GRE Subject Test in Physics
GRE Physics Subject Test
Mechanics to quantum physics at the pace of the Subject Test, with original problems.
AI-drafted · awaiting expert review2026–27 testing year (test windows September 2026 to May 2027): the computer-delivered GRE Physics Test as described by ETS, about 70 five-choice questions in 2 hours, with content categories and weights from ETS's Physics Test fact sheet and Content and Structure page. Constants are the CODATA 2022 values published by NIST.
A complete, original course for the GRE Subject Test in Physics, organized by ETS's nine content categories and weighted like the test: classical mechanics, electromagnetism, optics and waves, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, atomic physics, special relativity, laboratory methods and the specialized topics. Each lesson teaches the physics the way the test asks for it, with worked no-calculator examples, common traps and a "Check yourself" list, and each comes with five-choice practice problems whose explanations show why the right answer is right and why the tempting ones are not. Throughout, you practise the habits that make about 70 questions in 2 hours possible: estimation, dimensional analysis, limiting cases, symmetry and recognising the classic setups. A full-length, 70-question timed practice test closes the course. Every constant is a CODATA 2022 value from NIST; every problem is written fresh for Lumenary Prep.
About the exam
- The Physics Test has approximately 70 five-choice questions, some grouped in sets, based on diagrams, graphs, experimental data and descriptions of physical situations. Most can be answered with a mastery of the first three years of undergraduate physics.GRE Subject Test Content and Structure (Physics Test overview and content areas) · The GRE Physics Test (fact sheet, PDF)
- The test is computer-delivered. Total testing time is 2 hours, with no separately timed sections, and the Subject Tests include no break.GRE Subject Test Content and Structure (Physics Test overview and content areas) · GRE Information Bulletin, 2026–27 (PDF) · Strategies and Tips for the GRE Subject Tests
- Approximate share of the test by content category: Classical Mechanics 20%, Electromagnetism 18%, Optics and Wave Phenomena 8%, Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics 10%, Quantum Mechanics 13%, Atomic Physics 10%, Special Relativity 6%, Laboratory Methods 6%, Specialized Topics 9% (nuclear and particle physics, condensed matter, and miscellaneous topics such as astrophysics, mathematical methods and computer applications).GRE Subject Test Content and Structure (Physics Test overview and content areas) · The GRE Physics Test (fact sheet, PDF)
- ETS expects familiarity with single and multivariate calculus; rectangular, cylindrical and spherical coordinates; vector algebra and vector differential operators; Fourier series; partial differential equations; boundary value problems; matrices and determinants; and functions of a complex variable.GRE Subject Test Content and Structure (Physics Test overview and content areas)
- SI units are used predominantly, and the test supplies a table of physical constants and a few conversion factors among SI units.GRE Subject Test Content and Structure (Physics Test overview and content areas)
- No calculator: an onscreen calculator is not available for the Subject Tests, and personal calculators are not permitted unless approved as an accommodation.GRE Information Bulletin, 2026–27 (PDF)
- Scoring: one total score on a 200–990 scale in 10-point increments (the range for a single Subject Test is usually narrower), plus three percent-correct subscores on a 0–100 scale for Classical Mechanics; Electromagnetism; and Quantum Mechanics and Atomic Physics. Percent-correct subscores are not equated, so they cannot be compared across test editions.GRE Subject Tests (information for score users) · GRE Guide to the Use of Scores, 2026–27 (PDF) · GRE Subject Test Content and Structure (Physics Test overview and content areas)
- Scores depend on the number of questions answered correctly; nothing is subtracted for an incorrect answer, so it pays to answer every question.Strategies and Tips for the GRE Subject Tests · GRE Guide to the Use of Scores, 2026–27 (PDF)
- The testing software lets you skip questions, mark them for review, see a list of answered and marked questions, and change answers while time remains.Strategies and Tips for the GRE Subject Tests
- 2026–27 test windows: September 14–27, 2026; October 19–November 1, 2026; and April 19–May 2, 2027, with scores reported on October 5, 2026, November 9, 2026 and May 10, 2027 respectively. The tests are given at computer-delivered test centers worldwide, and at home on select dates within the windows.GRE Subject Tests (information for score users) · GRE Information Bulletin, 2026–27 (PDF) · Register for the GRE: frequently asked questions (Subject Tests)
- You may take a GRE Subject Test once every 14 days. The registration fee is \$199 (US dollars) worldwide.Register for the GRE: frequently asked questions (Subject Tests) · GRE Information Bulletin, 2026–27 (PDF)
Syllabus
21 lessons, 238 practice questions and 1 timed practice exam.
Start here
The test and the physicist's shortcuts
What ETS tests and how: about 70 five-choice questions in 2 hours, no calculator. The habits that make the pace possible: estimation, dimensional analysis, limiting cases, symmetry and the constants worth knowing by heart.
- The test, and the physicist's shortcutsFree sample40 min
Mechanics and electromagnetism
Classical Mechanics
About 20% of the test. Kinematics and Newton's laws (including non-inertial frames), work, energy and momentum for systems of particles, rotation and oscillations, central forces and orbits, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, and elementary fluids.
- Kinematics, Newton's laws and non-inertial frames(included with the course)50 min
- Work, energy, momentum and systems of particles(included with the course)50 min
- Rotation and oscillations(included with the course)55 min
- Central forces, Lagrangian mechanics and fluids(included with the course)60 min
Electromagnetism
About 18% of the test. Electrostatics, DC and AC circuits, magnetic fields and the Lorentz force, induction, Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic waves, and fields in matter.
- Electrostatics(included with the course)50 min
- Circuits, DC and AC(included with the course)50 min
- Magnetic fields, the Lorentz force and induction(included with the course)55 min
- Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic waves and fields in matter(included with the course)55 min
Waves, heat and relativity
Optics and Wave Phenomena
About 8% of the test. Wave properties, superposition, interference, diffraction, geometrical optics, polarization and the Doppler effect.
- Waves and optics(included with the course)60 min
Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
About 10% of the test. The laws of thermodynamics, processes and engines, equations of state, kinetic theory, ensembles and partition functions, thermal expansion and heat transfer.
- Thermodynamics(included with the course)55 min
- Kinetic theory and statistical mechanics(included with the course)55 min
Special Relativity
About 6% of the test. Time dilation, length contraction, simultaneity, Lorentz transformations, velocity addition, four-vectors, and relativistic energy and momentum.
- Special relativityFree sample50 min
Quantum and atomic physics
Quantum Mechanics
About 13% of the test. The postulates and operators, solutions of the Schrödinger equation (wells, barriers, the harmonic oscillator, hydrogen), angular momentum and spin, identical particles and elementary perturbation theory.
- Quantum foundations: waves, uncertainty and measurement(included with the course)50 min
- Solving the Schrödinger equation: wells, barriers, oscillators and hydrogen(included with the course)60 min
- Angular momentum, spin, identical particles and perturbation theory(included with the course)60 min
Atomic Physics
About 10% of the test. Electron properties, the Bohr model and hydrogenic spectra, atomic structure and selection rules, x-rays, black-body radiation, and atoms in electric and magnetic fields.
- Atoms, spectra and x-rays(included with the course)50 min
- Photons, black-body radiation and atoms in fields(included with the course)50 min
Laboratory and specialized topics
Laboratory Methods
About 6% of the test. Data and error analysis, counting statistics, electronics and instruments, radiation detection, charged particles in matter, lasers and interferometers, and dimensional analysis.
- Laboratory methods: uncertainty, counting, electronics, detectors and interferometers(included with the course)60 min
Specialized Topics
About 9% of the test. Nuclear and particle physics; condensed matter (crystals, x-ray diffraction, thermal properties, metals, semiconductors, superconductors); and miscellaneous topics such as astrophysics and mathematical methods.
- Nuclear and particle physics(included with the course)50 min
- Condensed matter, astrophysics and mathematical methods(included with the course)55 min
Practice exams
- Full-length practice test70 questions · 120 minutesIncluded with the course
Free official resources
Use these alongside the course. They are free, and they are the final word.
- GRE Subject Test Content and Structure (ETS)ETS's own description of the Physics Test: question count, timing, the nine content areas with their percentages, and the mathematics you are expected to know.
- The GRE Physics Test fact sheet (ETS, PDF)The content outline with the subtopics of each category. Use it as your checklist.
- Practice Book for the GRE Subject Test in Physics (ETS, PDF)Free from ETS: a full-length practice test with answer key, strategies and scoring information. Take it under timed conditions; nothing in this course is copied from it, so it stays a fresh test for you.
- Strategies and Tips for the GRE Subject Tests (ETS)How the mark-and-review feature works, why to answer every question, and the rules for scratch paper and at-home testing.
- GRE Information Bulletin 2026–27 (ETS, PDF)Registration, test-day rules (including the no-calculator rule for Subject Tests), score reporting and the 2026–27 dates.
- Fundamental Physical Constants, CODATA 2022 (NIST)The authoritative values of c, h, e, the particle masses and every other constant used in this course.
- Uncertainty of Measurement Results (NIST)A clear official guide to standard and combined uncertainty, useful for the Laboratory Methods questions.
GRE is a registered trademark of ETS, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse Lumenary Prep. Every lesson and question here is original; use ETS's free official practice book alongside it. Every source this course cites.