The GRE is an aptitude test. Like all aptitude tests, it must choose a method by which it can measure intellectual ability. For the GRE, math and English have been chosen.

The question is: does the GRE truly measure aptitude for graduate school? Statistically, the GRE's ability to predict performance in school is as poor as the SAT's. This is to be expected, since the tests are written by the same company (ETS) and are very similar. In fact, the verbal and math portions of the two tests are nearly identical, although the GRE's verbal section is significantly harder (more big words), and its math section a little easier. The GRE also includes a writing section that the SAT does not.

No test can measure all aspects of intelligence. So it can be said that any admission test, no matter how well written, is inherently inadequate. Nevertheless, some form of admission testing is necessary; it would be unfair to base acceptance to graduate school solely on grades, which can be misleading. For instance, would it be fair to admit a student with an A average earned in easy classes over a student with a B average earned in difficult classes? A school's reputation is too broad a measure to use as admission criteria - many students seek out easy classes and generous instructors, in hopes of inflating their GPA. Any system that attempted to monitor the academic standards of every class would be cost prohibitive and stifling. So, until a better system is proposed, the GRE is here to stay.

Format of the GRE

The GRE CAT (Computer Adaptive Test) is approximately three hours long. Only two-hours-and-thirty-minutes of the test count toward your score - the experimental section is not scored. There are four sections in the CAT: verbal (30 minutes); math (45 minutes); writing (75 minutes); experimental, which can be verbal or math.

The verbal section contains 6 Sentence Completions, 7 Analogies, 8 Reading Comprehension, and 9 Antonyms. The math section contains 14 Quantitative Comparisons, 9 Multiple Choice, and 5 Graphs. The writing section contains 2 writing tasks.

The experimental section can be a verbal section or a math section. You won't know which section is experimental. You will know which type of section it is, though, since there will be an extra one of that type.

Because the "bugs" have not been worked out of the experimental section - or, to put it more directly, because you are being used as a guinea pig to work out the "bugs" - this portion of the test is often more difficult and confusing than the other parts.

The experimental section can be disproportionately difficult, and you should remember this if you feel you have done poorly on a particular section - it may have been the experimental section. In other words, do not allow one difficult section to discourage your performance on the rest of the test.

The Paper-and-Pencil Test vs. the Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) format

The computerized GRE (or CAT) uses the same type of questions as the paper-and-pencil test, the significant difference being the medium in which the questions are presented.

There are advantages and disadvantages to the CAT. Probably the biggest advantages are that you can take the CAT just about any time, and you can take it in a small room with just a few other students - instead of in a large auditorium with hundreds of other stressed people. Distinct disadvantages are that you cannot return to previous questions (you cannot move to the next question until an answer has been given for the current one), it is easier to misread a computer screen than it is to misread printed material, and it can be distracting looking back and forth from the computer screen to your scratch paper.

Pacing

Although time is strictly limited on the GRE, working too quickly can damage your score. Many problems hinge on subtle points, and most require careful reading of the setup. Because undergraduate school puts such heavy reading loads on students, many will follow their academic conditioning and read the questions quickly, looking only for the gist of what the question is asking. Once they have found it, they mark their answer and move on, confident they have answered it correctly. Later, many discover that they missed givign correct questions because they either misread the problems or overlooked subtle points.

To do well in your undergraduate classes, you had to attempt to solve every, or nearly every, problem on a test. Not so with the GRE. In fact, if you try to solve every problem on this test you will probably decimate your score. For the vast majority of people, the key to performing well on the GRE is not the number of questions they solve, within reason, but the percentage they solve correctly.
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The three major parts of the test are scored independently. You will receive a verbal score, a math score, and a writing score. The verbal and math scores range from 200 to 800. The writing score is on a scale from 0 to 6. In addition to the scaled score, you will be assigned a percentile ranking, which gives the percentage of students with scores below yours.

Skipping and Guessing

On the CAT, you cannot skip questions; each question must be answered before moving on to the next question. However, if you can eliminate even one of the answer-choices, guessing can be advantageous. We'll talk more about this later. Unfortunately, you cannot return to previously answered questions.

Order of Difficulty

Most standardized paper-and-pencil tests list problems in ascending order of difficulty. However, on a CAT, the first question will be of medium difficulty. If you answer it correctly, the next question will be a little harder. If you answer it incorrectly, the next question will be a little easier. Because the CAT "adapts" to your performance, early questions are more important than later ones.

The 2-out-of-5 Rule

It is significantly harder to create a good but incorrect answer-choice than it is to produce the correct answer. For this reason usually only two attractive answer-choices are offered. One correct; the other either intentionally misleading or only partially correct. The other three answer-choices are usually fluff. This makes '"educated guessing" on the GRE an effective strategy. If you can identify and dismiss the fluff choices, your probability of answering the question successfully will increase from 20% to 50%.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the GRE given?

The test is given year-round. You can take the test during normal business hours, in the first three weeks of each month. Weekends are also available in many locations. You can register as late as the day before the test, but spaces do fill up. So it’s best to register a couple of weeks before you plan to take the test.

How important is the GRE and how is it used?

It is crucial! Although graduate schools may consider other factors, the vast majority of admission decisions are based on only two criteria: your GRE score and your GPA.

How many times should I take the GRE?

Most people are better off preparing thoroughly for the test, taking it one time and getting their top score. You can take the test as often as you like, but many graduate schools will average your scores. You should call the schools to which you are applying to find out their policy. Then plan your strategy accordingly.

Can I cancel my score?

Yes - immediately after the test but before you see your score. You can take the test only once a month.

Where can I get the registration forms?

Most colleges and universities have the forms. They are also available directly from ETS at:

Graduate Record Examinations
Educational Testing Service
P. O. Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000

Phone:
609-771-7670 (paper-and-pencil test)
1-800-GRE-CALL (computer-based test)