you to identify the overall tone or attitude of the author toward something discussed in a passage.
- Function: These questions ask you to determine the purpose of a sentence or thing mentioned in a passage or determine which sentence has a certain purpose in a passage.
- Passage Organization: These questions ask you to identify how a passage or paragraph within a passage is organized.
- Vocabulary: These questions ask you to determine the meaning a word conveys in the context of a passage.
- Info-Based: These questions ask you to determine what statements are supported by the information in a passage.
- Extended Reasoning: These questions ask you to apply something discussed in a passage to a context outside the passage.
- Critical Reasoning: These questions, sometimes called “Paragraph Argument” questions, present arguments or information — typically in short passages — and ask you to determine which answer choice has a particular logical relationship with the passage.
All GRE RC questions measure your ability to understand written material and identify how the parts of a passage work together to communicate ideas. At the same time, answering each type of RC question requires a different strategy. So, the best way to prepare for RC is to focus on one question type at a time. To master a question type, you first learn strategies for answering questions of that type and then practice answering questions of just that type until you consistently answer them correctly.
TTP PRO TIP:
The best way to prepare for GRE RC is to focus on one question type at a time by first learning strategies for answering questions of a type and then practicing answering questions of just that type until you consistently answer them correctly.
Now, let’s move on to discussing the subjects on the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE.
The GRE Quantitative Reasoning Section
Each of the two Quantitative Reasoning (Quant) sections of the GRE includes questions in 4 main math topic areas: Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Data Analysis. The first Quant section gives you 21 minutes to complete 12 questions, and the second Quant section gives you 26 minutes to complete 15 questions.
- Arithmetic: GRE Arithmetic questions involve various topics — such as divisibility, exponents, absolute value, and sequences — that are related to the properties of and operations with numbers.
- Algebra: GRE Algebra questions involve a variety of algebraic topics, such as exponents, factoring and simplifying algebraic expressions, functions, inequalities, linear and quadratic equations, and word problems, along with coordinate geometry.
- Geometry: GRE Geometry questions involve parallel and perpendicular lines, circles, triangles, quadrilaterals, other polygons, congruent and similar figures, three-dimensional figures, area, perimeter, volume, the Pythagorean theorem, and angle measurement in degrees. The questions are focused on determining relationships and numerical values and don’t involve geometric proofs.
- Data Analysis: GRE Data Analysis questions involve basic descriptive statistics, interpretation of data in tables and graphs, elementary probability, and counting methods such as combinations, permutations, and Venn diagrams.
The Quant section of the GRE measures your understanding of fundamental math concepts, basic math skills, and ability to reason quantitatively. Accordingly, answering GRE Quant questions of all types requires skill in mathematical reasoning but does not require understanding of advanced math. All the math involved in GRE Quant is “high school math” and does not include trigonometry, calculus, or other higher-level math.
The best way to prepare for the Quant section is to work on one subtopic (within the four main categories mentioned) at a time. To master a subtopic, first review or learn the concepts involved in the subtopic, and then answer practice questions involving that subtopic until you get them correct consistently. By mastering one Quant subtopic at a time, you eventually master the entire quant section.
TTP PRO TIP:
The best way to prepare for the Quant section of the GRE is to master one subtopic at a time by first reviewing or learning the concepts, and then answering practice questions involving that subtopic until you get them correct consistently.
Key Takeaways
Here are the key things to know about what subjects are on the GRE:
- The Analytical Writing section presents an issue and asks us to write an essay expression our opinion on that issue.
- The two Verbal Reasoning questions ask 3 main types of questions: Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, and Reading Comprehension.
- The two Quantitative Reasoning sections cover 4 main math topic areas: arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis.
- The best way to prepare for the Verbal and Quant sections is to master one topic at a time by learning the concepts, then answering questions on that topic until you get them correct consistently.
What’s Next?
Now that you know what subjects are on the GRE, read tabout what GRE score makes sense for you and how to earn a high score on the GRE.
