Becoming Familiar with the GRE General Test GRE Test Preparation Workshop for Campus Educators.

Becoming Familiar with the

GRE General Test

GRE Test Preparation Workshop for Campus Educators

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Structure of the General Test

*Questions in this section are either being tried out for possible use in future tests or are being used to ensure that scores on new editions of the test are comparable to scores on earlier test editions.**Identified research section that is not scored may also be included.

Section Number of Questions

Time

Analytical Writing 1 Issue task 45 min.

1 Argument task 30 min.

Verbal Reasoning 30 questions 30 min.

Quantitative Reasoning 28 questions 45 min.

Unscored* (Position varies) Varies Varies

Research ** (At end of test) Varies Varies



Information It Is Important for Test Takers To Know Before They Register to Test

• Registration and appointment scheduling• Date, time, and test center location• ID requirements• Cost• Score reporting procedures• Availability of special testing arrangements

This information is available in the GRE Information and Registration Bulletin and on the GRE website at www.ets.org/gre.

http://www.ets.org/gre



Become Familiar with the Content of the Verbal and Quantitative Sections

Test takers should review the following:• Skills measured • Types of questions and directions• Approximate numbers of questions in each

section• Amount of time for each section.• How the sections are scored• Strategies for each of the question types• Answer the sample questions



Become Familiar with the Content of the Analytical Writing Section

Test takers should review the following:• Skills measured• Issue and Argument scoring guides• Score Level Descriptions• Sample topics• Scored Sample Essay Responses and

corresponding reader commentary• Issue and Argument pools of topics



Scratch Paper

• Test takers will receive a supply of scratch paper before they begin their test.

• Test takers will be able to replenish their supply of scratch paper, as necessary, throughout the entire test administration.

• Scratch paper may not be taken from the test center



Breaks

• There is a 10-minute break following the Analytical Writing section, and a one-minute break between the other test sections.

• Test takers might want to replenish their supply of scratch paper during each scheduled break.

• Section timing will not stop if the test taker takes an unscheduled break, so they should proceed with their test without interruption once it begins.



Linear (Traditional) Tests

• Broad range of ability to be assessed—test questions to match this range

• Some very easy and very difficult questions, but most questions are of middle/moderate difficulty

• All questions typically selected in advance of test administration

• At a given admin. of a linear test, many or all examinees receive the same set of questions

• Test scores are derived from the number of correct answers

• Advantage: Familiar testing format• Disadvantage: Longer testing time



Computer Adaptive Test (CAT)

• Each examinee receives a set of questions targeted to his/her specific ability

• Questions are not chosen in advance but selected by the computer algorithm, as examinee goes through test, based in part on test design factors of preceding questions and on whether these questions were answered correctly/incorrectly

• Test design factors that influence which questions are presented to each examinee include – the statistical characteristics (including difficulty level) of the

questions already answered – the required variety of question types – the appropriate coverage of content

• Advantage: Shorter testing time• Disadvantage: Unfamiliar testing format



Building An Adaptive Test

TEST DESIGN



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9number of questions answered

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Mean

score



Some CAT Rules

• You cannot go back and revise a previous answer.

• You cannot skip ahead to fill in answers to questions you know.

• You must answer each question as it is presented -- by posting a guess if necessary.



CAT Strategy: Answer Questions!

• Learn to identify the point at which it is best to post a guess. There are no time outs once a section has begun.

• It is normal in CAT to answer several questions incorrectly, even for high scorers.



Do Not Get Hung Up on a Question

• Pacing is critical to success in the GRE General Test. It is important not to leave questions unanswered, or to finish with a string of guesses.

• If you see a possible error, note its location and report it to the test center supervisor at the end of the test. Actual errors are very rare.

• It is important to focus on just one thing: answering the current question on the screen!



Strategies to Use During the Analytical Writing Section

• Be attentive to time, but do not rush.• Organize your thoughts and prepare outlines

for the two essays.• In the Issue task, you will have 45 minutes to

choose a topic, think about the issue, plan a response and compose a response.

• In the Argument task, you will have 30 minutes to analyze the argument, plan a critique and compose a response.

• Save a few minutes at the end of each time section to check for obvious errors.



CBT Familiarization

• Use the PowerPrep tutorial to learn how to interact with the computer.

• You may return to any part of the tutorial during the timed testing sessions, but this reduces the amount of time available.

• If you exit a section, you cannot return to it. • Clicking on the “Test Quit” icon at the bottom of

the screen ends the test session. If you quit a test, you will not receive scores, even for completed sections.



Don’t Take the Actual GRE Tests for Practice

• All scores earned in official GRE test administrations become part of your official record for 5 years.

• It is more economical to use GRE practice materials to take earlier editions of actual GRE tests under timed conditions.

• Practice tests for the paper-based and computer-based versions of the GRE General Test and the GRE Subject Tests are available at www.ets.org/gre/greprep.html.



Scoring the Verbal and Quantitative Sections

• Your Verbal and Quantitative scores will depend on your performance on the questions given and on the number of questions answered in the time allotted.



How Essay Responses Are Evaluated

GRE readers, who are college and university faculty, read each essay response and evaluate its overall quality according to how well the test taker:

• Responds to the specific instructions on the issue • Considers the complexities of the issue • Organizes, develops, and expresses his/her ideas • Supports his/her position with relevant reasons and/or

examples • Controls the elements of standard written English



Scores Reported

Three scores are reported on the General Test:• a Verbal Reasoning score reported on a 200–800, in

10-point increments • a Quantitative Reasoning score reported on a 200–

800, in 10-point increments • an Analytical Writing score reported on a 0–6 score

scale, in half-point increments.

Any section in which the examinee answers no questions at all will be reported as an “NS” (No Score).



GRE Score Reporting Policies

• Score reporting is cumulative. Scores are reportable for 5 testing years following the testing year in which the examinee tested. All scores earned during this time will be reported to institutions the examinee designates.

• Test taker options:– Send only General Test scores– Send only Subject Test scores– Send only Analytical Writing or Writing Assessment scores– Send any combination of the above– Examinee may not choose to have only those scores from

a specific test date reported.

Becoming Familiar with the GRE General Test GRE Test Preparation Workshop for Campus Educators.

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