International Exams · Entrance Exams

Online GRE Coaching and the GRE Guide 2026

Looking for online GRE coaching? Know the shorter test first, then judge any course against it. The GRE General Test is used for admission to graduate programmes worldwide, across the sciences, engineering, humanities and social sciences, and by a growing number of business schools as an alternative to the GMAT. It tests verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing.

Its shortened format runs under two hours and is section-adaptive: your performance in the first section of each type determines the difficulty of the second. That is a different mechanism from the question-by-question adaptation the GMAT uses, and it has its own strategic consequence — the first section of each pair carries disproportionate weight.

Take a Free GRE MockGRE Syllabus

GRE · checked 19 September 2026

GRE at a glance, from the official notices

The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.

Free GRE mock testGRE syllabusToday’s current affairs
19September 2026

Checked 19 September 2026

GRE: the facts that matter now

  1. 01

    Educational Testing Service (ETS), at 1,000+ test centres in 160+ countries and at home

    Administered by

  2. 02

    Graduate admission worldwide, and by many business schools in place of the GMAT

    Used for

  3. 03

    Under two hours — one 30-minute essay, two verbal sections of 12 and 15 questions in 18 and 23 minutes, two quantitative sections of 12 and 15 in…

    Format

  4. 04

    Verbal and quantitative on 130–170 in one-point steps; writing on 0–6 in half points; section-adaptive

    Scoring

Notification

GRE notification and key dates

Checked 12 September 2026 on ets.org. The GRE General Test is offered year-round at test centres and at home, and has run in its shortened form since September 2023: one Analyze an Issue essay of 30 minutes, verbal sections of 12 and 15 questions in 18 and 23 minutes, and quantitative sections of 12 and 15 questions in 21 and 26 minutes, with no unscored section — just under two hours in all. Fees effective 1 August 2026 are US$249 everywhere except China, which ETS India shows as ₹25,522; rescheduling and a centre change cost $55, each additional score report $40, and a fee-reduction voucher brings the test to $100 for those who qualify. Official scores appear in the ETS account eight to ten days after the test and are reportable for five years; the test may be taken once every 21 days and at most five times in a rolling 12-month period.

The current facts, from ETS at the date checked.
ItemDetail
StructureAnalytical Writing, one task, 30 minutes; Verbal Reasoning, 12 questions in 18 minutes then 15 in 23; Quantitative Reasoning, 12 in 21 then 15 in 26
AdaptivitySection-level: the second verbal and second quantitative section are chosen by performance on the first of each
Scale130–170 for verbal and quantitative; 0–6 for writing
FeeUS$249 from 1 August 2026 outside China; ₹25,522 on the ETS India site; $55 to reschedule or change centre; $40 per additional score report; $60 for a writing score review
Results8–10 days after the test; ScoreSelect lets you choose which test dates to send
ValidityFive years from the test date
RetakesOnce every 21 days; five times in any rolling 12 months, including tests whose scores were cancelled
Where1,000+ test centres in 160+ countries, or at home under proctoring

Check ETS directly

ETS — GRE test structure ETS — GRE fees ETS India — GRE fees in rupees ETS — getting your GRE scores ETS — GRE registration and retake rules

Overview

What GRE is, and who it suits

The GRE is taken year-round at test centres and at home, with candidates scheduling their own appointment. Scores remain valid for five years and may be sent to institutions selectively, which gives candidates considerably more control over their record than a once-a-year national entrance allows.

The test has three measures. Verbal Reasoning tests reading comprehension and the ability to complete texts using precise vocabulary. Quantitative Reasoning tests arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis at a level that rarely exceeds school mathematics but is applied with unusual care. Analytical Writing requires an essay analysing an issue, assessed for the quality of reasoning and expression.

What makes the GRE distinctive

  • Section-adaptive — the difficulty of the second verbal and second quantitative section depends on your performance in the first of each.
  • Vocabulary matters genuinely — text completion and sentence equivalence questions turn on precise word meaning in a way few other tests demand.
  • An on-screen calculator — provided for the quantitative sections, which changes what the section is testing — reasoning rather than computation.
  • Five-year validity and selective reporting — so a strong score is a durable asset.

The first section of each pair matters more

Because the test adapts between sections rather than between questions, your performance in the first verbal and first quantitative section determines the difficulty — and therefore the scoring ceiling — of the second. A weak first section caps what the second can recover, which makes a settled start more valuable here than in a fixed-form test.

Online GRE coaching

Online GRE coaching: what a course must include for the shorter test

The GRE is a reasoning test with a vocabulary component, and for most Indian candidates the quantitative section is revision while the verbal section is new work. Online GRE coaching earns its fee on the verbal side — text completion, sentence equivalence and dense reading — and on teaching the section-adaptive structure, where the first section of each measure sets the ceiling for the second.

What online GRE coaching has to deliver

  • Verbal method, not word lists — text completion and sentence equivalence turn on the logic of the sentence and on connotation; a course should teach how to read the blank before the options, and build vocabulary from context.
  • Quantitative comparison as its own type — the one question type with no Indian equivalent, with its traps around negatives, fractions and zero; it needs a dedicated block.
  • Official adaptive practice — only ETS’s POWERPREP tests reproduce section-level adaptation; coaching should schedule them across the preparation and read the first-section performance separately.
  • Essay feedback — one Analyze an Issue task in 30 minutes, scored 0–6; it improves through critique, so the course should return marked essays.
Batch or one-to-one
Quantitative revision and verbal method work in a batch; essay marking and a personal error log need individual attention. A batch plus fortnightly one-to-one reviews is a common shape.
How the trainer knows the test
Ask whether the course is built for the shortened GRE — one essay, verbal sections of 12 and 15 questions, quantitative of 12 and 15 — and uses ETS’s own practice. Material for the old two-essay, five-section test wastes your time.
What a fair course costs
Online GRE coaching in India runs from short crash courses to multi-month programmes; the US$249 test fee is the benchmark. Pay for verbal method, essay marking and official practice, not for a quantitative course you may not need.
Free first
The GRE syllabus, exam-pattern, practice, mock-test, preparation and study-material pages here explain the format, the adaptive logic and the vocabulary approach at no cost.

What Brolly gives you free, and where coaching starts

This guide and its six sub-pages are free, as are the diagnostic tests and the quantitative and English study material. Brolly Academy runs online training from Hyderabad for students anywhere in India; enquire there for live online GRE coaching, a demo class and batch dates.

Take the next step

Enquire about online GRE coaching at Brolly Academy GRE preparation strategy GRE practice and mock tests Quantitative aptitude notes

Eligibility

Who can apply for GRE

Who can take the GRE, and what ETS checks.
ConditionRule
Age and qualificationNo minimum age and no qualification; the test is registered for by the candidate directly.
Identity documentAn original, physical, valid government ID with name, photograph and signature that matches the registration name exactly, excluding accents. In India ETS requires a passport; a candidate without acceptable ID is turned away and the fee is not refunded.
WhereMore than 1,000 test centres in 160-plus countries, or at home on your own computer with a human proctor, available around the clock; the at-home option is offered wherever the centre test is.
RetakesOnce every 21 days and no more than five times in any rolling 12-month period, counting attempts whose scores were cancelled.
AccommodationsExtra time, breaks, screen magnification and other arrangements through ETS Disability Services, approved before registering.
Fee reductionA voucher for candidates who can show financial need brings the test to US$100 and includes ETS practice material; applied for on ETS’s form.

Selection process

How GRE selection works

Each stage in order, and what it actually tests.

Stages change between cycles. Confirm the structure in the notification for the cycle you are sitting.
StageFormatWhat it involves
Analytical WritingOne essay taskAn "Analyze an Issue" task requiring a reasoned position on a general topic, written under time and scored on a 0 to 6 scale for the quality of the argument and the clarity of the writing.
Verbal ReasoningTwo sections, adaptive between themReading comprehension, text completion and sentence equivalence questions, testing the ability to analyse written material and to use vocabulary with precision. Scored on a 130 to 170 scale.
Quantitative ReasoningTwo sections, adaptive between themArithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis, including quantitative comparison questions. An on-screen calculator is provided. Scored on a 130 to 170 scale.
Score reportingSelective, valid five yearsScores are reported for each measure separately and may be sent to selected institutions. Retakes are permitted after a specified interval, subject to a limit within any twelve-month period.

Procedure

How to register for the GRE, what happens on test day, and how scores are reported

Registration, rescheduling, score viewing and score sending all run through the ETS account.

From ETS account to score report

  1. Create an ETS account With your name exactly as on the passport, date of birth and an email you will keep; the account holds every GRE registration and score.
  2. Register for a date Choose a test centre or the at-home test, then a date and time; pay US$249 — ₹25,522 on the ETS India site — by card, or with a fee-reduction voucher. Indian candidates pay through the ETS India payment options.
  3. Prepare with ETS material The free POWERPREP Online practice tests reproduce the section-adaptive design; the sample questions and the Analytical Writing topic pool are free downloads.
  4. Before the day For a centre test, check the venue and arrive early with the passport. For the at-home test, run ETS’s equipment check on the computer you will use, clear the room and desk to the rules, and have a second camera or mirror as required.
  5. Test day ID check, photograph and security screening at the centre, or ID verification by the proctor at home; the Analytical Writing task first, then the verbal and quantitative sections with a scheduled break. Personal items are stored; scratch paper is provided.
  6. At the end Choose to report or cancel the scores. If reported, the unofficial verbal and quantitative scores appear on screen, and up to four free score recipients are named with the ScoreSelect choice of most recent or all scores.
  7. Official scores In the ETS account 8 to 10 days after the test, with an email; the Analytical Writing score arrives with them. Additional reports cost $40 each and can be sent with ScoreSelect for five years.
  8. Reviews A score review of the Analytical Writing measure can be requested within 90 days for $60; the verbal and quantitative sections are machine-scored and not reviewed.
Fees and deadlines, from the 2026–27 GRE Information Bulletin.
ItemRule
Test feeUS$249 outside China from 1 August 2026; ₹25,522 on ETS India
ReschedulingNo later than four days before the test date, in the ETS account, for $55; appointments cannot be moved beyond a year from the original date
CancellationNo later than four days before the test date for a refund of half the fee; nothing after
Test centre change$55
Additional score reports$40 per recipient, in the account
Analytical Writing score review$60, within 90 days; results in about four weeks
RetakesEvery 21 days, five in any 365 days

Official pages

ETS — GRE Information Bulletin 2026–27 (PDF) ETS — GRE ID requirements ETS — GRE at-home testing ETS — GRE test day

Exam pattern

GRE exam pattern and marking

The shortened GRE General Test, from ETS. Just under two hours; no unscored section.
MeasureSectionsQuestionsTimeScore
Analytical Writing1One "Analyze an Issue" task30 minutes0–6 in half points
Verbal Reasoning212, then 1518, then 23 minutes130–170 in one-point steps
Quantitative Reasoning212, then 1521, then 26 minutes130–170 in one-point steps
Verbal question types
Reading comprehension on passages from the sciences, social sciences and humanities, including select-in-passage and multiple-answer items; text completion with one to three blanks, all of which must be right for credit; sentence equivalence, choosing two of six words that produce sentences alike in meaning.
Quantitative question types
Quantitative comparison of two quantities; multiple choice with one or several answers; numeric entry; and data interpretation sets on a table or graph. Content is arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis with an on-screen calculator.
Adaptivity and scoring
The second verbal and second quantitative sections are selected on performance in the first of each. Raw scores across both sections convert to the 130–170 scale with the section difficulty taken into account. No marks are deducted for wrong answers, and within a section questions can be skipped, flagged and revisited.
What programmes commonly look for. These are typical ranges, not rules; every department publishes its own, and many are test-optional.
ProgrammeTypical range
Master’s in engineering or computer science at selective US universitiesQuantitative 165–170; verbal 155–160; writing 3.5–4.0; totals around 320–330
Master’s in business, economics or data fieldsQuantitative 160–168; verbal 155–162; writing 4.0
Humanities and social sciencesVerbal 160–168 weighted more than quantitative; writing 4.5 or more
MBA programmes accepting the GREBalanced scores around 320 and above at the most selective schools; ETS publishes a GRE-to-GMAT comparison tool
Middle-ranked US and European programmesTotals of 300–315 with a quantitative score of 155 or more

Study plan

How to prepare for GRE

A ten-week plan for a 320-plus score

  1. Week 1 — diagnose with POWERPREP One official adaptive test under time; note the verbal and quantitative scores and, separately, the first-section performance in each.
  2. Weeks 2–5 — verbal method Text completion and sentence equivalence by sentence logic first, vocabulary second; a personal word list built from errors with the sentence each word appeared in; one dense reading passage a day with the question types mapped.
  3. Weeks 2–4 — quantitative revision Arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis from ETS’s review material; quantitative comparison in its own blocks with the negative, fraction and zero traps.
  4. Weeks 3–8 — timed section practice Alternate verbal and quantitative sections against the real clocks, answering everything and using the two-pass approach within a section.
  5. Weeks 4–9 — the essay One Analyze an Issue essay a week from ETS’s published topic pool, thirty minutes, read by someone who will critique the reasoning.
  6. Weeks 6 and 9 — full adaptive tests The second POWERPREP tests, spaced; review the first section of each measure as the ceiling-setter.
  7. Week 10 — sit Book at least a fortnight before any application deadline; scores take 8 to 10 days and ScoreSelect lets a better later attempt be sent instead.

Sources

Official notifications and sources

Checked 12 September 2026 against ETS’s GRE test-structure, fees, score-release and registration pages, and the ETS India fee page for the rupee figure. Fees are stated by ETS as effective 1 August 2026 and subject to change; confirm at registration.

Official pages

ETS — GRE test structure ETS — GRE fees ETS India — GRE fees ETS — getting your GRE scores ETS — learn about the GRE

Exam resources

Everything for GRE

Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.

GRE SyllabusGRE syllabus — verbal reasoning question types, quantitative content and the analytical writing task.GRE Exam PatternGRE exam pattern — the shorter format, section-adaptive scoring, the calculator and score reporting.GRE Previous PapersGRE practice material — why official ETS questions matter and how to use them.GRE Mock TestsGRE practice tests — section-adaptive full-length practice with attention to the first section of each measure.GRE PreparationGRE preparation strategy — building vocabulary over months, mastering the quantitative section and practising the essay.GRE Study MaterialGRE study material — vocabulary and reading practice, plus quantitative revision notes.

Related

More International Exams preparation

All International Exams examsEvery exam in this categoryPrevious-year papersPast papers with solutionsCurrent affairsDaily, weekly and monthlyExam updatesNotifications and results

Questions

GRE — FAQs

What is the GRE exam pattern?

Three measures: Analytical Writing with one "Analyze an Issue" essay scored 0 to 6; Verbal Reasoning in two sections scored 130 to 170; and Quantitative Reasoning in two sections scored 130 to 170. The shortened test runs under two hours. It is section-adaptive — your performance in the first verbal and first quantitative section determines the difficulty of the second of each — and an on-screen calculator is provided for the quantitative sections. Confirm current section lengths on the official site.

How does GRE section-adaptive scoring work?

The test adapts between sections rather than between questions. After your first verbal section it selects the difficulty of your second verbal section, and the same for quantitative. Because a higher-difficulty second section permits a higher score, the first section of each pair effectively sets your ceiling, which makes a settled, careful start more valuable than in a fixed-form test. Within any section you can move freely between questions, flag them and return.

Is the GRE quantitative section hard for Indian candidates?

Generally less so than the verbal section. The mathematics rarely exceeds what an Indian school syllabus covers, so most Indian candidates need revision rather than learning there. What does need practice is the quantitative comparison question type, which asks you to compare two quantities rather than compute a value and rewards a specific approach, and careful reading — errors in this section more often come from misreading than from mathematics.

How important is vocabulary for the GRE?

Central, and it is the longest-lead component of the preparation. Text completion and sentence equivalence questions turn on knowing words precisely — including connotation and register — because the wrong options are frequently close in meaning and wrong only in nuance. That precision accumulates over months through reading and recording words in context, and it responds poorly to memorising lists in the final weeks.

How long is a GRE score valid?

Five years, and scores may be sent to institutions selectively, with retakes permitted after a specified interval subject to a limit within any twelve-month period. That combination makes an early attempt genuinely low-risk — a disappointing score need not be reported — and makes a good score a durable asset usable across several application cycles.

What does the GRE cost in India and how often can it be taken?

US$249 from 1 August 2026, which the ETS India site shows as ₹25,522, with $55 to reschedule and $40 for each additional score report. The test can be taken once every 21 days and up to five times in any rolling 12-month period, and scores are reportable for five years.

How long is the GRE and when do scores come?

Just under two hours: a 30-minute essay, two verbal sections of 12 and 15 questions in 18 and 23 minutes, and two quantitative sections of 12 and 15 questions in 21 and 26 minutes, with no unscored section since the 2023 shortening. Official scores appear in the ETS account eight to ten days after the test.

Is online GRE coaching necessary for a 320-plus score?

Not for the quantitative section, which most Indian engineering and science graduates can revise alone with official material. It helps most on the verbal section — vocabulary in context, dense reading and the two-blank questions — and on essay feedback. A candidate scoring 160-plus in quantitative on a first practice test should buy verbal coaching only.

What should an online GRE course cover?

The shortened format and its section-adaptive logic; verbal method for text completion, sentence equivalence and reading comprehension; quantitative comparison as a separate type; marked Analyze an Issue essays; and ETS’s POWERPREP adaptive tests spaced through the course with first-section analysis. Check that the material is written for the test as it has run since September 2023.

How do I register for the GRE in India?

Create an ETS account with your name exactly as in your passport, choose a test centre or the at-home test and a date, and pay US$249 — ₹25,522 through the ETS India site. The passport is the ID required in India. Rescheduling and cancellation must be done at least four days before the date, for $55 and a 50 per cent refund respectively.

What happens on GRE test day?

At a centre: ID check, photograph and security screening, then the 30-minute essay followed by the verbal and quantitative sections with a scheduled break, about two hours in all. At home: the proctor verifies ID and the room by camera before the same test. At the end you choose to report or cancel, see the unofficial verbal and quantitative scores if reported, and name up to four free score recipients.

How is the GRE scored and what score do I need?

Verbal and quantitative each on 130–170 from the number correct across two sections adjusted for the difficulty of the second, writing on 0–6, with no deduction for wrong answers. Selective engineering and computer-science programmes typically see quantitative 165–170 and totals around 320–330; many programmes publish their ranges, and many are test-optional.

Can I send only my best GRE score?

Yes. ScoreSelect lets you send the scores from your most recent test or from all tests in the five-year reportable period, chosen at the end of the test for the four free recipients and again for each additional $40 report. Scores you cancel at the end of a test are never reported.

Start your GRE preparation today

Read the syllabus, attempt a free mock, then fix the section that costs you the most marks.

Take Free Mock TestExplore Exams

Already practising? Create Free Account to track your preparation.

Explore ExamsTake Free Mock Test