Many aspiring graduate students wonder: should I take the GRE General Test or a GRE Subject Test? I’m writing this article to help answer that question.
GRE (Graduate Record Examination) score is required for admission to Graduate Studies, Fellowship Programs and Research Programs at US universities and some other English speaking countries. GRE is administered by ETS.
The test measures skills in the areas of verbal reasoning, mathematics, analytical writing and critical thinking.
There are two types of GRE Tests:
1. The General Test
2. The Subject Test
GRE General Test
On the GRE, you will always get two scored Math sections, two scored Verbal sections, and one Experimental (unscored Math or Verbal) section, but the order varies. You can get two math or two verbal sections in a row. Conceivably, with the experimental section, you could get three of the same type of section, though, based on raw probability, this would not be very likely to happen.
The Verbal and Math sections will have 20 questions each if you are taking the computer-based exam.
If you’re taking the paper-based exam, it will be 25 questions per section.
1. AWA Essay 1: 30 min
2. AWA Essay 2: 30 min
3. Verbal (30 min) or Math (35 min) or Experimental
4. Verbal (30 min) or Math (35 min) or Experimental
5. Verbal (30 min) or Math (35 min) or Experimental
6. Verbal (30 min) or Math (35 min) or Experimental
7. Verbal (30 min) or Math (35 min) or Experimental
GRE Subject Test Overview
A total of Seven GRE subject tests are available for students entering specific fields in computers, English, mathematics and social and physical sciences. Each test focuses on your working knowledge of the specified subject and covers various content areas of the prospective field. Subject tests are paper-based only, and as such are not adaptive. For example, the biology GRE test contains questions about specific laboratory and field situations to assess your experience and knowledge of practical situations.
1. Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology
This GRE subject test contains about 175 multiple choice questions, drawn mainly from the following three categories:
- Biochemistry: Foundations of life in chemistry and physics; structure and organization of organisms; energy and metabolism; methods of observation and research.
- Cell Biology: Structure and organization within, around, and between cells; communication between cells; cell motility; processing and transport of proteins; cell growth, replication, and division; imaging and research methods.
- Genetics and moleculary biology: Inheritance, mutation, and gene mapping; chromosomes; genome maintenance and evolution; gene coding, expression, and regulation; viruses and hosts; genetic research methods.
2. Biology
There are about 200 multiple choice questions on the Biology GRE subject test, covering topics in general biology such as:
- Cellular and molecular biology.
- Biology at the level of the organism (animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria).
- Interplay of organisms and ecosystems.
- Evolution, history and development of life.
Download: Biology Practice Book
3. Chemistry
The Chemistry GRE subject test contains about 130 multiple choice questions covering the following topics:
- Analytical Chemistry,
- Inorganic chemistry
- Organic chemistry
- Physical chemistry: dynamics, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics
- Instruments and methods for collecting and analyzing data.
Download: Chemistry Practice Book
4. Literature in English
The Literature in English GRE subject test includes about 230 factual and critical questions about the history and theory of English literature in the following areas:
- Literary analysis of prose and poetry passages.
- Using style and content to identify a time period, author, and/or specific work,
- Considering works in the context of culture, history, and intellectual movements
- Knowledge of the history, methods, and theory of various schools of literary criticism.
Download: Literature in English Practice Book
5. Mathematics
The Mathematics GRE subject test covers about 66 multiple choice questions over the following three areas:
- Calculus: single- and multi-variable calculus with methods and applications of differentiation, integration, and solving differential equations.
- Algebra: Basic algebra, linear algebra, and abstract algebra, including number theory and group theory.
- Other Topics: Discrete math, probability, statistics, geometry, sequence, series, topology, geometry, analysis of the reals.
Download: Mathematics Practice Book
6. Physics
The Physics GRE subject test includes about 100 multiple choice questions dealing with the following areas:
- Classical and quantum mechanics.
- Optics, waves, and electromagnetism.
- Relativity.
- Thermodynamics.
- Laboratory research and measurement.
- Special topics: atomic and nuclear physics, electron theory, astrophysics, and math modeling.
Download: Physics Practice Book
7. Psychology
The Psychology GRE subject test includes about 205 multiple choice questions drawn from the following topic areas:
- Experimental psychology: learning, memory, language, sensation, perception, and thought.
- Social psychology: clinical and abnormal psychology, including disorders and diagnosis; developmental psychology, including cognitive, motor, emotional, and social lifespan development; environmental, cultural, and gender influences; and evolutionary psychology.
- General psychology topics: history, development, and design of psychological theory, measurement, and research.
Download: Psychology Practice Book
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