The Graduate Record Examination, commonly referred to as GRE, is a widely used standardized test for admissions to graduate and business schools, mainly in the United States. The ETS-administered GRE measures the student’s verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing skills. These tests aim at assessing one’s general academic ability and also the requisite skills necessary for undertaking study at the graduate level. Since 1949, when it was introduced for the first time, GRE has been a prime requisite for many graduate and professional admissions to masters, doctorates, and business degrees.

The main contents of the GRE General Test include Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. It is meant to measure the capability of the student to analyze and evaluate written material, reason quantitatively, and write effectively. It is a computer-based test, although it is offered on paper in the regions where the computer-based test is not available. The GRE is available throughout the year and students can take it as many times as they want since business schools accept all the scores. It has also been accepted in place of GMAT for MBA admission to many business schools, thereby leaving the student with options in their graduate application.

The GRE test is accepted at almost all graduate schools around the world, including but not limited to the U.S., Canada, Australia, the UK, and many other countries. The scores from the GRE test are valid for five years, which gives the students ample time to apply to multiple institutions and programs. Apart from the general test, there are subject-specific GRE tests, which some schools require or may consider along with the general test for admission to specific programs that they offer.