… It is the most widely accepted graduate admissions test in the world. The GRE scores are used by thousands of graduate programs and business schools worldwide, including more than 600 MBA programs.
… It reflects the kind of thinking you will do in graduate or business school and demonstrates that you are ready for graduate-level work.
… A high score is a good chance for you to get admission and funding! 

The GRE revised General Test is administered in English and is available in the computer- and paper-based format.
Overall testing time for the GRE revised General Test is about three hours and 30 minutes (paper-based test) and three hours and 45 minutes (computer-based test). There are six sections with a 10-minute break following the third section.

 

According to the information available on the official website www.ets.org/gre, the GRE revised General test includes the following scored sections:
•    Analytical Writing: this section features two separately timed writing tasks: “Analyze an Issue” and “Analyze an Argument”. You will have 30 minutes to solve each task.
•    Verbal Reasoning: two 30-minute sections consisting of about 20 questions each;
•    Quantitative Reasoning: two 35-minute sections consisting of approximately 20 questions each.

In addition:
•    An unidentified Verbal OR Quantitative section that does not count toward your score may be included and may appear in any order after the Analytical Writing section. Be sure to go through all sections presented, since you will not know which one is scored!
•    An identified research section that is not scored may also be included in the computer-based GRE revised General Test – this section is always at the end of the test.

The Analytical Writing section will always be first, while the other five sections may appear in any order.

In terms of test design, the GRE revised General Test allows you to move freely forward and backward throughout an entire section. Specific features include:
•    New answer formats, including tasks such as numeric entry and highlighting a sentence in a passage to answer a question;
•    Preview and review capabilities within a section;
•    The ability to change/edit answers within a section;
•    A "mark and review" feature to tag questions, so you can skip them and return later;
•    An on-screen calculator for the Quantitative Reasoning section.

If you want to experience the test design features of the computer-based test, you can download the Powerprep software from the official website for free:

Mind that there is no tutorial at the beginning of the GRE computer-based test, so it is important to become familiar with the test design and question types before taking the test. A help section is available during the test, but timing will not stop when you are accessing the help feature.

GRE Practice Test Resources: https://magoosh.com/gre/2017/free-gre-practice-test-diagnostic/

According to the information available on the official website, the GRE revised General Test is currently offered in the computer-based format in Bucharest at RTS, Centrul de Formare in Informatica. The testing center is located at 1B, Expozitiei Blvd., inside the Romanian-American University building, on the semi-basement floor (arcade between Buildings A & B). The test is administered several times a week. For more information on the testing center and available test dates, please call 0372-120 250, or send an e-mail to prometric@trainingit.ro. Please be advised that RTS office hours are Wednesday 12:00 – 17:00 and Thursday 9:00 – 17:00.

 

The GRE revised General Test is also administered in the paper-based format in Iasi at Euroed Foundation and Arad at Facultatea de Stiinte. The paper-based test dates are mentioned on the official website in the “Test Centers and Dates” section.

Update: Please be advised that you are required to bring a signed ID document with your photo on it. Your Romanian ID card does not satisfy the requirements because it does not include your signature. Please bring your passport, driver's license or any other ID form which includes both your signature and your photo.

According to the information available on the official website, in the “Fees” section, the GRE revised General Test costs $185.
This fee entitles you to one printed score report and up to four official score reports that ETS will send directly to the institutions you designate when you finish the test. If you do not select score recipients at the testing center, you will have to pay a $25 fee for each institution you want scores to be sent to.

 

How Do I Register for the Test?

Registration method varies according to payment method: credit card (most convenient) or bank check. Note: the card does not need to be in your name, so you can use the cards of family or friends.   

 

Registration procedure for the computer-based version of the test:
If a credit/debit card is available (Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, JCB), you can register:

•    Online on the official GRE website, in the “Register for the Test” section (scroll down to the information on registering to the test outside the United States): create a free online MyGRE Account and follow the steps outlined on the site to complete your registration. You will get your confirmation by e-mail.
Update from test takers: apparently when registering for Bucharest you need to select "Hungary" as country; among the available cities you will find Bucharest and continue with the registration.

•    By phone: call the telephone number for the Regional Registration Center (RRC) for the country in which you plan to test (see http://www.ets.org/s/mygre/rrc.html for details) at least two business days prior to the desired test date. Romania is included in Region 12, which is serviced by a Prometric center in The Netherlands (registration phone: 31-320-239-540; fax: 31-320-239-541). You will be given an appointment confirmation number. Be sure to write it down. You will also get a test date, reporting time, and test center address when you call. Check the International Test Scheduling form available on the GRE website for the information you will be asked for when you call.

•    By fax: complete the International Test Scheduling Form and send it to the appropriate Regional Registration Center (RRC) at least seven working days before your first-choice test date. Check the GRE website for the fax number of the RRC – Region 12 for Romania. Follow the instructions given on the form. Include credit card information. The RRC will schedule your appointment based on the information you provide. If none of the dates you requested is available, the RRC will try to schedule you for a test date as close as possible to your choices. If the date assigned to you does not meet your needs, please contact the appropriate RRC within 24 hours of receipt of your registration confirmation.
 
If a credit card is not available, you may pay by bank check and register by mail.
•    In order to be issued a bank check you need to pay the fee to any bank that conducts hard-currency transactions. The beneficiary of your bank check will be ETS-GRE.
•    Fill out the GRE International Test Scheduling Form
•    The bank check and the scheduling form need to be received by the Regional Registration Center for Region 12 at least 3 weeks prior to the requested test date. The relevant address is available on the GRE website.

Full info on accepted forms of payment is available on the GRE site in the About/Fees section.
 
Useful tips:
•    Photocopy the scheduling form as well as the bank check and keep the copies for reference.
•    Send your test registration by registered mail (scrisoare recomandata cu confirmare de primire).
•   Usually, you will receive a confirmation letter by e-mail or regular mail which includes information on the test date as well as the location of the testing center. The RRC will schedule your appointment based on the information you provide. If none of the dates you requested is available, the RRC will try to schedule you for a test date as close as possible to your choices.
•    If you don't receive the confirmation letter, you must call the RRC at least three full business days before your first-choice test date.
 
Registration procedure for the paper-based version of the test
Online: you will need to create a My GRE Account to register online. On the official website, go to the “Register for a Test” section and follow the steps. MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover and JCB credit/debit cards, as well as PayPal Services and Western Union Quick Pay are accepted. For a full list of preferred paper-based registration payment methods, please consult the official website.

By mail: you can pay by bank check (preferred payment method, according to the GRE website), as well as credit/debit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover, and JCB)
•    In order to be issued a bank check you need to pay the fee to any bank that conducts hard-currency transactions. The beneficiary of your bank check will be ETS-GRE, as mentioned on the official website.
•    Fill out the Registration Form for the Paper-based GRE revised General Test. The 2013-2014 Form is available in the Bulletin and on the official website at www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/pbt_registration_form.pdf.
•    The check and the scheduling form need to be mailed to the U.S. address printed on the registration form. The documents must be received at ETS by the registration deadline (listed on the official GRE website). Allow four weeks for processing. You should receive your admission ticket approximately three weeks after you register. You can also view and print your ticket online.
•    If you miss the registration deadline please see below the "Standby testing" section.
 
YOU CANNOT REGISTER BY PHONE OR BY FAX FOR THE PAPER-BASED TEST!
Useful tips:
•    Photocopy the scheduling form as well as the bank check and keep the copies for reference.
•    Send your test registration by registered mail (scrisoare recomandata cu confirmare de primire).
•    If you do not receive your admission ticket at least 10 days before the test date, please print your ticket from your online MyGRE account or contact ETS immediately (see the GRE website) to confirm your test center assignment.
Late registration applies solely to online registration for paper-based administrations of the test. It closes a week after regular registration and incurs a $25 fee.

Standby testing
If you missed the registration deadline, you may still be able to take the test on the desired date.
Standby testing may be available if sufficient space, test materials and staff are available at the test center. If you'd like to attempt to test as a standby, report to the test center by 8:15 a.m. with:
•    a completed GRE Paper-based General Test and Subject Tests 2013-14 Registration Form (available on the official website);
•    payment for the $50 standby testing fee (in addition to test fee) in the form of bank check or credit card;
•    acceptable photo ID (see the official website for details).
In case you do not show up on your assigned day and hour for taking the test, the registration fee will not be refunded.

Changing the date or location of your test
Rescheduling is permitted within the same testing year (July 1 – June 30).You must reschedule or cancel your test registration no later than three full days before your test date (not including the day of your test or the day of your request) or your test fee will be forfeited. For computer-based testing, you can cancel or reschedule online. To change your test center, contact the GRE Program by the registration deadline. For more details please check the official website of the GRE test.
 
Retaking the GRE revised General Test
According to the official website, you can take the GRE revised General Test (computer-based and paper-based) only once every 60 days, and no more than five times within any continuous rolling 12-month period. This applies even if you canceled your scores on a test taken previously. If you take only the paper-based GRE revised General Test, you can take it as often as it is offered.
 
IMPORTANT:
The Fulbright Educational Advising Center is not involved in the administration of the GRE. Therefore, please contact Thomson Prometric that administers the test throughout Europe for any problems you may experience concerning registration, receipt of the admission ticket, etc. The information bulletins include all the contact addresses and telephone numbers. They can be downloaded from the official GRE website.

What to bring to the test center? … What is allowed/not allowed in the testing room? … Which are the ID requirements? … Any scratch paper and personal calculators? … Permission to leave the room? …

 

These questions and more are answered on the GRE website both for the computer-based and the paper-based tests: http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/test_day/.    

At the end of the computer-based test:
•    You will be given the option to report or cancel your scores. You cannot cancel your score for one section of the test and have the scores for the remaining sections reported. Although you have the option to cancel your scores, consider very carefully before doing so. For $30, scores canceled by you can be reinstated if your request is received at ETS within 60 days after your test date. Details on the official GRE website.
•    You will be able to view your unofficial Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores. Because of the essay scoring process, you will not be able to view your Analytical Writing scores at the time you test.
•    You will be asked to designate your score recipients. If an institution is not listed, ask the test center administrator for the appropriate form to indicate unlisted institutions. Complete the form and turn it in before you leave the test center. The form will not be accepted after you leave the test center.

Three scores are reported on the GRE revised General Test:
•    A Verbal Reasoning score reported on a 130 – 170 score scale, in 1-point increments;
•    A Quantitative Reasoning score reported on a 130 – 170 score scale, in 1-point increments;
•    An Analytical Writing score reported on a 0 – 6 score scale, in half-point increments.

 

Computer-based test
According to the information available on the GRE website, the official score reports will be mailed to you within 10 to 15 days after you take the test.
For a detailed score reporting schedule, please visit http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/scores/get.  
 
Paper-based test
Official scores will be sent to you and the score recipients you designated within six weeks after you take the test. At that date, you will also be able to access your scores for free in your online MyGRE account. To get scores sooner, you can call ETS at least a month after the test date to find out how much you scored, for a $12 fee.
All scores earned during the five testing years following the year in which you tested will be reported to each institution you designate.

Comparing scores on the GRE General Test administered prior to August 2011 with scores on GRE revised General Test
According to the official website, as part of the transition effort, the GRE program is providing institutions with concordance information to help bridge scores from the previous score scale (200 – 800) to the revised score scale (130 – 170). The concordance information is designed to help institutions compare scores on the GRE General Test administered prior to August 2011 with scores received on the GRE revised General Test.
Concordance information will also be included on your GRE revised General Test score report. A sample score report is available on the GRE official website at  www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/examinee_score_report.pdf.

Additional score reports:
If you do not select score recipients on the test day (for the computer-based test), or when you register for the paper-based test, or you would like to send your scores to more than four score recipients, you will need to submit an Additional Score Report request for a fee of $25 per score recipient.

You can order additional score reports online, by phone, fax or mail.
Further instructions on how to order such scores are detailed on the GRE website at http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/scores/send/asr/.

GRE scores are valid for 5 years.

How Can I Prepare for the Test? Computer-Based, Paper-Based & Online Resources

Visit FEAC to access free up-to-date GRE prep materials! To see what books and software are available at our center please check the Test preparation section. The preparation materials can only be checked out for study in the reading room and cannot be photocopied. To check out materials in the reading room, you need a valid ID.

 

A practice book for the paper-based version can be downloaded for FREE from the official website:
http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/practice_book_GRE_pb_revised_general_test.pdf.

You can also visit the links below with online GRE preparation, some free, some for a fee:
http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/
General advice, sample questions and answers, scoring guides and tips for answering question types to become familiar with each of the sections of the revised test, as well as POWERPREP II, a free program designed to replicate the GRE revised General Test, plus two full-length tests which simulate the test-taking experience!  

http://www.kaptest.com/GRE/Home/gre-test-change.html
Detailed info on the new GRE, as well as a series of very useful free recordings of past Kaplan webinars on successfully preparing for the new GRE.  

http://www.princetonreview.com/CheckoutSignIn.aspx?ComeBackTo=Cart.aspx
Free; requires registration.

http://testprep.about.com/od/Revised_GRE_Exam/Revised_GRE_Exam.htm
Test information, question types and practice.

http://learnwordlist.com/blog/vocabulary-for-revised-gre/2011/04/gre-word-list-test-blog-barrons-vocabulary
Features vocabulary practice for the new GRE. Some info is free, more is for a fee.
 
Resources for the original GRE test (administered prior to August 2011)
The following preparation materials are still useful for online GRE General prep purposes. Please note the differences between the two test formats:

Verbal Reasoning
•    Antonyms and analogies are no longer included in the new test, so there are no questions that test vocabulary out of context;
•    Text completion questions have been added to test your ability to reach a conclusion about how a sentence should be completed;
•    There are more reading comprehension questions.
 
Quantitative Reasoning
•    New multiple-choice questions, some of them with more than one correct answer, that require you to select all the correct answers provided;
•    New numeric entry questions that will prompt you to enter your answer in a box instead of selecting it from a list;
•    An on-screen calculator.
 
Please also note the new scoring scale:
•    Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores are now reported on a 130 – 170 score scale, in 1-point increments (prior version: 200 – 800 score scale, 10-point increments);
•    No changes in the way Analytical Writing scores are reported: 0 – 6 score level, in half-point increments.
 
http://www.greexplorer.com/Free-Practice-Tests.html
Free sample questions.

http://www.petersons.com/graduate-schools/sample-gre-test-questions.aspx
Info plus sample questions.  

http://www.4tests.com/exams/examdetail.asp?eid=11
Free practice questions.

http://www.kaptest.com/Graduate/GRE/Practice-for-the-GRE/GRE-Practice-Questions/GR_gre_qsentence.html
Free sample questions. Option to sign-up for a free practice test.

http://www.west.net/~stewart/gre/
Tips and practice questions.

http://www.syvum.com/gre/
You need to sign in to have access to free online testing + practice.

http://www.number2.com/exams/gre/companion/index.cfm?s=0
You need to sign in to have access to practice and tests

www.800score.com
Sample questions for free. Practice for a fee.

http://www.english-test.net/gre/
You need to create a forum account to have access to sample questions and check your progress.

http://www.greprepinfo.com/
Practice questions and see explanations.

http://www.greguide.com/
Free practice tests and practice material.

FAQ

This section has been developed by FEAC staff based on visitors’ questions regarding this test, and to further support your journey to the U.S.!  
You may like to send YOUR interesting question so that we can expand this section.

 

Q:  I have never been keen on math. What level of math content is included in the GRE revised General Test?
A: The test uses knowledge of high school math to test quantitative reasoning. The test material measures your ability to reason quantitatively; and to solve problems in a quantitative setting. In our experience, students who prepare for the test beforehand score reasonably well in the math section, even if they don’t feel that strong in math.
Also, GRE scores are evaluated on a section by section basis, not just as overall scores, so it makes sense for a Humanities grad to score better in the Writing and Verbal sections than in the Quantitative section, for instance.

Q: Both the TOEFL and the GRE include two essays in the Writing section. Which one is more important?
A: The Writing sections of the two tests measure different abilities and they cannot be compared. With the TOEFL you have an independent task and an integrated task which measure your composition skills and good command of English. The Writing section of the GRE measures the level of critical thinking and analytical writing.

Q: I have read on some universities’ webpages that they accept the GRE scores for admission to their MBA program. Others require the GMAT… Shall I take them both?
A: Some institutions welcome the GRE score for admission to some MBA programs. There are also master’s (non-MBA) and Ph.D. business programs which accept the GRE scores. You need to check admissions requirements at every school/program. If some of the programs you are interested in only mention the GRE and others just the GMAT, it is worth your while to email them and see if some are willing to accept the other test too.