GRE Syllabus 2026: Complete Section-Wise Breakdown

GRE Exam Structure Overview

GRE is an important exam that is needed to study abroad after 12th for Indian students. The GRE syllabus has three main sections which include Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. All three of these sections are tested in a little over 1 hour 58 minutes across 55 questions.

• The verbal section syllabus of GRE puts more focus on reading comprehension, text completion, and sentence equivalence.
• The quant section covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis.
• Lastly, analytical writing tests your ability to build a clear, well-reasoned essay.

Below is a quick snapshot before we break down each GRE test syllabus section in detail.

For an MS in USA for Indian students, you will need a total GRE score between 310 and 325+.

What changed in GRE 2026 vs old format

ETS, which is the Educational Testing Service that takes the GRE exam has shortened the GRE General Test in September 2023. This is the current format which has been carried into 2026. Take a look below to find what is different in the GRE syllabus 2026:

• Test Duration: The GRE exam has been cut down to just 1 hour 58 minutes from its previous 3 hours 45 minutes.
• Analytical Writing: The “Analyse an Argument” essay was also removed and only the “Analyze an Issue” has remained which is 30 minutes long.
• Question Count: The number of questions for the GRE test syllabus has been reduced from 80 questions to 55 in total.
• Unscored/Research Sections: This is also removed now. And every question you see now is going to count toward your score.
• Score Reporting: This has not changed and you will still get scores on a 130-170 scale for Verbal and Quant.

GRE Verbal Reasoning Syllabus

You will see a total of 27 questions that are split across two sections in 41 minutes in the GRE exam syllabus for the Verbal Reasoning section. These span across three question types which include Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, and Sentence Equivalence.

Reading Comprehension

The RC questions in the GRE verbal syllabus will mainly be based on short passages which can be as long as a few sentences to a few paragraphs. These are usually drawn from a mix of disciplines like natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, and business/economics. Also note that you will not need to have any prior knowledge of these subjects and everything you will need is in the passage.

Question Formats:

• Single Answer Multiple Choice: In this you have to pick one correct answer from five options.
• Multiple Answer Multiple Choice: For this you have to choose one or more correct answers from three options (no partial credit).
• Select in Passage: Choose the sentence in the passage which answers the question.

Sample Question

The passage mainly suggests that:

1. The Younger employees are generally less capable with technology.
2. Experience can be a more reliable predictor of adaptability than age.
3. Older employees want traditional systems.
4. The speed of technology adoption is not related to workplace experience.
5. Most of the younger employees need more training programs.

(Answer: 2)

Text Completion

In the TC questions of the GRE exam syllabus, you will see a short passage that will have one to three blanks. You will then get 5 options for a single-blank question that you need to choose from. And 3 options per blank for a multi-blank question. All of the blanks need to be correct and you will not get any partial credit.

Sample Question

Despite the committee’s reputation for _________, this year’s budget proposal was approved with almost no debate.

1. Generosity
2. Contentiousness
3. Transparency
4. Efficiency
5. Indecision

(Answer: 2)

Sentence Equivalence

The SE questions of the GRE verbal syllabus will give you one sentence with a single blank and six answer choices. You can pick two words that can both complete the sentence in a logical way and result in sentences that have similar meaning overall. And not just synonyms in isolation.

Sample Questions

The lecture style of the professor is a lot of the times criticised as _______, which leaves students more confused than enlightened.

1. Meticulous
2. Convoluted
3. Engaging
4. muddled
5. Concise
6. Rigorous

(Answer: 2,4)

GRE Quantitative Reasoning Syllabus

The Quantitative Reasoning section will test how well you can reason with numbers, build mathematical models, and interpret data and not how fast you can calculate. What the GRE exam is actually going to measure in this section is how well you can apply concepts in tricky ways. In this exam and GRE quant syllabus, you will see 27 questions across two sections in 47 minutes.

Questions Formats

• Quantitative Comparison (QC): In this you have to compare two different quantities and then choose whether one is greater, equal, or can not be determined.
• Multiple Choice (MC): This is a standard question which has five options and there is one correct answer.
• Multiple Answer (MA): In this you have to select all the correct options from a longer list and there is no partial credit.
• Numeric Entry (NE): You have to type in your own numeric answer and there will be no answers that you can choose from.

Arithmetic

In the arithmetic GRE Syllabus you will have to deal with topics like integers, fractions and decimals, factors and multiples (LCM/GCF), percentages and percent change, ratios and proportions, exponents and roots.

Sample Question

The price of a shirt has increased by 20% and it was then discounted by 20% during a sale. What is the net percent change in price?

1. No Change
2. 4% decrease
3. 4% increase
4. 20% decrease
5. 40% decrease

(Answer: 2)

Algebra

The main GRE exam syllabus topics that will come in Algebra are linear equations and inequalities, quadratic equations, exponents and roots, factoring, functions and graphs, and algebraic word problems.

Sample Question:

If 3x – 7 = 2x + 5, then what is the value of x?

1. -2
2. 2
3. 5
4. 12
5. 14

(Answer: 4)

Geometry

For the Geometry GRE syllabus 2026 you should cover topics like lines, angles, and triangles; circles; quadrilaterals and polygons; perimeter, area, and volume; coordinate geometry.

Sample Question

A rectangle has a length of 12 and a width of 5. Then what is the length of its diagonal?

1. 10
2. 13
3. 15
4. 17
5. 60

(Answer: B)

Data Analysis & Interpretation Sets

The GRE Syllabus for Data Analysis & Interpretation sets include topics like statistics (mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation), probability basics, permutations and combinations, Venn diagrams, and sets, reading tables/graphs/charts.

Sample Questions

A bar graph which shows quarterly sales for a company: Q1 = $40K, Q2 = $55K, Q3 = $35K, Q4 = $70K. And what is the average quarterly sales for the year?

1. $45K
2. $47.5K
3. $50K
4. $52.5K
5. $55K

(Answer: C – (40 + 55 + 35 + 70)/4 = 50)

Topic Weightage (Directional Estimate)

GRE Analytical Writing Syllabus

The Analytical Writing (AWA) section of syllabus of GRE is always the first thing that you will face on the test day. And since the format change of September 2023, it consists of a single task which is “Analyse an Issue” and is completed in 30 minutes. The older “Analyse an Argument” has been dropped completely. In that, the students were asked to critique someone else’s reasoning.

For this, you will be given a general statement or claim on a broad topic and asked to take a position on it. Then you need to defend that position with reasoning and examples. Also note that the GRE is not testing what you know about the subject. It is testing how well you can think and argue.

What is Evaluated

The AWA responses are scored mainly on your ability to:

1. Take a clear position and stay focused on it throughout.
2. Develop your argument logically. And do this with reasons, examples, and depth and not just surface-level claims.
3. Organise your essay coherently and with paragraphs which serve a purpose.
4. Use language effectively with clear and varied sentence structure. But note that it does not necessarily need to have “impressive” vocabulary.
5. Control grammar and mechanics. Note that occasional minor errors will not hurt you. But consistent issues will.

Scoring

Your essays will get scored on a 0-6 scale, in half-point increments, and they are also graded by both a human reader and an ETS e-rater (an automated scoring engine). If both the scores diverge significantly then a second human reader is brought in. Your AWA score is also reported separately from your Verbal and Quant scores.

And because the ETS makes its full list of possible Issue Essay prompts public in advance. It is worth skimming the pool ahead of time to get a feel for the range of topics and practice outlining a few.

Sample Prompt

“Public policy should be determined mainly by immediate practical concerns rather than by principle.”

Write a response in which you talk about the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement above, and explain your reasoning.

What a strong response looks like:

1. Introduction (2-3 sentences): You need to state your position clearly in the introduction. You do not need to fully agree or disagree and having a nuanced stance (“mostly practical concerns should drive policy but principle matters in specific cases”) is fine.
2. Body paragraphs (2-3): Each one of these paragraphs need to introduce a distinct reason or example which will support your position. You should also then explain why it is supporting your view and not just state it.
3. Acknowledge the counterargument (optional but strong): For this you should talk briefly about the opposing view and then explain why your position is still holding. This will show the depth of your thinking which a lot of readers really like.
4. Conclusion (2-3 sentences): And lastly you should restate what your position is and then briefly summarise your strongest reasoning. Try to avoid introducing new ideas here.

GRE Subject Test Syllabus

Before we talk more about the subject wise GRE Syllabus, let us clear this out first that not everyone needs this section. The GRE Subject Test is separate from the General Test and only matters if you are applying to research-focused or highly specialised graduate programs (especially PhDs) where a department wants proof of subject-specific depth. And not just general reasoning skills. Most of the MS and MBA applicants can skip it completely unless there is a specific program which requires it.

As of 2026, ETS offers Subject Tests in only three fields. These are Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology. The GRE maths syllabus and other subject’s syllabus include:

How to Turn This Syllabus into a Study Plan

Knowing about the GRE Syllabus is only half the job. But the real question is how you can divide your limited prep time across it. Here is a quick way you can prioritise depending on how much runway you have:

If You Have Less Than 2 Months

If you only have 2 months of preparation time than you can focus on high yield and high frequency topics first. This means you should focus more on Arithmetic and Algebra (word problems, percentages, ratios) before you go for Geometry for the Quants section.

You should prioritise an active-reading strategy for Reading Comprehension and sentence-logic practice for Text Completion/Sentence Equivalence over expanding your vocabulary list for the GRE verbal syllabus. This is because reasoning skills can transfer faster than memorisation under time pressure. And for AWA, you can go for a few timed practice essays by using real ETS Issue prompts will do more than reading essay theory.

Having a strong GRE score can help you get admission into some of the most competitive universities in the USA. This is a lot of the times first step toward long term career opportunities and including pathways related to the H-1B visa 2026.

If You Have 3 – 6 Months

If you have around 3 to 6 months, then you have enough room to build your foundational skills properly for the GRE syllabus 2026. You can work through every syllabus topic once, take a diagnostic test to find your weak areas, and then you can spend the remaining time doing targeted practice on those gaps. You can layer in full-length timed mocks every 2 to 3 weeks to track progress.

If You Have 6+ Months

Lastly if you have more than 6+ months for your GRE preparation then you can use the extra runway to build genuine vocabulary depth and work through denser GRE quant syllabus topics like Data Interpretation and combinatorics. You can take enough full-length practice tests to get comfortable with pacing well before your test day.

Conclusion

The GRE syllabus is not just a checklist. For you, it can act like a map that you can follow to learn how to spend your limited prep time. You should focus on reasoning over rote memorisation, prioritise high-frequency topics, and take full-length timed mocks early. One thing that has been consistently helping students is pairing their prep with guidance on how their target score can map to the actual programs you are applying to, since a “good” GRE score required for top US universities varies widely by course.

That is where Gradding can help. Beyond GRE prep resources, Gradding supports students through the entire study-abroad journey, from shortlisting universities and building applications to visa guidance, so your GRE score fits into a plan built around your actual admission goals, not just a number.

FAQ

1. How Many Sections and Questions are in the GRE in 2026?

The GRE exam has three main sections which include Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. Three of which has 27 Verbal questions, 27 Quant questions, and one AWA essay task which totals to 55 scored questions plus the writing task.

2. How Long is the GRE Exam in 2026?

The GRE is around 1 hour 58 minutes long and includes Verbal, Quant, and the single Analytical Writing task.

3. What are the Three Question Types in GRE Verbal Reasoning?

The three question types in GRE Verbal Reasoning include Reading Comprehension (passage-based questions, Text Completion (fill in 1-3 blanks logically), Sentence Equivalence (select two words that both complete the sentence and preserve its meaning).

4. Does the GRE 2026 Include Calculus or Trigonometry?

No, the GRE Quant syllabus does not include calculus or trigonometry. It only covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis at a high-school level.

5. What is a Quantitative Comparison Question in the GRE?

A Quantitative Comparison (QC) question in GRE will give you two quantities. And then you have to determine whether one is greater, both are equal, or the relationship can not be determined from the given information.

6. Has the Analyse an Argument Essay Been Removed from the GRE?

The “Analyze an Argument” essay has been removed from GRE in the September 2023 format change. And now only the “Analyze an Issue” task has remained in Analytical Writing.

7. How is GRE Analytical Writing Scored in 2026?

The Analytical writing is scored on a 0-6 scale in half-point increments which is graded by both a human reader and ETS’s automated e-rater.  

8. Is There Negative Marking in the GRE 2026?

There is no negative marking in GRE for incorrect answers. So guessing will carry no penalty for you.

9. What is the Biggest Difference Between the old GRE and the New GRE Format?

The biggest difference between the old GRE and the new GRE format is the duration and length. The test was cut down from 3 hours 45 minutes to under 2 hours.

10. What is a Good GRE Score for Indian Students Applying to MS in the USA?

A good GRE score of 320+ (combined Verbal and Quant) is generally great of Indian students who are applying to MS in the USA at top universities.