GRE Exam Pattern 2026

ETS has confirmed the GRE exam pattern for 2026-27: five sections, 1 hour 58 minutes and no unscored section. The pattern covers every test taken from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. ETS has announced no change to the GRE exam pattern 2027 applicants will see. The 2027-28 bulletin is not out yet.

The test has one Analytical Writing task, two Verbal Reasoning sections and two Quantitative Reasoning sections. Verbal and Quant are scored from 130 to 170. Writing is scored from 0 to 6. This page gives the GRE exam pattern 2027 in full. It covers section-wise detail, the time for each section and the GRE marking scheme.

Read the GRE exam syllabus page for the topics inside each section. Candidates who want the GRE exam pattern and syllabus together can read both pages in that order. The GRE exam fees page explains what you pay to sit this test. Open GRE exam dates 2027 to see how booking works.

The GRE exam pattern and time are the same for every applicant. One format serves MBA, master's, PhD and law candidates alike. ETS publishes a single General Test format, and the schools decide which scores they look at. The table summarises the GRE exam pattern 2027 in one place.

ETS India repeats the global ETS text on its regional pages. Indian candidates therefore face the same test, with the same scoring, as test takers in any other country. The only India-specific rule that matters on test day is the passport requirement for ID. The Aadhaar card is never accepted as ID.

How long is the GRE exam?

The GRE exam is 1 hour 58 minutes long. This is the testing time ETS gives for the five sections. It does not include check-in, which takes extra time. The GRE exam pattern and time are the same at home and at a centre. At a test centre you must arrive at least 30 minutes early. An at-home check-in takes about 20-30 minutes. At home, the proctor reviews the rules, asks for your ID and views your room before the clock starts.

Is the GRE exam pattern for MBA different from MS?

No. The GRE exam pattern for MBA is the same as the pattern for MS and PhD. ETS runs one General Test, so a GRE exam pattern for MBA applicants does not exist as a separate paper. The difference is in how schools read your score. The format does not change by programme. The GRE exam pattern for MBA is the same for an Indian school and a US school. For example, MIT Sloan says it does not require the Analytical Writing score for its MBA. Check the page of your school for such details. An MBA applicant should also check whether the school accepts the at-home test.

Is the GRE exam pattern for computer science different?

No. The GRE exam pattern for computer science and engineering MS applicants is the same General Test. ETS publishes no separate paper for any subject. The GRE Subject Tests are separate exams for Mathematics, Physics and Psychology. They do not follow this GRE exam pattern, and their time is 2 hours or more.

The GRE exam pattern starts with Analytical Writing and then moves to Verbal and Quant. The Writing task is always first. The four Verbal and Quant sections can appear in any order after it.

In which order do the GRE sections come?

Analytical Writing always comes first. After that, the Verbal and Quant sections may appear in any order. Practise both measures with equal care, because you may face Quant right after the essay.

What are the GRE Verbal and Quant question types?

Verbal has three question types and Quant has four. Knowing them is part of understanding the GRE exam pattern.

• Reading Comprehension: you read a passage and answer one to six questions. You select one answer, select more than one, or select a sentence in the passage.
• Text Completion: one to five sentences with one to three blanks. A single blank has five choices. Two or three blanks have three choices each.
• Sentence Equivalence: one sentence with one blank. You choose the two answers that give the same meaning.
• Quantitative Comparison: you compare Quantity A and Quantity B. The four choices are fixed.
• Multiple choice, one answer: five choices.
• Multiple choice, one or more answers: you select all correct choices.
• Numeric Entry: you type an integer, decimal or fraction.

Some Quant questions come in Data Interpretation sets that share one table or graph.

The test also lets you move around inside a section. You can skip a question, mark it for review and return to it before the timer ends. You can change answers inside the same section. You cannot return to an earlier section once you leave it.

The GRE exam has 54 scored questions and one essay. Verbal has 27 questions and Quant has 27 questions. Students often search for GRE exam pattern total marks, but ETS gives no single total in marks. It reports one score for each measure. GRE exam pattern total marks, as people search them, do not exist in the ETS documents. So there is no fixed number like 100 or 300 to quote as total marks.

Every question in a section counts equally. The GRE exam pattern total marks cannot be added up from the question count, and no ETS page lists one. The raw score is the number of correct answers, and ETS converts it to the 130-170 scale.

What is the total score of the GRE?

Searches for GRE exam pattern total marks end here. The answer is a scale, not a mark count. ETS reports Verbal and Quant as two separate scores, each from 130 to 170. It has no combined 260-340 score on its scale. Adding the two scores is a common shorthand, and many applicants quote it. The maximum under that shorthand is 340. Writing is reported separately on a 0-6 scale.

If you do not answer any question in a measure, ETS reports No Score (NS) for it.

What happens at the end of the GRE exam?

After the last section, you choose to report or cancel your scores. If you choose to report, the Verbal and Quant unofficial scores appear on screen. Once you view them, you cannot cancel. You cannot cancel one section alone. You also choose up to four free score recipients on test day. This last step is part of the GRE exam pattern on test day, so decide in advance.

Each GRE section has its own time limit, and the clock does not stop if you leave your seat. The GRE exam pattern and time for each section are fixed. The GRE sectional time limits are the same on every test. Know the GRE exam pattern and time for each of the five sections before you book. The table also shows the average time available per question, which is arithmetic from the ETS figures.

The time limits leave no room for slow starts. The GRE sectional time is fixed, so your pace is the only thing you control. Treat the next ideas as our plan and not as an ETS rule. For GRE exam pattern and time planning, spend about five minutes on the essay plan. Spend about twenty writing it and the rest reviewing.

In Verbal and Quant, answer the quick questions first, mark the hard ones and return to them. Do not spend three minutes on one question. Use the GRE sectional time table to set a pace in each section. Practise with the timed POWERPREP test, which ETS offers free. Check your pace against the clock after every five questions. Remember that GRE sectional time ends for a section when its timer hits zero.

Is there a break in the GRE exam?

No, the GRE exam has no scheduled break. The GRE exam pattern introduced on 22 September 2023 does not include a break. If you leave your seat during a section, the timer does not stop. At home, unscheduled breaks are not permitted.

Sectional Time Limit: Frequently Asked Questions

The GRE marking scheme counts only correct answers. The raw score in each of Verbal and Quant is the number of questions you answered correctly. ETS then converts that raw score to the 130-170 scale by a process called equating. There is no partial credit for a multi-answer question. Under the GRE marking scheme every question in a section carries the same weight. ETS gives scaled scores and not marks, so GRE exam pattern total marks stay a search phrase only.

Is there negative marking in the GRE?

No ETS page mentions a deduction for a wrong answer. The GRE marking scheme counts only correct answers in the raw score. A blank answer earns nothing, so you should answer every question before the section timer ends.

How does the section-level adaptive GRE work?

The first Verbal section and the first Quant section are of average difficulty. Your performance in the first section decides how hard the second section of that measure is. The test does not change difficulty after each question. Equating adjusts for the difference in difficulty between test editions and between second sections.

How is the GRE Analytical Writing section scored?

Trained raters and the ETS e-rater scoring engine score the essay on a 6-point holistic scale, in half-point steps. ETS also checks essays with similarity-detection software. Your Writing score is not shown on the screen after the test, because essay scoring takes time. Verbal and Quant unofficial scores are shown if you choose to view them.

The GRE marking scheme in short is below.

• Verbal and Quant: raw score equals the number of correct answers, then equated to 130-170.
• Multi-answer questions: no credit for a partly correct answer.
• Analytical Writing: one essay scored from 0 to 6 in half-point steps.
• No answer in a whole measure: No Score (NS).

The GRE exam pattern and syllabus meet in the question types. Verbal has three types and Quant has four. ETS publishes no topic-wise weightage, so no topic can be called more important by ETS. The list below shows what each section asks.

About half of the Verbal questions are passage-based. Quant stays at a level no higher than a second course in algebra. For the GRE exam pattern and syllabus of Quant, the level matters more than the topic list. It does not test trigonometry or calculus. Students who search the GRE exam pattern and syllabus together should read this page with the GRE exam syllabus page. That page lists the topic areas, and this page lists how they are tested. Together they give the full GRE exam pattern and syllabus picture for 2027 candidates.

The biggest change in the GRE exam pattern came on 22 September 2023. ETS cut the test from about 3 hours 45 minutes to 1 hour 58 minutes. A national press report of 31 May 2023 and the ETS press release carry the same facts about the change.

The score scales did not change. Verbal and Quant stayed at 130-170 and Writing stayed at 0-6. Scores now arrive in 8-10 days. ETS also discontinued the Chemistry Subject Test after April 2023.

What changed in the GRE in 2023?

ETS shortened the test, removed the Analyze an Argument essay and removed the unscored section. It also removed the break and cut the Verbal and Quant sections to 12 and 15 questions. ETS called these changes the first of several planned future updates.

Will the GRE exam pattern change in 2027?

ETS has announced no change to the GRE exam pattern 2027 test takers will face. The 2026-27 bulletin applies until 30 June 2027. Any change from 1 July 2027 would appear in the 2027-28 bulletin, which is not published. Do not trust a page that states a 2027 change as a fact.