Many people know that GRE is the go-to test when it comes to graduate school admissions. Anyone who has ever entertained the idea of graduate school has also looked up GRE at some point. However, most people only know about the GRE general test. GRE “general test,” as the name suggests, is an over-all test of your verbal and math reasoning skills and analytical writing skills.
Most graduate programs only require the General GRE, and you can take it up to 5 times a year. However, there is another type of GRE test that is subject-specific. This test is called the “GRE Subject Test” and is available in six subjects – Biology, Chemistry, English Literature, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology.
The subject tests are designed to test your knowledge of a particular field of study. Unlike General GRE, the questions on a subject test strictly pertain to a specific subject.
In this Article
GRE General Vs. GRE Subject Test
As you may already know, the GRE General Test has three measures – Verbal reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. There are six total sections. One is AWA, two are verbal, two are quant, and one Is an experimental section. The tests runs for about three hours and 45 minutes.
There are 20 multiple choice questions per verbal and quant section. The AWA section contains two essay writing tasks.
GRE Subject Test, on the other hand, doesn’t have multiple measures nor sections. The exact layout of a subject test varies from subject to subject. However, all the subject tests contain multiple-choice questions of varying quantities.
For example, the Biology Subject Test consists of 188 five-choice questions, whereas the Chemistry Test contains 130. The tests run for about 2 hours and 50 minutes, and there is no essay section. Unlike the General Test, each subject test has its content specifications. The areas covered in any given subject test are outlined on ETS’s website.
Generally, the contents of all the subject tests are taken from undergrad studies. You won’t be asked a question that is a level above a college-level curriculum.
You can take the subject test in the following six subjects. Click on them to find out more about their contents and structure.
Who Should Take The Subject Test?
Firstly, it depends on the program you are applying to. If your program or university of interest requires a subject test, then you have to take it. You may need to take the general test and the subject test in some cases, but this again depends on the program and school you are applying to.
Some top-tier schools like the University of Notre Dame, NYU, and Yale require the subject tests for some of their programs.
However, in the majority of cases, the Subject test is recommended and not required. You should take the Subject test to give you an edge over those who didn’t take it in such cases. Moreover, the subject test also allows you to showcase your knowledge of a particular subject.
When you are interested in a program, go to its webpage and seek out the relevant information. If the subject test is a requirement, it will be stated there, and if it’s a recommendation, then that will be mentioned as well.
If it’s only recommended and doesn’t feel like the time investment is worth it, do a little research. Lookup forums and ask students who are already enrolled whether they took the subject test or not. Do understand that admissions boards take a holistic approach to your application. If you lack severely in other areas such as your GPA, research, work experience, etc., a Subject test might prove incredibly helpful.
On the other hand, if you think your application speaks for itself, and you don’t need to prove anything else, perhaps the subject test isn’t meant for you.
I generally advise students to take the Subject test if it’s recommended. Depending on the school, the competition is often very high, and you want to leverage every possible avenue open to you.
Moreover, if your undergrad is in a completely different area than the graduate program you are applying to. You should take the Subject test a hundred percent to show your readiness for graduate school in that particular subject.
When Can I Take the GRE Subject Test?
Unfortunately, the GRE subject test is not available year-round like the general test. Instead, you can only take the subject test three times a year in April, October, and September. Due to this reason, you must plan for your admissions deadline accordingly. Moreover, ETS can take up to 5 days to process your scorecard and send it to the schools of your choice.
How Do I Prepare for A Subject Test?
There is no shortage of prep-books for the general test. If you go to Amazon right now and type in “GRE prep,” hundreds of results will pop up. However, since the subject tests are more specific and uncommon, test prep companies don’t publish as many books.
The best way to go about your subject test preparation is to visit ETS’s website and select the subject test you want to take. You will find a detailed breakdown of all the topics and sub-topics tested on a particular subject test.
Once you know what you have to learn, you can buy textbooks containing relevant topics and prepare from them.
Moreover, I have also compiled lists of books for five of the subject tests that you can find below: