You’ve signed up for the GRE, and now, you’re wondering how to prepare for test day. One of the best ways to get ready for the GRE is to take practice tests. Luckily, there are many free tests that help you without breaking your budget.
Practice tests give you a sense of what test day will be like. Some practice tests are more helpful than others, though. Some tests are very similar to the GRE. Others feature questions that don’t match what you’ll see on the real test.
To help you decide which test to take, we’ve found the nine most accurate and useful free GRE practice tests. If you’re ready to start your GRE test prep, read on to learn about the best free GRE practice tests. Or if taking practice tests isn't your thing, check out our round-up of the best GRE prep courses.
GRE practice tests help you understand the time pressure of the test. They also give you a good sense of the question formats and the types of skills tested on the GRE. Also, many have detailed explanations that teach you how to solve common GRE problems.
When you’re deciding which GRE practice test to try, look for tests with a similar format to the real GRE. Also, look for tests that are easy to use and include detailed explanations of how to solve their questions.
Look for a practice test with questions that match the difficulty of the real GRE.
The GRE is a 3 hour and 45 minute marathon. You’ll want to do a practice test that mirrors these conditions.
If a practice test doesn’t have detailed explanations, you won’t be able to learn what you did wrong and how to improve.
The GRE is computer adaptive—this means if you do well on one section, the next section will be more difficult. Look for a practice test that has this format.
If a practice test has a clunky interface, you may spend more time trying to navigate it than studying. Look for a practice test that’s sleek and easy to use.
PowerPrep was created by ETS, the same company that administers the GRE. Because of that, their practice tests are very similar to what you’ll see on test day. ETS offers two PowerPrep tests for free. All you have to do is download their software.
The practice test interface is identical to the real GRE. The sections are also computer adaptive.
The biggest downside to this test is that there are no answer explanations. ETS just provides an answer key. They also don’t score the Analytical Writing essays. Because of this, try doing this practice test first and using it as your baseline score (see what takes to get a good GRE score). Then, move onto other tests that provide more detailed answer explanations.
Manhattan Prep offers one of the best GRE practice exams. Their test features accurate questions that match the real GRE. The test also has computer-adaptive sections. Plus, the computer interface is smooth and simple to use.
In addition, Manhattan Prep has some of the most detailed question explanations of any test prep company. These explanations go through how to solve each problem step-by-step. They’ll help you understand why you got a problem wrong and how to solve it.
To access the practice test, create a free account. Then, you’ll be able to begin studying.
Related reading: Manhattan Prep GRE review
Kaplan’s free practice test features an easy-to-navigate interface that looks like the real GRE. Their questions are close to what you’ll find on the GRE. You’ll need to create a free account to take the practice test.
After you take the test, Kaplan provides an analysis that shows what you did well on. They also tell you what topics you need to work on. This analysis helps you focus your studying.
One of the downsides to Kaplan’s test is its answer explanations aren’t too detailed. Other test prep companies, like Manhattan Prep, offer much more in-depth solutions. In addition, Kaplan’s test isn’t section adaptive like the real GRE. However, Kaplan’s sleek interface and useful test analysis make their practice test worth taking.
Related reading: Kaplan GRE review
Princeton Review provides one free practice test on their website. Like Kaplan and Manhattan Prep, the test follows the real GRE’s timing and format. Their interface also looks like the real GRE. After the test, they’ll send you a breakdown telling you what topics you did and didn’t do well on.
To take the practice test, you’ll need to create a free account. Once you do that, you’ll only have 14 days to complete the test. Because of that, it’s a good idea to create your account on the day you’re planning to do the practice test.
There are a few downsides to Princeton Review’s practice test. Their questions are a bit easier than the real GRE’s questions. They also don’t provide answer explanations. Even with these negatives, Princeton Review’s accurate format and after-test breakdown make the test worth trying.
Related reading: Princeton Review GRE review
Magoosh has a free practice test on their website. You don’t need to create an account to access this test.
Magoosh’s test includes one 20-question Verbal section and one 20-question Quantitative section. These questions are similar to what you’ll find on the real GRE. They also have useful text and video explanations with each of these questions. These video explanations feature a voiceover from an instructor. The instructor talks you through how to solve the questions.
Since Magoosh’s practice test only has one Verbal and one Quant section, it isn’t an accurate representation of the GRE. If you just want to do some quick practice, though, Magoosh’s test is a good choice.
Related reading: Magoosh GRE review
McGraw-Hill provides numerous free practice tests. These tests offer Verbal and Quantitative prep. They don’t have any Analytical Writing practice questions. You don’t need to create an account to do the tests.
McGraw-Hill’s practice tests don’t follow the same format as the real GRE. McGraw-Hill’s tests include two 40-minute Quantitative sections and two 35-minute Verbal sections. Each section has 25 questions. Comparatively, the real GRE’S Verbal and Quantitative sections have 20 questions each. However, the questions themselves are similar to what you’ll find on the real GRE. McGraw-Hill also provides detailed answer explanations. Because of that, these tests are a good test prep choice.
If you’re looking for another full-length GRE practice test, try CrunchPrep. Their test features computer adaptive sections. It also includes an experimental section. This is a section of the GRE that isn’t graded and is used for research purposes.
CrunchPrep’s test also includes Analytical Writing essays. Your essays will be scored by a computer program using a similar rubric to the real GRE. CrunchPrep also sends you a score report (read more about GRE scoring) with a breakdown of the topics you did well on and the ones that need improvement.
Test prep company Mometrix offers a free 15-question Quantitative Reasoning practice test and a free 15-question Verbal Reasoning test. The questions are close to what you’ll find on the real GRE. They also provide helpful answer explanations.
The two tests aren’t nearly as long as the real GRE. There are also no Analytical Writing essay questions. However, since these tests are short, they’re a good choice if you just want to get in some fast practice.
ETS provides PDFs of some of their older paper exams on their website. You can print these PDFs out and do the practice exams at home. There is often a bit of overlap between these paper exams and the PowerPrep practice tests. Because of that, it’s a good idea to do the PowerPrep test first. Then, use the paper exam to practice with questions you haven’t seen yet.
Since the GRE is done on a computer, these paper exams won’t give you the same experience as the real test. Also, like with PowerPrep, there are no answer explanations. You’ll just get an answer key. But still, the fact that these questions were written by ETS makes them worth trying. If you like psychical resources, see our guide to the best GRE prep books.