introduction to the gre general test margaret krantz hanover college career center director

INTRODUCTION TO THE GRE GENERAL TEST

Margaret KrantzHanover CollegeCareer Center Director

GRE Testing Program $150 (Scores last 5 years)

Subject Tests(Paper and pencil, offered 3 times/year)

• Biochemistry, Cell & Molecular Biology

• Biology• Chemistry

• Literature in English• Mathematics• Physics• Psychology

GRE Subject Test Scores(Achievement Tests)

Possible Score Range: 200 – 990

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

Tests at a Glance.

Subject Test Registration

Test Date 9/27/14 10/25/14 4/18/15

Registration Deadline* 8/22/14 9/19/14 3/13/15

*Note this is a receipt date; allow 7 days for US mailed financial aid discount vouchers.

Revised GRE (General test only)

$195

Verbal, Quantitative, Analytical Writing

Aptitude Test Offered on computer 6 days/week

Limit once per 21days, 5 times/year.

Revised GRE: Scoring

Analytical Writing: Score range: 0 – 6 Mean: 4.1

Verbal and Quantitative Sections: Score Range: 130 – 170 Verbal Mean: 151 Quantitative Mean: 152

Registering for the GRERegistration options: Call the test center directly On-line US mailGeneral test: $195 Subject test: $1504 reports free; $27 for each additional.50% fee reductions: Request through Financial Aid Office Allow ETS 4-6 weeks to process Must register by US Mail

THE COMPUTER-ADAPTIVE GRE GENERAL TEST

Revised GRE: Adaptivity

There will be 2 verbal reasoning sections and 2 quantitative sections.

Within a section, you can skip, mark, return.

You cannot return to past sections. Difficulty of second section will be

adjusted to your ability.

Legend

Section 1, questions 1-20

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Section 2, 1-20

A possible representation of computer adaptivity

Demonstrated ability after this question

Upper or lower limit of question difficulty

Level of difficulty for this question

Section 1, questions 1-20

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Section 2, 1-20

Section 1, questions 1-20

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Section 2, 1-20

Section 1, questions 1-20

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Section 2, 1-20

Section 1, questions 1-20

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Section 1, questions 1-20

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Section 2, 1-20

OVERVIEW OF THE DAY

Test Centers or Universities

Computer stations, Other tests going on, Security measures, Honesty statement in cursive Demographic information, Numbered scratch paper, Clocks on computer.

Revised GRE: Analytical Writing“Present your Perspective on an

Issue” one essay topic. 30 minutes to write your essay. “Analyze an Argument” 30 minutes to critique a one-paragraph

argument.

Read and follow instructions!No spell or grammar check provided.

How the AWM is Scored

Each essay scored by 2 trained readers. 6-point holistic scale. Scores from the two readings averaged. Scores on the two essays averaged and

rounded up to the nearest half-point. A single score is reported for the section. Scoring guides and topic pool at

www.ets.org/gre.

Breaks

There will be a 10 minute break after section 3, and optional one minute breaks between other sections.

Standardized Sections:Verbal ReasoningQuantitative Reasoning

Revised Verbal Reasoning

You will have 2 sections (adaptive at thesection level) 30 minutes, 20 questions: Sentence equivalence Text completion Reading comprehension (budget your time!) All question types for all difficulty

levels.

Revised VR: Sentence Equivalence

Revised VR: Sentence Equivalence

Revised VR: Sentence Equivalence

Revised VR: Text Completion

Revised VR: Text Completion

Revised VR: Reading Comprehension

Revised VR: Reading Comprehension

Revised VR: Reading Comprehension

Preparing for the Verbal Measure

www.takethegre.com

www.freerice.com

Revised Quantitative Reasoning

You will have 2 sections (adaptive at the section level) 35 minutes, 20 questions:

More real-life scenarios and data interpretation

Key knowledge areas: arithmetic, algebra, geometry,

probability and statistics

Revised QR: Quantitative Comparison

Revised QR: Quantitative Comparison

Revised QR: Problem Solving

Revised QR: Numeric Entry

Revised QR: Choose 1 or more

Preparing for the Quantitative Measure

www.takethegre.com

Experimental Question Section Additional section with questions in

development Experimental section may fall first,

second or third Treat all sections as if they count:

you can’t tell which is which!

“ScoreSelect” Score Reports At end of GRE, given option to “report” or

“cancel” scores - before seeing them! “Report”: See VR and QR scores; select “most

recent” or “all” scores for each of your 4 free score reports.

If you later choose to purchase more reports, you will be given the choice of “most recent,” “all” or “any.”

You will not be allowed to choose specific section scores to mix and match.

GRE Prep Timeline Take the practice test to identify your

approximate beginning level, Find target scores on PowerPrep, Study areas that need improvement, Practice to increase speed.

How Much Prep Time? It depends on: how much you would like to improve,

your baseline score, the score you’re shooting for,

how much time you have to study, how quickly you can learn new skills, and how well you tend to perform on

standardized tests.

Grad School Application Timeline

Find application deadlines for your targeted programs,

Subtract one month from the earliest to determine your “working” deadline,

Subtract two more months to request letters of recommendation,

Take GRE at least two – three months before published deadlines,

Mail in applications, and arrange for transcripts to arrive by “working” deadline.

Copyright © Educational Testing Service, 2005. All rights reserved. 48

Relaxation Exercises

Practice deep, slow, measured breathing; count your breaths, pausing two seconds between them.

Lean your head back and smile at the ceiling for a few seconds.

Watch Amy Cuddy’s TED talk on Power Poses; use one before the test and during breaks.

Imagine a river; each question is separate, and is gone forever when it’s done.

GRE Bottom Line:

Preparation pays off!!