GRE Test Preparation Workshop for Campus Educators Preparing for the Quantitative Measure

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Overview What’s it like to jump into the test cold? The Quantitative Measure Test taking strategies Sample questions New Quantitative question type (beginning November 2007) Discussion and questions

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Jumping into the Test Cold Let’s see what it feels like to take the test without any preparation. Take 10 minutes to answer the 6 test questions in your notebook. Afterward, we will discuss each question. Don’t worry, your answers will not be scored!

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). The Quantitative Measure Assesses: Basic math skills and understanding of elementary mathematical concepts Ability to reason quantitatively and to solve problems in a quantitative setting Skills and abilities in the areas of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis –Includes high-school-level mathematics and statistics, generally no higher than Algebra 2 –Excludes trigonometry, calculus, and higher, college- level mathematics

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Arithmetic Includes the following topics: Elementary operations Number line Estimation Percent, ratio, and rates Absolute value Properties of integers, such as divisibility, odd and even integers, and prime numbers

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Algebra Includes the following topics: Algebraic expressions and manipulations Functions and their graphs Coordinate geometry Solving equations and inequalities Modeling and solving word problems with algebra

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Geometry Includes the following topics: Elementary geometric figures and concepts such as lines, circles, triangles, quadrilaterals, and other polygons Angle measure, area, perimeter, volume, and the Pythagorean theorem Intuitive geometric concepts, for example, the sum of any two sides of a triangle is greater than the third side Note: Ability to construct proofs is not measured.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Data Analysis Includes the following topics: Basic descriptive statistics such as mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation Frequency distributions Interpretation of data presentations, including bar graphs, line graphs, circle graphs, boxplots, and scatterplots Elementary probability, including random variables and probability distributions such as the normal distribution Counting methods

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Design of the Quantitative Measure 28 questions administered in 45 minutes Three question types (mixed together): –Regular Multiple Choice: a stand-alone question with 5 answer choices –Quantitative Comparison: two quantities that are to be compared, resulting in 4 possible answer choices –Data Interpretation: a 5-choice question about a data presentation; appears in sets of two or more consecutive questions about the same data Calculator use is not permitted on the test.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). General Strategies for the Quantitative Measure 1.Become familiar with the format and directions beforehand. 2.Read carefully so that you don’t overlook information or misread the question. You don’t want to answer something that is not being asked. 3.Be careful not to make unwarranted assumptions. For example, not all numbers are integers, nor are all numbers positive. 4.Geometric figures may not be drawn to scale, so avoid estimating sizes by sight or by measurement on such figures.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). General Strategies (continued) 5. If applicable, draw your own diagram or figure, or make a list to help sort out what the question is asking. 6. Avoid lengthy calculations by rounding numbers before computing an estimate, by making quick comparisons, and by recognizing and continuing numerical patterns when appropriate. 7.Search for general mathematical relationships among the quantities in a question.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). General Strategies (continued) 8.Some questions are most naturally answered by systematically considering several cases of the situation that is described. 9.For some questions, a fast way to a solution is by guessing an answer, checking it out, and then improving on your guess. 10.Evaluate your progress and switch to a different strategy if you get stuck or if a solution seems to require an inordinate amount of time. 11.After arriving at an answer, reread the question to make sure your answer is reasonable, given what was asked.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Strategies for Multiple Choice Questions 1.Use the fact that the correct answer is there. If your answer is not one of the 5 answer choices, you should assume your answer is incorrect and do the following: Reread the problem more carefully Check your computations Reevaluate your solution method 2.Look at the answer choices before solving the problem, as they will often narrow the solution method and give a more complete sense of what the question is asking. 3.In some questions, you may be able to work backward from the answer choices—for example, by substituting the answer choices in an equation to see which one works.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Strategies for Quantitative Comparison 1.The answer choices for these questions are always the same, so become familiar with them. 2.If it is clear that the values of the two quantities are completely determined, do not choose the last choice, “The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.” 3.To compare the quantities, simplify, transform, or estimate one or both of them only as much as necessary to compare them. Do not take unnecessary time to compute the quantities exactly.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS).

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Strategies for Quantitative Comparison (continued) 4.Consider all kinds of appropriate real numbers before you give an answer—for example, zero, positive and negative numbers, small and large numbers, and fractions and decimals. 5.Remember, when a quantity is “greater” than another, it is “farther to the right on the number line.” For example: −1 is greater than −2 1/10 is greater than 1/11 −1/11 is greater than −1/10

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Strategies for Quantitative Comparison (continued) 6.If you determine that one quantity is greater than the other, make sure you carefully choose the corresponding answer choice. Don’t confuse the first two answer choices. 7.If a geometric figure is provided, try to redraw the figure, keeping the fixed information fixed but changing the aspects of the figure that are not fixed.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS).

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Here are two of the many ways that quadrilateral ABCD can be redrawn: All you know is that the four points A, B, C, and D are on the circle in the order shown.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Strategies for Quantitative Comparison (continued) 8.If both quantities are algebraic expressions, you can begin by substituting easy numbers for the variables and then comparing the results; but more analysis may be necessary. 9.Another approach for algebraic or arithmetic expressions is to: (i) temporarily treat the two expressions as equal to each other; (ii) simplify the resulting “equation” using equivalent steps until the comparison is clear; (iii) make sure that the original quantities have the same relationship (or lack thereof) as the simplified quantities.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS).

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Strategies for Data Interpretation 1.Scan the data presentation, making sure to scroll if necessary to see all of the information. Then read the question so that you can zero in on the specific information you need to answer it. 2.You can assume that bar graphs, circle graphs, and other displays of data are drawn to scale. 3.If you need to read numbers from a graph, look at the answer choices for guidance on the required degree of accuracy.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Strategies for Data Interpretation (continued) 4.If a question asks that you draw conclusions or make inferences, be careful to use only the information given and your knowledge of mathematics. Do not use extraneous knowledge that you might have about the given data.

Sample Questions

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS).

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS).

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS).

New Quantitative Question Type

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). New Quantitative Question Type: Numeric Entry Numeric Entry: enter your answer either as a number in a single answer box or as a fraction in two separate boxes—one for the numerator and one for the denominator—using the computer mouse and keyboard Test takers may see 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

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Numeric Entry Sample Question The total amount of Judy’s water bill for the last quarter of the year was $ The bill consisted of a fixed charge of $13.50 plus a charge of $ 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.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). How to Approach Numeric Entry Questions Make sure you answer the question that is asked. There are no answer choices to guide you. If you are asked to round your answer, make sure to round to the required degree of accuracy. If no rounding instructions are given, enter the exact answer. Check your answer to make sure it is reasonable with respect to the information given. You may want to use estimation or another answer solution path to double-check your answer.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Some Final Thoughts on Preparing Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. You may know more than you think you know. Try some practice tests to gauge your abilities. Set realistic goals for improvement. Allow enough time for improvement to occur— start early and work regularly.

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Some Final Thoughts on Preparing (continued) Use available resources: –ETS materials (e.g., GRE PowerPrep software, Math Review, and other materials on GRE website) –College faculty –Study groups

Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading. ® Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). Questions?