If you’re considering taking the GRE General Test to apply to graduate school, you may be wondering what exactly appears 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.

Let’s begin by discussing the basic format of the GRE.


The computer-based GRE, which is the version of the exam taken by the vast majority of GRE test-takers, is approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes long and is made up of six sections. The sections include five scored sections: an Analytical Writing section, two Verbal Reasoning sections, and two Quantitative Reasoning sections. There is also an unscored section that is normally another Verbal or Quantitative section, in which case the test-taker doesn’t know which section is the unscored section. However, it’s also possible, though unlikely, that the unscored section a test-taker sees is a Research section that is clearly marked as such, in which case the test-taker knows the section is unscored.

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.

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 is an hour-long section that involves two writing tasks: the Analyze an Issue task and the Analyze an Argument task. The two tasks are timed separately, so you have 30 minutes to complete each task.


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.


For the Analyze an Argument task, you are presented with an argument, and you will be asked to write an essay that discusses the soundness of the argument. The Analyze an Argument task measures your ability to understand, analyze, and evaluate arguments and to clearly convey your thoughts about an argument in writing.


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 and arguments 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 essays are scored, to better understand how to complete the writing tasks. Then, you can review a handful of the possible issues and arguments, which are also provided by ETS, and practice by writing an essay or two.

Now that we understand what’s involved in the Analytical Writing section, let’s move on to discussing the Verbal section of the GRE.


Each of the two Verbal Reasoning sections of the GRE is 30 minutes long and includes 20 questions of three main types: Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, and Reading Comprehension.


Both Text Completion (TC) and Sentence Equivalence (SE) questions require you to choose words to fill in blanks in sentences in order to create 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.


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 see 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.