If you’re wondering what the GRE exam paper or the GRE questions are like? Then here is a 5-minute read to help you understand the structure of the GRE test. Furthermore, this article will also help you understand what you can expect in the different sections of the GRE test.
Firstly, here’s a quick overview of the GRE exam pattern. The test is divided into 3 main sections which further have subsections each. The GRE analytical writing section, quantitative reasoning, and verbal reasoning are all integral scoring parts of the GRE test structure. However, towards the end, ETS has also included an unscored section of the exam and some tests may also include a research section. However, the overall structure of the GRE question paper involves the Analytical Writing, Quantitative Reasoning, and Verbal Reasoning sections. Now, let’s understand the essential sections of the GRE test in more detail.
GRE Analytical Writing Assessment
The GRE analytical writing assessment includes two parts that are designed to test your critical thinking and analytical writing skills. The two topics of the GRE analytical writing assessment are based on a broad range of subjects and are of common interest such as politics, society, religion, etc. You are not expected to memorize any particular essay for this section, rather you are expected to carefully read the prompts provided to you and attempt writing arguments that are well structured. You will be provided 30 minutes for each of the two topics, to read and complete your writing. The AWA section of the GRE test is evaluated by a trained human as well as a computer program developed by ETS called the ‘E-Rater’.
The two sections of the analytical writing assessment are – Analyse an argument and analyze an issue. While the analyze-an-argument task requires you to evaluate the overall soundness of the argument presented, the analyze-an-issue task, on the other hand, requires you to present your opinions on a particular issue and support them with examples.
GRE Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning
The GRE quantitative reasoning is designed to test your quantitative abilities. This section requires you to familiarise yourself with mathematical concepts that include arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis.
On the other hand, the GRE verbal reasoning section tests your ability to analyze and evaluate written texts. You are expected to extract information and analyze the relationships between various components of a sentence. The verbal section of the GRE test has three types of questions – sentence equivalence, reading comprehension, and text completion.
Both the GRE quantitative and verbal reasoning sections of the test consist of two parts each comprising a total of 40 questions. You are given 30 minutes for the verbal section and 35 minutes for quantitative reasoning. Moreover, since the GRE test is section-adaptive, the exam gauges your performance on the first section of the two measures and presents a tougher or easier section depending on how you performed in the previous section. For instance, if the GRE quantitative section given to you initially is of average difficulty and you answer most questions correctly, then the computer will present a tougher next section, hence, increasing your difficulty level. Similarly, the GRE verbal section also begins with an average difficulty level, and depending on how you perform in the first section, the second section is either tougher or easier.
To conclude, begin practicing the GRE question paper to familiarize yourself with the exam structure. Also, it is better to time your practices and trains yourself to sit throughout the almost 4 hours time duration. Good luck!
