GRE General vs. Subject Tests
The GRE General Test is commonly referred to as “the GRE,” and this test is very different from GRE Subject Tests. We will examine those differences in depth below, including registration, cost, content, scoring, and use in university admissions.
Test Overview
The GRE General Test is a standardized test that measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing abilities in order to assess a student’s readiness for graduate school. The GRE General Test is accepted by thousands of graduate, business, and law programs in the United States and around the world.
GRE Subject Tests are achievement tests that measure specific knowledge of a particular discipline traditionally obtained through undergraduate courses. GRE Subject Tests are available for three disciplines: Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology. A GRE Subject Test may be required in addition to the GRE General Test when applying to certain graduate programs, and Subject Tests are also used by admissions and/or fellowship panels to design the curricula for incoming graduate students or qualify students for certain financial awards or assistance.
Registration & Cost
Both the GRE General Test and the GRE Subject Tests are administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS). In order to register for either exam, you will need to go online and create an ETS account.
The GRE General Test is offered numerous times per month year-round at test centers and 24/7 remotely online. You may take the GRE General Test once every 21 days and up to five times within any continuous 12-month period of 365 days. The GRE General Test costs $220, which includes sending your scores to up to four programs. Additional score reports may be purchased and sent to other schools for $40 per report.
GRE Subject Tests are offered two (2) weeks per month in September, October, and April, whether you take the test at a test center or remotely online. You may take a GRE Subject Test once every 14 days during these months. GRE Subject Tests cost $175, which includes sending your scores to up to four programs. Additional score reports may be purchased and sent to other schools for $40 per report.
Content
GRE General Test
The GRE General Test is 1 hour and 58 minutes long. The test consists of five sections: one Analytical Writing section, two Verbal Reasoning sections, and two Quantitative Reasoning sections.
| Section | Number of Questions | Amount of Time |
| Analytical Writing | 1 (“Analyze an Issue”) | 30 minutes |
| Verbal Reasoning #1 | 12 | 18 minutes |
| Verbal Reasoning #2 | 15 | 23 minutes |
| Quantitative Reasoning #1 | 12 | 21 minutes |
| Quantitative Reasoning #2 | 15 | 26 minutes |
The Analytical Writing section of the GRE General Test requires students to write an essay analyzing a given issue. According to ETS, this section measures critical thinking and analytical writing abilities by assessing how well a student can:
- Articulate and support complex ideas
- Construct arguments
- Sustain a focused and coherent discussion
The Verbal Reasoning sections of the GRE General Test assess a student’s ability to:
- Analyze and evaluate written material
- Synthesize information from written material
- Analyze relationships among component parts of sentences
- Recognize relationships among words and concepts
The Verbal Reasoning sections contain three types of questions: Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, and Sentence Equivalence.
The Quantitative Reasoning sections of the GRE assess how well a student:
- Utilizes basic mathematical skills
- Understands elementary mathematical concepts
- Reasons quantitatively
- Models and solves problems using quantitative methods
The Quantitative Reasoning sections assess four content areas, including Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Data Analysis.
When taking the GRE General Test, the Analytical Writing section is always completed first; after that, Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections are presented in random order. There are no breaks on the GRE General Test.
GRE Subject Test: Mathematics
The Mathematics Subject Test is 2 hours and 50 minutes long. This test consists of 66 multiple-choice questions drawn from courses typically taken at the undergraduate level by students majoring in Mathematics. According to ETS, the content of the test can be divided as follows:
| Mathematics Content Area | Percentage of Questions |
| Calculus | 50% |
| Algebra | 25% |
| Additional Topics | 25% |
Those questions involving calculus and its applications contain subject matter that should be familiar to the majority of mathematics majors. Questions that involve algebra have a particular focus on elementary algebra, linear algebra, abstract algebra, and number theory. Those questions assessing additional topics cover other areas of mathematics that should be recognizable by anyone who has obtained an undergraduate degree in the field.
GRE Subject Test: Physics
The Physics Subject Test is 2 hours long. This test consists of approximately 70 questions that require test-takers to utilize diagrams, graphs, experimental data, and descriptions of physical situations. According to ETS, the content of the test may be divided as follows:
| Physics Content Area | Percentage of Questions |
| Classical Mechanics | 20% |
| Electromagnetism | 18% |
| Quantum Mechanics | 13% |
| Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics | 10% |
| Atomic Physics | 10% |
| Specialized Topics | 9% |
| Optics and Wave Phenomena | 8% |
| Special Relativity | 6% |
| Laboratory Methods | 6% |
Most questions on the Physics test are answerable based on successfully mastering and completing the first three years of standard undergraduate physics courses. The test uses the International System of Units.
ETS recommends that test-takers familiarize themselves with the following in order to perform well on the exam: single and multivariate calculus, coordinate systems (rectangular, cylindrical, and spherical), vector algebra, vector differential operators, Fourier series, partial differential equations, boundary value problems, matrices and determinants, and the functions of complex variables.
GRE Subject Test: Psychology
The Psychology Subject Test is 2 hours long. This test consists of approximately 144 multiple-choice questions. According to ETS, the content of the test can be divided as follows:
| Psychology Content Area | Number of Questions |
| Biological Psychology | 30 questions |
| Cognitive Psychology | 29 questions |
| Measurement/Methodology/Other | 25 questions |
| Clinical Psychology | 23 questions |
| Social Psychology | 19 questions |
| Developmental Psychology | 18 questions |
Questions on the Psychology Subject Test ask test-takers to perform tasks such as recalling factual information, analyzing relationships, applying principles, drawing conclusions from given data, and/or evaluating a research design. This test strictly adheres to the terminology, criteria, and classifications found in the most current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Scoring
GRE General Test
The GRE General test has a scaled score range of 130-170 in 1-point increments for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections. The total GRE General Test score falls in a range of 260-340. The Analytical Writing section is scored on a scale of 0-6 in 0.5-point increments, but this score does not contribute to the total score. Scores are typically received 8-10 days after completing the exam.
GRE Subject Tests
All three GRE Subject Tests are scored based on the number of correctly answered questions, which is then converted from a raw score to a scaled score. The range of scaled scores for each Subject Test is 200-990 in 10-point increments.
As of 2023, “percent correct” scores are reported on the Physics and Psychology Subject Tests. Percent correct scores indicate the percentage of questions answered correctly within a given content area.
The Physics Subject Test yields three percent correct scores in the areas of:
- Classical Mechanics
- Electromagnetism
- Quantum Mechanics and Atomic Physics
The Psychology Subject Test yields six percent correct scores in the areas of:
- Biological Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Measurement/Methodology/Other
Students can determine when they will receive their GRE Subject Test Scores by using the ETS website; specific score release dates are listed next to the date a test was taken. In general, students receive Subject Test scores within 2-3 weeks of completing their test.
Conclusion
When it comes to applying to graduate programs, it is important to know exactly what exams are required. Most graduate programs require GRE General Test scores, but many programs also require GRE Subject Test scores in the areas of Mathematics, Physics, or Psychology. If you are applying to a program that does not require a Subject Test score, you may still wish to consider taking the Subject Test and submitting your scores to demonstrate your commitment to the discipline or to supplement the rest of your undergraduate records. Even when Subject Test scores are not required, admissions officials are still likely to consider them, which may significantly improve your chances of admission.