GRE General Test Preparation Preparation Questions

Five sections: one Analytical Writing section, two Verbal Reasoning sections, and two Quantitative Reasoning sections.

Approximately 1 hour 58 minutes total.

One -- 'Analyze an Issue.' The older 'Analyze an Argument' task was removed from the test and no longer appears; material describing two tasks is describing an outdated format.

Common mistake: Studying for two Analytical Writing tasks based on older prep material describing a format the current GRE no longer uses.

Each is scored 130-170, in 1-point increments.

0-6, in half-point increments.

The difficulty of the second Verbal section depends on your performance in the first Verbal section (and the same for Quant) -- this is adaptivity at the section level, not question-by-question within a section.

No -- there is no negative marking, so guessing is never penalized.

No -- you cannot return to a previous section, though you generally can move between questions within the current section (mark and review).

27 questions total, across both Verbal Reasoning sections combined.

27 questions total, across both Quantitative Reasoning sections combined.

Because performance in the first Verbal section determines the difficulty (and therefore the scoring potential) of the second Verbal section -- the same logic applies to the first Quant section.

260-340 (130-170 for Verbal plus 130-170 for Quant).

No -- this platform provides self-paced practice and self-review, never a claimed or predicted official GRE score.

The official ETS GRE website -- this course's content is periodically reviewed but never states fees or dates as permanent facts.

Text Completion -- you select a word for each blank from a separate answer-choice column, and every blank must be filled correctly to earn credit for the question.

Exactly two, and both must produce sentences with the same overall meaning -- selecting only one correct answer, even if it's right, earns no credit for that question.

Common mistake: Selecting only one confident answer for Sentence Equivalence instead of finding the matching pair.

It also tests inference, the author's tone/purpose, and how supporting details relate to the passage's main argument -- not just literal recall of facts stated in the text.

Not necessarily -- it's often more effective to start with whichever blank has the clearest contextual clues, then use that word's meaning to help resolve the remaining blanks.

The logical structure of a short argument -- e.g. an assumption it depends on, a way to strengthen/weaken it, or a flaw in its reasoning -- rather than simply summarizing what it says.

Verbal also tests reasoning about how ideas relate within a sentence or passage (contrast, cause, support) -- knowing a word's definition doesn't automatically tell you which blank or argument-evaluation choice fits the passage's logic.

Try to predict, in your own words, what kind of word would logically fill the blank based on the sentence's context -- then match that prediction against the choices.

Words like 'however,' 'although,' 'yet,' or 'despite' -- these typically signal the blank needs a word contrasting with an idea elsewhere in the sentence.

No -- answer strictly based on what the passage itself states or implies, not on prior knowledge you may have about the subject.

The pair must both produce sentences with equivalent overall meaning -- a synonym pair that doesn't logically fit the sentence's context is not automatically the right answer just because the two words are synonyms.

Confusing an assumption (an unstated premise the argument depends on) with a conclusion or a restated fact already given in the passage.

All practice passages and questions are original -- never copied from real GRE material.

You're given two quantities (A and B) and must determine their relationship (A is greater, B is greater, they're equal, or it can't be determined from the given information) -- a distinct GRE-specific format, not a typical multiple-choice question.

When the relationship between the two quantities genuinely depends on a variable's value that isn't fixed by the given information -- e.g. if a variable could be positive or negative.

Common mistake: Assuming a variable is positive by default when the problem never actually states that constraint.

Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis (interpreting charts/tables and basic statistics).

Yes -- multiple choice (single and multiple answer) and numeric entry (typing in your own numeric answer, with no choices given).

For problems involving variables without specific values, substituting simple numbers (like 2 or 0) that satisfy the given constraints can quickly reveal a relationship or eliminate answer choices, without needing full algebraic manipulation.

Carefully read the chart's title, axis labels, and units first -- misreading these is a common source of avoidable errors, independent of the actual math involved.

Assuming the figure is drawn exactly to scale -- unless the problem explicitly states this, you should rely on the given measurements and stated relationships, not visual appearance.

Yes -- an on-screen calculator is provided during the Quant sections, though it doesn't replace understanding the underlying math concepts.

Basic statistics concepts like mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation, plus interpreting distributions and probability in straightforward scenarios.

A correctly-solved equation can still produce a wrong final answer if the required units (e.g. minutes vs. hours) don't match what the question actually asks for.

You typically receive no credit unless you select every correct choice and no incorrect ones -- partial credit is generally not given for this question type.

Translate the problem's sentences into equations one piece at a time, clearly defining what each variable represents before attempting to solve.

Marking a question and returning later (within the same section) is a legitimate strategy -- since there's no negative marking, always leave a guess rather than skipping entirely if you run out of time.

No -- every practice question is original, written to reflect real GRE question types and difficulty, never copied from actual ETS material.

Analyze an Issue -- responding critically to a general statement about a topic of broad interest.

30 minutes -- the same fixed window whether you spend it planning, writing, or both, so budgeting a few minutes for an outline still needs to leave enough time to fully develop the response.

Trained human raters score the response, typically alongside an automated scoring check.

It expects you to evaluate the statement critically and develop your own position with reasons and examples -- a nuanced, qualified position (e.g. 'true under some conditions but not others') is often stronger than a simple, unqualified agree/disagree.

No -- it's a self-assessment rubric checklist, never a claimed AI or official score.

No -- that task was removed in an earlier revision. Only 'Analyze an Issue' remains on the current test.

Specific, concrete examples (real or clearly hypothetical but well-reasoned) that directly support your stated position, rather than vague generalizations.

Generally yes -- acknowledging and responding to a plausible counterargument tends to make your position appear more carefully considered than ignoring it entirely.

A few minutes is generally worthwhile -- briefly outlining your position and 2-3 supporting points before writing tends to produce a more organized response than writing without a plan.

The GRE does not set an official minimum or maximum word count for this task -- focus on developing your position clearly and thoroughly rather than hitting a specific length.