1 Introduction to the GRE. 2 GRE Testing Program (Scores last 5 years) I. The General Test Verbal,...

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Introduction to the GRE

GRE Testing Program(Scores last 5 years) I. The General Test

Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing Offered on computer 6 days/week

Limit once per calendar month, 5 times/year.

II. Subject Tests Paper and pencil, offered 3 times/year

• Biochemistry, Cell &

Molecular Biology• Biology• Chemistry• Computer Science

• Literature in English• Mathematics• Physics• Psychology

GRE General Test Scores(Aptitude Test )

Analytical

Writing:• Score range:

0 – 6• Mean:

Verbal and Quantitative:

• Score Range:

200 – 800• Verbal Mean:

465• Quantitative Mean:

GRE Subject Test Scores(Achievement Tests)

Possible Score Range: 200 – 990

• Actual score ranges vary by test subject. See the website for score distributions for your subject area.

Subject Test Registration

Test Date• 10/9/10• 11/13/10• 4/9/11

Registration Deadline*• 9/3/10• 10/8/10• 3/4/11

* Note this is a receipt date: allow 7 days for mail.

How to Prepare for a Subject Test

• Review the Subject Test practice booklet for the test, which includes– Content specifications for the test, including

the weight assigned to each topic– Practice test

• The practice book will be mailed to you when you register for the Subject Test, free at www.ets.org/gre.

Registering for the GRE

• Call the test center directly and register by phone to be sure the date you request is available. You may also register on-line or by mail.

• General test: $160

• Subject test: $140

• 4 reports free; $23 for each additional.

Fee Reductions

Those eligible for a limited number of 50% fee waivers must be US citizens or resident aliens who are:

• enrolled in college on financial aid, • dependents on parents’ taxes, whose parents contribute

no more than $1400/year to education, or • independent and contributing personally no more than

$1800/year to education costs• or an unenrolled college graduate whose Institutional

Student Information Report indicates self-supporting status and a contribution of not more than $1,800.

Get a form at Financial Assistance Office; you must register for GRE in writing.

The Computer-Adaptive GRE General Test

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9number of questions answered

CBT Practical Advice: 1. Answer Questions

• You must answer each question in the order it is presented.

• There’s no going back.

• Learn to identify the point at which it is best to post a guess.

• It is normal in computer adaptive testing to answer several questions incorrectly, even for high scorers.

[In 2008 HC student guessed on last 5 questions of Quantitative and got 770.]

• Scores are based on the difficulty of the questions you get right.

Answer Questions (continued)

Practical Advice: 2. Timing

• There are no “time-outs” once a test section has begun.

• Pacing is critical. Don’t leave questions unanswered or finish with a string of guesses.

• There is a penalty for unanswered questions.

Overview of the Day

Prometric Centers or Universities

• Computer stations,

• Other tests going on,

• Security measures,

• Demographic information,

• Numbered scratch paper,

• Clocks on computer.

The Analytical Writing Measure

• Assesses critical thinking and analytical writing skills, including the ability to:– articulate complex ideas clearly– examine claims and evidence– support ideas with relevant reasons and

examples – sustain a well-focused coherent discussion– control the elements of standard written

English

The Analytical Writing Measure

• “Present your Perspective on an Issue” – You will be able to choose 1 of 2 essay topics.

– You will have 45 minutes to write your essay.

• “Analyze an Argument”– You will have 30 minutes to critique a one-

paragraph argument.

No spell-check or grammar-check is provided.

How the AWM is Scored

Each essay is scored by two trained readers, using a 6-point holistic scale; two scores that differ by more than one point are adjudicated by a third reader.

Scores from the two readings of an essay are averaged.

The final scores on the two essays are then averaged and rounded up to the nearest half-point interval.

A single score is reported for the section.

Scoring guides and score level descriptions are available on the GRE Web.

Preparing for theAnalytical Writing Measure

• All possible topics at www.ets.org/gre• You can practice typing a timed essay using

GRE POWERPREP• Get your essays scored at the Career Center• ScoreitNow! Online Writing Practice for

machine scoring of your practice essay

• Following the Analytical Writing section, there is an optional 10-minute break.

The Verbal Measure

• Knowledge of vocabulary words,

• Ability to use them in context, and

• Knowledge of the relationships between words.

• Requires reading about topics and ideas in the sciences, social sciences and humanities, and answering questions about them.

The Verbal Measure

You will have 30 questions

in 30 minutes:

• Antonyms

• Analogies

• Sentence completions

• Reading comprehension

(budget your time!)

All question types for all difficulty levels.

Preparing for the Verbal Measure

Reading Comprehension

• The passage contains all information necessary to answer questions, and remains on screen throughout.

• Passages may be drawn from natural sciences, social sciences or humanities.

• On average, 2 short passages (2-3 questions); 1 long (4-5).

Two new question types

– Text completion, with 2 or 3 blanks– Numeric Entry

• Test takers may see ONE new Verbal question or ONE new Quantitative question on the test they receive.

• Previous field trial results indicate questions are functioning as intended.

• Questions will count toward scores as soon as an adequate sample of data from the operational testing environment is available.

• See sample questions and other information at www.ets.org/gre/newquestiontypes.html.

Text Completions

The Quantitative Measure

You will have 28 questions in 45 minutes:

• A test of quantitative reasoning skills

• Key knowledge areas include basic concepts and procedures related to arithmetic, algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics

Preparing for the Quantitative Measure

Numeric Entry

The total amount of Judy’s water bill for the last quarter of the year was $40.50. The bill consisted of a fixed charge of $13.50 plus a charge of $0.0075 per gallon for the water used in the quarter. For how many gallons of water was Judy charged for the quarter?

_____________ gallons

Click on the answer box and type in a number. Backspace to erase.

Experimental Question Section

• Additional Verbal or Quantitative section with questions in development for future test administrations

• Experimental section may fall first, second or third

• Treat all sections as if they count: you can’t tell which two do and which one doesn’t!

Keeping Your Scores

The test is geared toward your highest level of difficulty, so you can’t judge accurately how you did!

In general, if you finish the test, keep your scores.

Timing your GRE Preparation

Grad School Application Timeline

• Find application deadline for targeted programs,

• Subtract one month to determine your deadline,• Subtract two more months to request letters of

recommendation, • Take GRE at least two – three months

before published deadlines,• Mail in application, and arrange for transcripts

to arrive by no later than one month before deadline.

GRE Prep Timeline

• Take a pre-test to identify your approximate beginning level

• Find target scores on PowerPrep

• Study areas that need improvement

• Practice to increase speed

• Take a post-test to track your improvement

GRE Bottom Line:Practice!!

1 Introduction to the GRE. 2 GRE Testing Program (Scores last 5 years) I. The General Test Verbal,...

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