GRE exam aims to measure verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing and critical thinking skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not related to any specific field of study. It is commonly known for admissions requirement for graduate schools in US and other English speaking countries for graduation program.
Once you clear GRE Exam you are eligible for admission, but weight of GRE scores vary considerably not only from school to school, but from department to department, and from program to program also.

GRE Test Content and Structure

The GRE General Test features question types that closely reflect the kind of thinking you’ll do — and the skills you need to succeed — in today's demanding graduate school programs, including business and law. The test-taker friendly design lets you skip questions within a section, go back and change answers and have the flexibility to choose which questions within a section you want to answer first. Get a look at the structure of the computer-delivered or paper-delivered GRE General Test.

The GRE General Test measures your verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills — skills that have been developed over a long period of time and are not related to a specific field of study but are important for all. Here's a look at content covered in the three test sections — Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing.

Verbal Reasoning

The Verbal Reasoning section measures your ability to:

analyze and draw conclusions from discourse; reason from incomplete data; identify author's assumptions and/or perspective; understand multiple levels of meaning, such as literal, figurative and author's intent

select important points; distinguish major from minor or irrelevant points; summarize text; understand the structure of a text

understand the meanings of words, sentences and entire texts; understand relationships among words and among concepts

Get a quick view of the Verbal Reasoning question types.

Take a closer look at the Verbal Reasoning section, including sample questions with explanations, tips and more.

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning section measures your ability to:

understand, interpret and analyze quantitative information

solve problems using mathematical models

apply basic skills and elementary concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis

The Quantitative Reasoning section includes an on-screen calculator. If you are taking the paper-delivered test, a calculator will be provided at the test center.

Analytical Writing

The Analytical Writing section measures your ability to:

articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively

support ideas with relevant reasons and examples

examine claims and accompanying evidence

sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion

control the elements of standard written English

The Analytical Writing section requires you to provide focused responses based on the tasks presented, so you can accurately demonstrate your skill in directly responding to a task.

Modified Versions of Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Questions

The test you take may include questions that are modified versions of published questions or of questions you have already seen on the test. Some modifications are substantial; others are less apparent.

Even if a question appears to be similar to a question you have already seen, it may in fact be different and have a different answer. Pay careful attention to the wording of each question.

See also:

The following are criteria of certain business schools:

• Harvard Business School: Official test scores for the GMAT or GRE tests no more than 5 years old.
• UVA-Darden: Will also accept a GRE score in place of the GMAT.
• MIT-Sloan:The GMAT or GRE is required of all applicants and must be taken before submitting your application.
• Penn-Wharton: Official test scores for the GMAT or GRE tests.
• Stanford GSB: The GMAT is required for admission. Will accept the GRE - including the GRE revised General Test — as an alternative.
• NYU-Stern: The GMAT is strongly preferred, but scores from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) will also be accepted.
• Chicago-Booth: Accepts either GRE or GMAT scores.
•  Vanderbilt-Owen : Accepts either GRE or GMAT scores.
• Berkeley-Haas: Without exception, all applicants to the Haas Ph.D. Program must submit official scores of either the GMAT or the GRE.
• Columbia Business School: Accepts GRE test scores in place of the GMAT, only if applicant has not taken the GMAT within the last 5 years.
• Johns Hopkins-Carey: Accepts either GRE or GMAT scores.
• Dartmouth-Tuck: Accepts either GRE or GMAT scores.
• Northwestern-Kellogg: Accepts either GRE or GMAT scores.

In comparison with GMAT's emphasis on logic, GRE measures the test-takers' ability more in vocabulary. This difference is reflected in the structure of each test. Despite the Analytical Writing section in common, GRE has analogies, antonyms, sentence completions, and reading comprehension passages in Verbal section, while GMAT has sentence correction, critical reasoning and reading comprehension.