The Graduate Record Examination is an important test for admission into masters and doctoral programmes in the US.
It tests applicants for their aptitude, reasoning and writing skills.
Here's everything you need to know about the test administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private non-profit assessment organisation.
If you have specific questions regarding the GRE, you can post them here!
What is the GRE revised General Test?
The GRE revised General Test is the world’s most widely accepted admissions test for graduate and business school.
No matter what advanced degree a test taker is considering, s/he will have more opportunities for success with the GRE revised General Test.
In fact, in addition to the thousands of graduate schools around the world accepting GRE scores for their master's and doctoral programmes, more than 1,000 business schools worldwide also accept GRE scores for admission to MBA, specialised master's and other graduate business programs.
The test measures the skills that are important for success at the graduate level: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing.
What does “test-taker friendly design” mean?
The computer-delivered GRE revised General Test features advanced technology that gives test takers the flexibility to use some of their own personal test-taking strategies.
The test-taker friendly means test takers can:
- Preview and review capabilities within a section
- Use the "Mark” and ”Review" features to tag questions within a section, so they can skip questions and return to them later
- Ability to change/edit answers within a section
- Use the on-screen calculator for the Quantitative Reasoning sections*
*For those taking the paper-delivered test, calculators will be provided at the test centre for use during the test.
What should test takers know about the GRE revised General Test?
The GRE revised General Test is the only admissions test that is accepted by graduate and business school programs worldwide, and it has a test-taker friendly design -- and with the ScoreSelect option, lets test takers decide which scores schools will see.
Thousands of institutions worldwide accept GRE scores for admission to their graduate programmes.
In addition, more than 1,100 business schools worldwide accept GRE scores for admission to their MBA programmes, including most top-ranked MBA programme according to The Financial Times, US News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek.
The ScoreSelect option lets GRE test takers decide which scores to send to the institutions they designate -- an option not available on any other graduate admissions test in the world.
The test features a flexible, test-taker friendly design that gives test takers the freedom to use more of their own personal test-taking styles and strategies.
They can preview questions, skip questions and go back, change their answers and more, all within a section.
There's also an on-screen calculator for the Quantitative Reasoning sections.*
The test-taker friendly design and the ability to send the scores of their choice to thousands of graduate and business schools worldwide gives GRE test takers the Power of Confidence.
*For those taking the paper-delivered test, calculators will be provided at the test centre for use during the test.
Who takes the GRE revised General Test? Is there any age limit?
Prospective graduate and business school applicants from around the world take the GRE revised General Test.
Applicants come from varying educational and cultural backgrounds, and the GRE revised General Test provides graduate and business schools with a common measure for comparing candidates’ qualifications.
In other words, anyone interested in pursuing an advanced degree may take the GRE revised General Test if they wish to do so.
There is no age limit and scores are good for five years so even if test takers are unsure about their future plans, they can take the test now while they are still deciding what to do.
How long does the test take and how many questions are there? (use CBT or PBT as appropriate)
The computer-delivered GRE revised General Test takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes and consists of six separately timed sections:
Verbal Reasoning -- There are two 30-minute sections, each containing 20 questions.
Quantitative Reasoning -- There are two 35-minute sections, each containing 20 questions.
Analytical Writing -- There is one section with two separately timed tasks: one 30-minute 'Analyze an Issue' task and one 30-minute 'Analyze an Argument' task.
An unidentified/unscored or research section.
The unidentified/unscored section can appear at any point after the Analytical Writing section.
The research section is always at the end of the test and is also unscored.
The paper-delivered GRE revised General Test, given in areas of the world where the computer-delivered test is not available, takes up to 3 hours and 30 minutes and consists of six separately timed sections:
Verbal Reasoning -- There are two 35-minute sections, each containing 25 questions.
Quantitative Reasoning -- There are two 40-minute sections, each containing 25 questions.
Analytical Writing -- There are two 30-minute sections: one that contains an 'Analyze an Issue' task and one that contains an 'Analyze an Argument' task.
Which graduate and business schools accept GRE scores?
A complete list of the thousands of graduate and business school programmes around the world that accept GRE scores can be accessed at www.ets.org/gre/programs.
If a school or programme of interest is not on the list, test takers are advised to check with the admissions office for current policies.
How much does the test cost?
The global test fee for the GRE revised General Test is US$195. This is less expensive than other globally accepted admissions tests for graduate and business school.
Scores and ScoreSelect Option
When will test takers receive their scores?
GRE test taker score reports are now paperless!
Effective July 2013, test takers have access to view their official Examinee Score Report online.
About 10 to 15 days after their computer-delivered test (and about 6 weeks after their paper-delivered test), test takers are notified via email that their scores are ready to view online.
They simply access their My GRE Account to view their scores.
They can also use the new on-demand, print-friendly functionality to print an official Examinee Score Report for free. ETS will email test takers when their scores are available.
ETS will continue to send official Institution Reports, directly from ETS, in a secure fashion to institutions in their preferred format.
How do test takers send scores to prospective schools or fellowship sponsors?
Four FREE score reports are included with the test registration fee.
For the computer-delivered test, free score recipients can be selected at the test centre.
After test day, test takers can send score reports to additional institutions for a fee.
For the paper-delivered test, free score recipients can be designated during test registration or on the admission ticket correction stub they bring to the test centre on test day.
After test day, test takers can send score reports to additional institutions for a fee.
With the ScoreSelect option, test takers that take the test more than once can send scores from their most recent test administration, scores from all GRE tests taken or scores from any specific test administration so schools will only see a test takers’ best scores.
Knowing that they have these score-reporting options helps test takers approach test day with more confidence and helps them focus on doing their best.
How long does it take for scores to be reported after the test administration?
Individuals taking the computer-delivered test can view their scores in their My GRE Account about 10 to 15 days after their test date.
Test takers are notified by ETS, via email, when their scores are available for viewing and printing.
At about the same time, official score reports are sent to the schools the test takers designated to receive their scores on test day. Delivery times vary depending on destination and are in addition to processing time.
Individuals taking the paper-delivered test can view their scores in their My GRE Account about six weeks after their test date.
Test takers are notified by ETS, via e-mail, when their scores are available for viewing and printing.
At about the same time, official score reports are sent to the schools the test takers designated to receive their scores during test registration.
Delivery times vary depending on destination and are in addition to processing time.
How long are GRE scores valid?
GRE scores are valid for five years after the testing year in which the test was taken (July 1 to June 30).
Currently, scores earned July 1, 2008, to the present are reportable.
The 10 Best Strategies and Tips for the Computer-delivered GRE revised General Test
Once you start planning, register early.
You want to get your preferred test date, time and location, so register for the GRE revised General Test as soon as you can. Plus, having a 'goal' date helps you stay focused on preparation!
Check out real GRE sample questions on the official GRE website.
An easy way to begin your preparation is to review the free sample questions on the GRE website.
You can start to get a feel for the types of questions you’ll see in each of the three sections of the test: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing.
Take some extra time to review your math skills.
The GRE Program offers a free 100-page math review that is a great way to refresh your basic math skills and review the concepts you may see when you take the GRE revised General Test.
Whether you're a math whiz or haven't taken a math class in a while, this practice gem, which includes problem-solving exercises, can help you get ready.
Download FREE POWERPREP II software.
This free software was created by the makers of the GRE test and is as close to the actual test as you can get.
The software simulates the test-taking experience. You can take two practice tests, both time and untimed, and become familiar with the test directions, question types, on-screen calculator, testing software and test design.
Use the calculator wisely.
The on-screen calculator is a test-taker friendly feature included to help you focus on problem solving and reasoning rather than computation.
You do not need to use it on every question. Use it for calculations that you know are more time consuming … or use it to check your work when you are finished answering all of the questions. Be sure to try out the on-screen calculator in the POWERPREP II software so you know what to expect on test day.
Plan your test-taking strategy.
You may want to first go through each timed section rapidly, answering only the questions you can answer with certainty. Then go back and answer the questions that require greater thought, concluding with the difficult questions if you have time.
You can use the 'Mark' and 'Review' tools to identify questions you want to skip and return to later and to ensure you answered all the questions in the section prior to exiting. Since no points are deducted for wrong answers, it's always better to answer every question than to leave a response blank.
Put your best scores forward.
Whether you’re taking a GRE test for the first time or retaking it, the ScoreSelect option lets you show schools only the scores you want them to see. And, you can make that decision at the test centre on test day or online any time after test day.
Knowing you have that option can help you approach test day with more confidence -- and help you focus on doing your best.
Make final preparations for test day and remember your valid photo ID.
Review the 'On Test Day' section of the GRE Information Bulletin or the GRE.
Also, check the site to make sure you have valid and acceptable identification so you can be admitted to the test centre on the day of your GRE test appointment.
The name you used to register must exactly match the name on the ID documents that you will present at the test centre.
Connect with other test takers.
Visit the official GRE revised General Test page on Facebook and interact with other GRE test takers to exchange ideas.
Be sure to take advantage of FREE GRE services.
As a GRE test taker, you can opt-in to the GRE Search Service for FREE when you create your My GRE Account so that graduate and business school recruiters who are searching for candidates like you can send you information about their programs, fellowships and even scholarships.
Plus, you can also send four free ETS Personal Potential Index reports to institutions, which will tell them more about your personal traits in areas like teamwork and resilience.
These free services are two great ways to help schools find you and help show them your potential.
Photo: Steven S/Creative Commons
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