The GRE revised General Test is being launched worldwide starting in August 2011 with changes to better assess skills needed for graduate study. It will feature new question types, a more flexible online format, and a new 130-170 score scale for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections. The test updates were designed to better predict success in graduate programs.
The GRE revised General Test is launching worldwide in 2011.The first administration of the GRE revised General Test will be in August 1, 2011…and there are a lot of very positive changes for test takers.
Read slideFirst administration of computer-based test in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea: August 6, 2011
Read slideThe new test content will be more closely aligned with what students do in graduate and business school.Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores will be reported on a new 130-170 score scale, in 1 point incrementsAnd, the new test design provides students with a better test taking experience.
Read slideAdditional Details:The revised Verbal Reasoning section measures your ability to:analyze and draw conclusions from discourse; reason from incomplete data; identify author's assumptions and/or perspective; understand multiple levels of meaning, such as literal, figurative and author's intent select important points; distinguish major from minor or relevant points; summarize text; understand the structure of a text understand the meanings of words, sentences and entire texts; understand relationships among words and among concepts
The GRE revised General Test places a greater emphasis on higher-level cognitive skills. Featuring new types of questions, the Verbal Reasoning section of the revised test more closely reflects the kind of thinking you'll do in graduate or business school, and better measures your ability to understand what you read and how you apply your reasoning skills.Read Slide Here's what is new for the Verbal Reasoning section:There are more Reading Comprehension questions on the test, including new types of questions, such as selecting multiple correct answer choices instead of just one, or highlighting a sentence within a reading passage to answer the question. Antonyms and analogies have been removed from the test, so there are no questions that test vocabulary out of context. New Text Completion questions test your ability to interpret, evaluate and reason from what you've read. Text Completion questions test this ability by omitting crucial words from short passages, requiring you to fill them in by selecting words or phrases. New Sentence Equivalence questions test your ability to reach a conclusion about how a sentence should be completed while focusing on the meaning of the whole sentence.
Read slideThe revised test still requires basic math skills like arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis
The Quantitative Reasoning measure tests the same basic mathematical concepts, but emphasizes the data interpretation and real-life scenarios a test taker will encounter, to better gauge their skills.Read SlideHere's what is new for the Quantitative Reasoning section:An on-screen calculator for use in this section reduces the emphasis on computation.New Multiple-choice questions which include some that have more than one correct answer, requiring you to select all of the correct answers from the choices provided. New Numeric Entry questions require you to enter your answer in a box instead of selecting an answer from a list.
Read SlideAdditional Details:The revised Analytical Writing section continues to measure your ability to:articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively support ideas with relevant reasons and examples examine claims and accompanying evidence sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion control the elements of standard written English
Read SlideYou will still write two essays, one where you evaluate a logical argument, and the other where you express your views on a critical issue.Here's what is new for the Analytical Writing section:For each essay task, you will be given one topic rather than a choice of topics. Tasks are now more specific, and responses will be measured to ensure you can integrate critical thinking and analytical writing by fully addressing the tasks you’re presented.
To summarize, here are the things that you will notice when taking the GRE revised General Test…
The GRE General Test is currently adaptive at the question level. Each test question presented is determined based on the level of difficulty and performance on prior questions. However, test takers can only proceed one question at a time to determine the next question, so they can't skip or edit prior responses.The GRE revised General Test will now be adaptive at the section level and features a Multi-Stage Test (MST) design. What this means to you is that you will be able to take advantage of your own personal test-taking strategies and style. With the freedom to move forward and backward throughout an entire section, you can change or edit responses and skip questions you don't know and return to them later during the allotted time. This flexibility creates a more natural test experience. Read Slide
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Now here’s a screenshot of a question, in a timed section, on the computer-based GRE Quantitative Reasoning Measure: The menu bar in the upper right hand corner of the screen provides the test taker with the following options: Quit the Test Exit the section Review their progress within the timed section (to see which questions they’ve answered, marked for review and have not completed) Mark this question to come back to in the allotted time Show or hide the on-screen calculator Review the help options Navigate freely within the timed section Show or hide the time clock for the sectionThis is an example of the new Numeric Entry questions. It requires the test taker to enter an answer in the box provided instead of selecting an answer from a list. As you can see, the on-screen calculator appears in the bottom left of the screen.
Paper-based administrations are given in areas of the world where it is not feasible to offer the computer-based testing. In 2010, the GRE program increased the number of paper-based administrations from 2 times per year to 3 times per year. They are October, November, and FebruaryAs a result of these testing dates, The first paper-based administration of the GRE revised General Test will be in October 2011.At that time, the paper-based version will reflect the changes to the GRE revised General Test. It will include the new question types. In addition, test takers will also provide responses directly in the test book, rather than the answer sheet.Takers will also be provided with an ETS calculator for use during the Quantitative Reasoning section.Reference only:Select in passage is the item type that will not be included in PBT
Read slideWhat does the new score scale mean to you? It means that institutions will find it easier to compare your scores with the scores of other candidates. Here's why:If you and another candidate have GRE revised General Test scores that differ by one or two score points, for example, then you and the other candidate performed similarly on the revised test. With the current test's broader score scale, that same difference looks like a 10- or 20-point difference in score — which could look like a big difference. Now small differences in scoring will look like small differences, while bigger differences will continue to stand out. That's good news for you, and for the schools considering you.Additional Details:The new score scale was selected to balancechanges in contentnew question typesthe new psychometric model
Read slideTest takers do not get a printout of the unofficial scores at the test center. The scores are only visible on the screen. Additional Details:Canceling Your ScoresAt the end of the test, you will be given the option to cancel your scores. You cannot cancel your score for one section of the test and have the scores for the remaining sections reported. Although you have the option to cancel your scores, consider very carefully before doing so. Your scores will be reported to GRE® score recipients only at your request. If you cancel your scores, they will NOT be reported to you or any score recipients and no refund will be made. Canceled scores are not added to your permanent record. If you wish to take the test again, you must reregister and submit another test payment.If you view your scores at a computer-based GRE® revised General Test session, you cannot cancel them at a later date.
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Starting in November 2011, there will be a new design to the test taker score report to make it more user-friendly. As you can see, the test taker’s information is provided at the top left.On the top right are the percentiles for the most recent administration. The next section of the report provides the scores for both the General Test and the Subject Test. It is important to note that if the test taker has scores from the General Test taken before August 1, 2011, their Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores on the old score scale and estimated scores on the new score scale will be reported. This will enable test takers to compare their performance on both tests using the new score scale. And as a reference, at the bottom of the report, test takers will be provided with a list of the institutions and departments where they requested their scores to be sent.
If you take the computer-based GRE revised General Test between August and November, score reports will be issued according to this schedule. Read slide
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Read SlideStudents in China will also be pleased to learn that ETS and McGraw Hill are offering The Official Guide to the GRE revised General Test with CD-ROM in Chinese. Filled with vital test-taking information, sample questions, full-length actual GRE exams on CD, and ETS’s own preparation tips, this only official guide is the essential study resource for the exam. The book is available in Xin Hua bookstores across the county.