On this page
What this practice test covers
It mirrors the current, shorter GRE section by section:
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical Writing: Analyze an Issue | 1 essay | 30 min |
| Verbal Reasoning, Section 1 | 12 | 18 min |
| Quantitative Reasoning, Section 1 | 12 | 21 min |
| Verbal Reasoning, Section 2 | 15 | 23 min |
| Quantitative Reasoning, Section 2 | 15 | 26 min |
You'll see every real question format: one-, two- and three-blank Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence (pick exactly two), reading passages with “select all that apply” and select-a-sentence questions, argument questions, Quantitative Comparison, multiple choice with one or more answers, Numeric Entry (including a fraction answer), and a data set with three questions. Quant sections include the basic calculator.
Two honest differences from test day. First, the real GRE picks your second Verbal and second Quant section based on how you did on the first; ours are fixed, with a mix of easy, medium and hard questions. Second, the real test always starts with the essay, but Verbal and Quant can come in either order. We alternate them.
How to use it
- Exam mode times each section like the real thing and holds the answers until the end. Use it for a true baseline: one sitting, about two hours, no notes and no pausing. The real test has no scheduled break, so practice without one.
- Practice mode is untimed by default and lets you check each answer as you go, with the full explanation. Use it when you're learning a question type.
- Quick drill pulls ten random standalone questions for a short session.
Write the essay by typing, not by hand, and don't use spell-check. The real test's word processor doesn't have one.
How the real GRE is scored (and how we score this)
The real GRE reports Verbal and Quant on 130–170 scales in 1-point steps, and Analytical Writing on 0–6 in half-point steps. ETS turns your number of correct answers into a scaled score through a statistical process that accounts for which sections you received, and it doesn't publish a conversion table. Any site that converts a practice raw score into an exact 130–170 score is guessing.
So we show what we can stand behind: percent correct overall, by section, and by content area (Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, Reading Comprehension, Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Data Analysis). You score your own essay against a sample response and a rubric that mirrors the official criteria.
What to do after you finish
- Review every question you missed and every one you guessed on. Read why the trap answer was tempting.
- Sort your misses by cause: didn't know the content, misread the question, or ran out of time. Each cause has a different fix.
- Study your weakest content area with the GRE Quant guide or the GRE Verbal guide.
- Retake the missed questions a week later, cold, before you trust that you've fixed them.
Free official GRE practice
Use ETS's own materials alongside this test. They're written by the test maker, and nothing else matches the real questions as closely.
- POWERPREP practice tests: two free full-length official practice tests (POWERPREP Online) from ETS, one untimed and one timed, with answer keys and scored sample essays. Save the timed one for your final weeks.
- ETS's published Issue topic pool: the essay topic you get on test day comes from this pool, so reading through it is free, legitimate preparation.
- ETS's Math Review: a free, thorough refresher on every Quant topic.
For paid official practice, the official ETS guide and question books top our best GRE prep books list.
Sample questions
5 questions from this practice test, with answers and explanations. Take the full test above for timing, scoring and your weakest domains.
Select one entry for the blank. Fill the blank in the way that best completes the text.
Although the committee's report was widely expected to recommend sweeping reforms, its conclusions proved surprisingly ______, proposing only minor adjustments to existing procedures.
- A. incendiary
- B. modest
- C. comprehensive
- D. ambiguous
- E. unprecedented
Show answerHide answer
The clue is “proposing only minor adjustments,” and “Although … sweeping reforms” sets up a contrast. You need a word meaning small in scope: modest.
“Comprehensive” and “unprecedented” point the wrong way; they fit the expected sweeping reforms, not the actual minor tweaks. “Ambiguous” is tempting because it sounds critical, but nothing says the conclusions were unclear. They were clear and small.
Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce completed sentences that are alike in meaning.
Far from being ______, the new manager's decisions were made only after weeks of consultation with every department they affected.
- A. deliberate
- B. hasty
- C. impulsive
- D. collaborative
- E. informed
- F. prudent
Select 2.
Show answerHide answer
“Far from being” means the blank is the opposite of weeks of careful consultation. Hasty and impulsive both mean acting without enough thought, and they produce sentences with the same meaning.
“Deliberate,” “collaborative,” “informed” and “prudent” all describe what the decisions actually were, so they reverse the sentence.
Compare Quantity A and Quantity B.
A square has a perimeter of 20, and a circle has a circumference of 20.
| Quantity A | Quantity B |
|---|---|
| The area of the square | The area of the circle |
- A. Quantity A is greater.
- B. Quantity B is greater.
- C. The two quantities are equal.
- D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Show answerHide answer
Square: side = 20/4 = 5, so area = 25.
Circle: 2πr = 20, so r = 10/π and area = π(10/π)² = 100/π. Since π < 4, 100/π > 25 (it's about 31.8). Quantity B is greater.
If you picked “equal,” you assumed the same perimeter means the same area. It doesn't; for a fixed perimeter, a circle encloses more area than any other shape.
A bag holds 4 red marbles and 6 blue marbles. Two marbles are drawn at random, one after the other, without replacement. What is the probability that the two marbles are different colors?
- A. 4/15
- B. 7/15
- C. 12/25
- D. 1/2
- E. 8/15
Show answerHide answer
“Different colors” can happen two ways. Red then blue: (4/10)(6/9) = 24/90. Blue then red: (6/10)(4/9) = 24/90. Total = 48/90 = 8/15.
Check with combinations: (4 × 6)/C(10, 2) = 24/45 = 8/15 ✓.
Traps: 4/15 counts only one order. 12/25 treats the draws as with replacement (2 × 0.4 × 0.6). 7/15 is the probability of the same color.
If 1/x + 1/(2x) = 9/4, what is the value of x?
Enter your answer as a fraction (for example, 5/7). Fractions do not need to be reduced.
Show answerHide answer
Combine the left side over 2x: 2/(2x) + 1/(2x) = 3/(2x). So 3/(2x) = 9/4. Cross-multiply: 18x = 12, so x = 12/18 = 2/3.
Check: 1/(2/3) = 3/2 and 1/(4/3) = 3/4; 3/2 + 3/4 = 9/4 ✓. A common slip is writing 1/x + 1/(2x) = 2/(3x) by adding denominators, which gives the wrong value.
More GRE guides
GRE General Test Guide (2026)
The GRE General Test is the standard admissions exam for U.S. graduate programs, and many business and other…
Read Book picksBest GRE Prep Books for 2026
Start with the books written by ETS, the company that makes the GRE, then add one commercial book for strategy or extra…
Read GuideGRE Quantitative Reasoning Guide
GRE Quant tests high-school math under time pressure, in formats designed to punish autopilot.
Read GuideGRE Verbal Reasoning Guide
GRE Verbal is less a vocabulary quiz than a test of close reading: finding the clue in a sentence, the structure of an…
Read ComparisonGRE vs. GMAT: Which Test Should You Take?
If you’re applying to business school, you can often choose between the GRE and the GMAT (the current GMAT launched as…
ReadFrequently asked questions
Is this GRE practice test the same length as the real test?
Yes. It has the same five sections, question counts and time limits as the current GRE: one 30-minute essay, 27 Verbal questions in 41 minutes and 27 Quant questions in 47 minutes.
Can this practice test predict my GRE score?
Not precisely, and neither can any unofficial test. ETS doesn't publish its raw-to-scaled conversion. Use your percent correct and content-area breakdown to find weak spots, and use ETS's timed POWERPREP test (or the paid POWERPREP PLUS tests) for the closest score estimate.
Are these real GRE questions?
No. They're original questions written to match the GRE's formats, difficulty and style. Real retired questions are available only from ETS, through POWERPREP and the official guides.