Test Overview
The GRE* is created and administered by the Educational
Testing Service (ETS). The GRE General Test is designed to
provide graduate schools with common measures for comparing the
qualifications of applicants. The exam measures verbal,
quantitative, and analytical reasoning skills that have been
developed over a long period of time. ETS data shows that General
Test scores consistently predict graduate school students' grades
and performance.
Your GRE score is more than a formality in the admissions
process. No matter where you apply, your GRE score can have great
impact on the strength of your application. Roughly 500,000
people take the GRE each year (150,000 international test takers
and 300,000 U.S. test takers). In fact, a high score can benefit
you in several ways:
1. Most importantly, a high score will increase your
likelihood of getting into the graduate program of your
choice.
2. In addition to using the GRE as an admission criterion,
schools often use GRE scores to determine eligibility for
merit-based grants and fellowships as well as teaching and
research assistantships.
3. Many programs establish cutoff points for GRE scores to
limit the application pool, while others use GRE scores to
directly determine how much financial support you receive.
Investing your time and effort in preparing for the GRE today can
get you into grad school and save you schooling expenses in the
future.
Test Sections
Here is a summary of the three scored sections on the GRE:
Verbal, quantitative, and analytical.
Verbal
- -One 30-minute section with 30 questions
- -Question types include analogies, sentence completion,
antonyms, and reading comprehension
- -Tests your vocabulary, verbal reasoning skills, and
ability to read with understanding and insight
Quantitative
- -One 45-minute section with 28 questions
- -Question types include problem solving, quantitative
comparison, and graph problems
- -Designed to measure basic mathematical skills, assess
understanding of mathematical concepts, and the ability to
reason quantitatively
Analytical
- -One 60-minute section with 35 questions
- -Question types include logical reasoning and logic
games
- -Tests your ability to understand and analyze arguments and
to understand and draw logical conclusions
The Experimental Section
In addition to the three scored sections, there may be one
experimental section that looks like one of the scored sections,
but does not count toward your score. ETS uses the experimental
section to pre-test questions that will show up on the scored
sections of future GREs. The experimental section looks just like
one of the scored sections, so you won't be able to tell which
one it is. (If you try to guess, there's a good chance that
you'll guess wrong, which can be very hazardous to your test
score.) The main thing for you to know about the experimental
section is that it is unscored.
Sometimes there's a fifth section called Research, which does
not count toward your score either. The research section is
optional, so there's no reason for you to complete it. Also,
there is a one-minute break between sections, and a 10-minute
break towards the middle of the test.
Writing Assessment
ETS introduced the Writing Assessment test in October of 1999.
The goal of the Writing Assessment is to demonstrate your ability
to write analytically. It tests the kind of high-level thinking
and writing skills that are generally viewed as essential for
success in most graduate school programs.
The Writing Assessment consists of two analytical writing
tasks:
- A 45-minute "Present Your Perspective on an Issue" task.
The issue task states an opinion on an topic of broad interest
and asks test takers to address the issue from any
perspective.
- A 30-minute "Analyze an Argument" task. The argument task
requires test takers to critique an argument by discussing how
well-reasoned they find it.
The Writing Assessment is offered as a separate and optional
test, which can be taken at ETS computer-based testing
centers.
In recent years, graduate programs at different universities
have been deciding whether to require their applicants to take
the Writing Assessment as part of their application process.
Check with the graduate schools to which you are applying to find
out if you need to take this section.
Registering for the Test
The GRE is created and administered by the Educational Testing
Service (ETS). To register and schedule your GRE, get a copy of
the GRE Registration Bulletin which contains information on GRE
scheduling, pricing, repeat testing, cancellation policies, and
more. You can order a GRE Registration Bulletin from ETS by
calling (609) 771-7670. Or, download or order the GRE
Registration Bulletin online at www.gre.org, available in Adobe Acrobat PDF
format. To register and schedule your exam without the GRE
Bulletin, call (800) GRE-CALL (473-2255) in the United States and
Canada.
The exam is offered during the first three weeks of every
month (CAT dates are subject to change without notice so be sure
to verify precise dates during registration), and can be taken
once per calendar month. You can schedule your GRE just a few
days ahead. (But for an assured date and location, register
early.) You can pay over the phone with a credit card or by check
or money order using the CBT Authorization Voucher Request Form
found in the GRE Registration Bulletin.
International
Registration
For all locations except the United States and its
territories, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico,
and Canada, use the International Test Scheduling Form, to
register by mail.
Your Score
For each of the three sections (verbal, quantitative, and
analytical) you'll get a "scaled score" within a range of
200-800. You can't score higher than an 800 in any one section.
Similarly, you can't score lower than 200 either.
Percentile Rank
In addition to scaled scores, you'll also get a percentile rank
which places your performance relative to those of a large sample
population of other GRE test takers. Your percentile score tells
graduate schools, in effect, what your scaled scores are worth.
If everyone always received high scaled scores, universities
would still be able to differentiate candidates by their
percentile score.
What score do you need?
For some schools, they don't even consider applicants if their
scores are below a certain level. (Large state university
programs are generally more likely to do this.) You owe it to
yourself to find out what kind of GRE scores impress the schools
you're interested in, and then to work hard until you achieve the
necessary scores. The score you'll "need" also depends on what
you're hoping to study at a graduate level. A 600 quantitative
score might be fine if you're planning to study history, for
example, but it might not be distinctive if you're hoping to
study a science or engineering.
Some things to keep in mind regarding GRE scoring:
- You will get a score no matter how many questions you
answer, but there is a penalty for unanswered questions.
- At the end of the exam you will be asked if you want to see
and keep your score.
- If you answer "yes" you are given your score, and it is
entered into your ETS score report.
- If you answer "no" you are not given your score, and no
score is entered into your ETS record. (The fact that you took
the test on that date and canceled your score will be listed in
your ETS score report.)
- Requested score reports will be sent to schools within
10-15 days after the exam.
- All GRE testing administrations will be listed (and usable)
in your ETS report for five years.
