The total test takes three to three hours and forty-five minutes to complete, though there may be an untimed and unscored "research" section on the test. The test may also include an unidentified section that is not counted towards your score. You will not be told which section is the unscored section when you take the test, so it is important to do your best in every section. The test may be given via a computer or on paper. Students are barred from bringing anything to the test, including electronic devices like cell phones that could be used to cheat. The tests is designed to test three broad subjects that are universal for graduate study, regardless of field. They are analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative (or mathematical) reasoning. Each of these tasks has its own timed section during the GRE test.
The analytical writing portion of the test is designed to evaluate the student's ability to articulate and evaluate complex written ideas. This includes some elements of English grammar (though grammar is not the focus of the test), the ability to support a position with relevant arguments and examples and the ability to spot flaws in other arguments and claims.
The quantitative reasoning portion of the test evaluates the student's mathematical skills, especially in arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis. It also is designed to ensure that a student can solve problems and reason in a quantitative fashion.
Verbal reasoning evaluates the student's ability to analyze written material and absorb the information from it, understand the relationship between parts of sentences, and analyze the relationship between words and their related concepts.