- General GRE Test: Graduate programs and business schools use GRE® scores to evaluate your readiness for graduate-level work. The GRE General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills that are not related to any specific field of study.
- Analytical Writing — articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively, support ideas with relevant reasons and examples, examine claims and accompanying evidence, sustain a well-focuses and coherent discussion, control the elements of standard written English
- One “Analyze an Issue” task and one “Analyze an Argument” task- 30 min per task
- Verbal Reasoning — analyze and draw conclusions from discourse; reason from incomplete date; identify author’s assumptions/perspectives; understand multiple levels of meaning, such as literal, figurative, and author’s intent; select important points, distinguish major from minor or relevant points, summarize text, understand the structure of a text; understand the meaning of words, sentences, and entire texts’ understand relationships among words and concepts; featuring new types of questions, the Verbal Reasoning section measures your ability to understand what you read and how you apply your reasoning skills
- Two sections, approx. 20 questions per section at 30 min per section
- Quantitative Reasoning — On screen calculator- understand quantitative information; interpret and analyze quantitative information; solve problems using mathematical models; apply basic mathematical skills and elementary mathematical concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis
- Two sections, approx. 20 questions per section at 30 min per section
- Analytical Writing — articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively, support ideas with relevant reasons and examples, examine claims and accompanying evidence, sustain a well-focuses and coherent discussion, control the elements of standard written English
- Subject Tests: Subject Tests may not be required by schools, but they’re a great way to distinguish yourself and show you’re serious about your studies and your future. If you’re majoring in one of these subjects, you might want to take a Subject Test in addition to the GRE General Test. Some graduate programs in Psychology request that you take the Psychology test. Psychology subject test: The test consists of approx. 205 questions drawn from courses most commonly offered at an undergraduate level. Most of the questions are distributed between two sub score areas: Experimental Psychology (40%) and Social Psychology (43%); the remaining 17% test topics, such as measurement and methodology. The test’s total score includes the questions in all three categories.
Some Important Info about the Exam:
- You can take the GRE revised General Test (computer-based and paper-based) only once every 21 days, and no more than five times within any continuous rolling 12-month period. This applies even if you canceled your scores on a test taken previously. If you take only the paper-based GRE revised General Test, you can take it as often as it is offered.
- It will take about 4 hours to complete.
- The scoring scale per section is now from 130-170 in one-point increments.
- GRE scores are good for 5 years from test date.
- The current price to take the exam is listed here.
- You pay this price even if you cancel or don’t have proper identification the day of, so be prepared!!
Test Prep Courses:
- Princeton Review:
- Check out www.princetonreview.com for information on the test prep classes being offered. There is a Princeton Review on site near the UCF Arena and across the street in the plaza behind the BP gas station. They have classes in person or online. They can be pricey but they include books and materials and they usually provide a guarantee to take their class again if you don’t get the score you expected.
- Kaplan:
- Check out www.kaptest.com/gre/home/index.html for information on the test prep classes being offered. There is a Kaplan Test Prep on site in UCF Student Union. They have classes in person or online. Be on the lookout for when they offer FREE practice exams- sign up at for email www.Kaptest.com notifications. They can be pricey but they include books and materials and they usually provide a guarantee to take their class again if you don’t get the score you expected.
- UCF Continuing Education:
- Check out www.ce.ucf.edu/Programs/5/Test-Preparation to see all the different tracks and programs that UCF offers to prepare for the GRE. This is usually much cheaper than the private companies above but do not include books nor offer guarantee to take their course again.
- Magoosh:
- Check out gre.magoosh.com for a virtual studying option that can be a little easier on the wallet.
Suggestions for studying:
- Treat studying for the GRE like an additional class that semester or two prior to taking the test. Set out time in your schedule to study as if you were going to class. Give yourself ample time to prepare.
- Use lots of resources- free online websites, test prep book bought from the store, and a test prep class if necessary.
- Practice the writing portion with the prompts provided on the www.ets.org/gre website. Write out 5 full essays with the prompts, and do 10 outlines with 10 other prompts.
- Make notecards of difficult words that you don’t know. Make notecards of math concepts that you haven’t seen in a while.
- Practice, practice, practice! Take a practice test- but be sure to study for it, don’t just jump in without being prepared.
- Know what is going to be covered on the test so you don’t waste time reading the instructions
- Get plenty of rest the night before and have a hearty breakfast not drinking too many liquids
- Make sure your Identification is up to date and not expired! You need two forms of ID and sometimes the student ID does not count! Be prepared and follow test procedure instructions for that testing site.
- Breathe- most everyone is taking the GRE before graduate schools. If you studied and did your best, you do not need to be nervous. Studying and practicing is a great way to calm your nerves.
How to register for the GRE:
- When you are ready to take the GRE, register by going to the website, www.ets.org/gre.
- Go over the Tests and Products link at the top of the page. Items will appear in a drop down, choose GRE.
- Once you arrive at the new page, locate the link located under the GENERAL TEST section, labeled “register for test” and click it.
- Click Register for computer based test
- The next page will list a variety of ways to take the test. Choose the first one “online registration” under Web.
- You now have to pick the country you would like to take the test in. Find the country and click on it. A drop down will come down, click register online for the computer test link
- Another screen will pop up and it will ask for the state you would like to take the test.
- A variety of options will show up. Pick the first one “Schedule an exam”
- On the next page, read the information and click next. You will then arrive at a terms of agreement page. Read the document then click “I agree” and next
- Select the GRE exam in the drop down menu.
- You will now see available test sites. If you live near UCF, the closest testing center is in Maitland.
- Find the place you want and click schedule an exam and then choose an option of searching for a desired day and time.
- Fill out an additional information page and proceed to pay.