What happened
There is no GRE Chemistry Subject Test anymore, and no GRE Biology Subject Test either. Per ETS's subject-test-changes page (accessed 2026-08-02), the Chemistry test was last administered in April 2023, and the Biology test — along with Literature in English — was last administered in May 2021. You cannot register for them, and no current test replaces them. Per ETS's subject-tests overview (accessed 2026-08-02), only three GRE Subject Tests are still offered: Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology.
This matters because search results, forum threads, and — as shown below — even some university pages still talk about these tests as if they were an option. If a program you are researching appears to ask for a Chemistry or Biology subject score, the page you are reading predates the discontinuation.
If you already have a score
Old scores did not vanish with the tests. Per ETS's subject-test scores page (accessed 2026-08-02), GRE Subject Test scores are reportable for five years after the test date, and that includes scores from the discontinued tests. Applying the five-year window to the final administrations: the last Chemistry scores (from April 2023) remain reportable into 2028, while the final Biology scores (from May 2021) reached the end of that window in 2026. If you hold a still-reportable score, you may send it; whether a department gives it any weight is the department's call, so ask before paying for a report.
What departments actually say now — and why you should double-check
Many chemistry and life-science departments dropped GRE requirements entirely rather than substituting another test. One verified example: Notre Dame's Chemistry & Biochemistry admissions page (accessed 2026-08-02) states that submitting GRE scores "is no longer a requirement" for its chemistry and biochemistry doctoral applications. Notably, the same page still says a Chemistry or Biochemistry subject score is "not required but may aid your application" — wording that now can only apply to the shrinking pool of applicants holding a still-reportable old score.
Some pages have aged less gracefully. When we accessed Duke's chemistry graduate admissions pageon 2026-08-02, it still said the "general GRE and Chemistry GRE subject tests will be optional for the FALL 2025 application cycle" — describing a test that could no longer be taken, for a cycle that had already passed. We point this out not to single out one department but because it is a useful illustration: admissions pages lag. If a page mentions a discontinued test, or a past cycle, email the department and ask what the current requirement is. That one message outranks every third-party summary, including this one.
What to submit instead
There is no one-for-one replacement, so "instead" means matching what your specific programs still accept:
The GRE General Test
Still administered, and the test most departments mean today when a page says "GRE." Where a program lists it as required or optional, it is the only GRE most chemistry and biology applicants can still take.
A remaining Subject Test — only if a program says it counts
Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology are the three subject tests still offered, per ETS (accessed 2026-08-02). None of them covers chemistry or biology content, so take one only when a department you are applying to explicitly says it considers that score.
A still-reportable old score, if you have one
Chemistry scores from the final administrations remain reportable into 2028 under the five-year policy on ETS's scores page (accessed 2026-08-02) — but confirm with each department that it will actually be read.
Always confirm on the department page.
Every statement here reflects the linked pages as accessed on 2026-08-02. Admissions requirements change mid-cycle and department pages can lag official test changes — as the example above shows. Verify current requirements with each program before you register for any test or send any score.
Related pages
Sources
Every source below was accessed on the listed date. Pages — especially department admissions pages — change without notice; the links go to the live versions.
- GRE Subject Test changes: discontinued tests — ETS. Accessed 2026-07-30.
- GRE Subject Tests: Scores — ETS. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- About the GRE Subject Tests — ETS. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- Notre Dame Chemistry & Biochemistry: Graduate Admissions — University of Notre Dame. Accessed 2026-08-02.
- Duke Chemistry: Graduate Admissions — Duke University. Accessed 2026-08-02.
Review and maintenance
Source-checked by publisher- Publisher record
- Keiko Study editorial owner
- Publisher placeholder; no individual credential claim is made yet.
- Reviewer record
- Technical reviewer pending
- Placeholder only; this content is not labeled as reviewed by a named specialist.
- Last source check
- 2026-08-02
- Next scheduled review
- 2026-11-02
Graduate admissions requirements change mid-cycle. Recheck every cited department page and ETS page before the next application season and correct the article if any stance has changed.