GRE Maths Syllabus & Course
GRE Quantitative Reasoning — complete syllabus, question types and prep.
About GRE Quantitative Reasoning
The GRE measures quantitative reasoning, not advanced mathematics — the content stops at high-school level. What makes it challenging is the question design: comparisons, multi-answer questions and data interpretation reward careful reading and estimation over heavy calculation.
Good to know
There is no trigonometry, calculus or formal proof on the GRE. The skill being tested is reasoning under time pressure — especially the Quantitative Comparison format, which is unique to this exam.
Exam format at a glance
| Structure | Two Quantitative Reasoning sections (the test is section-level adaptive — your first section's performance sets the difficulty of the second). |
|---|---|
| Questions | 27 questions across two sections |
| Time | 47 minutes total (about 21 + 26 minutes) |
| Calculator | An on-screen basic calculator is provided. |
| Question types | Quantitative Comparison · Multiple choice — select one answer · Multiple choice — select one or more answers · Numeric Entry (type the answer) · Data Interpretation sets (questions tied to a graph or table) |
| Scoring | Quantitative Reasoning is scored 130–170 in 1-point increments. |
Full syllabus
Properties and operations on numbers.
- Integers, divisibility, factorisation, prime numbers and remainders
- Odd/even, arithmetic operations, exponents and roots
- Estimation, percent, ratio, rate and absolute value
- The number line, decimals and sequences of numbers
Expressions, equations, inequalities and graphs.
- Operations with algebraic expressions and factoring
- Linear and quadratic equations and inequalities
- Simultaneous equations
- Functions and applications (rate, work, mixture word problems)
- Coordinate geometry — lines, slopes, intercepts, parabolas
Plane and solid figures (no proofs).
- Lines, angles and parallel lines
- Triangles (including the Pythagorean theorem) and quadrilaterals
- Polygons and circles
- Three-dimensional figures, area, perimeter and volume
- Angle measure in degrees
Statistics, counting, probability and interpreting data.
- Descriptive statistics — mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation, quartiles, percentiles
- Interpreting data in tables and graphs
- Counting methods — combinations, permutations and Venn diagrams
- Probability
- Distributions of data, random variables and the normal distribution
How to prepare
- Learn the Quantitative Comparison strategy cold — it is roughly a third of the questions.
- Use the on-screen calculator sparingly; most questions are faster by estimation.
- Drill Data Interpretation sets — several questions hang off a single chart.
- Memorise core stats and geometry facts so you spend time reasoning, not recalling.
Study material & tests
Exam-aligned practice and mocks for GRE are in development — this page is the syllabus and study roadmap.