GRE FAQ › Test Format & Mechanics
Shorter GRE time distribution — how is time split across sections?
The current GRE has five sections and takes 1 hour and 58 minutes. The Issue essay (30 min) always comes first. Then come two alternating Quant and Verbal sections, though which comes first will vary. The first Verbal section has 12 questions in 18 min, then the second has 15 questions in 23 min. The first Quant section has 12 questions in 21 min, and the second has 15 questions in 26 min. There are no scheduled breaks.
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