The Graduate Record Examinations, or GRE, is a standardized test used for admissions to graduate and business school programs. Think of it like the SAT or ACT, but for master's degrees, PhDs, and MBAs. Its main purpose is to give schools a common data point to compare applicants from different backgrounds and undergraduate institutions.

The test doesn't measure knowledge of any specific subject. Instead, it assesses skills you've developed over years of education: how you analyze text, solve quantitative problems, and construct a clear, reasoned argument in writing.

The GRE General Test is divided into three main sections: Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. The computer-delivered test is section-level adaptive, meaning your performance on the first Verbal and Quant sections determines the difficulty of the second sections. The Analytical Writing section always comes first.

You'll also encounter an unscored section, which could be either Verbal or Quantitative, and may appear at any point after the Analytical Writing section. This section is used for research purposes by the test maker, and you won't know which one it is, so it's important to try your best on every section.

Let's break down what to expect from each part of the test.

Verbal Reasoning This part of the test gauges your ability to understand what you read and recognize relationships between words and concepts. The questions fall into three categories:

• Reading Comprehension: You'll read passages and answer questions about them. Some questions will require you to understand the main idea, while others will ask about specific details or the author's tone.
• Text Completion: These are short passages with one to three blanks. You have to select the words that best complete the sentence's meaning.
• Sentence Equivalence: For each question, you'll choose two words from a list of six that, when used to complete the sentence, produce sentences with the same meaning.

Quantitative Reasoning Also known as 'Quant,' this section tests your problem-solving abilities using basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. An on-screen calculator is provided. The question formats are:

• Quantitative Comparison: You compare two quantities (Quantity A and Quantity B) and determine which is greater, if they're equal, or if the relationship can't be determined.
• Multiple-Choice: Standard questions where you select one or more correct answers from a list of choices.
• Numeric Entry: You solve a problem and type your answer as an integer or a decimal into a box.

Each section of the GRE has its own scoring scale. Understanding this can help you set realistic goals for your prep.

• Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning are each scored on a scale of 130 to 170, in one-point increments.
• Analytical Writing is scored on a scale of 0 to 6, in half-point increments. Two readers score your essay, and your final score is the average of theirs.

When you finish the test, you will see your unofficial Verbal and Quantitative scores right away. Your official scores, including your Analytical Writing score, will be available in your online account about 8-10 days later.

You can then choose which score reports to send to the institutions you're applying to. With the ScoreSelect® option, you can decide on test day to send your scores from that day's test or from all of your GRE tests in the last five years. You can also decide to send scores later.