Skidmore Computational Physics & ML Lab A computational physics and machine-learning research group at Skidmore College

Physics GRE Resources

This page collects information for students preparing for the Physics GRE: official registration links, past exams, solution resources, study materials, admissions requirements, and practical advice for taking timed practice tests.

ETS Physics GRE

Last checked: July 17, 2026. Test dates, fees, locations, and university requirements can change. Always confirm the details on the official ETS and university pages before registering or applying.

On this page: Format and practice tests | Study materials | Study plan | Test-taking strategies | Do I need the GRE? | University policies | What this survey suggests | Booking | Application timeline | Fees and score reporting | Interpreting scores | Topics covered

Format and Practice Tests

The Physics GRE is now a computer-delivered, two-hour test with approximately 70 five-choice questions. This gives you an average of about 1 minute 43 seconds per question.

The test does not provide an on-screen calculator, and personal calculators are not permitted unless approved as an accommodation. ETS does provide a short table of physical constants and conversion factors, so you should practise without a calculator or personal equation sheet.

Complete at least some practice tests from a computer screen, using separate scratch paper, rather than printing every test. This better approximates the real test and helps you practise moving between the screen and written calculations.

The released exams below mostly use the older 100-question format. The time per question is roughly comparable to the current test, so the older exams are still useful for pacing. Complete each older exam in 2 hours 50 minutes. Do not simply take the first 70 questions as a current-format proxy: questions from different parts of the exam cover different material, and skipping the later questions would leave gaps in your practice.

Use the older released exams for most of your preparation, working from oldest to newest. Most use the older 100-question format, but they are still valuable for breadth, pacing, and repeated exposure to standard problem types.

Practice papers:

Alternative sources: Harvey Mudd College’s past-exam collection and ETS’s current-format practice book. External resource links checked October 27, 2026.

Save the current-format ETS practice book for your final full practice test. Complete it last and allow yourself 2 hours. ETS also posts current test information on its Physics GRE content and structure page.

Some solutions to the older exams can be found at GREPhysics.NET: All-solutions list.

Study Materials

Study Plan

Begin with the oldest released exam as a diagnostic. Take it under timed conditions, mark it, and identify the topics and types of errors that cost you points. Then work forward through the older exams while combining targeted revision with shorter mixed sets of questions.

Keep the current-format ETS practice book unseen until the final two weeks before the real test. Use it as your dress rehearsal after you have already built speed and coverage with the older exams.

A useful weekly cycle is:

  1. Take a timed test or substantial timed question set.
  2. Mark every question, including correct answers reached by guessing.
  3. Add any needed formulae to your formula sheet.
  4. Review the relevant physics and look for the fastest reliable way to answer each missed or slow question.
  5. Retake missed or slow questions after several days without looking at the solution.

Keep an ever-growing formula sheet. Include formulae that recur and formulae you failed to recall. Memorise the standard results before the real test, but also practise reconstructing answers from dimensions, symmetry, limiting cases, and basic physical principles.

The released exams and current-format practice book contain 670 practice questions in total. By the end of your revision, aim to answer all of them quickly, recalling any necessary formulae from memory and recognising the shortcuts that make the timed test manageable.

Test-Taking Strategies

Do You Need to Take the GRE?

Before registering, make a preliminary list of graduate programmes and check three separate questions:

  1. Does the programme require the General GRE?
  2. Does it require the Physics GRE?
  3. If the Physics GRE is optional, would a strong score add useful evidence that is not already clear from your transcript, research experience, and recommendations?

Policies change from year to year, and departments may distinguish between optional, recommended, not considered and not accepted. A score cannot help you at a department that will not consider it.

For students applying broadly to highly ranked US physics PhD programmes, particularly in theoretical physics, taking the Physics GRE may preserve considerably more options. The General GRE is required by far fewer physics departments, so check your intended programmes before preparing for it.

GRE Policies at 25 Leading US Physics PhD Programmes

This is a representative group of departments that regularly appear near the top of US graduate-physics rankings; it is not a definitive ranking. The policies below concern applications submitted in Fall 2026 for Fall 2027 entry wherever the department has published that information.

An asterisk indicates that the department had not yet posted a clearly labelled Fall 2027 policy when this page was checked. Recheck those programmes after their applications open.

University General GRE Physics GRE Cycle and notes
MIT Not listed as required Recommended, not required Applications receive full consideration with or without GRE scores.
Stanford Required Required Explicit Fall 2027–28 policy. Exceptions may be reviewed for documented extenuating circumstances.
Harvard Optional Required Current cycle, with a December 15, 2026 deadline.
Caltech Recommended, not required Required Explicit policy for the Fall 2027 cohort.
Princeton Optional Optional Princeton recommends submitting a strong Physics GRE when it adds useful evidence, especially for international applicants.
UC Berkeley Strongly recommended Required Explicit Fall 2027 policy. Berkeley states that both tests will be required beginning with Fall 2028 entry.
University of Chicago Not required Required Explicit policy for Autumn 2027 matriculation.
Cornell Not considered Required for two theory areas only Required for theoretical elementary-particle physics and theoretical condensed-matter physics. General and Physics GRE scores are not considered for experimental physics, physics education research, or astrophysics theory.
Columbia Not required Recommended, not required Current page lists a December 3, 2026 deadline and promises full consideration with or without scores.
Yale Optional Optional Explicit Fall 2027 policy. Yale states that no preference is given based on whether scores are submitted.
University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign Optional Optional Both tests may be submitted.
UC Santa Barbara* Not accepted* Not accepted* Latest posted wording says scores are not accepted for 2026 applicants; Fall 2027 wording was not yet posted.
University of Michigan* Not used by Rackham Not listed as an application requirement* Rackham excludes General GRE scores from doctoral admissions. The Physics page still describes Fall 2026 and does not list the Physics GRE among its application materials.
University of Maryland Not used Optional, but recommended in some cases Particularly encouraged for theory applicants, international applicants, students from less familiar institutions, and students whose transcripts may not show their full preparation.
University of Colorado Boulder Not requested Strongly recommended The department explains that a Physics GRE score can have a significant positive effect in several circumstances.
Johns Hopkins Optional Optional Applicants without scores receive full consideration.
UCLA Accepted, not required Strongly recommended Current page gives a December 15, 2026 deadline.
UC San Diego* Not used* Required* Latest posted page is for the preceding admissions cycle; verify that the requirement remains in place for Fall 2027.
University of Wisconsin–Madison* Not considered* Optional* Latest posted policy recommends the Physics GRE when it would strengthen the application, particularly for theory. Page still describes Fall 2026 entry.
University of Washington Optional Optional Explicit Autumn 2027 listing. The department describes the Physics GRE as a relatively minor component.
UT Austin Not considered Optional under restricted circumstances Applicants who submit a Physics GRE must explain in the statement of purpose why it is integral to evaluating their application.
Northwestern* Optional* Optional* Latest posted Physics PhD policy is for Fall 2026 matriculation; recheck for Fall 2027.
Duke Optional Optional Duke notes that scores may provide useful information not conveyed elsewhere in the application.
Brown Optional Required, with an exception Physics GRE requirement is waived for applicants who have a master’s degree in physics or a related field.
Stony Brook Not accepted Not accepted The department no longer accepts either examination.

What This Survey Suggests

The General GRE has largely disappeared as a universal physics requirement. In this group, Stanford clearly requires it, while Berkeley strongly recommends it and Caltech recommends it.

The Physics GRE matters at a larger number of departments. Stanford, Harvard, Caltech, Berkeley, Chicago, Brown, and the latest posted UC San Diego policy require it broadly. Cornell requires it for two theory tracks, and several other departments recommend it.

A reasonable rule is:

Plan to take the Physics GRE if you may apply broadly to highly ranked programmes, especially in theoretical physics. Take the General GRE only when your intended school list gives you a clear reason to do so.

Recheck every policy in September or October 2026, before finalising your application list.

Booking a Test Slot

Use the official ETS scheduling page to check current availability and book a test slot.

Schedule Your GRE Subject Test

For the 2026–27 testing year, ETS lists the following GRE Subject Test windows:

For students applying in Fall 2026, the September and October windows are the useful ones. The April 2027 window is after the usual PhD application deadlines.

Registration for the 2026–27 testing year opens in July 2026. Test-centre availability changes and slots can fill, so do not leave booking until the last minute. Check the official scheduling system rather than relying on an old list of nearby centres.

Suggested Application Timeline

Fees and Score Reporting

The worldwide GRE Subject Test fee is currently $175. ETS states that it will increase to $199 for registrations completed on or after August 1, 2026. Additional score reports cost $40 per recipient. Eligible students can apply for the GRE Fee Reduction Programme.

The test fee includes up to four free score reports to graduate institutions or fellowship sponsors, chosen during registration. For each free report, you can send your most recent Subject Test score or all reportable Subject Test scores from the last five years. Additional score reports can be ordered later for a fee.

Scores remain reportable for five years, and ScoreSelect allows students who retake the test to choose which test dates to report. The score scale and current percentile data are explained below.

Interpreting Your Score

ETS Physics GRE Score Percentiles

ETS reports the Physics GRE total score on a 200–990 scale in 10-point increments. The total score is a scaled score, not the percentage of questions answered correctly. Scaling allows scores from different versions of the test to be compared despite small differences in difficulty.

For test takers between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2025, ETS reports:

The percentile rank tells you the percentage of recent Physics GRE test takers who scored below a given scaled score. Selected values from the current ETS table are:

Physics GRE score Percentile rank
990 96th
960 89th
900 77th
860 70th
800 60th
740 50th
700 43rd
600 25th

The comparison group is self-selected: it consists of people who took the Physics GRE, rather than all physics students. A 50th-percentile Physics GRE score therefore does not mean average performance among all undergraduate physics majors.

There is no universal score that is ‘good enough’. Expectations differ by department, subfield, and applicant background. A strong optional score may help when it supplies evidence not already obvious from the application. A weaker optional score need not always be submitted, but required-score programmes must receive it.

Topics Covered

ETS currently lists the approximate topic weights as follows.