GRE care: Overview of the GRE tests
Overview of the GRE tests
GRE test scores can be used by admissions or fellowship panels to graduate study The scores provide common measures forsupplement undergraduate records and other qualifications for comparing the qualifications of applicants and aid in the evaluation of grades and recommendations. Accredited undergraduate and graduate institutions and non-degree-granting organizations that award graduate fellowships are eligible for consideration as score recipients Institutions and organizations that do not meet either one of these requirements are, in general, not eligible to be score recipients The GRE Board retains the right to make exceptions to this policy in special circumstances .
The weight to be given to GRE scores can generally be established by relating what the tests measure to the orientation, curriculum, and aims of a department . Specifically, the content validity of the tests for a graduate department should be determined by reviewing each test carefully and then making subjective decisions as to the weight, if any, the scores on GRE tests should receive in relation to other admission factors Score users should be familiar with the responsibilities of test users outlined in Part III of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, NCME, 1999) .
General Test Content
The General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing abilities that have been acquired and developed over a long period of time The verbal section tests the ability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it, to analyze relationships among component parts of sentences, and to recognize relationships between words and concepts In each test edition, there is a balance among the passages across three different subject matter areas: humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences The quantitative section tests basic mathematical skills and understanding of elementary mathematical concepts, as well as the ability to reason quantitatively and to solve problems in a quantitative setting There is a balance among the questions requiring arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis The analytical writing section tests critical thinking and analytical writing skills It assesses the ability to articulate and support complex ideas, analyze an argument, and sustain a focused and coherent discussion It does not assess specific knowledge, and there is no single best way to respond
The analytical writing section, which is always the first section of the test, consists of two tasks: a 45-minute “Present Your Perspective on an Issue” task and a 30-minute “Analyze an Argument” task The Issue task states an opinion on an issue of general interest and asks test takers to address the issue from any perspective(s) they wish, so long as they provide relevant reasons and examples to explain and support their views The Argument task presents a different challenge: it requires test takers to critique an argument by discussing how well reasoned they find it Test takers are asked to consider the logical soundness of the argument rather than to agree or disagree with the position it presents The two tasks are complementary in that one requires test takers to construct their own arguments by making claims and providing evidence supporting their positions on the issue, whereas the other requires examinees to critique someone else’s argument by assessing its claims and evaluating the evidence it provides
Individuals who are interested in reviewing the content of the General Test can download the GRE POWERPREP software free of charge on the GRE Web site at www.ets.org/ gre/tpresources.html .
Some questions on the General Test are being pretested for possible use in future editions of the test; other questions may
appear in identified research sections Answers to pretest and research questions are not used in the calculation of scores for the test
Administration
The GRE General Test is offered on computer in the U. S . , Canada, and many other countries Paper-based GRE General Test administrations are offered in areas of the world where computer-based testing is not available The GRE calendar on the back cover of this Guide shows paper-based test administrations and score reporting dates for the academic year
The verbal and quantitative sections of the computer-based General Test are adaptive, which means that the selection of questions is tailored to an examinee’s ability level in each of the measures Initially, an examinee is presented with a question of about average difficulty Thereafter, the computer selects questions based upon (1) the statistical characteristics of those questions already answered (including the difficulty level), (2) the required variety of question types, and (3) appropriate coverage of content The computer-based test format does not require test takers to be familiar with computers; a tutorial section at the beginning of the computer-based test teaches the test taker how to use the testing system
In the analytical writing section of the computer-based General Test, the GRE Program uses an elementary word processor developed by ETS so that individuals familiar with a specific commercial word processing software do not have an advantage or disadvantage This software contains the following functionalities: inserting text, deleting text, cut and paste, and undoing the previous action Tools such as a spelling checker and grammar checker are not available in the ETS software, in large part to maintain fairness with those examinees who handwrite their essays during the paper-based General Test
How the Analytical Writing Section is Scored
The scoring of the analytical writing section is the same whether the test is taken on computer or paper Each essay receives a score from two trained readers, using a 6-point holistic scale In holistic scoring, readers are trained to assign scores on the basis of the overall quality of an essay in response to the assigned task If the two assigned scores differ by more than one point on the scale, the discrepancy is adjudicated by a third GRE reader Otherwise, the scores from the two readings of an essay are averaged The final scores on the two essays are then averaged and rounded up to the nearest half-point interval A single score is reported for the analytical writing measure
The primary emphasis in scoring the analytical writing section is on examinees’ critical thinking and analytical writing skills rather than on grammar and mechanics . (Scoring guides for each essay task are available in the Educators section of the GRE Web site at www.ets.org/gre under “Scores/Interpreting Scores .” Test takers’ essay responses on the analytical writing section will be reviewed by ETS essay-similarity-detection software and by experienced essay readers during the scoring process In light of the high value placed on independent intellectual activity within United States graduate schools and universities, ETS reserves the right to cancel test scores of any test taker when there is substantial evidence that an essay response includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:
- text that is similar to that found in one or more other GRE essay responses;
- quoting or paraphrasing, without attribution, or language that appears in published or unpublished sources;
- unacknowledged use of work that has been produced through collaboration with others without citation of the contribution of others;
- essays that are submitted as work of the examinee when the words have, in fact, been borrowed from elsewhere or prepared by another person
When one or more of the above circumstances occurs, the test taker’s essay text, in ETS’s professional judgment, does not reflect the independent, analytical writing skills that this test seeks to measure . Therefore, ETS must cancel the essay score as invalid and cannot report the GRE General Test scores of which the essay score is an indispensable part
Test takers whose scores are cancelled will forfeit their test fees and must pay to take the entire GRE General Test again at a future administration . No record of the score cancellations, or the reason for cancellation, will appear on their future score reports sent to colleges and universities.
Subject Tests
Subject Tests, available in the eight disciplines listed below, measure achievement in particular fields of study
Biochemistry, Cell and Literature in English
Molecular Biology Mathematics (Rescaled)*
Biology Physics
Chemistry Psychology Computer Science
Every Subject Test yields a total score, and some yield subscores . Subscores enable assessment of strengths and weaknesses and can be used for guidance and placement purposes Each test deals with the subject matter that is emphasized in many undergraduate programs as preparation for graduate study in the field
Individuals who are interested in reviewing the content of a particular Subject Test can download a copy of the corresponding Subject Test practice book free of charge from the Test Takers Download Library on the GRE Web site at www.ets.org/gre
The Subject Tests, offered only at paper-based administrations, will be given in November 2006, December 2006, and April 2007 at test centers throughout the world The GRE calendar on the back cover of this Guide shows test administration and score reporting dates for the academic year.
