GRE Syllabus & Exam Pattern

The GRE^® syllabus underwent a major change in August 2011, when antonyms and analogies were removed from the Verbal Reasoning section. This was the most significant change brought to the pattern since its inception. The next change happened in September 2023, when the 4-hour test was shortened to a 2-hour test, which is prevalent currently.

The GRE^® exam pattern is summarized below:

While the syllabus for the. Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing is well-defined, the syllabus for Verbal Reasoning section is ambiguous. Click the links below to get a detailed understanding of the syllabus of each of the three sections.

1. GRE^® Analytical Writing
2. GRE^® Quantitative Reasoning Syllabus
3. GRE^® Verbal Reasoning Syllabus

The GRE^® Subject Tests are meant to assess a test taker’s knowledge in her chosen field of study. Some schools and universities use the score as a criterion for selection alongside undergraduate scores, recommendation letter, GRE^® General Test scores etc. This test is conducted in the following six disciplines:

1. Biology
2. Chemistry
3. English Literature
4. Mathematics
5. Physics
6. Psychology

Let us look at the GRE^® Exam pattern and syllabus for each of these below:

Biology

• Consists of 190 multiple choice questions, with each question presented with five choices
• Questions may be based on description of lab and field studies, diagrams or experimental results presented.
• The test covers three major areas each of which is given equal importance:
• Cellular and molecular biology
• Organism biology
• Ecology and evolution
• Along with the total score, a sub-score in each of the three areas is also provided.

Chemistry

• Consists of 120 multiple choice questions.
• Periodic table and a table containing values of physical constants is provided.
• Calculators and log tables are not required for this test.
• The test covers four fields of chemistry listed below along with importance for each section:
• Analytical chemistry – 15%
• Inorganic chemistry – 25%
• Organic chemistry – 30%
• Physical chemistry – 30%
• It is important to remember that individual questions can test more than one field as the interrelation between these fields is a key area assessed by the test.

English Literature

• Consists of about 230 questions on topics among:
• Poetry
• Drama
• Biography
• Essay
• Short Story
• Novel
• Criticism
• Literary Theory
• The History of the Language
• Some questions would be based on text presented – this could be a short work in its entirety or an extract from a longer work.
• The questions can be:
• Factual – requiring identification of literary or critical movements, period in which a work was composed, identifying the author, etc.
• Analytical – requiring answers about meaning, forms, structure, literary technique and other aspects of language
• The test covers the following topics:
• Literary analysis – 40% to 55%
• Identification – 15% to 20%
• Cultural and historical context – 20% to 25%
• History and theory of literary criticism – 10% to 15%

Mathematics

1. Consists of 66 multiple choice questions
2. The test covers the following topics taught at undergraduate level mathematics:

• Calculus – 50%
• Algebra – 25%
• Additional topics like real analysis and discrete mathematics – 25%

Physics

• Consists of 100 multiple choice questions, with each question presented with five choices.
• Questions may be based on description of physical situations, diagrams, graphs or experimental results presented.
• The exam tests the candidate’s understanding of fundamental principles and her ability to apply the same for problem solving.
• SI units are typically used in the exam paper.
• The topics covered include:
• Classical mechanics – 20%
• Electromagnetism – 18%
• Optics and wave phenomena – 9%
• Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics – 10%
• Quantum mechanics – 12%
• Atomic physics – 10%
• Special relativity – 6%
• Laboratory methods – 6%
• Specialized topics like nuclear and particle physics, and condensed matter – 9%

Psychology

• Consists of 205 multiple choice questions, with each question presented with five choices.
• Some of the questions may be based on description of experimentation or graphs.
• The exam adheres to terminology, criteria and classifications as defined in DSM-5.
• The test is made up of six sub-scores:
• Biological – 17% to 21%
• Cognitive – 17% to 24%
• Social – 12% to 14%
• Developmental – 12% to 14%
• Clinical – 15% to 19%
• History, measurement and methodology – 15% to 19%

• Is GRE^® syllabus for MS same for all branches?

GRE^® Syllabus for the GRE^® General Test is the same irrespective of the branch of the student / the course the student intends to pursue for Masters.

• Is GRE^® syllabus and GMAT syllabus same?

Both GRE^® and GMAT have similar sections. GRE^® includes sections on Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning & Analytical Writing sections while GMAT includes Verbal, Quantitative, Integrated Reasoning and Analytical Writing Assessment sections. The test difficulty varies for both the tests basis the sections.

• Is GRE^® & CAT syllabus same?

The syllabus might look similar for both the tests, but in CAT, the intensity of Quants part is higher than the GRE^®. Likewise, the English vocabulary part in GRE^® is tougher than CAT.