GRE Exam Pattern 2025

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is widely used by universities and colleges worldwide when assessing applications for postgraduate programmes, including master’s, PhD, and MBA degrees. It is designed to evaluate a candidate’s readiness for graduate-level study by measuring their skills in three key areas: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing.

As a globally recognised and standardised test, the GRE helps institutions determine how likely an applicant is to succeed in their chosen field. Given the GRE’s significant role in the admissions process, it is essential for test-takers to understand the latest exam structure, scoring method, and effective strategies to achieve a competitive score.

GRE Exam 2025 Key Highlights

The GRE General Test is used as an important criterion in graduate school admissions. The SAT is given at several test centres throughout the year, as well as online at home. The 2025 version of the GRE assesses a candidate’s abilities in three key skills.

• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Analytical Writing

The format of the exam is designed to measure critical thinking and problem-solving skills rather than detailed information in one area.

GRE Exam Full Form

Graduate Record Examination stands as the full name for the GRE exam. The GRE exam 2025 consists of two major test types, including GRE General in addition to GRE subject assessment. The GRE General stands as the primary GRE exam test type that admission requirements for master’s programmes utilise in 2025. Despite being optional, the GRE subject test serves as an additional academic credential which strengthens your application.

GRE Exam Duration

The GRE test started as a 4-hour continuous exam but ETS, its administrator, recently shifted the time to 1 hour and 58 minutes for all future sessions.

To lower test-taking fatigue throughout the GRE General Test ETS shortened its duration. Analytical writing with one mandatory essay now stands as the sole requirement, besides 26 challenges in each verbal and quantitative reasoning section under the revised GRE 2025 criteria. September 22nd marked the official start of operation for the test. The GRE 2025 format has cut the test duration to two hours from the GMAT‘s two hours and fifteen minutes and the LSAT’s three-hour allocation.

GRE New Pattern 2025

Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning are the three major parts of the GRE test. While you must write in Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning are both made up of multiple-choice questions. The change in the pattern means that the new GRE only includes one Analytical Writing task, which previously had two tasks. With this revision, the section is less complex and only has one writing assignment.

People can take the GRE in both a computer-based and a paper-based format. Only places with limited computer access offer the paper-based version of the test. GRE testing in India takes place only on computers for every test-taker. During registration, candidates can decide between computer-based and paper-based formats for the test since these versions share the same structure. With a computer-based exam, users are allowed to skip over questions and return to them afterwards, making answering more convenient.

GRE Subject-wise Formats

Each of the GRE Subject Tests is taken in a purely electronic setting. Such tests measure your knowledge in certain subjects, with the overall time depending on what they test. The Mathematics Test takes 2 hours and 50 minutes, but the Physics and Psychology Tests are each given 2 hours. They are not formed with any separable and timed sections.

Read Full Blog : GRE Exam Pattern 2025: Latest Section-wise Format, Duration & Scoring Explained

Conclusion

In the end, the process for graduate school admission involves the GRE exam for programmes in many parts of the world. Knowing the test format and how it will be scored can help you do better on the GRE. If applying to graduate school is in your plans and you could use some help with the process, MetaApply IE can assist.

MetaApply IE helps you organise your study for the GRE and handle your application process to graduate schools. The platform provides personal help and easy ways to track your progress. Use MetaApply IE today to help you pass the GRE test easily and smoothly complete your application.