Graduate Record Examination

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The Graduate Record Examination or GRE is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in English speaking countries. It is created and administered by the Educational Testing Service and is similar in format and content to the SAT.

Contents

[edit] GRE General Test

[edit] Format

Unlike the SAT, the GRE is a computer-based test. It is a computer-adaptive test: while the number of questions in any given section is fixed, the difficulty and scoring value of those questions varies according to the previous responses provided by the test-taker. Rather than having a fixed point value, questions of varied difficulty are used in order to 'zero in' on the level of question that represents the upper bound of the test-taker's ability. Because of the way in which the score value changes over the course of the test, early questions are much more important in determining the final score than those that appear near the end of a section. Questions cannot be skipped or returned to.

The General Test consists of three graded sections and one research or experimental section that is not included in the reported score. Multiple-choice response sections are graded on a scale of 200-800, in 10 point increments. The writing section is graded on a scale of 0-6, in half- point increments. Sections may appear in any order on the test, with the exception of the Analytic Writing section, which always appears first.

One graded multiple-choice section is always a verbal section, consisting of analogies, antonyms, sentence completion, and reading comprehension passages. This section primarily tests vocabulary, and average scores in this section are substantially lower than those in the quantitative section.

The quantitative section, the other multiple-choice section, consists of problem solving and quantitative comparison questions that test high-school level math, including algebra and basic geometry. The problems in this section must be solved without a calculator. Average scores on the quantitative section are generally higher than those on the verbal section, though the material may present a challenge for students who have not studied mathematics since high school.

The analytical writing section requires the testee to write two short essays: one presenting their perspective on a statement, and the other analyzing and pointing out flaws in an argument. Each essay is scored by at least two readers on a six-point holistic scale. If the two scores are within one point, the average of the scores is taken. If the two scores differ by more than a point, a third reader examines the response.

The GRE is scheduled to be changed from a computer adaptive (CAT) format to a linear, computer-based (CBT) format in the Fall of 2007. This change will retire antonym and analogy question types and will include new question types such as numerical fill-ins, three-blank sentence completion questions, and multiple-select multiple choice questions.

[edit] Use in admissions

Many graduate schools in English-speaking countries (especially in the U.S.A.) require GRE test results as part of the application procedure. The GRE test is a standardized test intended to measure the abilities of all graduates in tasks of general academic nature, regardless of their fields of specialization. The GRE is supposed to measure the extent to which undergraduate education has developed an individual's verbal and quantitative skills in abstract thinking.

Unlike other standardized admissions tests (such as the SAT, LSAT, and MCAT), the use and weighting of GRE scores varies considerably not only school by school, but department by department and program by program. Programs in liberal arts topics may only consider the applicant's verbal score to be of interest, while math and science programs may only consider quantitative ability. However, since most applicants to math, science, or engineering graduate programs all have high quantitative scores, the verbal score can become a deciding factor in even these programs. Some schools use the GRE in admissions decisions, but not in funding decisions; others use the GRE for the selection of scholarship and fellowship candidates, but not for admissions. In some cases, the GRE may be a general requirement for graduate admissions imposed by the university, while particular departments may not consider the scores at all. Most graduate schools provide information to potential applicants about how the GRE is considered in admissions and funding decisions, and about the average scores of previously admitted students.

In general, schools do not place a great deal of weight on the analytical writing section. Most programs that involve significant expository writing require the submission of a prepared writing sample that is considered more useful in determining writing ability. However, the writing scores of foreign students are sometimes given more scrutiny and are used as an indicator of overall comfort with and mastery of conversational English.

[edit] GRE Subject Tests

In addition to the General Test, there are also eight GRE Subject Tests testing knowledge in the specific areas of Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Literature in English, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology. At one point there was also a GRE Engineering exam, but as most engineering graduate schools did not require the exam (many felt it was far too broad) it was discontinued as of April 1st 2001. [1] Subject tests typically have 70-200 multiple-choice questions that must be answered in 170 minutes. When an applicable subject test exists for an area of study, scores for that particular test are typically given greater weight than those for the General Test. However, the departments at some universities may not require applicants to take their field's subject test. For example, the English test mostly includes questions regarding canonical British and American literature; as English studies has expanded to include more study of female and minority writers, some departments have deemed that the subject test is outdated and not an efficient predicter of graduate success, and therefore do not require it of applicants. In other fields, however, this is not the case, as the tests might represent things that a superlative graduate should know.

[edit] Preparation

A variety of resources are available for those wishing to prepare for the GRE. Upon registration, ETS provides preparation software called PowerPrep which contains two practice tests of retired questions, as well as further practice questions and review material. ETS does not license their past questions to any other company, making them the only source for official retired material.

Independent preparation material can be found in the form of books and courses from Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Barrons. Barrons is generally considered to be the strongest for vocabulary review because it contains a comprehensive 3,500 word list from previous exams[citation needed]. A recently developed method of improving vocabulary are cell-phone based applications such as AppliMobile.

[edit] Testing locations

While the subject tests are held at many undergraduate institutions, the general test is only held at test centers (due to the computer-based format). Students in major cities in the US, or those attending large US universities, will usually find a nearby test center, while those in more isolated areas may have to travel a few hours to an urban location. Many industrialized countries also have test centers, but at times test-takers must cross country borders (see GRE website for details).

[edit] Criticism

There has been wide speculation on whether GRE scores constitute a meaningful measure of a potential graduate student's knowledge or capability for success. Many schools and universities have eschewed Subject Test requirements, and the GRE General Test has been considered at times irrelevant. Recent reports and questionnaires may show that the GRE General Test is not as significant in determining graduate admissions as once believed.

While the verbal section tests vocabulary and verbal reasoning, the vocabulary employed is not specifically relevant to any particular area of study, and (in the case of analogies and antonyms) is presented without context. The quantitative portion of the test covers topics that are far too elementary for any program in the fields of math or science, as well as being irrelevant for the study of most liberal arts topics. Some people consider the Analytic Writing section (derived from ETS' unpopular Writing Assessment Test) to be less useful in assessing writing ability than a prepared writing sample (generally known as a 'Personal Statement' or 'Statement of Purpose') relevant to the appropriate field (which is also required for admissions by many programs). Also, because of the way the computer adaptive test is scored, individual scores may vary considerably, not only in response to the choice of the material selected for those particular questions, but also in response to the ordering of that material (early questions are given greater weight in determining final score than later questions).

There is also a strong bias towards those students who have the financial resources to take privately owned test taking classes.[citation needed] These classes do typically result in better scores; however, many such companies and tutors focus solely on how to use the test's format to one's advantage, and not how to actually learn the material on the exam.

In the computer-adaptive test, the difficulty of the questions changes based on whether previous questions were answered correctly or not, which may discourage some test takers. For example, if the test-taker is presented with remarkably easy questions half way into the exam, they may infer that they are not performing well, which will influence their abilities as the exam continues. However, test takers should not assume that easy questions are an indication of prior failure, because question difficulty is subjective.

Test center rules are strict. For instance, test takers may not use pens or bring their own scratch paper. Paper and pencils are provided at the testing center. Food and drink are prohibited in the test centers, as are chewing gum and water.

In the United States, the cost of the general test is $130 as of July 1, 2006.

[edit] Weaknesses

Professor Sternberg of Yale University found that the GRE general test was weakly predictive of success in graduate studies in psychology. The weak predictability may be related to the mathematics portion of the GRE general test because a good foundation of mathematics is important in understanding advanced statistics. It is also important to note that statistics is only a small part of the overall doctoral curriculum in psychology.This finding is most interesting because so many graduate schools use this exam for making admissions decisions. The GRE general exam is even more unlikely to be predictive in any of the social sciences that mostly utilize qualitative research which makes no use of statistics versus the use of quantitative research which relies heavily on statistical analysis. One possible solution could involve developing improved versions of GRE subject tests in more areas of the social sciences and using that for graduate school admissions. This sort of test would be a better gauge of how well students have retained the fundamental basics of a certain major during their undergraduate studies.[citation needed]

[edit] Strengths

The mathematical portion of the GRE general test is the only area of the GRE general test that may have predictive ability in the natural sciences. The natural sciences require a strong foundation in mathematics for success in both core courses and in statistical analysis related to research.

[edit] The new GRE General Test

The GRE is currently undergoing significant changes. Due to security concerns, the new GRE will no longer be offered in computer adaptive format, and will be readjusted to a scale ranging from approximately 120 to 179 points. This revamped version of the GRE will premiere in fall 2007.[1] This is supposed to check the cognitive ability of the examinee. It will be a test lasting for about 4 hours. All the examinees will solve the same problems on that day at one time.

[edit] New Quantitative Section

  • More emphasis on problems based on reasoning
  • Proportion of questions involving real life scenarios
  • Geometry questions may be decreased
  • On-screen four-function (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) with square root *calculator will be provided to the candidates
  • Some problems may need to be answered as fill in the blanks (There may not be choices for some questions)

[edit] New Verbal Section

  • There will be a decreased dependency on vocabulary
  • Emphasis on complex reasoning
  • More text based materials such as reading passages
  • Reading passages will have broader selection

[edit] New Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing Section

  • Topics may be introduced to reduce the possibility of candidates using memorized materials.
  • A performance-based measure that integrates the assessment of critical thinking and analytical writing

[edit] GRE prior to October 2002

Prior to October 2002, the GRE had a separate Analytical Ability section which tested candidates on logical and analytical reasoning abilities. This section has now been replaced by the Analytical Writing portion.


[edit] References

  1. ^ Comparison Chart of GRE Changes

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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