GRE Test Format
The overall time frame of the computer delivered GRE General Test is about 3 hours and 45 minutes. The test consists of six sections with a 10-minute break after the third section.
There are Two AWA Essay sections, Two Verbal sections, Two Math sections and one experimental section (Verbal or Math).
1. Analytical Writing : One Analyze an Issue and One Analyze an Argument task (30 min each)
2. Verbal Reasoning : 2 sections of 20 questions each (30 min per section)
3. Quantitative Reasoning : 2 sections of 20 questions each (35 min per section)
4. Experimental Section: This section can appear in any order and can be either Verbal or Math section.
The Analytical Writing section will be the first section you will encounter. The Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and the Experimental sections may appear in any order after the AWA section. You will not be able to know which section is experimental and thus you have to treat each section as a scored one and give your best.
The paper delivered GRE test will have a variation in the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections. Verbal Reasoning will have 2 sections with 25 questions each (35 minutes per section) and Quantitative Reasoning will comprise of 2 sections with 25 questions each (40 minutes per section). There is no Experimental Section in the paper delivered test. AWA section will always be first, while the other sections may appear in any order.
Features of the Computer Delivered GRE General Test
The test allows you to freely move back and forth within a section. You can easily preview and review questions in a section. Features of “Mark” and “Review” allow you to tag questions so you can return to them later within stipulated time frame of the section. There is a provision of an on-screen calculator for the Quantitative Reasoning section.
To experience the test design features of the computer-delivered test, you can access the free PowerPrep tests available on the official ETS website.
The Experimental Section
The test would consist of an extra section which does not count towards your score. This section is called “Experimental” because ETS tests ‘future’ questions. The catch here is that you will never know which section is experimental. It could be Verbal or Math and can appear in any sequence.
Only once you have completed the exam, you will be able to gauge whether you got an experimental Verbal or Math section. For instance, if you received three Math sections, then one of them was experimental. But it could have been the first section or even the last, you never know.
Question Pattern
Not all questions in the test will be multiple choice style. There would be a variety of questions that you will have to get accustomed to.
Verbal: Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, Reading Comprehension
Math: Quantitative Comparison, Numeric Entry, Data Interpretation
Section Adaptiveness of the test
You may have heard that the GRE is a computer adaptive test and that it becomes more difficult as you answer the questions correctly. This is not entirely true.
The Verbal Reasoning and the Quantitative Reasoning sections of the test are section-level adaptive. This means the computer selects the second section based on your performance on the first section. Within each section, all questions contribute equally to the final score. For each of the two measures, a raw score is computed. The raw score is the number of questions you answered correctly.
For more information on scoring the test, refer to our post, "How to interpret your scores."
You can post your queries in the comments section below. We will make sure to reach you as soon as we can.
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