INTRODUCTION TO THE GRE GENERAL TEST Margaret Krantz Hanover College Career 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 GRE Registration options:  Call the test center directly  On-line  US mail General test: $195 Subject test: $150 4 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 ability / difficulty Mean 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 ability / difficulty Mean Section 2, 1-20

Section 1, questions 1-20 ability / difficulty Mean Section 2, 1-20

Section 1, questions 1-20 ability / difficulty Mean Section 2, 1-20

Section 1, questions 1-20 ability / difficulty Mean Section 2, 1-20

Section 1, questions 1-20 ability / difficulty Mean 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

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

Standardized Sections: Verbal Reasoning Quantitative Reasoning

Revised Verbal Reasoning You will have 2 sections (adaptive at the section 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: Text Completion

Revised VR: Reading Comprehension

Preparing for the Verbal Measure

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: Problem Solving

Revised QR: Numeric Entry

Revised QR: Choose 1 or more

Preparing for the Quantitative Measure

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, 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!!