GRE 2026: test dates, format, how to book and free practice tests
The GRE General Test is the admission test that ETS (Educational Testing Service) runs for master's and doctoral programmes, and that many business and law schools also accept. There is no single GRE exam date: you choose your own day, at a test centre or at home, and ETS says scheduling is open all year. This guide covers how to book, the exam pattern since September 2023, the syllabus, and a plan for the weeks before your test.
GRE at a glance
| Conducting body | ETS (Educational Testing Service) |
| What it is for | Admission to graduate programmes, and to many business and law schools |
| Mode | On a computer, at a test centre or at home |
| Questions | 1 Analytical Writing task, 54 Verbal and Quantitative questions |
| Time | About 1 hour 58 minutes |
| Marking | Verbal and Quant 130 to 170 each; Analytical Writing 0 to 6 in half points; no penalty for a wrong answer |
| Language | English |
| How often | Any day a centre or home slot is free; up to five times in 12 months |
| Official website | ets.org/gre |
Test dates and booking
The GRE has no national exam date. As of 20 October 2026, the ETS registration page says you can schedule "24/7, 365 days a year", at more than 1,000 test centres in more than 160 countries or at home if your room and computer meet the home-testing requirements. You pick the date and time when you book.
How early to book depends on your deadlines, not on ETS. Work back from the first application deadline: leave time for scores to reach the school, and time for one retake in case the first attempt falls short.
ETS's retake rule, from the same page (checked 20 October 2026): you can take the GRE General Test once every 21 days, up to five times in any rolling 12-month period, and this applies even if you cancelled the scores of an earlier attempt.
How to book the GRE
- Create a free account on the ETS GRE registration page.
- Choose test centre or at home. For home testing, check the equipment and room requirements on ets.org before you pay.
- Pick a date and time, and pay the fee shown at checkout. ETS lists fees on its own fees page and runs a fee reduction programme; check both there, since the amount depends on where you test.
- Make sure the name on your account matches your ID exactly.
- Save your confirmation and read the test-day rules on ets.org.
Keep ready: a valid passport or other ID that ETS accepts in your country, a payment card, and the list of programmes you want scores sent to.
GRE exam pattern
Analytical Writing always comes first. The two Verbal and two Quant sections follow in either order. The test adapts by section: how you do in the first Verbal and first Quant section decides whether the second is harder or easier.
| Section | Questions | Time | What it contains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analytical Writing | 1 task | 30 minutes | Analyze an Issue: take and support a position |
| Verbal Reasoning 1 | 12 | 18 minutes | Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence; average difficulty |
| Verbal Reasoning 2 | 15 | 23 minutes | Same types; harder or easier depending on section 1 |
| Quantitative Reasoning 1 | 12 | 21 minutes | Quantitative Comparison, multiple choice, Numeric Entry, data interpretation; average difficulty |
| Quantitative Reasoning 2 | 15 | 26 minutes | Same types; harder or easier depending on section 1 |
An on-screen calculator is provided in Quant. Within a section you can move between questions and change answers. An unscored section may appear after Analytical Writing, or a research section at the end; neither counts.
Verbal and Quant are each scored 130 to 170. ETS reports no combined total, but schools and applicants often quote Verbal plus Quant, 260 to 340. Analytical Writing is reported on its own, 0 to 6.
GRE syllabus
- Verbal Reasoning: reading passages and answering questions on meaning, structure and inference; filling one to three blanks in a text; picking two words that give sentences alike in meaning.
- Quantitative Reasoning: arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis at roughly school level, tested through comparison, multiple-choice and numeric-entry questions, plus data interpretation sets.
- Analytical Writing: one essay that takes a position on an issue and supports it with reasons and examples.
The full topic list is on our GRE syllabus page.
A plan for the weeks before your GRE
A realistic plan for eight weeks; squeeze it to six if your date is close.
| Weeks | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Take one full GRE mock test cold. Note your Verbal and Quant raw scores and the question types you missed. |
| 2 to 3 | Quant fundamentals you are weak on (ratios, percentages, algebra, geometry). Verbal: read one dense article a day and build vocabulary from the words you meet in Text Completion. |
| 4 | Second full mock. Compare section by section with the first. |
| 5 to 6 | Timed sets of your two weakest question types every day. Write one Issue essay every other day in 30 minutes. |
| 7 | Third full mock in one sitting, at the time of day of your real test. |
| 8 | Light review of your error log, one short timed set a day, no new topics in the last two days. |
After every mock, go through each wrong answer and each lucky guess: how to analyse a mock test explains the method. Our practice scores are an estimate: ETS does not publish how a number of correct answers becomes a scaled score.
Useful links
- GRE registration and scheduling (ets.org)
- GRE General Test structure (ets.org)
- GRE General Test content (ets.org)
- Free GRE mock tests
- GRE syllabus
- GRE exam dates
- GMAT 2026: test dates, format and how to book
- How to use mock tests
Frequently asked questions
When is the GRE exam date in 2026?
There is no fixed GRE exam date. You choose a day when you book; ETS says scheduling is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, at test centres and at home (checked 20 October 2026).
Is there negative marking in the GRE?
No. A wrong answer loses nothing, so answer every question, even with a guess, before time runs out in a section.
How many times can I take the GRE?
Once every 21 days and up to five times in any rolling 12-month period, according to ETS (checked 20 October 2026). That limit counts attempts whose scores you cancelled.
What is a good GRE score or the GRE pass mark?
There is no pass mark. Programmes look at your scores beside your grades, statements and references, and many publish the scores of students they admitted rather than a minimum. Check each programme's own page.
Can I take the GRE at home?
Yes, if your computer and room meet ETS's home-testing requirements. The test content and timing are the same as at a centre.