gre sections

GRE Sections – Exam Pattern

The Graduate Record Examination or GRE is the first door to getting admission to graduate schools in the USA. There is a prevalent notion among students regarding how hard is GRE? GRE is a standardized test and the questions in the test cover multiple knowledge domains. There are primarily 3 GRE sections. All the GRE questions are based on these 3 GRE sections. Before you can plan to perform well in the GRE, you just need to know more about the test format and how many sections on the GRE are there.

GRE is a computer adaptive test (CAT), which lasts 3 hours and 45 minutes. There are three sections of the exam-

  • Verbal Section
  • Quantitative section (quant)
  • Analytical Writing Assessment

Explore More About GRE Sections

Let us understand in detail about each section:

Analytical Writing Assessment

In this section, students have to attempt two essays. The total time allotted for AWA is 1 hour (60 mins). Each essay must be completed within 30 minutes. The two essays are labeled as “Issue” and “Argument”, respectively.

This GRE section aims to test the communication ability of the test givers. The questions primarily target to assess the ability of the candidate to express their ideas precisely and concisely. The test givers have to evaluate the claims, supporting ideas, and evidence that are provided, and based on it, they have to present their arguments.

So, in a nutshell – Analytical Writing Assessment has 2 tasks to be completed with a total of 60 minutes allotted time.

Quant or Quantitative Reasoning

This is considered the most challenging of all the GRE sections. Not because you cannot score marks in this section but because it is difficult to understand the questions and choose the suitable options. There are two subsections of the quantitative section. Each sub-section has 20 questions, and the time allotted is 35 minutes.

Quant will test the mathematical ability of the students. It includes arithmetic skills as well as advanced maths topics. Here are some of the most asked issues of the quant section

  • Arithmetic
  • Algebra
  • Geometry
  • Problem-solving.
  • Data Analysis

The Quant section of the GRE features numerous questions like quantitative comparison, data interpretation, and problem-solving. The section tests the overall capacity of the candidate to deal with data and numbers. Candidates need plenty of practice to deal with this section. Mostly, if you have done your high school maths property, you won’t face a problem with the concepts. The expected score for this section will be 130 – 170. Candidates will get 35 minutes to solve the questions. Out of all the topics, algebra and arithmetic sub-sections hold the maximum importance.

Verbal Reasoning

This one comes at the end of all the GRE sections. There are three subsections:

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Text Completion
  • Sentence Equivalence

Out of these 3 subsections, Reading comprehension is the most important. This section assesses the power of the candidates to read through a section and understand the words and then answer questions based on the same. This GRE section ain’t much hard to crack. There are 20 questions in this section and the candidate will get 60 minutes time to complete this section.

There are two additional sections namely the unscored section and the Research section. For both sections, the number of questions and time varies.

How to Prepare Well for all GRE Sections?

Is the GRE Hard? Here are some tips to prepare well for the GRE exam:

Diagnose Your Current State

To move on to the next level, you have to understand your current status.

Understand the Exam

The exam pattern is crucial to grasp. GRE is a standardized test and has a distinguished pattern. To prepare well, you have to know about the question patterns, question numbers, and duration.

Study Time Table

Prepare a flexible timetable that suits your routine and caters to the exam well.

Final Words

If you truly want to perform well in the GRE, start preparation well in advance and understand the question types. The exam demands rigorous and smart preparation. Prepare a flexible yet effective timetable and devote quality time—the best way to gradually improve and enhance the scores. Stay updated with information such as when to take GRE and how long is GRE.

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