GRE has a reputation for being a tough test, and in some aspects, this is true. However, many factors make the GRE easier than what is commonly believed. Some of these factors are also lesser-known ones that people don’t talk about. Sure, you have to memorize a barrage of words and relearn mathematical concepts, but it’s all high school-level stuff. Moreover, even if you aren’t an avid reader or skillful at math, you can learn everything from the ground up. Ultimately, GRE is a standardized test, and like any standardized test, you can prepare for it and ace it.

Let’s explore some of the factors that make GRE easier than typically believed.

MCQ type questions

This may not occur to many people, and they might take it for granted, but everything is a one-word answer on the GRE except for AWA. Think about it; you have to choose a single answer out of a list of five. You don’t have to do any step-by-step calculations, nor do you have to write verbal answers.

If all else fails and you don’t know the correct answer, you can make a guess. You have a one in five chance to get the answer right purely on luck. Moreover, there is no penalty for wrong answer choices either.

You can also improve your chances of guessing the correct answer by eliminating one or two answer choices that are blatantly wrong. This is especially true for the verbal section. There is always at least one answer choice that has nothing to do with the question.  

Furthermore, if you know how GRE models its verbal questions, you can eliminate answer choices simply by the way they are worded. All of this would be impossible if GRE weren’t an MCQ-type test.

You can get up to 4 questions wrong on Verbal Section

This is a little-known fact, but the verbal section is not as competitive as the quant section giving you more leeway. You only need to get 65-70 percent of the questions right to attain a 95th percentile score on the verbal section.

This means that even if you fail to answer up to four questions correctly, you can still achieve a near-perfect score. Knowing this gives you more freedom in managing your time. For example, if you are adept at vocabulary questions and not comprehension questions, you can prioritize the former and maximize your score. Conversely, if your comprehension skills are better, then answer those first.

This way, you won’t lose precious time debating which questions to skips and which to attempt. You only have a minute and a half per question, which is not nearly enough to go through every question diligently.

Avoid getting fixated on a question. The moment you realize you can’t answer it, move on. You can get up to 4 questions wrong and still score high. Why waste time?

There is always an objectively correct answer.

I admit that ETS uses tricky and challenging language to deceive test-takers, but you can be confident knowing that every comprehension question has one correct answer. No matter the topic, length, and complexity of the problem, only one solution is supported by evidence and all others are incorrect.

This negates the need to use your intuition or guesswork in most instances. You don’t have to go by what “feels right” because there is always an objectively correct answer. Moreover, everything you need to answer a question correctly is present in the passage. GRE never assumes outside knowledge. It provides everything within the passage, even if you haven’t heard of a particular topic before.

High school-level Math Knowledge

The biggest challenge to most people is the quant section of the test. Test-takers assume that they need to excel at high-level math to score high on GRE. This is not true. Everything that is tested on GRE quant comes from the high school curriculum. There is no vector analysis, topology, real analysis, calculus, theorems, or trigonometry on GRE.

Every question belongs to either Geometry, Arithmetic, algebra, or Data analysis. That’s it. Moreover, you have already studied these topics in your high school years and only need to brush up on the concepts. Once you do that, it’s all about practice and more practice.

Furthermore, you will have access to an on-screen calculator, which allows you not to do calculations in your brain.

Depending on your program, you may only need to worry about one measure.

We all know GRE has three measures- Verbal, Quant, and AWA. However, depending on what field you are applying to, realistically, you only need to score high in one section. For example, if you apply to an English Literature program, I assure you the admissions board won’t care about your quant score. Similarly, if you apply to a STEM program, grad-schools will primarily focus on your quant scores. This is also true for AWA. It Is a known fact that STEM programs rarely care about an average AWA score.

However, do note that I am not telling you to desert other measures completely. You should give it your best no matter what. But knowing this does relieve you of extra stress and worry. Also, some programs may judge both measures equally, and you should do your research beforehand. In any case, study hard for the complete test and give it your best. If it turns out your quant score isn’t as good as your verbal, your humanities program isn’t going to hold it against you.