Conducted by US-based Education Testing Service (ETS), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a standardized, computer-based, multichoice exam accepted by all top US Universities for MBA, MS, Law and other graduate programs. GRE exam scores are accepted by more than 1,300 business schools including Harvard, Wharton, Chicago and all other Top 50 B-schools as ranked by Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Financial Times and U.S. News & World Report. According to information shared by GRE , 72,855 test takers took the GRE exam from India in 2020-21. GRE 2022 exam has 3 sections: Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section, Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning. GRE 2022 can be a good alternative to GMAT, particularly for students who have good English language skills when compared to their Quantitative ability. Also, taking GRE 2020 exam cost a little less than GMAT exam. GRE test scores are valid for a period of 5 years. In this article, written keeping in mind Indian students, you will get all the vital information on GRE Exam like GRE Registration Process, Exam Pattern, Preparation, Colleges and Universities accepting GRE, comparison with GMAT & CAT, and a lot more. So, continue reading…

Types of GRE Exam
Let us start with the basics. There are two different types of GRE tests: GRE General Test and GRE Subject Test.

GRE General Test
‘GRE General’ test is commonly used exam for admission to MBA, MS and other graduate programs. There are three sections in the GRE General Test – Analytical Writing Assessment, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. The writing section always appears first, whereas the other two, along with the dummy unscored sections may appear in any order afterwards. GRE General measures one’s command of quantitative ability like basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis as well as college-level vocabulary. More importantly, it measures your reasoning ability to analyse and evaluate written material, think critically, and solve problems.

GRE Subject Test
The GRE Subject Tests are conducted for admissions in the field of Physics, Mathematics, English Literature, Psychology and Biology. This test aims at evaluating the applicants’ ability on a specific subject. We will be discussing GRE General Test in this article. You can take GRE Exam in both Computer based and Paper based formats, depending on which city you want to take the test.

Let us compare the two different versions of GRE exam. Refer table below:

Section	Computer-based	Paper-based
Analytical Writing	1 section-2 tasks (60 minutes)	2 sections-2 tasks (60 minutes)
Verbal Reasoning	2 sections-40 questions (60 minutes)	2 sections-50 questions (70 minutes)
Quantitative Reasoning	2 sections-40 questions (70 minutes)	2 sections-50 questions (80 minutes)
Dummy (unscored)	Variable	NA
Research	Variable	NA

Most students prefer Computer based GRE Exam.

Benefits of GRE Exam for Indian students
There are number of benefits accruing from GRE Exam for Indian Students. GRE opens up different avenues for higher studies for any serious test-taker. Here are a few benefits of taking the GRE with special consideration to Indian students:

Leverage your Verbal Skills: GRE test can be a good alternative to GMAT, particularly for students who have good English language skills compared to their Quantitative ability.
Wider Acceptance in different programs: While the GMAT is specifically meant for MBA programs across the world, the GRE General Test opens up various other opportunities. Apart from being accepted by most of the MBA programs, it is generally accepted for masters, law, and doctoral courses across the best universities in the world.
Younger Test takers: While most of the GMAT test takers are working professionals with an experience of more than 2 years, the scenario is completely opposite in case of the GRE. Candidates in their pre-final year of graduation generally take the test, as the best courses don’t have an eligibility requirement of any work experience prior to getting an admit.
Access to Scholarships: GRE test takers with high scores can apply to thousands of scholarships offered by Universities and B-schools to needy but meritorious students. Indian students regularly apply and get these scholarships. This reduces the load of the huge tuition fees by a great deal.
Lower Fee: Also, one small advantage over the GMAT is the relatively lesser application fees. The registration fees for GRE is $205 (approx. INR 15,550) and for GMAT is $250 (approx. INR 17,000).

GRE offers at-home version amidst COVID-19 crisis
ETS announced on March 23 that its GRE exam will be available as at-home “human proctor online test” starting March 23 at the same cost of taking the GRE at a test center ($205). This test is available in India too, and Indian test takers can take this test at their home. The test is identical in content, format and on-screen experience to the GRE General Test taken at a test center. GRE spokesperson told in an interview that, “India test takers represent the second highest population of test takers taking the test at home, outpaced only by the United States.” This test in however available only for a limited time till COVID-19 situation becomes normal. So, check details on GRE/ETS official site and take advantage of this opportunity.

Types of Programs Accepting GRE Exam
As already explained above, the wide variety of programs available to a GRE candidate is unmatched.

2 Year or 1 Year MBA Programs offered by B-schools and Universities
Masters in Management (MiM) Programs in Finance, Accounting, Business Analytics etc offered by B-schools and Universities
Graduate Schools for Engineering
Law Schools for their JD programs
Other programs like PhD, Health Services, Education and other fields

This article would be to cover the first two types of courses, as mentioned above.

GRE Exam: Key Highlights

Name	GRE (Graduate Record Examination)
Conducted by	ETS (Educational Testing Service) https://www.ets.org/gre
Total Duration	3 hours 45 minutes
GRE Fees	$205 (approx. INR 15,550)
Accepted for	MBA, MS, MS in Finance, MS in Accounting, MS in Business Analytics etc, Law, Other Graduate Programs
Sections	5 Sections (Analytical Writing Assessment, Verbal Reasoning -2 sections, Quantitative Reasoning- 2 sections) + Unscored/ Research section -not scored)
No. Of Questions/Time limit	AWA – 2 Question / 30 Minutes eachQR (1) – 20 Questions / 35 MinutesQR (2) – 20 Questions / 35 MinutesVR (1) – 20 Questions / 30 MinutesVR (2) – 20 Questions / 30 Minutes
Score validity	5 years
No. Of Attempts	Maximum 5 attempts in a year (Minimum 21 days between consecutive attempts)
GRE Contact in India	+91-1244517127 or 000-800-100-4072Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ISTEmail: GRESupport4India@ets.org

GRE Eligibility
GRE Eligibility criteria is very simple and easy. Anyone who is a passport holder is eligible to take GRE exam. Aspirants of any age, who want to pursue programmes like MBA, MS or law programmes can take the GRE test. There are no specific age or qualification criteria mentioned by the ETS. However, candidates are expected to possess a graduate degree (ongoing or completed) in any discipline from a recognized university.

GRE Exam Dates
As the exams is conducted throughout the year, there are no fixed official GRE exam dates. One can choose any date and self-schedule the GRE 2022 exam dates according to the convenience and availability. However, the GRE 2022 exam date chosen should be at least two months before your first application deadline.

GRE Exam Registration: How to Register for GRE?
GRE is conducted throughout the year. However, the GRE exam registration appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Early submission of GRE exam application form can help one get the preferred test date and test location. The information filled in your GRE exam application form should match the passport details, else results may get cancelled.

Registrations can be made in the following manner:

Online: ETS Account is required to register online for the test (log into your ETS account at www.ets.org/mygre). Pay registration fee of US$205 (Rs,15,550). On successful registration a confirmation email from ETS will be sent mentioning your test choice, test date, test centre and score recipients.
Phone: To book a slot on phone, call the Regional Registration Centre (RRC) on 91-124-4147700. This must be done at least two business days before the preferred test date. A conformation will be provided post this and the payment can be made online via JCB, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or Visa credit or debit card.
Fax: Completed application form should be print and sent to 91-124-4147773 with the appropriate fee. The form must be received by the office at least seven days before the test date.
Mail: A printed application form along with the prescribed fee may be sent to the following address: Prometric, 2nd floor, DLF Infinity Tower–A, Sector 25, Phase II, DLF City, Gurgaon, Haryana – 122002, India. The form must be received by the office at least three weeks before the test date.

GRE Exam Fee: What is the GRE Exam Fee in India?
The GRE General Test registration fee is $205 worldwide, which approximately comes to Rs. 15,550 as the GRE exam fee in India. In case the applicants’ request to reschedule the test or change the test centre- an additional GRE exam fee of $50 would be charged for the same. Cancellation / Rescheduling must be done at least 4 days prior to the test date, else the fee would be forfeited.

In case of GRE Subject Test, the GRE registration fee is $150 and candidates are charged additional $50 if they want to change the subject after registration.

GRE Test Duration
The overall testing time for the computer-delivered GRE General Test is three hours and 45 minutes.

GRE Exam Pattern
The GRE exam pattern divides GRE Test into three main sections:

1. Analytical Writing Section (AWA)

One section with “two tasks” of 30 minutes per task
“Analyse an Issue” (express your views on a critical issue) task & “Analyse an Argument” (evaluate a logical argument) task

2. Quantitative Reasoning

Two sections of 35 minutes per section
20 questions per section

3. Verbal Reasoning

2 sections of 30 minutes per section
20 questions per section

Remember, AWA section is always presented first. The other two sections along with an added section may appear in any order. You will also see one of the following sections as an addition:

Unscored Section (may be either Verbal Reasoning or Quantitative Reasoning)
Research Section (used for ETS research purposes)

The answers on these won’t be counted on the final score, but since one is not aware which set of questions are valid for scoring, every portion of the test must be treated with equal importance.

Let us understand each of the section in detail.

Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
The Analytical Writing Assessment or “essay” section aims to access whether the candidate can articulate sound thoughts and responses to complex ideas in a clear and logical way. The first essay requires you to state your stance and provide supporting evidence, while the second essay requires you to evaluate someone else’s position. The key to do well in this section is formulating a well-supported thesis in response to new and unfamiliar topic. For the “Analyze an Issue” task, you will read an opinion on a topic of general interest and be given instructions on how to respond to the issue at hand. For the “Analyze an Argument” task, you will need to consider an argument according to instructions given in the prompt.

Verbal Reasoning

In this section the questions are presented as Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, and Reading Comprehension question types. This section will always start with the Text Completion question type which will include a passage composed of 1-5 sentences with 1-3 blanks. There are three or five (in case of a single blank) answer choices per blank. The Sentence Equivalence Questions consist of a single sentence, one blank, and six answer choices. These questions require you to select two of the answer choices. And, the Reading Comprehension Question type comprises of:

Multiple-choice Questions with – Select One Answer
Multiple-choice Questions with – Select One or More Answers
Select-in-Passage (click on the sentence in the passage that meets a certain description)

Quantitative Reasoning
This section focuses on basic math skills and concepts like arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis. Test-takers have an option of using the on-screen calculator during solving this section. This section is a blend of:

Multiple-choice Questions – Select One Answer
Multiple-choice Questions – Select One or More Answers
Numeric Entry Questions (Type the answer)
Quantitative Comparison Questions (Compare two quantities and choose the statement that accurately describes the comparison)

GRE Exam Preparation
The GRE tests both the logic and the aptitude of the test taker, across all sections, apart from the basic foundational knowledge of Maths and English. Since most candidates who score well recommend a time period of 8-12 weeks for the preparation as per the GRE exam syllabus, we shall recommend a detailed 10-week study plan to get a good score in the exam. Before starting with the plan, one should attempt the Free Diagnostic GRE test, based on GRE exam syllabus and is available on the official website, which will help in guiding the study plan further.

For GRE exam preparation, the initial 2-3 weeks should be dedicated entirely to the basic foundational concept building for math and majorly that of english, especially grammar and reading skills. Vocabulary should also be given 20-25 minutes of daily preparation through any of the various sources available. The practice of the different types of questions under the cateogries of Quant and Verbal must be done through the Official GRE Guide.

The next 2-3 weeks’ time should be devoted mainly to the rigorous solving of the Quant question types of ‘Data Comparison’ and ‘Problem Solving’. Also, a ‘Performance Tracker’ should be maintained to keep a tab on the rightly and wrongly attempted questions, time taken, and also the usual error areas.

The final 3-4 weeks should be dedicated to the following:

Practice of essay-writing, on both ‘Issue-based’ and ‘Argument-based’ topics, of which an entire list is provided on the official website.
Attempting full-length tests as provided in the Official GRE Guide and also, on the official website of the ETS.
Regularly reviewing and analyzing the mock test performance and also learning to improve on the weak areas, as found through the analysis.
The regular focus on vocabulary should still be maintained and the performance tracker should be regularly updated after every mock test.

GRE Scoring Pattern
For the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections, the raw score (number of correct answers) will be converted to the scaled score below, which adjusts for minor variations. For the AWA section, the essays will be scored using a six-point scale. Scores for this section will be based on the overall quality of each essay in response to the assigned task, with emphasis on critical thinking and analytical writing skills. The essay score is then reviewed by one or more trained professionals and a computerized program (e-rater) developed by ETS. If the human and e-rater scores are similar, the average of the two scores is used as the final score.

Score scale for each of the three sections:

Section	Score Scale
Analytical Writing	0-6, in half-point increments
Quantitative Reasoning	130-170, in 1-point increments
Verbal Reasoning	130-170, in 1-point increments

When will the Scores be available?

The scores will be available on the ETS account on the GRE website 10-15 days after your test date. An email will be sent by ETS intimating the availability of the official scores, along with a confirmation that four FREE score reports have been sent to the schools which were selected by the applicant on or before test day. GRE applicants can access their scores by logging into their GRE account.

GRE Tests provide a Score Select option to the applicants to decide which test scores to send to the institutions designated by them. ETS allows the applicants to give Maximum 5 attempts in a year with a minimum of 21 days gap between consecutive attempts. This option allows the test takers to be more confident on the test day knowing they can send the scores they feel are the best among the given attempts. The score select option is available for both the GRE General Test and GRE Subject Tests.
On the test day: Once the candidates receive the scores, they can choose not to send the scores at this time or can select from the current test administration, else could send the scores from all GRE General Test administrations in the last five years.
After test day: The candidate can send score reports for a fee. They can send from the most recent test administration or send the scores from all test administrations in the last five years or send the scores from one or as many test administrations as they want from the last five years.

GRE Cut off Scores for B-schools
Given below is a table with Colleges accepting GRE Score. The list summarizes average GRE cut off scores, required across sections of the GRE, for getting considered into the top 25 US university programs. Please note that for any other colleges, the candidate must refer the official website of the B-school

B-School	2021 GRE Average Quant Score	2021 GRE Average Verbal Score	2021 Total	2021 Writing Score
Stanford GSB	165	165	330	4.9
Yale SOM	164	165	329	4.9
Harvard Business School	163*	163	326	NA
MIT (Sloan)	162	162	324	4.7
Michigan (Ross)	159	160	319	4.4
Wisconsin	156	159	315	4.2
Indiana (Kelley)	155	155	310	4
Washington (Olin)	155	155	310	3.9
Texas-Dallas (Jindal)	154	155	309	4
Maryland (Smith)	154	153	307	4.3

More B-schools are using GRE Exam scores:

Apart from the above, there are many other prominent colleges accepting GRE Score. Business Schools use GRE to attract more younger population from non-traditional backgrounds to MBA programs. In recent times GRE has been gaining a good acceptance by both test-takers and MBA admission directors at various Universities across the world. Business schools have started treating both the exams GRE and GMAT equally in their admission decisions, giving no preference to either test.

In 2021, 20% to 60% of the class in most of top 50 US B-schools was made up of candidates who took GRE exam. For instance, 62% of students admitted at Texas-Dallas University’s Naveen Jindal School of Management (named after Indian entrepreneur) had taken GRE exam. 20-30% of candidates admitted to Harvard, MIT, Yale had taken GRE exam. It is expected that same ratio will be followed with GRE 2022 Exam. Refer table below.

B-school	% Admitted with GRE Scores in 2021
Texas-Dallas (Jindal)	62%
Boston (Questrom)	52%
Washington (Olin)	49%
Arizona State (Carey)	43%
Texas A&M (Mays)	39%
Michigan (Ross)	34%
Texas (McCombs)	33%
USC (Marshall)	29%
Yale SOM	26%
MIT (Sloan)	24%
Virginia (Darden)	23%
UC-Berkeley (Haas)	21%
Harvard	20%
UC-Irvine (Merage)	20%

GRE Exam Centers
GRE Exam Centers are located in Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Calcutta, Chennai, Coimbatore, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Trivandrum and other prominent cities in India. There are more than one GRE exam centers in many cities.

GRE Vs GMAT: Similarities and Differences
While the two tests are very similar when it comes to the various sections and their preparation is concerned, there definitely are differences between the two. Though, both of them test the same skills, which include basic math, and English aptitude developed through high school education, the depth of understanding required and the methodology of the solutions for the questions asked, across the two, differ quite a lot. The table below will summarize the comparison between these two exams:

Parameter	GRE	GMAT
Accepted for	MBA, MS, MS in Finance, MS in Accounting, MS in Business Analytics etc, Law, Other Graduate Programs	Primarily MBA Programs and MS Programs in Management/ Business Area
Duration of the test?	3 hours 45 minutes	3 hours 30 minutes
Sections	5 (Analytical Writing Assessment, Verbal Reasoning -2 sections, Quantitative Reasoning- 2 sections) + Unscored/ Research section -not scored)	4 (Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Analytical Writing, Integrated Reasoning)
No. Of Questions/Time limit	AWA – 2 Question / 30 Minutes eachQR (1) – 20 Questions / 35 MinutesQR (2) – 20 Questions / 35 MinutesVR (1) – 20 Questions / 30 MinutesVR (2) – 20 Questions / 30 Minutes	AWA – 1 Question / 30 MinutesQR – 31 Questions / 62 MinutesVR – 36 Questions / 65 MinutesIR – 12 Questions / 30 Minutes
Navigation between Sections?	YES	NO
Adaptiveness	Section Adaptive	Question Adaptive
Score validity	5 years	5 years
No. Of Attempts	Maximum 5 attempts in a year (Minimum 21 days between consecutive attempts)	Maximum 5 attempts in a year (Minimum 16 days between consecutive attempts)Lifetime Limit of 8 attempts overall
Where to register?	www.ets.org/gre	www.mba.com

GRE v CAT

While the two tests are very similar when it comes to the various sections and their preparation is concerned, there definitely are differences between the two. Though, both of them test the same skills, which include basic math, and English aptitude developed through high school education, the depth of understanding required and the methodology of the solutions for the questions asked, across the two, differ quite a lot. The table below will summarize the comparison between these two exams:

Parameter	GRE	CAT
Conducting body	ETS	IIMs
Exam date	Throughout the year (except Sundays and National Holidays)	1 Day, 2 slots (last Sunday of November)
Application Cost	$ 205 (approx. INR 15,500)	INR 1800/-
Test type	Computer-based (section-adaptive)	Computer-based
Test duration	3 hours 45 minutes	3 hours
Score validity	5 years	1 year
Accepted by	All top Global Universities	IIMs, and all top Indian B-schools accept XLRI, NMIMS and Symbiosis

Indian MBA Colleges Accepting GRE scores:
Though most Indian B-schools take admission through one or more of the following exams: CAT/XAT/SNAP/NMAT/GMAT/MAT/CMAT, there are a few specialized programs at some of the top management schools, which also consider GRE scores for admission. Given below is a table of some of the top B-schools across India, along with the respective program names, which consider GRE scores for admission:

B-school	Program
ISB Hyderabad/Mohali	PGP
IIM-Ahmedabad	EPGP
IIM-Bangalore	EPGP
IIM-Raipur	FPM
IIM-Udaipur	One-year MBA

Summing up:
In this article you have read about the components of GRE, what is GRE, types of GRE, how to register, how each section is scored, also, the difference between CAT/GMAT vs GRE and the top business schools accepting the GRE score. We hope this article could help you understand more about the exam and also choose an exam that will suit your purposes. All the best!

GRE 2022 Exam

GRE Preparation

GRE 2022 Exam Pattern

GRE 2022 Exam Pattern

MBA Colleges Accepting GRE

IIM Kozhikode: Indian Institute of Management
IIM Bangalore: Indian Institute of Management
IIM Kozhikode: Indian Institute of Management
ISB Hyderabad: Indian School of Business
Masters’ Union School of Business
IIM Kashipur: Indian Institute of Management
BITS School of Management – BITSOM
IFMR Graduate School of Business at KREA University
Praxis Business School
SDA Bocconi Asia Center