About the GRE® test
GRE® test stands for GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATIONS®. There are two types
of GRE® tests: (1) GRE® General test, and (2) GRE® Subject test
GRE general test
The GRE® General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical
thinking, and analytical writing skills that have been acquired over a long period
of time and that are not related to any specific field of study. The GRE® General
Test is required by many graduate and professional schools in the U.S and is an
important criterion for admission to their graduate programmes. Applicants must
submit their GRE® scores together with certain other records/requirements as
part of the process of admission to graduate schools. The GRE® is administered
by Educational Testing Services (ETS). ETS is responsible for conducting the GRE®
test under the guidance of the college education board of the U.S. GRE is a multiple-choice
Computer Adaptive test and it is a mandatory for students seeking Masters Degree
or PhD degrees in the USA for most of the Universities.
Test pattern
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Verbal section
The skills measured include the test taker's ability to analyze and evaluate written
material and synthesize information obtained from it analyze relationships among
component parts of sentences recognize relationships between words and concepts.
The skills measured include the test taker's ability to understand basic concepts
of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis reason quantitatively solve
problems in a quantitative setting
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28 questions in 45 mins
•
Score range: 200 – 800
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Quantitative Comparison, Discrete Math, Data Interpretation
•
Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
The skills measured include the test taker's ability to articulate complex ideas
clearly and effectively examine claims and accompanying evidence support ideas with
relevant reasons and examples sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion control
the elements of standard written English
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2 essays
•
Analysis of an Issue (45 mins.)
•
Analysis of an Argument (30 mins.)
Total score range for the test: 400 – 1600 (Verbal + Quantitative); 0 –
6 (AWA)
The GRE® scores are technically valid for five years However, most of the top
universities do not consider scores more than two years old .Being a Computer Adaptive
Test, it is conducted throughout the year, on all weekdays you can register for
the test online at
www.gre.org OR by post/ telephone/ fax.
Test fees is US$180 This includes
reporting your scores to 4 universities of your choice, on the day of the test If
you want to report your scores to additional universities (or if you do not report
your scores to any university on your test day, and would like to do so later),
the fee is US$20 per university.
The GRE is a computer-adaptive test, which means your performance on previous
questions determines which question you'll be asked next. The change to GRE has
been cancelled.
Computer Adaptive Test
The GRE® Test is a CAT (Computer Adaptive Test). This means that the computer
adapts the level of the questions to the test-taker's ability. Initially questions
of medium difficulty level are administered to test – taker. If he / she answers
these questions correctly, a more difficult question is given. Otherwise, an easier
question is administered. So, at every stage, the computer tailors the test to the
examinee's level. In this examination, the score depends both on the number of questions
attempted and the number of correct responses.
Some points which you must know about the Computer Adaptive Test
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In verbal section each question has five answer choices and you must select one
choice as your answer
•
In the quantitative ability section each problem solving and data interpretation
question has five answer choices. However, quantitative comparison questions have
only 4 answer choices.
•
Only one question appears at a time. To move to the next question, you have to mark
an answer to the question that is currently on your screen
•
Once you have confirmed your answer to a question you can't go back to a question
and change your answer
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The questions are graded into 5 categories ranging from the easy to the hard category
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More points are awarded for getting the harder questions right
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You are penalized for not completing the test. Hence, your score depends on your
accuracy, the difficulty level of the questions and the number of questions you
attempted. At the beginning of the test, every candidate gets a question of average
difficulty level (level 2 or 3)
•
Questions in the verbal and the quantitative sections need not always be administered
in groups. For example, if the first question that appears in the verbal section
is an antonym, then you need not necessarily get a series of questions on antonyms
alone. Two questions on antonyms may be followed by one question on analogies, followed
by one on sentence completion. In other words, questions can appear in any particular
order. Similarly, in the quantitative section, one question on problem solving may
be followed by one question on quantitative comparison. This may be followed by
one question on problem solving. Hence, the type of question that will come next
cannot be predicted
