The Graduate Record Exam
HOW TO STUDY & WHAT TO EXPECT
HOLLY CLAYTON & SAEID CHAVOSHI
What is the GRE?
 A computerized, standardized test designed to assess
“readiness” for graduate school.
 GRE scores are often required as part of your
graduate application, but may also be used to apply
for external grants or financial aid.
 Not every school requires that the GRE be written in
order to apply. Check program websites.
Which test should I write?
General test
 Assesses general skills
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necessary for graduate studies.
Applies to most subject areas.
Assesses your ability to read
complex information,
knowledge of high-level
vocabulary, mathematical
problem-solving abilities, and
writing skills.
Offered year round.
Always check program
requirements
Subject Test
 Tests fundamental knowledge
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in a particular subject area.
Must have extensive
background in subject area.
Biochemistry, Biology,
Chemistry, Computer Science,
English Literature,
Mathematics, Physics &
Psychology.
Only offered in Oct., Nov. &
Apr.
Always check program
requirements.
Standardized Testing
 Since the GRE is a standardized test, it is very
predictable. The same concepts are tested on all
exams. Scores are reliable & form a bell-curve.
 Think of the test like a game, and “train” yourself to
be successful .
 Most of the skills necessary to do well on the GRE
are acquired; giving yourself enough practice time is
imperative to your success!
 The same problems appear on the GRE year after
year, only the words and numbers are changed.
How the GRE
is organized
Verbal
30 minutes, 30 multiple choice questions.
The GRE is done on a
computer. There are 3
scored sections, as
shown here.
Your test may contain
an additional,
experimental section
(to test out new
questions) in either the
verbal or quantitative
domain. Your test
center may not tell you
which section this is, so
treat all parts of the test
as real and scored.
Quantitative
45 minutes, 28 multiple choice
questions.
Analytical Writing
75 minutes, 2 short essays.
The GRE as a
ComputerAdaptive Test
• One question appears at a time and you must
answer it in order to move on to the next.
• Question difficulty increases when the
previous question has been answered
correctly; when the previous answer was
incorrect, difficulty decreases. You always
start with a medium-level question.
• Do not think about whether the problems are
becoming more difficult during the exam as
this will only distract you.
A computer-adaptive
test is a computerbased test taken at a
test center, at a time
you schedule.
• There is a timer in the test window which you
may hide if it bothers you. However, be aware
of the time, because when it is up the
computer immediately starts the next section.
Scoring
Verbal
200-800
Quantitative
200-800
Analytical
Writing
0-6
 You receive a scaled score,
as shown on the left.
 You also receive a
percentile ranking.
 Be aware that a high score
may not always translate
into a high percentile rank.
 Find out what
scores/rankings the
school(s) you are interested
in require.
Registering for the GRE
 Every school has different application deadlines, so
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be aware of these before you register for the GRE.
The GRE is (usually) only part of your complete
application package. Make sure you’ve left enough
time to complete the other portions, too.
www.gre.org to register online.
1-800-GRE-CALL to register by phone.
It costs $190.
It is $50 to re-schedule or change test locations.
Verbal Section
QUESTION TYPES & EXAMPLES (45 MIN)
Antonyms – 9
Analogy - 7
Sentence Completion - 6
Reading Comprehension - 8
Antonyms
Source: Barron’s GRE 12th Edition
Analogy
Source: Barron’s GRE 12th Edition
The key is VOCABULARY
1. RECALCITRANT
2. POTABLE
3. INEXORABLE
4. PROLIX
5. REFULGENT
6. PUNCTILIOUS
7. DIAPHANOUS
8. NEBULOUS
9. DIDACTIC
10.PUERILE
Long Term Approach
SPACED REPETITION
•
•
LEITNER SYSTEM
WWW.SYSTEMSFORCHANGE.CA
Cramming…
1 . FLASH CARDS
2 . <BOOK NAME>
ESSENTIAL WORD LISTS
3 . ROOTS ETC.
Sentence Completion
Source: Barron’s GRE 12th Edition
Reading Comprehension
ONE SHORT PASSAGE (SCIENCE)
ONE LONG PASSAGE (NON SCIENCE)
ONE LONG PASSAGE (NON SCIENCE)
1. READ ONCE BEFORE ANSWERING QUESTIONS
2. REFER BACK TO ANSWER QUESTIONS
3. DO NOT USE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE – ANSWERS
MUST BE BASED ON THE PASSAGE
Source: Barron’s GRE 12th Edition
Quantitative Section
QUESTION TYPES & EXAMPLES
Quantitative
Section
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45 minutes, 28
questions.
•
You are NOT
allowed a calculator.
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You are provided
with a couple of
sheets of blank
paper for the
ENTIRE test. Use
them wisely.
Diagrams are not
drawn to scale
unless noted.
Quantitative Comparison
(About 14 questions)
Word Problems
(About 10 questions)
Data Interpretation
(About 4 questions)
Quantitative Comparisons – Which is greater?
Column A
Column B
 2x
 3x
Quantitative Comparisons
Answer choices
(MEMOIZE THEM)
Tips
 (A) The quantity in
 You are not solving, you
Column A is greater.
 (B) The quantity in
Column B is greater
 (C) The two quantities
are equal.
 (D) The relationship
cannot be determined
from the information
given.
are comparing the values
in both columns.
 Choice D is never
correct if both columns
contain ONLY numbers.
 Choice D is always
correct if you can find
more than one
relationship between the
columns.
Quantitative Comparison - Example
Column A: 2x
Column B: 3x
 If x is a negative
 If x is a positive
number, this column is
greater.
 If x = 0, the columns
are equal.
number, this column is
greater.
 The choice is D,
since more than one
relationship is
possible.
Word Problems
 At Blinky Burgers
restaurant, two
hamburgers and five
orders of French fries
cost the same as four
hamburgers and two
orders of French fries. If
the restaurant charges
$1.50 for a single order
of French fries, how
much does it charge for
two hamburgers?
(Kaplan, 2010)
 $2.25
 $3.00
 $4.50
 $5.00
 $600
Data Interpretation
Total Revenues
Total Profits
(in billions of dollars)
(in millions of dollars
Data Interpretation
1.
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2.
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Approximately how much did
total revenues increase from
1984 to 1987?
$.0.5 billion
$1.5 billion
$4 billion
$4.5 billion
$5 billion
In 1989, approximately how
many millions of dollars were
revenues from frozen food
operations?
1,700
1,100
900
600
450
Analytical Writing Section
THE ISSUE ESSAY
THE ARGUMENT ESSAY
The Issue Essay
 You will be presented with 2 topics. You will have 45
minutes to plan & write the essay. You will be
presented with an issue, which you must form an
opinion on. It does not matter what the opinion is.
 All results of publicly funded scientific studies
should be made available to the general public free
of charge. Scientific journals that charge a
subscription or newsstand price are profiting
unfairly. (Kaplan, 2010)
The Argument Essay
 You will be presented with 1 argument posed by an
unknown individual. It is your job to critique their “line
of reasoning”, within 30 minutes, based solely on the
evidence (or lack of evidence) in the text.
 The problem of poorly performing teachers that has
plagued the state public school system is bound to
become a good deal less serious in the future. The state
has initiated comprehensive guidelines that oblige state
teachers to complete a number of required credits in
education and educational psychology at the graduate
level before being certified. (Kaplan, 2010)
Writing Strategies for the GRE
1)
You must show proper control of language , including grammar, word choice
and sentence structure.
2)
Keep things simple and straightforward. Using fancy words that you learned in
the verbal section will not gain you any extra marks, especially if used
incorrectly.
3)
Minor grammatical errors will not dramatically decrease your score, you are
writing a “rough draft”.
4)
The main goal is show that you can clearly and concisely construct, as well as
analyse, argumentative essays.
5)
Make sure that all points are supported with evidence.
6)
Include strong introductions and conclusions. Structure is incredibly
important! (Kaplan, 2010)
Essay Scoring
 You will be rated on a 0-6 point scale.
 A zero is given to someone that ignores the topic
completely, cannot communicate an opinion and/or
writes in a foreign language.
 A 6 is given to someone that “convincingly “
supports their opinion, has a well organized essay
and has superior knowledge of the English language.
The essay may have some minor flaws.
 You are marked by a computer and a real person. If
the scores do not agree, another real person marks
your essay(s). (Kaplan, 2010)
Test Day
The night before, make sure you
have the following things together:
 Valid photo ID
 Admission ticket
 A healthy snack
 Bottle of water
 A Watch
 Names of schools you are sending
your scores.
 Any medications you need.
Good luck on the GRE!
HOLLY CLAYTON:
HELLOHOLLIS@GMAIL.COM
SAEID CHAVOSHI:
CHAVOSHI@YORKU.CA