If you’re planning a master’s or MBA abroad, the GRE is often a key part of your application, alongside your academics and profile. Before you dive into prep, it helps to understand the GRE examination syllabus, how the test is structured, what it costs, and how universities actually use your score.
In this blog, we’ll walk through the GRE sections, a practical GRE course outline, GRE fees in India and GRE test fee details, and how your GRE score can strengthen your overall study abroad admissions strategy.
The GRE ETS exam is a standardised test designed and conducted by ETS (Educational Testing Service) to assess your readiness for postgraduate study. It primarily evaluates your verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing skills, which are essential for success in academically rigorous master’s and MBA programs. Instead of testing subject-specific knowledge, the GRE focuses on how you think, solve problems, and communicate ideas clearly.
Most students who take the GRE are planning to apply for master’s degrees (such as MS, MA, MEng, or MSc), select MBA programs, or even certain PhD or professional programs abroad.
Typical aspirants include engineers, science graduates, business and management students, economics and analytics candidates, and applicants from social sciences who want to strengthen their academic profile. If you are targeting competitive universities or highly ranked programs, a solid GRE score can become an important differentiator in your application.
Many universities list the GRE as required or recommended for specific courses, especially in fields like engineering, computer science, data science, finance, and business analytics. In admissions, your GRE score is considered alongside your academic record, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, projects, and work experience.
A strong performance in the GRE ETS exam can help offset a slightly lower GPA, support scholarship considerations, and give admissions committees confidence in your ability to handle demanding coursework in an international classroom.
When you look at the GRE examination syllabus, you’ll see that it is divided into three broad areas: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. Together, these sections are designed to test how well you understand written material, work with numbers, and express your ideas in clear, logical English. Instead of checking rote learning, the GRE focuses on reasoning, problem-solving, and communication skills that you’ll need in a master’s or MBA classroom, which is why many students use the syllabus as a starting point for their GRE course outline.
The Verbal Reasoning part checks how effectively you can understand and analyse text in English. You’ll work with reading comprehension questions, text completion, and sentence equivalence, all of which require you to interpret passages, infer meaning, and choose words or phrases that best complete a sentence.
Strong vocabulary in context, the ability to spot the author’s main idea or argument, and comfort with complex academic-style passages are central to doing well in this section. This is why most GRE study plans include targeted vocabulary building and regular reading practice.
Quantitative Reasoning covers core math areas like arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. Questions appear as multiple-choice or numeric entries and often use real-life or data-based scenarios to test your understanding. Rather than advanced mathematics, the focus is on conceptual clarity, quantitative comparison, and logical problem-solving under time pressure.
Successful preparation usually means revisiting school-level concepts, learning shortcuts and strategies, and practising different question types until you can move quickly and accurately.
The Analytical Writing section assesses your ability to think critically and express complex ideas in a clear, structured way. You’ll be asked to analyse an issue or argument, then present your response in essay form, using examples and logical reasoning to support your points.
Evaluators look for organisation, coherence, use of evidence, and clarity of language more than fancy vocabulary. In a practical GRE course outline, this section often includes learning standard essay structures, practising timed essays, and reviewing feedback to improve argument flow and clarity.
To turn the syllabus into a practical study plan, you need a clear GRE course outline that shows what to study and how to build your skills over time. A good outline breaks your preparation into modules for Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Writing, with separate time for concept learning, practice questions, and full-length mocks. This structure helps you balance your strengths and weaknesses instead of over-focusing on just one section.
In Verbal, the GRE tests your ability to understand complex text, infer meaning, and work with vocabulary in context. Preparation usually includes targeted word lists, regular reading of articles or academic-style content, and lots of practice with reading comprehension, text completion, and sentence equivalence questions.
For Quant, your plan should cover arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis through concept revision and application-based problems. Many students schedule regular mixed problem sets and timed drills to build both accuracy and speed.
Analytical Writing focuses on your ability to analyse issues or arguments and present a clear, logically structured response. Your GRE course outline should therefore include learning standard essay frameworks, practising timed essays, and reviewing model responses to understand what earns higher scores.
Alongside section-wise prep, most serious aspirants build in periodic full-length mock tests under exam-like conditions. These mocks help you track progress, adjust strategy, and become comfortable with GRE timing and stamina demands before the actual test day.
When you plan your GRE attempt, it’s important to understand GRE fees in India so you can budget for the full journey, not just the exam day. The core GRE test fee is a standard registration charge set by ETS for the GRE General Test, and Indian test-takers pay this amount in USD, converted to INR at the prevailing rate. This base fee covers one test date and sends a limited number of score reports to the universities you select on or shortly after test day.
Beyond the main GRE test fee, you should account for additional services and possible changes. Common extra costs include fees for sending additional score reports beyond the free ones, rescheduling your exam to a different date, and changing your test centre if your plans or location change. If you expect that you might need more than one attempt, it’s wise to factor in the full GRE fees in India for each retake, along with any repeat rescheduling or reporting charges.
A smart approach is to align your exam date with your application deadlines so you minimise the chance of last-minute reschedules or multiple attempts. Many students book a test slot several months before their intended intake, leaving room for one retake if needed, without rushing their applications.
Checking the latest official fee table on the ETS website before you register ensures you’re working with up-to-date figures and can plan your test, application, and score reporting budget with clarity.
GRE scores are especially important for master’s programs like MS, MA, MEng, and MSc, as well as some MBA and specialised business degrees abroad. Admissions committees often use your score to quickly gauge your readiness for quantitative, verbal, and analytical coursework in demanding programs.
For competitive fields such as computer science, data science, finance, and engineering, a strong GRE score can help you stand out among applicants with similar GPAs and backgrounds.
In practice, universities usually consider GRE scores as part of a broader profile that includes your academic record, projects, internships or work experience, statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation.
Many students use their GRE scores to shortlist a mix of ambitious, moderate, and safe universities, matching typical score ranges for each bracket. This makes the test a useful tool for structuring your applications to master's programs abroad and aligning them with your long-term goals.
A solid GRE result also complements other parts of your study abroad plan, from demonstrating academic readiness in the student visa and admissions process to strengthening your case for scholarships and assistantships.
If you are working with study abroad consultants in India or using a step-by-step planning guide, your GRE score becomes one of the key data points that shape your final university list and application strategy.
If you’re planning to take the GRE for your master’s or MBA abroad, WIKATI Education can guide you through every step—from understanding the GRE examination syllabus and building a smart GRE course outline to shortlisting universities where your score, profile, and goals are the right fit.
With expert counsellors, end‑to‑end application and documentation support, and clear guidance on timelines, tests, and GRE fees in India, WIKATI Education helps you turn a complex master's programs abroad journey into a structured plan that leads you confidently towards your target master's programs abroad.
The GRE ETS exam is a standardised test conducted by ETS to measure verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing skills, helping universities assess readiness for postgraduate study.
Students applying for MS, MA, MSc, MEng, some MBA programs, and certain PhD or professional courses abroad are the most common GRE test-takers.
The GRE examination syllabus covers Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing, each designed to test reasoning, problem-solving, and written communication skills.
GRE fees in India consist of a core GRE test fee in USD plus any extra charges for rescheduling, score reports, or test centre changes, updated periodically by ETS.
A clear GRE course outline organises your study into Verbal, Quant, and Analytical Writing modules, combining concept review, practice questions, and full-length mock tests.
You can take the GRE multiple times per year (within ETS limits), and many universities consider your best score or follow their own score policies.
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