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The GRE is moderately difficult. It ranks harder than high school tests but easier than other standardized exams.
The GRE lasts under two hours, with 54 scored questions and one essay, making it shorter than most other standardized exams (which can run up to 7.5 hours). Its adaptive format makes questions more difficult if you perform well in the first section. Common pain points include dense vocabulary, tricky multi-step math word problems, and time crunches on reading passages.
You can prepare for the GRE with professionals at Inspira Advantage. Our expert tutors work with you to help you achieve a guaranteed score of 320 or higher.
There are three parts of the GRE: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing.
Verbal Reasoning splits into two sections: 12 questions in 18 minutes, then 15 questions in 23 minutes.
Quantitative Reasoning also splits into two sections: 12 questions in 21 minutes, then 15 questions in 26 minutes.
Analytical Writing gives you 30 minutes for a single essay.
These sections work out to roughly 90 seconds per Verbal Reasoning question and 1 minute 45 seconds per Quantitative Reasoning question.
However, Reading Comprehension passages and multi-step word problems routinely take twice as long. Every question you overspend on forces you to rush somewhere else. And rushing on the GRE produces more wrong answers than strategic guessing would.
Build pacing into every practice session from day one. Knowing the material means nothing if you can't deploy it within the time window.
The GRE tests a mix of math, reading, vocabulary, and writing skills commonly used in graduate-level education. Its content covers these core areas:
Most students have at least one area that needs improvement. For pre-med students, Quantitative Reasoning gaps usually surface around ratios, coordinate geometry, and probability.
Verbal Reasoning is where science-focused students lose the most confidence. The passages read like condensed academic journal articles covering the humanities and social sciences. This can be a jarring shift if you've spent college reading biology textbooks and research protocols.
The GRE and MCAT test very different skills, and most students find the MCAT significantly harder overall. The GRE measures general academic reasoning used across many graduate programs. The MCAT tests advanced scientific knowledge, passage-based reasoning, and mental endurance specific to medical school admissions.
Most students can prepare for the GRE in two to three months. MCAT preparation often takes three to six months because the exam covers far more material and requires deeper scientific analysis.
The MCAT is also much longer. The GRE takes about 1 hour and 58 minutes, while the MCAT lasts roughly 7.5 hours with breaks. Many students describe the MCAT as both a content exam and an endurance exam.
The GRE focuses on:
The MCAT tests:
Unlike the GRE, the MCAT rarely rewards simple memorization alone. Students must apply concepts across multiple disciplines within passage-based questions.
Scoring high on the GRE requires mastering test patterns, timing, and core math/verbal skills. MCAT success requires long-term content mastery, stamina, and the ability to interpret complex research-style passages under pressure.
The exams also differ in retake flexibility. Students can take the MCAT up to three times in a single calendar year, while the GRE can be taken up to five times within a rolling 12-month period.
Here’s a summary of the major differences between the GRE and the MCAT:
The GRE is significantly harder without studying because the test is designed to exploit exactly the kind of overconfidence that unstudied test-takers bring to the table. The math covers concepts you learned in high school, but most students haven't actively used algebra or geometry in years, and ETS builds trap answers that punish anyone relying on vague recall instead of sharp fundamentals.
Preparing for the GRE is hard but possible. Most test-takers need one to three months of preparation. The difficulty depends almost entirely on the gap between your baseline score and your target.
Yes, about half of the GRE has math. Quantitative Reasoning accounts for 27 of the 54 scored questions, split across two separately timed sections (12 questions in 21 minutes, then 15 in 26 minutes).
Most students struggle with Verbal Reasoning the most. Specifically, the dense, humanities-heavy Reading Comprehension passages and the sophisticated vocabulary tested in Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions make up roughly half the Verbal section.
A score of 300 on the GRE is an achievable goal for many test-takers, as it represents an average score. The GRE is scored on a scale of 260-340, with 130-170 points possible for both the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections.
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