GRE Chemistry Test

Graduate Record Examination
(Chemistry Subject Test)
Type Paper-based standardized test[1]
Developer / administrator Educational Testing Service
Knowledge/skill(s) tested

Undergraduate level chemistry:

Purpose Admissions in graduate programs (e.g. M.S. and Ph.D.) in chemistry (mostly in universities in the USA).
Year started (?)
Duration 2 hours and 50 minutes[3]
Score/grade range 200 to 990, in 10-point increments[4]
Score/grade validity 5 years[5]
Offered 3 times a year, in September, October and April.[6]
Country(ies) / region(s) Worldwide
Language(s) English
Annual no. of test takers ~3,000-4,000 yearly
Prerequisites / eligibility criteria No official prerequisite. Intended for chemistry bachelor degree graduates or undergraduate students about to graduate. Fluency in English assumed.
Fee

US$ 150[7]

(Limited offers of "Fee Reduction Program" for U.S. citizens or resident aliens who demonstrate financial need, and for national programs in the USA that work with underrepresented groups.[8])
Scores/grades used by Chemistry departments offering graduate programs (mostly in universities in the USA).
Website www.ets.org/gre/subject/about/content/chemistry

The GRE subject test in chemistry is a standardized test in the United States created by the Educational Testing Service, and is designed to assess a candidate's potential for graduate or post-graduate study in the field of chemistry. It contains questions from many fields of chemistry. 15% of the questions will come from analytical chemistry, 25% will come from inorganic chemistry, 30% will come from organic chemistry and 30% will come from physical chemistry.[9]

This exam, like all the GRE subject tests, is paper-based, as opposed to the GRE general test which is usually computer-based. It contains 130 questions, which are to be answered within 2 hours and 50 minutes. Scores on this exam are required for entrance to most chemistry Ph.D. programs in the United States.

Scores are scaled and then reported as a number between 200 and 990; however, in recent versions of the test, the maximum and minimum reported scores have been 940 (corresponding to the 99 percentile) and 460 (1 percentile) respectively. The mean score for all test takers from July, 2009, to July, 2012, was 703 with a standard deviation of 115.[10]

Tests generally take place three times per year, on one Saturday in each of September, October, and April. Students must register for the exam approximately five weeks before the administration.

See also

References