Adapt to the Changes: GRE, TOEFL and SAT Formats

Written by Overseas Education Consultant and Study Abroad Career Counsellor in Mumbai, Karan Gupta

Entrance tests change, and advice written years ago can mislead you. This article was first written when the GRE, TOEFL and SAT were changing in the 2000s. It now sets out how each test works today, based on the ETS and College Board websites. Confirm the current format and your universities' score rules before you book a test.

GRE General Test

The GRE General Test takes about 1 hour and 58 minutes and has five sections: one Analytical Writing task ("Analyze an Issue", 30 minutes), two Verbal Reasoning sections (18 and 23 minutes) and two Quantitative Reasoning sections (21 and 26 minutes).

The Verbal and Quantitative measures are section-level adaptive. The first section of each is of average difficulty, and the difficulty of the second depends on how you did on the first. For details, see www.ets.org/gre.

TOEFL

TOEFL iBT takes about two hours and has four sections: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. The test adapts, so test time and the number of items may vary.

Since 21 January 2026, score reports have used a 1 to 6 scale in half-point steps. For a two-year transition you also get a comparable overall score on the 0 to 120 scale. Universities are updating their requirements at different times, so some still list 0 to 120 scores.

You can take the test at an authorised test centre or at home with TOEFL iBT Home Edition. Check that your universities accept the version you choose. For details, see www.ets.org/toefl.

SAT

The SAT is digital and adaptive, and you take it in the Bluebook app. It has two sections: Reading and Writing (64 minutes) and Math (70 minutes), for a total of 2 hours 14 minutes, with a 10-minute break between them. Each section has two modules. There is no essay.

Testing policies differ by university. Yale and MIT require the SAT or ACT for this cycle, so check each university's own page.

Karan Gupta is the leading international education and career consultant in Mumbai, India. Since 1999, he has given career counselling and has helped thousands of students with study abroad and get admission and visas to universities and colleges in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and EU and also helps them get scholarships, loans and financial aid. In addition to aptitude tests and career counselling, his firm also provides training and coaching for the GMAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE exams. Karan Gupta is the best study abroad career counsellor, consultant and career guidance expert in Mumbai.