So you have finished college and are looking to join grad school? Well, one of the first things you would need to do is take the GRE. GRE is a standardized test that is pretty much a requirement for most grad programs. If you are thinking about taking the test or are just curious, here are 18 things you should know about the test.

1. Does GRE allow Calculator?

Yes, GRE gives you an on-screen calculator for the quantitative section of the test. Moreover, you are not allowed to bring your own calculator. The on-screen calculator has five basic arithmetic functions, i.e. addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and square root.

2. Does the GRE calculator have square root and exponents?

The GRE calculator has a square root function but not an exponent function. You will have to find exponents manually.

3. Does GRE Superscore?

You can take GRE multiple times to improve your score, and there is no evidence that schools look down on retakes. Infact, graduate admissions committees encourage such a persistent and determined attitude in the applicants. So, if you took the GRE multiple times and improved your score, it will add a positive impact to your application.

Do know that you cannot send section specific scores from different GRE attempts. You can only send scores in their entirety from a given GRE attempt. For example, if you have scored higher on the verbal section on your first attempt and lower on your second, you cannot choose to send the higher verbal score to your school from the first GRE. Instead, you will only be able to send all three scores (AWA, verbal and Quant) from whichever GRE attempt you want to report to the school.

4. Does GRE AWA score matter?

It is said that most grad schools don’t care too much about your AWA score. However, this is mostly true for STEM programs. If you are applying to a Ph.D. or a non-STEM program, the AWA score matters because such programs have lots of writing assignments, not to mention thesis writing. In any case, a 4.5 AWA score out of 6 should suffice for most non-STEM programs and is easy to attain with some practice.

Keep in mind that you should never skip the essay portion or make little to no effort in writing your essay. A zero or a low score, in general, doesn’t look good on your score report, especially when you have done well on other sections.

When solving mock tests, it is recommended that you take the AWA section because it is 1 hour long, and you need to build up your stamina for the real test. The AWA section is always the first section, and you might feel exhausted on test day if you haven’t included it in your practice sessions prior to the test.

Furthermore, if you are an international student and your school requires a good AWA score but you have difficulty achieving it, then try to do well on your IELTS or TOEFL writing section which will make up for the low AWA score on the GRE.

5. Does GRE have calculus and trigonometry?

No. Fortunately, GRE doesn’t test calculus or trigonometry in the quantitative section. Instead, GRE only tests the following: Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Data Analysis.

6. Does GRE give partial credit?

No. GRE doesn’t award any partial credit for the questions that have multiple answers. In each verbal section, you can expect 6-8 questions that will have multiple answers, whereas, in the quant section, about 4-5 questions have multiple answers. This aspect of the GRE is definitely troublesome but keep in mind that such questions have the same points as single answer question.

7. Does GRE score expire?

Yes. GRE scores have an expiration period of 5 years from the date of the test. Therefore, you can report the scores to schools for five years, after which they become obsolete.

8. Does GRE have negative marking?

No. GRE doesn’t put an extra penalty for wrong answers. This is why if you are unsure about a question, it is recommended to narrow down your answer choices and make a guess instead of leaving it blank.

Within a section, all GRE questions carry equal marks. Hence, instead of getting fixated on a single question for a long time, skip it and come back to it if you have time left. Spending too much time on a difficult question might cost you easier questions that you could have answered instead.

You have a little under 2 minutes to solve a question, and if you feel a question is taking longer, you are better off either guessing it or marking it and coming back to it later.

9. Does GRE give you formulas?

No. GRE doesn’t provide any sort of a formula sheet. Moreover, you aren’t allowed to bring any paper or stationery with you to the test centre. You should memorize the formulas beforehand.

Here is a free ebook detailing every single formula used on the GRE. You should review all these formulas before test day and memorize them over the course of your study period.

10. Does GRE allow scratch paper and pencil?

Yes. The test administrator will hand you scratch paper and pencil before the start of the test. You are allowed to take down notes and carry out calculations on paper. However, you shouldn’t bring any paper or stationery material from home.

Moreover, there isn’t any limit on how many papers or pencils you can get. Initially, you will be given two pencils, a pencil sharpener, eraser and two sheets of paper. However, if you run out, you can ask for more supplies. Keep in mind that you have to discard all scratch paper once the test has ended.

However, when you take the test at home, you cannot use paper and pencil to take notes. Instead, you can either use a small whiteboard with an erasable marker or a transparent sheet protector. At the end of the test, you will be asked to show the human proctor that you have erased whatever you wrote down.

11. Does GRE send all scores from all attempts?

No. It is up to you which scores you want to report to your school. If you have taken multiple tests, then all of your scores will be available to you on the ETS website and it is upto you to select the score that you want to send. You cannot send section specific scores to different tests. Instead, you can only report scores in their entirety from any given GRE attempt.

12. Does GRE have breaks?

Yes. You are given a one minute break after the completion of each section. However, after the third section, you get a 10-minute long break. The same applies if you are taking the test at home, which is great in case you want to use the restroom during the 10-minute break. You should be back in front of your computer before the 10 minutes expire as you wouldn’t be granted additional time.

You cannot leave your seat during the one-minute breaks when taking the at-home test. However, this is not true for tests taken at test centres. You should be back at your seat within a minute, or else you will miss out on time as the section will begin regardless of your presence.

13. Does GRE correlate with IQ?

No. There is no evidence that GRE has anything to do with your IQ. Just like any standardized test, you can study and practice for it to improve your score. Don’t fret about your intelligence. Instead, learn the concepts and solve practice questions while managing time. That’s it.

14. Does GRE have data sufficiency?

No. Unlike GMAT, GRE doesn’t have any data sufficiency questions. Instead, there are data interpretation questions that includes tabulated questions. You have to analyze the given data and then answer the questions accordingly.

Also, GRE has quantitative comparison questions, which are somewhat similar but easier than the data sufficiency questions.

15. Does the GRE essay have spell check and word count?

No. GRE doesn’t have any sort of spell check or word count. For this reason, you should always spare 5-6 minutes at the end to proof read your essay. If there are too many spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes, the examiner does penalise points.

Generally, a 500-600 word essay is more than enough to present your case. However, there is no word limit for GRE essays. GRE grades essays solely on your arguments rather than the number of words that you have written. A 300 word well written essay can get the same points as a 600 word essay.

16. Does GRE have a vocabulary?

Yes. GRE is known for its difficult vocabulary questions. You will need to have a solid grasp of English vocabulary to do well on the verbal section of the test. Around half of the verbal questions directly test your vocabulary by asking about the meaning of words in different contexts.

The best way to improve your vocabulary for GRE is to read daily from reputable publications such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Long Reads. However, if you are short on time and reading journals is not an option, then feel free to get dedicated GRE vocabulary books. You can also download free apps such as Magoosh Vocabulary builder, which contains many of the key GRE words.

17. Does GRE help get a scholarship?

In part, yes, but a scholarship doesn’t rely primarily on your GRE scores. No matter which one, scholarships are generally very competitive and are awarded to students who have an overall stellar application such as the GPA, credible references, LORs, research and work experience etc. No GRE magic score alone will get you a scholarship.

Moreover, scholarships come in many different shapes and forms. In most cases, what people usually mean by scholarships are school-based scholarships. School-based scholarships extend monetary assistance directly to students. However, even here, GRE alone is not what gets you the scholarship. Your GRE score helps the admissions board make the initial selection. Once you get selected, you might be further selected for a scholarship based on your overall application.

Furthermore, some scholarships are awarded by organizations instead of schools. These scholarships vary in their eligibility criteria, and some may even not require a GRE score. You can learn more about these sorts of scholarships here.

18. Does GRE compensate low GPA?

Yes, sometimes. Every school has a different admissions policy, and even if they do something like compensating a low GPA in place for a high GRE score, they don’t openly talk about it, say, on their website. Depending on your circumstances and your personal statement, a school, might give you a break and consider your GRE score if you have a valid reason for why you scored a low GPA.

Perhaps you were going through some hard times like losing a loved one or being in an accident. You can talk about this stuff on your personal statement, and if the admissions committee see that you are an exceptional student, they might overlook your low GPA.