Education, Careers & Professional News
Get ready for changes in GRE
Source
THE HINDU
Date
2005-10-31
Information
The new test will emphasise complex reasoning skills and include more real-life scenarios, data interpretation and more focussed writing.
THE ETS is making extensive changes to the Graduate Record Examinations.
Students planning to take the exam before October should not worry about the rehaul, though they will probably see some changes in the unscored research sections.
The exam will now be a four-hour affair compared to the earlier 2 hours and 30 minutes, and each of the three sections - Verbal, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing - will have different types of questions and new formats.
Says David Payne, Executive Director of the GRE Programme in ETSs Higher Education Division: The new test will emphasise complex reasoning skills that are closely aligned to graduate work. Well include more real-life scenarios and data interpretation questions and new, more focussed, writing questions.
The changes are as follows:
Verbal Reasoning
This section will have greater emphasis on higher cognitive skills and less dependence on vocabulary; a broader selection of reading passages drawn from a more diverse selection; and it will consist more of computer-enabled tasks.
Quantitative Reasoning
This section will have fewer geometry questions; more real-life scenarios and data interpretation questions; and there will be an emphasis on the use of technology such as the on-screen, four-function calculator with square-root feature available for some questions.
Analytical Writing
This section will have more focussed questions to ensure original analytical writing.
A total of 30 minutes will be allocated to the argument and issue tasks.
New GRE vs old
The new test will be a computer-based, linear exam with new item types and scoring scale.
In maths, while the problem-solving questions will remain, new question formats are likely to include user-generated response questions and multiple-answer questions.