{"id":1991,"date":"2025-11-05T07:47:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T07:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theentrypass.com\/resources\/?post_type=faqs&#038;p=1991"},"modified":"2025-11-05T07:47:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T07:47:14","slug":"should-i-take-gre-general-or-subject","status":"publish","type":"faqs","link":"https:\/\/theentrypass.com\/resources\/faq\/should-i-take-gre-general-or-subject\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I Take GRE General or Subject?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The choice between the GRE General or Subject test depends entirely on your target graduate program\u2019s requirements. Most master\u2019s and PhD applicants need only the GRE General or Subject test that their department specifies\u2014rarely both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The GRE General Test is required by the majority of graduate programs. It assesses verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing. If you\u2019re applying to business, public policy, engineering, social sciences, or humanities programs, you almost certainly need the GRE General Test\u2014not the Subject Test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, the GRE <a href=\"https:\/\/theentrypass.com\/resources\/faq\/what-are-the-subjects-in-the-gre-exam\/\">Subject <\/a>Tests (offered in Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology as of 2025) are content-specific exams. They are typically required only by highly competitive PhD programs that want to evaluate deep disciplinary knowledge. For example, a PhD in theoretical physics at a top university may require the Physics Subject Test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Decide Which to Take<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Start by reviewing the official admissions page of every program you plan to apply to. Look for explicit language:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cGRE General Test required\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cPhysics Subject Test recommended\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cGRE optional\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If a program does <strong>not<\/strong> mention a Subject Test, do <strong>not<\/strong> take one. Submitting an unnecessary Subject Test score may not help\u2014and could distract from your core application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also consider logistics. The GRE General Test is offered year-round via computer. GRE Subject Tests are paper-based and administered only three times per year (April, September, October), requiring advanced planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unless you\u2019re applying to a research-intensive PhD in math, physics, or psychology, you likely only need the GRE General or Subject test that aligns with standard admissions norms\u2014almost always the General Test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When in doubt, contact the program\u2019s admissions coordinator directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your test choice should reflect institutional expectations\u2014not assumptions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","faq-categories":[],"class_list":["post-1991","faqs","type-faqs","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Should I Take GRE General or Subject? | The Entry Pass<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The choice between the GRE General or Subject test depends entirely on your target graduate program\u2019s requirements.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theentrypass.com\/resources\/faq\/should-i-take-gre-general-or-subject\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should I Take GRE General or Subject? 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Most master\u2019s and PhD applicants need only the GRE General or Subject test that their department specifies\u2014rarely both. The GRE General Test is required by the majority of graduate programs. It assesses verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theentrypass.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faqs\/1991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theentrypass.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faqs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theentrypass.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/faqs"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theentrypass.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"faq-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theentrypass.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faq-categories?post=1991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}