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GRE Test Overview
The GRE Revised General Test is a graduate school entrance exam, designed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to measure verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing abilities of a student, for admission into graduate, and business schools across the world.
Despite what most people tell you about how the test is created to effectively measure your success in graduate school, the GRE is in fact far more limited than ETS would like to admit. Yes, one could only estimate how successful you might be in graduate school, by your performance on the GRE, but:
At the end of the day, the GRE is really only good at measuring how well you take the GRE.
GRE is the leading standardized test in the world and a significant number of undergraduate students in the world is studying for it. In their 2013 annual report, ETS showed a 13% increase over the previous year in the number of GRE test takers, bringing the total to over 800,000 test takers across all the 180 countries where the test is administered.
That’s 800,000 students from across the world looking to study at graduate schools across the world. So, if you want to make real progress in increasing your GRE score, randomly trying different study plans and other methods, and then crossing your fingers hoping for a decent score isn’t going to get you very far. You need something that can give you real information on what the GRE is, how and what it tests, so you can be better prepared.
So, let’s get started!
What is the GRE?
The new revised GRE is an exam required for admissions to many graduate and business school programs around the world. An increasing number of universities, including some of the top business schools, are now accepting the GRE score, and not surprisingly, the best universities require higher scores on the GRE.
The bottom line is if you are looking to attend graduate or business school, you will need to take the GRE.
This is good news. That means irrespective of how well you did in school, whether you went to a top college, or whether you have exceptional GPA or if you published papers in international journals, you can get into a grad school of your dreams, if you take the GRE. Though all these aforementioned factors come into play during admissions, scoring high on the GRE has nothing to do with these elements. What the GRE actually tests, is rather extremely limited in its scope.
Format – Six Sections
Here is the GRE test structure:
1. One Analytical Writing section composed of two 30-min essays
2. Two 20-question Verbal Reasoning sections (30 min each)
3. Two 20-question Quantitative Reasoning sections (35 min each)
In addition to the five sections mentioned above, there may be an unidentified Experimental Section, which could be either verbal or quantitative. Occasionally, there may be an identified optional Research Section (but not if there is an Experimental Section). This is decided at random by the system, so no one knows for sure whether you will get an experimental section or a research section.
Do NOT waste any time trying to identify which section is the experimental section! It is impossible to identify. Sometimes it’s the first section, sometimes it’s the last. Any random section could be treated as the experimental section by the computer, and there is no way one can find out which one.
Scoring
Each GRE section is scored individually:
| VERBAL REASONING | 130-170, IN 1 POINT INCREMENTS |
| QUANTITATIVE REASONING | 130-170, IN 1 POINT INCREMENTS |
| ANALYTICAL WRITING | 0-6, IN 0.5 POINT INCREMENTS |
Features of the test
Section-Adaptive Test
The new GRE is a ‘Section Adaptive’ test, where you begin with a moderately difficult section, and the difficulty of the upcoming section depends on your performance on the previous section. This means that the more questions you answer correctly in the first section, the harder the questions that you will be given in the second section of that subject. If you however, answer many questions wrong on the first section, you will be given an easier second section. And there is no adaptation within each section. All questions in one section are more or less of the same difficulty level, and each question within a section is weighted the same.
Guessing
There is NO penalty for an incorrect answer on the GRE General Test. If you don’t know an answer, make an educated guess by eliminating clearly incorrect choices, and move on. Never leave a question blank on the GRE! Since there are no negative marks, and since very question carries the same weight, attempt all questions.
Calculator
There is an on-screen calculator for the quantitative section, and you are permitted to use it during the test. Use it wisely! Though vast majority of questions on the GRE do not require complex calculations, a calculator might come in handy when it comes to saving precious time. But remember, even a calculator can go wrong if you don’t give the right inputs. So, be careful while entering numbers on the calculator. Do not be in a hurry when entering numbers. Check twice or thrice, especially if the calculation is complex.
Note: The calculator uses the standard order of operations when performing multiple operations. You should understand that it does not necessarily perform operations from left to right. The order is Parentheses, Exponentiation, Multiplication and Division (from left to right), Addition and Subtraction (from left to right). This is often remembered by the acronym PEMDAS. So, for example, if you enter this: 2 – 3(4) and click the equal symbol (=), the calculator will multiply the 3 and 4 and subtract the result from 2, giving the answer –10. So, be extra cautious while using brackets and mathematical symbols.
There is also a “Transfer Display” button on the calculator that you may use to directly translate the calculator display to a question’s answer box. This is a very useful feature for you because one, you can save time by not entering values manually on screen, and two, there won’t be any errors which usually happen when you manually enter numbers.
Skipping and “Mark for Review” Feature
The GRE software is equipped with a “Mark for Review” feature that allows you to mark questions as you go along, and then at the end of the section, review all the questions that you have skipped. Smart test-takers can effectively use this feature to skip all the difficult questions on the test during their first run-through, go ahead to solve as many questions as they can, and then come back and answer all the difficult questions last. This will ensure that you not only spend your time efficiently, but also don’t waste excessive time and energy on the harder ones.
Do not spend more than 20 or 30 seconds on reading and understanding a question. If you cannot decipher the question in less than 30 seconds, mark it for review and skip it off. You can always come back later.
Sections on the GRE
As discussed earlier, there are six sections on the GRE, divided into three categories, namely Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability. We’ll quickly see what each section comprises of, and move on. In the later chapters, we’ll have a closer look into each category, and discuss strategies as well.
Analytical Writing
The analytical writing portion of the GRE consists of two tasks:
- Writing an essay where you present your point of view on a specific issue
- Writing an essay where you analyze the reasoning of an author’s argument
You have 30 minutes to complete each essay. You must finish one task before you can begin the other, and you cannot skip essay questions.
Verbal Reasoning
The two Verbal Reasoning sections consist of a total of 40 questions:
- 20 Sentence Completion questions: “Fill in the blank” style questions
- 20 Critical Reading questions: Passage-based reading and reasoning
Quantitative
The quantitative (math) portion of the GRE consists of two math sections, each with 20 questions. Of the 40 questions, there are:
- 15 Quantitative Comparison questions
- 17 Multiple-Choice questions
- 4 Multiple-Answer questions
- 4 Numeric Entry questions
Which topics does the GRE test on?
Quant
Arithmetic: Integer Properties, Fractions, Decimals, Percent, Exponents and Roots, Ratios and Proportions.
Algebra: Solving Linear Equations, Solving Linear Inequalities, Operations with Algebraic Expressions, Solving Quadratic Equations, Algebraic Properties and their Applications, Functions, Graphs of Functions, Coordinate Geometry.
Geometry: Lines and Angles, Triangles, Quadrilaterals, Polygons, Circles, Three-Dimensional Figures.
Data Analysis: Counting Methods, Data Interpretation, Normal Distribution, Probability.
Verbal:
Sentence Equivalence, Text Completion, and Reading Comprehension.
Why do you need to take the GRE?
Like we discussed already, the GRE actually measures how well you can take the GRE. Then, why are you required to take it if you want to study at graduate schools?
Universities ask you to take the GRE, not because they would like to know how well versed you are with Math and English. Frankly, universities don’t need to test your English through the GRE since they anyway would require that you take a language proficiency test like TOEFL, IELTS, etc. And any student who graduated from high school, let alone college, would have a decent understanding of basic math.
So, if you think from the perspective of the universities, the admissions council needs something that represents you as a whole. Although it can’t be said that a test-taker’s GRE score is an indicator of his/her intelligence, it is imperative that the admission officers require a commonly tested method that can give them a fair idea of how well a student fits into the university’s academics and culture, when compared to his/her peers. So, universities expect students to possess two primary skills: Decision making skills, and time management abilities.
If you have the time, try and analyze a few GRE questions, and you will understand that almost every question tests how you make decisions in your life. And just like any other entrance test, the GRE also tests how well you manage your time. You might wonder why these skills are so important for a graduate student. Imagine yourself studying at a college. There are so many courses that you can take, numerous clubs to join, great people from all over the world to network with, countless activities to participate in, but so little time to do all of them. Obviously, you have to choose. And you need solid reasoning and analysis to choose one course or club over the other. If you are a good decision maker, you wouldn’t hesitate to make a decision and move forward, though knowing that you would be leaving some opportunities behind. This is what the admissions committee would infer, from your GRE scores: your ability to survive through grad school and the hectic life associated with it.
Also, if you are able to sit through a strenuous exam for close to 4 hours and still score well, it shows that you are not only a good student, but also patient, tough, and a good manager in general.
When to take the GRE?
Ideally, you should take the GRE at least six months prior to the admission season you are planning to apply for. Most students underestimate the timing of the GRE, but this is probably the most crucial aspect of your GRE study plan. It is important that you report your test scores to university admission committee way before the admissions deadline. The whole point of studying for the test goes moot if your score report doesn’t reach in time to the admissions department.
Also, you need to remember that when we say test scores, it includes English proficiency tests as well, which many students pay no heed to. So, plan your GRE test date as early as possible, so you will have enough time to prepare for IELTS or TOEFL, and dispatch all the necessary documents and scores to the admissions committee before the deadline.
For those students who are still in an undergraduate program and are planning to pursue a Master’s degree in the near future, it is advisable that you take the test as soon as possible. Considering the fact that you are still in college, you are likely to perform better if you take the GRE before you graduate, as your knowledge is still fresh. As GRE scores are valid for five years, do not worry that your scores will be old and invalid.
How to register for the GRE?
Booking a slot for the GRE is quite an easy process. Go to ETS website and get yourself registered. Once logged in, you can book a GRE appointment based on your convenience. Bear in mind that the GRE test slots fill up very quickly, so the sooner you book your slot, the better.
How long does the GRE take?
The new revised GRE test takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete, excluding the time for breaks and reading section instructions before the exam. There are six sections in all.
- Two Analytical Writing Essays – 30 minutes each, total 60 minutes
- Two Verbal Reasoning Sections – 30 minutes each, total 60 minutes
- Two Quantitative Reasoning Sections – 35 minutes each, total 70 minutes.
- One Unscored Unidentified Section – 30/35 minutes, depends on the type of section: Verbal or Quant.
- A 10 minute break between the third and the fourth sections.
The essays always appear first, but the other sections may appear in any order. In addition, test-takers may see a third verbal reasoning or quantitative reasoning section at any point during the test. Also, an unscored research section may also be included in the computer based GRE test.
How much does the test cost?
The GRE test costs $195. But, you would also want to consider travelling, and other costs like lodging, especially if your test center is in another city. These costs may sometimes sum up to be more than the actual cost of the exam. Here are all the costs that a student can expect to incur, while preparing for the GRE. Remember that these costs are generalized, and the actual costs may vary from student to student.
Test Fee: ($97.5 or $195)
Score Reporting: ($27 per university)
Prep Course: ($99 to $5,000)
Study Material: ($200)
In addition to the costs mentioned above, you will also have to consider the indirect costs as well. Travel, accommodation, and other miscellaneous expenses can sometimes add up to be more than the actual cost of the GRE. So, test takers should be wary of the indirect expenses as well.
The GRE, as you can see, is not just a measure of academic ability. It also tests your endurance, strength, patience, and focus, all of which may only be attained through rigorous and attentive practice.