How to Use PowerPrep and Other Free GRE® Practice Tests
If you've started looking into GRE® prep, you've probably heard about PowerPrep.
Maybe someone on a forum told you to take a practice test first. Maybe you found the ETS website and saw something about free practice tests. Maybe you're not even sure what PowerPrep is, but you know you need practice questions somewhere.
That confusion is normal. ETS doesn't make it obvious. The free tests are kind of hidden on their website. The naming is confusing — there's a paid version called PowerPrep Plus that sounds similar but costs $44.95 per test.
We're going to clear all of that up.
Here's what PowerPrep is, how to access the free tests, when to take them, and which other free resources are actually worth your time.
What Is PowerPrep?
PowerPrep is the name ETS gives to its official GRE® practice tests. ETS is the organization that creates and administers the GRE®. So PowerPrep tests are the closest thing you can get to the real exam.
There are five PowerPrep tests total:
- PowerPrep Online Practice Test 1 — free, untimed
- PowerPrep Online Practice Test 2 — free, timed
- PowerPrep Plus Online Practice Test 1 — paid, timed, with explanations
- PowerPrep Plus Online Practice Test 2 — paid, timed, with explanations
- PowerPrep Plus Online Practice Test 3 — paid, timed, with explanations
The two free tests give you the full GRE® experience. Real question types. Real format. Real adaptive behavior. The timed version even gives you scores on the Verbal and Quantitative sections.
The three paid tests (called PowerPrep Plus) cost $44.95 each and add answer explanations, difficulty levels, and Analytical Writing scores. They're probably the most realistic practice tests available from any source.
But the free ones are where most people should start.
How to Access the Free PowerPrep Tests
This is harder than it should be. ETS buries the free tests on their website.
Here's the step-by-step:
- Go to ets.org and create an ETS account if you don't have one
- Log in and go to "Shop for Test Preparation"
- Scroll to the bottom of the page — the free tests are there, but they're easy to miss
- Add PowerPrep Online Practice Test 1 and Practice Test 2 to your cart
- Complete the checkout process (yes, even though they're free, you have to "purchase" them)
Once you've done that, the tests appear in your ETS account. You can launch them from there.
The tests run in a browser-based environment that simulates the actual GRE® testing interface. You'll see the same on-screen calculator, the same question navigation, the same timer (on the timed version).
One thing to know: you can only take each test once. There's no reset button. Once you've started a test, you can pause and resume, but you can't take it again from scratch. So it matters when you choose to take them.
When to Take Each PowerPrep Test
The default advice on most forums is to take a free PowerPrep test right away. Get a baseline score. See where you stand.
That advice makes sense in theory. In practice, it backfires.
Here's why: you can only see each test for the first time once. If you take PowerPrep 1 on day one, you get a score. But that score is probably lower than your real potential, because you didn't know what was coming. The format was new. The timing pressure was new. You hadn't learned the question types yet.
Then later, when you're better prepared, you'll want to take it again. But you've already seen the questions. Your score will be inflated because you remember passages, answer choices, and problem setups. You've lost the ability to use that test as an honest benchmark.
A better approach:
Phase 1: Use a third-party diagnostic (weeks 1-2)
Take a free practice test from Manhattan Prep, Kaplan, or Princeton Review instead. These aren't as accurate as official ETS tests. The quant may be harder or easier than the real thing. The verbal may feel different. But they're good enough to give you a rough baseline and identify weak areas.
Save the official tests for when they'll give you the most useful information.
Phase 2: PowerPrep 1 untimed (weeks 3-4)
Take PowerPrep Online Practice Test 1 in untimed mode. Don't worry about the clock. The goal here's to learn the format, get comfortable with the interface, and see what GRE® questions actually look like.
You won't get section scores from the untimed test. But you'll see which questions you got right and wrong. That's the valuable part.
Review every question. Not just the ones you missed — the ones you got right too. Make sure you understand why the right answer is right and why the wrong answers are wrong.
Phase 3: PowerPrep 2 timed (weeks 5-6)
Take PowerPrep Online Practice Test 2 under timed conditions. This is your first realistic score check. You'll get Verbal and Quantitative scores on the 130-170 scale.
Treat this like the real thing. Same time of day if possible. Same breaks. No phone. No pausing. The more realistic the conditions, the more useful the score data.
Phase 4: PowerPrep Plus tests (final 4-6 weeks)
If you're willing to spend $44.95 per test, the PowerPrep Plus tests are worth it for the final stretch. They give you scores, answer explanations, and difficulty ratings for each question. That review data is hard to get anywhere else.
Most students take one PowerPrep Plus test every 10-14 days in the final month. The last one should be 7-10 days before your real test date.
Other Official ETS Resources (Free and Low-Cost)
PowerPrep isn't the only free stuff ETS offers. Here are the other official resources worth knowing about:
Official GRE® Mentor Course
ETS offers a self-paced online course called the Official GRE® Mentor. It includes 500+ practice questions, a practice test, and skill-building content. There's a free version and a paid version. The free version gives you a sample of the content. The paid version ($49 with GRE® registration, regularly $99) includes a PowerPrep Plus test.
If you're looking for official practice questions beyond PowerPrep, this is the most cost-effective way to get them.
ScoreItNow! Online Writing Practice
The GRE® Analytical Writing section asks you to write one essay in 30 minutes — an "Analyze an Issue" task. ScoreItNow! is an ETS service that lets you submit practice essays and get automated scores back.
It costs $20 for two essay submissions. That's not free, but it's one of the only ways to get feedback on your writing before test day. The automated scorer uses the same engine that grades the real GRE®.
Free Sample Questions and Math Review
ETS publishes free PDFs with sample questions for each section. You can find them on the ETS website under "Prepare for the Test."
The Math Review is a 100+ page PDF covering every math topic on the GRE®. It's dry, but it's the definitive list of what's tested. If you're not sure whether a topic appears on the GRE®, check the Math Review.
The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sample questions are also worth doing. They're real ETS questions, and they come with answer explanations.
Pool of Issue Topics
ETS publishes the complete pool of essay prompts that the Analytical Writing section draws from. Every "Analyze an Issue" prompt you'll see on test day comes from this pool.
You can find it on the ETS website under "Prepare for the Test" → "Analytical Writing." Read through a dozen or so prompts. You don't need to write full essays for all of them, but you should know what the prompts look like and practice outlining your response.
Third-Party Free Practice Tests
Several test prep companies offer free GRE® practice tests. These are useful for early diagnostic purposes and extra practice. But they come with a caveat: they're not as accurate as official ETS tests.
Manhattan Prep Free GRE® Practice Test
Manhattan Prep offers one free full-length GRE® practice test. It's adaptive and includes a score report. The quant tends to be harder than the real GRE®. The verbal is decent but not identical in style to ETS questions.
Best for: an early diagnostic when you don't want to waste an official test.
Kaplan Free GRE® Practice Test
Kaplan offers a free full-length practice test, either self-paced or live online. The question style is a bit different from ETS. Some students find Kaplan's verbal passages easier than the real thing.
Best for: getting a rough baseline and practicing timing.
Princeton Review Free GRE® Practice Test
Princeton Review offers a free practice test with a score report. The difficulty level is generally closer to the real GRE® than Manhattan, though the question style still differs from official ETS questions.
Best for: a mid-prep check-in when you want a different perspective.
The Important Caveat About Third-Party Tests
Third-party tests are fine for practice. They're not fine for score prediction.
The consensus among GRE® instructors is clear: third-party tests tend to be less accurate than official ETS tests. Some are too hard. Some are too easy. The question style doesn't always match what ETS writes.
Use them for practice and timing. Don't use them to decide whether you're ready for the real test. That's what PowerPrep is for.
Your real GRE® score will probably be close to the average of your PowerPrep scores. Third-party scores may be off by several points in either direction.
How to Review a Practice Test
Taking the test is only half the work. The other half — the part that actually improves your score — is the review.
Here's the process we recommend:
Step 1: Identify what you missed
After each practice test, go through every question you got wrong. Don't just look at the right answer and move on. Ask yourself three things:
- What did you think the answer was?
- Why did you think that?
- What should you have noticed that would have led you to the right answer?
Write down the answer to all three questions. The writing matters. It forces you to articulate the mistake, which makes it less likely you'll repeat it.
Step 2: Look for patterns
After two or three practice tests, patterns will emerge. Maybe you're missing geometry questions. Maybe you're running out of time on Reading Comprehension passages. Maybe your Text Completion accuracy drops on two-blank questions.
Those patterns tell you what to study next. If you're missing geometry questions, spend a week on geometry. If timing is the issue, work on pacing drills.
Step 3: Check the questions you got right
This sounds tedious. It is. But it's worth doing for at least your first couple of tests.
Sometimes you get a question right for the wrong reason. You guessed. You eliminated wrong answers but for the wrong reasons. You picked the right answer but didn't fully understand why.
Reviewing correct answers catches those cases. It turns lucky guesses into real understanding.
Step 4: Log everything
Keep a simple spreadsheet or notebook. For each practice test, record:
- Date taken
- Verbal score (if timed)
- Quant score (if timed)
- Topics missed
- Timing issues
- One thing to focus on before the next test
Over a few tests, this log becomes a roadmap. It shows you whether your scores are trending up, where you're stuck, and what to prioritize.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Taking all your practice tests at once
Spacing matters. Taking five practice tests in one week doesn't give you time to learn from each one. You need time between tests to review, study weak areas, and come back stronger.
A good rhythm is one test every 10-14 days, with focused study in between.
Using official tests too early
We mentioned this already, but it's worth repeating. The free PowerPrep tests are your most valuable practice resource. Don't waste them on day one when they'll give you the least useful data.
Start with a third-party diagnostic. Save official tests for when you've put in some study time and can use the scores as honest benchmarks.
Ignoring the untimed test
PowerPrep Practice Test 1 is untimed, and some students skip it because "it doesn't give a score." That's understandable — but it overlooks what the untimed test is actually for.
The untimed test is your chance to learn the format without pressure. You can take as long as you want on each question. You can study the question types. You can get familiar with the interface.
That familiarity makes the timed test more useful, because you're not wasting mental energy figuring out how the test works.
Not simulating real conditions
If you take a practice test on your couch with the TV on, checking your phone between sections, the score isn't telling you much. You're not simulating test conditions. The real GRE® is a controlled environment with strict timing.
The more closely your practice test matches the real conditions, the more accurate the score data will be. Same time of day. Quiet room. No phone. Scheduled breaks only.
Skipping the review
This is the most common pattern we see — students take a practice test, get a score, feel good or bad about it, and move on.
The score is the least important part. What matters is the review. Every question you missed is a signal. Every pattern in your errors points to something you can fix.
If you're not reviewing your practice tests, you're wasting them.
A Sample Practice Test Schedule
Here's how this might look over a 12-week study plan. Adjust based on your timeline and budget.
Weeks 1-2: Take a free Manhattan Prep or Kaplan test as a diagnostic. Don't worry about the score. Use it to identify weak areas and get a feel for the format.
Weeks 3-4: Take PowerPrep Practice Test 1 (untimed). Focus on learning the format and question types. Review every question thoroughly.
Weeks 5-6: Take PowerPrep Practice Test 2 (timed). Treat it like the real thing. This is your first official score benchmark.
Weeks 7-8: Take PowerPrep Plus Practice Test 1 ($44.95) if budget allows. Review using the answer explanations. Focus your study time on the topics where you're still missing questions.
Weeks 9-10: Take PowerPrep Plus Practice Test 2 ($44.95). Compare scores to your earlier tests. Look for patterns in what's improving and what's not.
Weeks 11-12: Take PowerPrep Plus Practice Test 3 ($44.95) 7-10 days before your real test date. This is your final dress rehearsal. If your scores are where you want them, you're probably ready.
If $44.95 per test is outside your budget, the two free PowerPrep tests plus a third-party test or two are enough. The paid tests add value, but they're not essential. What matters most is how well you review each test you take.
Want to learn even more?
Practice tests are one piece of a complete GRE® prep strategy. If you're building a study plan from scratch, we've got resources for that.
Start with our guide on how to start your GRE® studies — it covers what to do in your first two weeks and how to avoid the most common beginner mistakes.
Then check out our complete guide to studying for the GRE® for a full framework covering all three sections.
If you're hitting a wall with your scores, our guide on breaking through a GRE® score plateau walks through what causes plateaus and how to get past them.
And if you're wondering what score you should be aiming for, our what is a good GRE® score guide breaks it down by program type and competitiveness.
FAQ
Are the free PowerPrep tests really free?
Yes. PowerPrep Online Practice Tests 1 and 2 are completely free. You need an ETS account, and you have to go through a checkout process, but you won't be charged. The paid versions are called PowerPrep Plus and cost $44.95 each.
How many free GRE® practice tests does ETS offer?
ETS offers two free full-length practice tests through PowerPrep Online. They also offer free sample questions, a free Math Review PDF, and free essay topic pools. The free PowerPrep tests are the most valuable of these resources.
Are third-party GRE® practice tests accurate?
Third-party tests from Manhattan Prep, Kaplan, and Princeton Review are useful for practice but tend to be less accurate than official ETS tests. The question style differs, and difficulty levels may not match the real GRE®. Use them for early diagnostics and extra practice, but rely on PowerPrep scores for score prediction.
Can you retake a PowerPrep test?
No. PowerPrep tests can't be reset. Once you've started a test, you can pause and resume, but you can't take it from the beginning again. This is why timing matters — don't take an official test until you're ready to get useful data from it.
Should you take a practice test before you start studying?
It depends. A third-party diagnostic test can be useful at the very beginning to identify weak areas. But we'd recommend saving the official PowerPrep tests for after you've put in some study time. Taking an official test cold wastes it as a benchmark.
Do the free PowerPrep tests include Analytical Writing scores?
The free PowerPrep tests include scored sample essays with rater commentary, but they don't give you a personal Analytical Writing score. The paid PowerPrep Plus tests do include Analytical Writing scores.
How close are PowerPrep scores to the real GRE®?
PowerPrep scores tend to be very close to actual GRE® scores. Most students find their real score is within a few points of their PowerPrep average. This is because PowerPrep uses real ETS questions and the same adaptive algorithm as the actual test.
What's the difference between PowerPrep and PowerPrep Plus?
PowerPrep Online (free) includes two tests — one untimed, one timed. You get correct answers but no explanations. PowerPrep Plus Online (paid, $44.95 each) includes three timed tests with answer explanations, difficulty levels, and Analytical Writing scores. Both use real ETS questions.