Who? Test takers are mostly college students seeking to enter
graduate school. Ages would be in the college years around the age
of 21 years. There is not a specific age group though because
students finish school at different paces. Test material is college
level meant for that level of knowledge.
Slide 3
What? Purpose: to help graduate schools choose the right
candidates to accept. A good enough score will bring promising
results.
Slide 4
What? (cont.) Content: The GRE general test is divided into 3
main sections that can be taken either on computer or on paper. 1.
Analytical Writing 2. Verbal 3. Quantitative
Slide 5
What? (cont.) The GRE also has a separate test called the
subject test. This tests the students knowledge of psychological
concepts. Only some programs require this.
Slide 6
How? General Test: 1. Analytical writing-appears first and has
2 essays, one 45 minute on a general issue and one 30 minute
critiquing an argument. These can be done on computer but are not
scanned. They are graded by actual computers.
Slide 7
How? (cont.) Either the Verbal or Quantitative section could
come next. 2. Verbal: includes sentence completions, analogies,
antonyms, and reading comprehension questions. Its purpose is to
test your ability to form conclusions from written materials,
recognize relationships between concepts and words, and to
determine relationships between different parts of sentences.
Computer: 30 min., 30 questions Paper: Two 30 min. sections, 38
questions each.
Slide 8
How? (cont.) 3. Quantitative: tests high-school-level math.
This portion of the exam aims to test your skill at solving a
variety of different math problems, as well as to analyze your
ability to use quantitative reasoning. It is very much similar to
tests taken before college like ACT and SAT. Computer: 45 min., 28
questions Paper: Two 30 min. segments, 30 questions each
Slide 9
Sample Question When walking, a certain person takes 16
complete steps in 10 seconds. At this rate, how many complete steps
does the person take in 72 seconds? (A) 45 (B) 78 (C) 86 (D) 90 (E)
115 Strategies for Answering Determine what is given and what is
being asked. Scan all answer choices before answering a question.
When approximation is required, scan answer choices to determine
the degree of approximation. Avoid long computations. Use reasoning
instead, when possible.
Slide 10
Sample Question Early ________ of hearing loss is ________ by
the fact that the other senses are able to compensate for moderate
amounts of loss, so that people frequently do not know that their
hearing is imperfect. (A) discovery.. indicated (B) development..
prevented (C) detection.. complicated (D) treatment.. facilitated
(E) incidence.. corrected Strategies for Answering Read the
incomplete sentence carefully. Look for key words or phrases.
Complete the blank(s) with your own words; see if any options are
like yours. Pay attention to grammatical cues. If there are two
blanks, be sure that both parts of your answer choice fit logically
and stylistically into the sentence. After choosing an answer, read
the sentence through again to see if it makes sense.
Slide 11
Scores/Results The Verbal, Quantitative, and Subject tests are
scored on a basis of 200-800. The Analytical Writing portion is
scored on a basis of 0-6 with increments.
Slide 12
Slide 13
Usage The scores are based on the how high your score is. If a
score is deemed to be proficient enough, the graduate college will
accept the student. Obviously, if it is not, the college will not
accept the individual.
Slide 14
Important Facts It is important to take the test in November to
meet any deadline for applications for grad. School. Also, you can
re-take the test in December to improve your scores. There is still
a 50-50 chance that your score could be worse, and both scores are
reported to the schools unless the scores are cancelled before that
point. There are some questions that are research questions that
are not scored to see if they can be used in future tests.
Slide 15
Works Cited General Test Practice Test. GRE. 30, November
2011.. The GRE Test: What You Need to Know. Petersons Graduate
Schools. 30, November 2011.. Lloyd, M.A. What is the GRE (Graduate
Record Exam)? 15, October 2002. 30, November 2011.. Psi Chi. 30,
November 2011..