In another article we talked about taking the GMAT. Depending on the graduate program you are considering, you may actually need to take the GRE instead. The GRE is the Graduate Record Examination and the GMAT is the Graduate Management Admission Test. While the GRE is usually used for admission into graduate programs other than law school, medical school and business school, more and more businesses schools are accepting the GRE to meet the requirement that the GMAT traditionally fills.

Do you need to take the GRE?
The GRE is used as a part of the entrance requirements for a wide variety of graduate school programs. The most common GRE test that prospective graduate students take is the General Test. There are also eight Subject Tests, including (1) Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, (2) Biology, (3) Chemistry, (4) Computer Science, (5) Literature in English, (6) Mathematics, (7) Physics and (8) Psychology. Even if the graduate school program that you are looking into does not require the GRE, taking it may help you stand out from the crowd in a sea of applicants. This can be particularly true of GRE Subject Test areas because these exams give you the opportunity to show the admissions team your mastery of the specific subject.

Register for the Exam
The GRE can be taken all over the world. In most locations you will have the option of taking the paper test or computerized test. Go to ets.org to find out more and to register online. The GRE General Test costs $160 to take in the United States and $190 outside of the United States. The GRE Subject Tests cost $140 for each exam in the United States and $160 outside of the United States.

Sections
Like the GMAT, the GRE is a timed exam so you need to pay attention to the timer. The General Test is made up three sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing. The length of time that you have for each section is different based on whether you are taking the computer-based exam or the paper-based exam. The sections for each GRE Subject Test are different based on the Subject Test you are taking. You can find great information on each section of the different GRE Subject Tests on takethegre.com.

How to prepare
You can download free test preparation materials for the GRE from ets.org. You can also purchase a prep book or borrow one from your local library. The Graduate Record Examination is often thought to be easier than the GMAT but it’s a mistake to think that this means it is easy and you do not need to prepare. The test is designed to evaluate your readiness to take on graduate level work and this is not something to be taken lightly.