GRE Exam Guide 2026/27: Format, Scores, Fees and Test-Day Choices

The GRE General Test is a computer-based admissions test run by ETS in the United States and used by master's and PhD programmes, as well as by many business and law schools. Since September 2023 it takes about 1 hour 58 minutes and has three parts: one essay, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning. You can sit it at a test centre or at home with a live online proctor. From 1 August 2026 the registration fee is $249 in almost every country, and scores stay reportable for five years. Whether you need the GRE at all depends on the rule of each programme on your list.

This guide covers how the test is built, what the scores mean, the full fee list, home versus centre testing, retakes and score sending, and what to check before paying if the test is hard to access where you live.

The GRE at a glance

Who needs the GRE

There is no universal rule that graduate study abroad requires the GRE. Each programme takes one of three positions, and you need to find it on the programme's own admissions page:

• Required. Applications without an official score are not reviewed. This is common in parts of economics, finance, analytics, psychology, engineering and the sciences, especially in the US.
• Optional. The programme reviews applications without the test but considers a strong score. If your grade average is modest or your university is not well known abroad, a good GRE can back up your academic readiness.
• Not considered. Some programmes state that they do not review GRE scores at all, so taking the test for that application adds nothing.

ETS highlights that many business schools and law programmes accept the GRE. For MBA applicants, that usually means the GRE sits next to the GMAT as an equal alternative; school-by-school policies and published averages are covered in our guides to the MBA in the USA and the MBA in the UK. For the wider application process, see applying to US universities and our study in the USA hub.

In continental Europe the GRE is less common: most master's programmes rely on your degree, grades, statement and language certificate. Exceptions are some economics, finance and management programmes at strong business schools, where the GRE or GMAT may be required or accepted as a plus.

GRE or GMAT

If you apply only to business schools that accept both, take one full official practice test of each and choose the one where you score higher. If your list mixes, say, an economics master's and an MBA, the GRE covers more applications with one sitting. The other test is explained in our GMAT exam guide.

How the shorter GRE is built

Since 22 September 2023 the test has been roughly half as long: the second essay and the unscored section were removed and the Verbal and Quant parts were shortened.

The essay always comes first; the Verbal and Quant sections can follow in any order.

Section-level adaptation. The first Verbal and first Quant section are of average difficulty, and your performance there sets the difficulty of the second one. A strong first section unlocks harder questions and the top of the scale, so it pays to work carefully from the very start.

Freedom within a section. You can skip questions, tag them with Mark, return through Review and change answers, but only inside the current section. Quantitative Reasoning includes an on-screen calculator.

What each part measures. The essay tests how well you build and support a position on a general issue. Verbal Reasoning tests academic reading, reasoning about an author's argument and vocabulary in context. Quantitative Reasoning covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis at school level, but at speed and with carefully worded traps. Many non-native speakers find Quant easier than Verbal, so vocabulary and reading speed usually deserve most of the preparation time.

GRE scores

Verbal and Quant are scored from 130 to 170 in one-point steps; the essay from 0 to 6 in half points. ETS does not report a combined total, although applicants often add Verbal and Quant into a figure out of 340. If you answer no questions in a measure, the report shows NS (no score) for it.

Verbal and Quant scores start from the number of correct answers, which is then converted to the scale with the difficulty of your second section taken into account. The essay is scored holistically on the six-point scale, with ETS's e-rater engine part of the process. Right after the test you see unofficial Verbal and Quant scores if you choose to report them; the essay score appears only in the official report 8–10 days later.

There is no pass mark. Programmes set the benchmark: some publish minimums, others publish averages or ranges for admitted students. When a programme publishes nothing, look at the percentile in your ETS report, which shows the share of test takers you outscored. Quantitative programmes weigh Quant more heavily; humanities and social sciences look harder at Verbal and the essay.

GRE fees for 2026/27

All ETS fees are in US dollars and took effect on 1 August 2026.

If you reschedule or cancel later than four days before the test (ten days in mainland China), the whole fee is forfeited. The 2026–27 GRE Bulletin also states that the final charge includes a non-refundable 4% online service fee, and in some jurisdictions, including EU countries, Norway and Turkey, local tax is added on top of the listed fee.

The Fee Reduction Program ($100 registration) is aimed mainly at US citizens and resident aliens with documented financial need, so most international applicants will not qualify.

Budget for more than the fee. If there is no suitable option where you live and you have to travel, add transport and accommodation; if you apply to more than four programmes or decide to send scores later, add $40 per report. A retake is a full new fee.

Home testing versus a test centre

The at-home test is offered wherever the GRE is normally available, based on the country of the address in your ETS account. You need a camera that can be moved to show a 360-degree view of the room and desk, a speaker and a microphone that is not part of a headset (headphones are not allowed), the Chrome browser and the ETS lockdown test browser with its equipment check. The second camera is a charged smartphone or tablet (iOS 12+ or Android 8+) placed to one side so that it shows your computer, keyboard, hands and profile. You must be alone in the room with the door closed, sitting on a standard chair rather than a bed or sofa. If your computer or room fails the requirements on test day, you cannot test and the fee is not refunded, so run the equipment check a few days earlier on the same machine and network.

A centre makes more sense if you lack a quiet room or a stable connection. The Prometric network has more than 1,000 centres in over 160 countries.

Registering when access is limited where you live

1. Check availability before paying. ETS does not publish a list of countries where the GRE is unavailable; centre dates and the at-home option appear only when you register in your ETS account. Create the account with your real address, go as far as choosing a date and confirm that a centre or the home option exists for your country. If there is none, look for a centre in a country you can enter and add the trip to your budget.
2. Prepare your ID. If you test outside your country of citizenship, your primary ID is a valid passport; if it is not written in English letters, bring an English-language supplemental ID. Your name in the ETS account must match the passport exactly, excluding accents. Military ID is not accepted for at-home testing.
3. Plan payment. ETS accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, UnionPay and RuPay Global cards, plus PayPal and vouchers. Make sure your card works for international payments before you book. If you cancel at least four days before the test, half the fee goes back to the original payment method.
4. Name your recipients. On test day you can send scores to up to four programmes or fellowship sponsors free of charge. Look up their codes in advance to avoid paying $40 per report later.
5. Remember English. The GRE does not replace an English test; most programmes require one separately if you did not study in English. See our Duolingo English Test guide for a lower-cost online option and check which tests each programme accepts.

Retakes, ScoreSelect and sending scores

Retake limits. Once every 21 days and no more than five times in any rolling 12-month period, even if you cancelled earlier scores.

ScoreSelect. When sending scores you choose which sittings a programme sees: the most recent, all, or any specific ones. For the four free test-day reports the choice narrows to the current sitting or all sittings, so if you are unsure about the result it can be smarter to name recipients later and pay for the reports.

Timing. Official scores reach your ETS account in 8–10 days, and free reports go out at the same time. Additional reports take about five business days to process, and electronic scores are delivered to schools twice a week. Plan at least three weeks back from each deadline.

Validity. Scores can be sent for five years after the test. A score-sending order cannot be cancelled or changed.

If your essay score looks low, you can request a review for $60 within 90 days of the test. It takes about four weeks, you cannot send scores while it runs, and the result can go up or down.

GRE Subject Tests

Subject Tests are separate exams in Mathematics, Physics and Psychology, designed for graduates of those majors and used mainly by PhD programmes. ETS stopped offering the Chemistry test after April 2023.

They are computer-based and run in fixed windows; at-home testing is available in most locations. In the 2026/27 cycle the first window ran from 14 to 27 September 2026; the next are 19 October – 1 November 2026 and 19 April – 2 May 2027. Mathematics takes 2 hours 50 minutes, Physics and Psychology 2 hours each, with no break. Scores run from 200 to 990 in 10-point steps, and you can retake a Subject Test after 14 days.

If a PhD programme with a December deadline requires or recommends a Subject Test, the window that remains this cycle is 19 October – 1 November 2026; ETS schedules those scores to reach recipients by 9 November 2026. The spring window (scores by 10 May 2027) only suits programmes with late deadlines.

Preparation timeline

If you are applying for autumn 2027 and your deadlines fall in December 2026, sit your first attempt by mid-October 2026 so that a 21-day retake and score reporting still fit. Without room for a retake, early November is the last sensible date.

Common mistakes

• Taking the GRE "just in case". If no programme on your list requires or considers it, spend the time on your English test and statement instead.
• Studying from pre-2023 materials. Old books still have two essays and 20-question sections; practise on official tests in the current format.
• Rushing the first section. It sets the difficulty of the second and caps your score.
• Skipping the equipment check for home testing. A failed setup means a lost fee.
• Using free reports without thinking. Naming four programmes on test day only makes sense if you are happy for them to see that result.
• Booking too late. Scores take 8–10 days and retakes need 21 days, so a first attempt a month before the deadline leaves no margin.
• Mismatched names. A different spelling in your account and passport can get you turned away.

How StudyU helps

Only the initial consultation is free. Shortlisting programmes against their GRE rules, a testing and application calendar, document preparation and application support are provided under an agreement with StudyU. ETS sets the scores, the university makes the admission decision, and the university or funding body decides on scholarships.

FAQ

Sources

• ETS: about the General Test, test structure, test content, fees from 1 August 2026, scheduling and retake policy, at-home testing, ID requirements — checked 30 September 2026
• ETS: getting scores, understanding scores, sending scores and ScoreSelect, POWERPREP practice tests, GRE Information Bulletin 2026–27 (PDF) — checked 30 September 2026
• GMAC: GMAT FAQs, country-specific fees — checked 30 September 2026

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