GRE Syllabus 2026: Quant, Verbal and Writing Topics

GRE exam pattern at a glance

ETS doesn't publish a document called a "syllabus". What it does publish is a content description for each measure, and together those pages are the GRE syllabus. Here is the whole pattern in one table. For the timing rules, section order and what changed in 2023, see our separate guide to the GRE format and timing; this page focuses on what is tested.

The question counts and times come from ETS's test structure page, which puts the overall test time at about 1 hour and 58 minutes across five sections. The score scales come from the GRE Information Bulletin.

What are the GRE total marks? There's no single total. ETS reports three separate scores: Verbal and Quant on 130–170 each, and Analytical Writing on 0–6. When people quote a GRE score out of 340, they're adding Verbal and Quant together; Writing is always reported on its own. Our guide to how the GRE is scored explains how raw answers become scaled scores.

GRE quant syllabus: the four content areas

ETS says the Quantitative Reasoning measure covers high school maths and statistics at a level that is generally no higher than a second course in algebra, and that it doesn't include trigonometry, calculus or other higher-level maths. The topics are grouped into four areas. The table below is our short summary of the lists on ETS's Quantitative Reasoning page.

Two things are explicitly left out. ETS says the ability to construct proofs is not tested in geometry, and inferential statistics is not tested in data analysis. For more detail on each topic, the same page links to ETS's free Math Review (PDF).

GRE quant question types

The same maths shows up in four formats. ETS lists four question types, and each question appears either on its own or as part of a Data Interpretation set, where several questions share one table or graph.

• Quantitative Comparison: you compare Quantity A with Quantity B and decide whether A is greater, B is greater, the two are equal, or the relationship cannot be determined.
• Multiple choice, select one answer: pick the single correct option from five.
• Multiple choice, select one or more answers: you pick every option that's correct; the question may or may not say how many to choose.
• Numeric Entry: you type the answer yourself, as an integer, a decimal or a fraction.

You get a basic on-screen calculator. It helps with tedious sums like long division, but ETS notes that most questions don't require difficult computations; our article on checking assumptions before shortcuts in GRE maths shows why.

GRE verbal syllabus: three question types

ETS says Verbal Reasoning tests your ability to analyse and evaluate written material, analyse relationships among parts of sentences, and recognise relationships among words and concepts. About half of the measure is reading passages; the other half is completing sentences and short paragraphs.

Reading passages are drawn from physical sciences, biological sciences, social sciences, business, arts and humanities, and everyday topics. You don't need subject knowledge; everything you need is in the passage. Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence give no credit for partially correct answers, so a two-blank question counts only if both blanks are right.

To practise the three formats under time, try our free GRE Verbal practice section.

Analytical Writing: the Issue task

Since September 2023 the writing measure has had one task: a 30-minute "Analyze an Issue" essay. You get a short claim on a topic of general interest plus a specific instruction, and you write a response that takes and supports a position. ETS publishes the six instruction sets used with Issue prompts, for example discussing the extent to which you agree or disagree with a claim, or considering the consequences of a policy.

• No subject knowledge is needed. Topics range from the arts to the sciences, but ETS says the measure doesn't assess specific content knowledge.
• No spellchecker. You type in a basic ETS word processor with insert, delete, cut-and-paste and undo, and no spellchecker or grammar checker.
• The topics are published. ETS has released the entire Issue topic pool from which your task will be chosen.

The essay is scored on a 0–6 scale in half-point steps. ETS says responses are evaluated holistically, including a score from its e-rater scoring engine, and that GRE raters are carefully trained to apply the Issue scoring guide. ETS's score level descriptions explain what each band looks like. Our GRE AWA guide goes through the rubric and a 30-minute plan, and you can write a timed response on our free GRE writing practice.

How the sections are scored

Verbal and Quant are section-level adaptive. ETS says the first section of each measure is of average difficulty, and the difficulty of the second section depends on how you did on the first. Your score takes into account both the number of questions you got right and the difficulty of the sections you saw.

ETS converts your raw score (the number of questions answered correctly) into a scaled score through a process called equating, which adjusts for small differences between test editions and for the adaptive second section. Inside a section you can move back and forth, mark questions and return to them, and change answers.

If you answer no questions in a measure, you get a No Score (NS) for it. To see what a score means against other test takers, use our GRE score percentile tool or read what counts as a good GRE score.

Turning the syllabus into a study plan

1. Take one section of each measure cold: Quant, Verbal and Writing. Note which topics from the tables above cost you marks.
2. Go through the Quant topic list line by line and mark each topic as solid, shaky or new. Spend most of your time on shaky topics; they give the fastest gains.
3. For Verbal, practise each question type separately before mixing them, and read widely across the passage subject areas ETS lists.
4. Write a few Issue essays from ETS's published pool under a 30-minute timer.
5. Review every practice set properly; our guide on how to review a practice test shows a simple method. For timing your overall prep, see how long to study for the GRE.

Frequently asked questions

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.

1. Overview of the Quantitative Reasoning Measure — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
2. Overview of the Verbal Reasoning Measure — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
3. Overview of the Analytical Writing Measure — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
4. Analyze an Issue Task — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
5. GRE General Test Analytical Writing Scoring — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
6. GRE General Test Structure — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
7. Understanding Your GRE General Test Scores — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
8. GRE Information Bulletin 2026–27 (PDF) — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.

Related guides

• GRE AWA 2026: Issue Essay, Topics, Score and Rubric
• GRE at Home 2026: Requirements, Rules vs Test Centre
• GRE ID Requirements 2026: Passport Rules and India Policy
• GRE Cancellation Policy 2026: Refund, Reschedule Fee, Scores