What Is The GRE Exam Time? How Long Is The GRE General Test In 2025?

The GRE General Test in 2025 takes 1 hour and 58 minutes. Yes, you read that right. Not three hours, not some endless marathon like it used to be, but under two hours. Yet most students I meet still panic as if it’s a five-hour endurance test.

But it is not what it seems; the problem isn’t the exam time, it’s how unprepared test-takers are for the mental fatigue that sneaks in halfway through quantitative reasoning or reading comprehension. 

They practice endlessly with mock tests but rarely simulate the actual exam pattern with the analytical writing section first, a 10-minute break, and then the reasoning sections that may appear in any order.

Well, don’t obsess over the clock, obsess over replicating test day conditions in your GRE prep. That’s how you stop the exam from feeling like a ticking time bomb and start treating it like the two-hour sprint it really is.

How Long Is Each Section In GRE?

Most favourite question of students: “How long should I spend on a section?” And it’s actually simple if you know yourself. The GRE test prep isn’t about chasing the clock, it’s about knowing the testing time, the number of questions, and how to pace like you would in practice tests.

Let’s break it down section by section.

Analytical Writing Section

You get 30 minutes per task. It is always the first section, so practice writing under pressure until it feels natural; your GRE score won’t forgive sloppy time management.

Verbal Reasoning Section

Each verbal section is 18 questions in 30-40 minutes. The verbal reasoning section tests your comprehension and critical thinking and reading, and the sections may appear in any order after writing.

Quantitative Reasoning Section

Here too it’s 18 questions in 35 minutes. Timing feels tight if you haven’t done enough GRE practice, but smart pacing beats rushing through math.

Unscored / Experimental Section

This wild card takes the same time as verbal or quant. ETS won’t tell you which one it is, so treat every section as if it counts toward your end-of-test score.

Breaks

You get a 10-minute break after writing. Use it like gold. A tired brain costs more points than a tough GMAT quant problem.

How To Allocate Time In GRE Exam?

Every year I see test-takers waste time like they’re still writing the graduate record examination in 2023 when it dragged on for nearly 4 hours. They lose minutes on one reading comprehension passage, panic when the difficulty level of the second section rises, and then wonder why their GRE score collapsed.

Respect The Analytical Writing Section

The analytical writing section will always come first, and you’ve got just 30 minutes per task. One student I worked with wasted 10 minutes brainstorming and left no time to polish writing skills. My advice is easy – train with GRE practice tests where you write under pressure, clarity over creativity wins here.

Treat Verbal Reasoning Like A Sprint

In the verbal reasoning section, you face 18 questions in 30 minutes. The trap is overanalyzing a single comprehension passage. My tip? Cap yourself: no more than 90 seconds per question on average. If stuck, skip questions and circle back. That saved one student nearly 5 questions at the end of the test, which directly counted toward the score.

Handle Quantitative Reasoning With Precision

The quantitative reasoning section gives 35 minutes for 18 questions. Sounds doable until you hit a time-eating data interpretation set. My advice? Always flag one problem and move, ETS doesn’t award bravery points. Your reasoning and quantitative reasoning sections together may appear in any order, so don’t let the difficulty level of the second crush your confidence.

Don’t Forget The Break

That 10-minute break isn’t a luxury, it’s a weapon. In 2024, I saw a student who scrolled Instagram during it, only to lose focus in the computer-delivered test. Compare that to another who stretched, reset, and nailed the second section with full energy. Guess who impressed graduate schools with their score report?

Watch Out For The Experimental Section

Yes, the unscored section can pop up anywhere, and it looks exactly like verbal or quant. Since the sections may appear randomly, you must treat every section as if it will count toward your score. Only amateurs gamble with ETS. Professionals don’t.

Practice Like It’s The Real Thing

Most students do practice tests lazily. Real GRE prep means sitting through all six sections with the right exam pattern, simulating the testing time, and even replicating fatigue. I tell students: don’t aim for average difficulty, aim to be ready for whatever shows up, even if it’s harder than your GMAT mocks.

What Is The GRE Exam Pattern?

The new test format of the GRE is designed to measure how a test-taker handles critical thinking, abstract reasoning, and problem-solving under strict GRE timing. Since September 2023, the exam has been shorter, making every question matter more. The GRE exam pattern mixes easy, medium, and tough questions, but the order can shift, forcing students to stay alert throughout.

When it comes to the GRE Subject Test, the pattern depends on the chosen field.

For example:

• The Mathematics test is 2 hours 50 minutes with 66 questions
• The Physics test is 2 hours with 70 questions
• The Psychology test is 2 hours with 144 questions.

These tests are often valued by specialized graduate programs and even some law schools that want deeper insight into a candidate’s strengths.

Conclusion

The GRE general exam may only take 1 hour and 58 minutes, but knowing the GRE exam pattern, structure of the GRE, and total testing time is what separates top test takers from the rest. From the verbal reasoning section tests to reasoning section tests your ability in quantitative reasoning, understanding questions in each section, the order after the analytical writing, and the 10 minute break is key.

Whether it’s the mathematics test (2 hours 50 minutes) or physics and psychology tests (2 hours), simulating GRE test day, mastering analytical writing skills, and pacing verbal reasoning questions ensures you know how long is GRE, how GRE takes, and how to get a great score.

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