GRE exam pattern: current General sections and separate Subject tests
The current GRE General Test takes about 1 hour 58 minutes and has five sections. It contains one Analytical Writing task, two Verbal Reasoning sections and two Quantitative Reasoning sections. GRE Subject Tests are separate discipline assessments in Mathematics, Physics and Psychology, with their own duration and content. Do not use the older General format or apply one test's timing and score rules to another.
Current General Test structure
ETS's structure page describes this General layout, effective 22 September 2023:
The listed components total about 118 minutes. Analytical Writing asks candidates to develop a response to an issue prompt. Verbal Reasoning assesses reading, text analysis and reasoning with language. Quantitative Reasoning tests mathematical reasoning and interpretation using arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis. ETS's content guide describes the questions as broad skills rather than subject-specific knowledge for one university major.
Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning are section-level adaptive. The second section's difficulty depends partly on performance in the first section. This does not mean every next question changes difficulty. Candidates can navigate within a section, mark items, review and change answers before the section closes. The time limits still apply, so movement and review must fit the clock. The separately timed sections make it useful to practise timing by section instead of trying to allocate time across the entire exam as if it were one continuous block.
Analytical Writing has one task in the current format. Pre-September 2023 descriptions often show two writing essays, including Analyze an Argument, 20-question Verbal and Quant sections, a much longer total test and a possible unscored or research section. Those are historical details. They should not be used as a current test-day timetable, though older material may still help practise underlying reading or mathematics skills.
Subject Test formats
GRE Subject Tests currently cover Mathematics, Physics and Psychology. ETS lists Mathematics at about 2 hours 50 minutes; Physics and Psychology at about 2 hours each. The tests are delivered on computer and do not have separately timed sections, according to the current ETS guide. Use the discipline-specific guide for question types and topic boundaries. Do not assume the General Test's section-level adaptation or question navigation rules apply identically to Subject tests; check the relevant official instructions for the chosen test and appointment.
A Subject score demonstrates discipline knowledge for programmes that choose to request or recommend it. It is not a compulsory component of every GRE registration. Applicants should first check whether the department wants Mathematics, Physics or Psychology and whether it accepts the test for the exact intake. A General Test score cannot be treated as interchangeable with a subject score.
Scoring is different by test
General Verbal and Quantitative scores are 130-170 in one-point increments. Analytical Writing is 0-6 in half-point increments. Each Subject Test has a total score on a 200-990 scale in ten-point increments, although the attainable range on any one test is narrower. A Subject scale point is not a percentage correct. Physics and Psychology reports have included percent-correct subscores since September 2023; earlier editions used a 20-99 subscore scale, and current percentages are not equated across editions.
A test taker should compare their result with the score fields and rules the programme actually uses. There is no universal passing score. Reported percentile or scaled score does not by itself predict admission, and a department can consider transcripts, recommendations, research, interviews and other parts of the application.
Delivery and preparation implications
General appointments can be at centres or at home when regional access and technical conditions permit. The appointment confirmation determines the actual mode and timing. Subject testing uses selected windows rather than General's rolling appointment pattern. Accommodations may affect scheduling and should be arranged before booking. On test day, follow the current ID, security, break, equipment and room instructions for the specific appointment.
For practice, use current ETS sample questions and POWERPREP for the General Test, checking that any third-party mock reproduces the shortened five-section format. Subject candidates should use the relevant discipline guide and current official practice materials. A candidate can use the table above to set section-specific practice and pacing, then verify whether the intended programme requires a specific GRE variant or score minimum.
Before selecting practice material
Check the appointment confirmation for the actual delivery mode and the ETS instructions attached to that test. General at-home testing can have technical and room requirements that do not apply in the same way to a test-centre appointment. Approved accommodations may also alter scheduling arrangements, so request them before booking. For Subject Tests, confirm the exact discipline and the available testing window; a General appointment's rolling calendar does not describe the Subject schedule. These logistics do not change the test's published score scale, but they affect which practice format and application timeline are realistic.
When reviewing a score, keep the component beside its own scale. A General Quant score of 160 and a Subject total of 700 are different measures, not values on a shared ranking. If a programme uses only one section, the other score fields may still appear on the ETS report but may not be part of that department's stated minimum. Read the department's wording instead of manufacturing a combined total or converting scores into percentages.