GRE General Test Preparation Guide 2025
Graduate Record Examination — US Graduate School & MBA Gateway
Exam at a glance
Conducting body
ETS (Educational Testing Service, USA)
Total duration
~3 hours 45 minutes (including breaks)
Score scale
Verbal 130–170 (1-point increments); Quant 130–170; AWA 0–6 (0.5-point)
Score validity
5 years from exam date
Exam fee
~₹18,000 (approximately $220 USD)
Test mode
Online (ProctorU home-based) or at Prometric test centres
Attempts allowed
Once per 21 days; maximum 5 times per 12 months
Indian relevance: GRE is the primary requirement for US MS programs — CS, ECE, Data Science, MBA (at select top schools), and UK/Europe Masters. GRE is cheaper than GMAT, accepted by more diverse programs, and has a more predictable Verbal (vocabulary + reading) format that some Indian aspirants find more coachable than GMAT Critical Reasoning.
Exam sections — what each tests
Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
2 questions60 minutes (two 30-min tasks)0–6 (scored separately from 260–340 total)Verbal Reasoning
40 questions2 sections × 30 minutes each130–170 (scaled)Quantitative Reasoning
40 questions2 sections × 35 minutes each130–170 (scaled)Target programs and score requirements
US Top-50 MS in CS / Engineering (2-year)
Quant 165–170; Verbal 155–162; AWA 4.0–5.0Most competitive category for Indian applicants; CS/ECE backgrounds compete in large pool; GRE Quant 168+ is the floor for MIT/Stanford; admit rates for Indian nationals at top-5 CS programs are 5–10%
US MBA Programs (GRE-Accepting)
Quant 163–167; Verbal 160–165; Total 325+GRE-for-MBA is a growing trend; HBS class of 2026 had ~15% GRE applicants; useful for applicants pursuing both MS and MBA or targeting joint programs; GMAT is still the default for pure MBA applicants
US MS in Data Science / Analytics / Finance
Quant 163–168; Verbal 155–160Growing demand from Indian tech professionals pivoting to data/analytics/finance roles in US; GRE is universally accepted; financial engineering and quantitative finance programs also accept GRE with strong Quant
UK / Europe Masters (MSc, MEng, MFin)
Quant 160+; Verbal 155+; some UK schools don't require GREMany UK/Europe programs make GRE optional or do not require it; check programme-specific requirements; ETH Zurich and some continental European schools rarely require GRE; LSE finance programs may require GMAT/GRE for some tracks
Preparation timeline
Phase 1 — Diagnostic + Vocabulary Foundation
3 weeksBaseline score assessment + start vocabulary building immediately
- ✓Take official ETS free GRE practice exam (ets.org/powerprep) to establish baseline
- ✓Start Magoosh GRE vocabulary flashcards or Manhattan GRE Essential 500 words (do 30 words/day)
- ✓Quant: review OG GRE 5lb Book (chapters 1–5: arithmetic, algebra basics)
- ✓AWA: write one Issue essay and one Argument essay from ETS pool to calibrate baseline
- ✓Identify target schools and their GRE score expectations (look at class profiles)
Phase 2 — Section Mastery
6–8 weeksSection-wise skill building; continue vocabulary daily
- ✓Vocabulary: complete Magoosh Top 1,000 flashcards; maintain 30 new words/day with spaced repetition
- ✓Verbal: practise 25 Text Completion + 25 Sentence Equivalence per week with error log
- ✓Verbal RC: read 2 dense academic passages daily (timed); practise ETS RC questions
- ✓Quant: OG GRE 5lb Book chapters 6–20 (geometry, data analysis, probability); 1 timed section weekly
- ✓AWA: write 2 essays/week; compare to ETS sample essays at 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 levels
Phase 3 — Mock Tests + Final Sprint
3–4 weeksFull 3h45m mocks; weak section targeting; exam scheduling
- ✓Full mock exams: 3 official PowerPrep tests (2 free + 2 paid) on alternate weeks
- ✓Score target: Quant 165+, Verbal 158+, AWA 4.5+ by mock 2
- ✓Vocabulary review: targeted repeat of lowest-retention words from Anki/Magoosh
- ✓RC speed: practise reading 400-word passages in 4 minutes or less
- ✓Schedule real exam when last two mocks match target; aim for extra week buffer
Common mistakes that cost 30–60 points
Neglecting GRE vocabulary building — Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence together account for 40–50% of GRE Verbal questions; these require direct vocabulary knowledge, not just reading skill; starting vocabulary 2 weeks before the exam is insufficient; 8+ weeks of daily flashcard review is standard
Treating GRE Quant as identical to GMAT Quant — GRE has Quantitative Comparison questions (a unique format not in GMAT) where strategy (substituting numbers, identifying special cases) matters as much as math knowledge; practise GRE-specific format separately
Skipping AWA preparation for MS applications — MS admissions committees at research-focused programs value writing ability; an AWA score of 3.0–3.5 raises red flags for PhD and research-track MS programs; aim for 4.5+
Using non-ETS practice materials exclusively — GRE questions have specific ETS phrasing and difficulty calibration; third-party materials (Kaplan, Princeton Review) have different difficulty distributions; use official ETS materials (PowerPrep, OG 5lb Book) as primary practice source
Underestimating preparation time for Verbal — Indian engineering backgrounds typically produce Quant 163–168 with 2 weeks of practice; Verbal often requires 8–12 weeks of vocabulary building and reading practice to reach 158+; planning only 4 weeks total leads to sub-optimal Verbal
Not sending scores strategically — GRE allows ScoreSelect (you choose which scores to send); this means you can retake without fear of previous scores being automatically sent; use this to your advantage by attempting the exam first before your application cycle
Frequently asked questions
Should I take GMAT or GRE for an MBA?
Both are now widely accepted by US MBA programs. GRE is better if you're also applying to MS programs (one test serves both). GMAT is better if MBA is your sole focus — most MBA programs have years of calibration on GMAT applicant data, and GMAT is still the default. For ISB Hyderabad: GMAT is strongly preferred. For US top-10 MBA: both accepted equally. For UK MBA (LBS, INSEAD): GMAT preferred but GRE accepted. The exam that suits your strengths (GMAT Verbal = grammar-heavy; GRE Verbal = vocabulary-heavy) should be the tiebreaker.
What GRE score do I need for top US CS programs?
For MIT, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, and Georgia Tech CS: Quant 166–170 is the realistic floor (Quant 168+ strongly recommended). Verbal 155+ is acceptable (160+ is strong). AWA 4.0+ is standard. Note that GRE score is just one factor — research experience, SOP, LoRs, and undergraduate GPA are equally or more important for top CS programs. A Quant score of 170 alone does not guarantee admission; it is necessary but not sufficient.
How is the GRE scored and what is a good score?
GRE Verbal and Quant are each scored 130–170 (1-point increments). Total score range is 260–340 (AWA is reported separately). By percentile: Quant 165 = ~89th percentile; Quant 168 = ~95th percentile; Verbal 155 = ~68th percentile; Verbal 162 = ~90th percentile. A "good" GRE score depends entirely on your target programs: 315+ (Quant 163 + Verbal 152) is acceptable for most programs; 325+ (Quant 167 + Verbal 158) is competitive for top-50 programs; 330+ is excellent for any program.
Can I take the GRE from home?
Yes. ETS offers a home-based GRE via ProctorU — same exam, same scoring, fully accepted by all schools. Requirements: quiet room, desktop/laptop with webcam and microphone, government ID, no breaks other than the standard 10-minute break. Home testing is convenient but some candidates find proctoring software restrictive (no leaving the camera frame, specific room requirements). The test centre experience is more reliable for those without a dedicated quiet space at home.
Related exam guides
Get mentored by someone who has cracked GRE 325+
Indian students and professionals targeting US graduate programs (MS in CS, Engineering, Data Science, Economics), US MBA programs that accept GRE (Harvard, Yale, MIT), UK Masters programs, and European Masters in Management; aspirants who prefer one test for both MS and MBA applications.