WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The GRE General Test assesses verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing. Check your programme’s policy first: taking a test that is not required or considered may add cost without strengthening that application.
Know which GRE you need
The General Test and Subject Tests are different products. Make a shortlist of programmes and record required, optional or not accepted for each, alongside the score-receipt deadline. A university-wide page may not settle a department’s requirement.
Use the current format
The current General Test takes approximately 1 hour 58 minutes. It has one 30-minute writing task, two verbal sections totalling 27 questions in 41 minutes, and two quantitative sections totalling 27 questions in 47 minutes. Old plans built around two essays and a much longer exam need updating.
Turn a diagnostic into a study plan
Try current official practice before buying several courses. Record wrong answers, correct guesses and questions that took too long. Separate a knowledge gap from a misread question: they need different fixes.
For example, if you know percentages but repeatedly use the final value as the denominator, practise identifying the original quantity before calculating. Reviewing ten such errors carefully can be more useful than another undiagnosed full test.
Book with the application deadline in view
Allow time for score reporting and any retake you may reasonably need, using current ETS rules. Check identification and delivery requirements before paying. Do not rely on a historical list of Nigerian test centres; availability belongs in the official booking system.
- Confirm the exact test and programme policy.
- Choose current-format practice materials.
- Keep a weekly error log and repeat missed skills.
- Check booking details directly with ETS.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked 2026-10-13. Examples and planning suggestions are Effikos editorial guidance.
Something needs a closer look? Send us a correction.
