GRE Exam Syllabus 2026

Content areas, not numbered units, make up the GRE exam syllabus, and there is no syllabus PDF to download. So you must build your topic list from the ETS content pages and the free Math Review. Quant covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis. Verbal covers Reading Comprehension, Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence. Writing has one Analyze an Issue essay.

The GRE exam syllabus 2027 is expected to be the same as the GRE exam syllabus of earlier years. ETS has announced no change. ETS also publishes no topic-wise weightage for the GRE exam syllabus. Any percentage split you see for GRE topics did not come from ETS.

The GRE exam syllabus tells you what to study. The GRE exam patternpage tells you how the sections are timed and scored. Keep GRE exam dates 2027 open to plan your booking.

ETS defines the GRE exam syllabus through content areas, not through chapters or units. The table shows what is official in the GRE exam syllabus 2027 and what is not published. Searches for the GRE syllabus 2027 find this same set of facts on the ETS site.

What is the GRE exam syllabus for 2027?

The GRE exam syllabus for 2027 is expected to be the same as the current one. The GRE exam syllabus has Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing. ETS has announced no change, and its content pages carry the same text as in earlier years. This is our reading of the absence of a notice, and not an ETS statement.

Does the GRE exam syllabus change for MBA, MS or CSE?

No. The GRE syllabus for MBA, MS and CSE is one and the same GRE exam syllabus. The General Test has one format for every programme. A computer science applicant and an MBA applicant study the same content areas. Schools differ in which score they weigh, so check your target programme.

Syllabus Highlights: Frequently Asked Questions

The Verbal part of the GRE exam syllabus has three question types. ETS publishes no weightage for any of them. Verbal tests how well you read, how you reason with words and how you understand sentences.

About half of the Verbal questions are passage-based. Passages come from the physical sciences, biological sciences, social sciences, business, arts and humanities, and everyday topics. ETS says no specialised knowledge is assumed. Reading Comprehension passages carry one to six questions each.

ETS lists the abilities that Reading Comprehension tests:

• Understanding the meaning of words, sentences and paragraphs.
• Telling major points from minor points, and summarising a passage.
• Drawing conclusions and reasoning from incomplete data.
• Understanding text structure and the author's assumptions and perspective.
• Judging the strengths and weaknesses of a position and weighing alternative explanations.

Is there a GRE vocabulary list?

No. ETS publishes no GRE vocabulary list, and the GRE exam syllabus names no word set. Vocabulary is tested through Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence. Build it by reading, and by checking the words you miss in ETS practice questions. Text Completion has three choices per blank when the question has two or three blanks. A single blank has five choices. There is no credit for a partly correct answer.

The GRE has no separate data-interpretation or logical-reasoning section like CAT. The third part of the GRE exam syllabus is Analytical Writing. It has one Analyze an Issue task and no published weightage. ETS reports the essay score separately from Verbal and Quant.

In the task, you read an opinion on a general topic. You evaluate it, consider its complexities and develop an argument with reasons and examples. ETS says the task tests three skills. You must articulate and support complex ideas, construct arguments and sustain a focused discussion. You need no content knowledge.

ETS has published the full pool of Issue topics. You can read the pool on the ETS Issue topic tool before your test. The essay is typed in an ETS word processor that lets you insert, delete, cut, paste and undo. It has no spell-check or grammar-check.

Data Interpretation does appear in Quant. Some Quant questions share one table or graph and test how well you read charts. That is the nearest part of the GRE exam syllabus to a data section.

The Quant part of the GRE exam syllabus has four content areas, and ETS publishes no weightage for them. The level is high school mathematics and statistics, no higher than a second course in algebra.

The GRE syllabus for Quant is tested through four question types. They are Quantitative Comparison, multiple choice with one answer, multiple choice with one or more answers, and Numeric Entry. ETS says figures are not necessarily drawn to scale unless the question states it. Graphs and coordinate systems are to scale.

What is the GRE syllabus for Quant?

The GRE syllabus for Quant is arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis. The ETS Math Review covers all four areas with exercises. Nothing in the GRE syllabus for Quant sits outside those four areas. Use the GRE syllabus for Quant as a revision list if you are an engineering or science graduate. Use it as a learning list if you left mathematics after Class 12. ETS also links free video lessons for the Math Review.

ETS does not rank the GRE exam syllabus by importance, so no topic is officially more important. The official pages show where the questions sit. ETS data also shows how Indian test takers have scored.

ETS data for Indian citizens in 2024-25 shows a mean of 151.0 in Verbal and 158.6 in Quant. All test takers also score lower in Verbal than in Quant, so this gap is not special to India. If your Quant is strong, you may spend a larger share of your time on Reading Comprehension and vocabulary. That is our advice and not an ETS recommendation.

How should MBA and MS applicants use the GRE syllabus?

Use the GRE syllabus for MBA and the GRE syllabus for MS in the same way: as a checklist. An MBA applicant with several years of work experience may find school mathematics distant. The Math Review gives a fast refresher. An MS applicant in engineering may find the Quant areas familiar. The GRE syllabus for MS still includes Verbal and Writing. The GRE syllabus 2027 does not change by programme. Only your own gaps decide how much time each part needs.

ETS data shows who takes the test from India. Of 31,677 examinees from India in 2024-25, 33% named Physical Sciences as their intended major. Another 14% named Engineering, and 11% named Business. For the GRE syllabus for MBA, ETS has data on test takers who chose MBA as their objective. The data cover 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2023. Their means were 153.57 in Verbal and 155.59 in Quant. These figures are past data and not targets for the GRE syllabus for MS or any other degree.

Think of the GRE exam syllabus as a map and not a ranking. Use your POWERPREP Online results to find which question types cost you marks. Then read the GRE exam pattern page to plan your timing for each section.

The GRE syllabus and exam pattern work together, and the pattern decides how the GRE exam syllabus is tested. The test has five sections and takes 1 hour 58 minutes, with no unscored section. Verbal and Quant are scored from 130 to 170. Writing is scored from 0 to 6.

The raw score is the number of correct answers. ETS then converts it to the 130-170 scale. You get no credit for a partly correct answer. Read the full GRE exam pattern page for the GRE syllabus and exam pattern together. It has section timing and the 2023 changes. A student who reads the GRE syllabus and exam pattern in one sitting plans better.

ETS publishes no topic trends for past years, so there is no year-wise topic table for the GRE exam syllabus. The text has stayed the same since 2023, and ETS has announced no 2027 change. Treat the same text as the expected GRE exam syllabus 2027. Students asking about the GRE syllabus 2027 should plan on that basis.

The more useful list is what the GRE leaves out. ETS states these limits for Quant:

• No trigonometry.
• No calculus or other higher-level mathematics.
• No proofs in geometry. ETS says the ability to construct proofs is not tested.
• No inferential statistics.

For Verbal, ETS assumes no specialised knowledge. It publishes no word list. For Writing, the Analyze an Argument essay was removed on 22 September 2023, so only the Issue essay remains.

The GRE Subject Tests in Mathematics, Physics and Psychology have separate content. Only the General Test is covered here.