What Is GRE
The Graduate Record Examination or GRE is an important step in the graduate school or business school application process. It is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in the United States and Canada. The GRE is developed and administered by Educational Testing Service.
The main aim of this test is to measure verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking skills that have been acquired over a long period of learning. The contents of the GRE test consists of algebra, geometry, arithmetic and vocabulary sections.
How The GRE Test Is Organized
The test is mainly computer-based. They do offer paper-based tests as well but they’re very rare. The test is adaptive by section, meaning that the score in previous sections influences the difficulty of upcoming sections. The test takes roughly 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete. There are three sections to the test: Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning. Participants will get 10 minutes break after each section.
GRE scores are calculated by converting raw scores (the number of questions answered correctly) into a scaled score through a process called equating. Both the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections are reported on a 130-170 point scale, while the Analytical Writing section is reported on a 0-6 point scale.
Any sections where no questions are answered will be reported as No Score (NS). A good score within the GRE score range depends on what one need to get admission to one’s chosen school and program. The validity of the score or grade is 5 years.
How To Register For The Test
Participants must register online to take the GRE test in advance of their test date; walk-in registration at test centers is not accepted. It is administered by ETS and given at Prometric testing centers. It costs $205 in most locations all over the world.
A variety of resources are available for those wishing to prepare for the test. ETS provides preparation software called Power Prep, which contains two practice tests of retired questions, as well as further practice questions and review material.