University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Summer Research Program
GRE Preparation Course
GRE – Introduction & Overview
Analytical Writing Section
Writing the GRE
Issue Task
Argument Task
Quantitative Section
Basic Math Review
ETS-Provided Review Book
Verbal Section
Analogies
Antonyms
Sentence Completions
Reading Comprehension
Welcome to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Summer Research Program
GRE Prep Course
Staff
Subject area
Classroom
Analytical
Writing
CBA 12
Verbal
CBA 108
Adrian Katschke
Email: drian@atstatconsulting.com
Office:
Quantitative
CBA 342
Tutoring schedules will be provided:
All sections
Jan Jarvis
Email: jjarvis2@unlnotes.unl.edu
Office: 123 Andrews
472-2866
Teri Imus
Email: timus2@unl.edu
Office: 110 Seaton Hall
472-7737
Course Times
Tuesday
6:00 – 6:55pm Verbal / Analytical writing
7:00 – 7:55pm Verbal / Analytical writing
Thursday
8:00 – 8:55pm – Quantitative
GRE Introduction – UNL Summer Research Program
2
The GRE General Test
Welcome to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Summer Research Program GRE
Preparation course. This course is designed to take place over eight weeks, and develop the
skills required to achieve excellent GRE scores. Please read the following section to help
you understand what the GRE is, its sections, and how it will be scored.
The Graduate Records Exam (GRE) General Test is designed to help graduate school
admission committees and fellowship sponsors assess the qualifications of applicants to
their programs. It measures verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing skills that you have
acquired over a long period of time.
Any accredited graduate or professional school, or any department or division within a
school, may require or recommend that its applicants take the GRE General Test. The
scores can be used by admissions or fellowship panels to supplement undergraduate
records and other qualifications for graduate study. The scores provide common measures
for comparing the qualifications of applicants and aid in the evaluation of grades and
recommendations. Some schools require the Subject Tests as well (particularly for Ph.D.
programs). See www.ets.org for further details. The UNL Summer Research Program GRE
Preparation Course will only prepare you for the General Test.
STRUCTURE OF THE GRE
The GRE General Test contains five sections. In addition, one unidentified pretest
section may be included and this section can appear in any position in the test after the
analytical writing section. Questions in the pretest section are being pretested for possible
use in future tests and answers will not count toward your scores.
Total testing time is up to 3-3/4 hours. The directions at the beginning of each section
specify the total number of questions in the section and the time allowed for the section.
The analytical writing section will always be first. The verbal and quantitative sections may
appear in any order, including an unidentified verbal or quantitative pretest section. Treat
each section presented during your test as if it counts.
Typical GRE General Test Sections
Section
Number of
Questions
Time
Analytical
Writing
1 Issue task*
45 min.
1 Argument
task*
30 min.
Verbal
38 per section
(2 sections)
Quantitative
30 per section
(2 sections)
Pretest**
Varies
30 min. per
section
30 min. per
section
30 min.
* In the Issue task, two essay topics will be presented and you will choose one. The
Argument task does not present a choice of topics; instead, one topic will be presented.
**An unidentified verbal or quantitative pretest section may be included and may appear in
any order after the analytical writing section.
GRE Introduction – UNL Summer Research Program
3
Scores Reported
Three scores are reported on the General Test:
1. a verbal score reported on a 200-800 score scale, in 10-point increments,
2. a quantitative score reported on a 200-800 score scale, in 10-point increments, and
3. an analytical writing score reported on a 0-6 score scale, in half-point increments.
If you answer no questions at all in a section (verbal, quantitative, or analytical writing),
that section will be reported as a No Score (NS).
Descriptions of the analytical writing abilities characteristic of particular score levels are
available in the interpretive leaflet enclosed with your score report, in the Guide to the Use
of GRE Scores, and on the GRE Web site at www.gre.org.
Beginning in the fall of 2003, essay responses on the analytical writing section of the
General Test will be made available to designated score recipients. If you test on or after
July 1, 2003, your essay responses from your current and previous General Test administrations will be made available as part of your cumulative score record.
The Graduate Record Examination Program, which is administered by the Educational
Testing Service (ETS), is offered year-round at hundreds of test centers around the world.
You can schedule your appointment at a time that is convenient for you. You can also
retake the test up to five times in one year but no more than once in any given month.
ETS also offers Subject Tests in eight discipline areas (Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular
Biology, Literature in English, Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Computer
Science, and Psychology), each of which measures achievement in specific fields. If you
are planning to take the General Test or any of the Subject Tests, you can obtain a
registration packet and additional information about each t, by writing directly to:
Graduate Record Examination
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, New Jersey 08541
http://www.gre.org
Ice 1999, the regular "pencil and paper" test for the Graduate Record Examination has been
largely discontinued, and only the computerized version, known as the computer-adaptive
test (CAT), is available in the United States and many other countries.
THE COMPUTER-ADAPTIVE TEST (CAT)
Computer-adaptive test is-as the title says-adaptive. That means that each time you answer
a question, the computer adjusts to your responses when determining which question to
present next. If you answer the question correctly, you are presented with a question of
increased difficulty. If you fail to answer the question incorrectly, you will receive a
question of lesser difficulty. For example, the first question in a section will be of moderate
difficulty. If you answer it correctly, the computer adapts so t the next question is slightly
more difficult. If your answer was incorrect, the next question will be somewhat easier. The
computer will continue presenting questions based on your responses, with the ultimate
goal of determining your ability level.
There are a few things you should keep in mind when taking the GRE CAT – some that are
GRE Introduction – UNL Summer Research Program
4
generic tips and other that are CAT-specific. Although these may have appeared earlier in
this chapter, they are important enough for you to read them again-and learn them.
1. You do not need to be computer literate in order to take the test. You will receive a
tutorial before the exam, so that you are totally familiar with the computer, word
processing, answering a test question, and using the mouse.
2. You must answer every question as it is presented to you. If you don't answer a
question and accept it at the time, you cannot get the next question. As we said
earlier, take more time on the early questions, since they will count for more than
those at the end of the test.
3. Questions are not grouped by type within each section. Thus, you might find it
disruptive to jump back and forth from one question type to another, but you should
learn to develop your own method of dealing with this.
4. During the test, there is a time display that you can turn on or off. When there are 5
minutes remaining for a section, the time will automatically turn on and flash
briefly to alert you. It will be helpful, though, to occasionally monitor how much
time remains.
5. Use the process of elimination. One of the basic methods of answering multiplechoice questions is the process of elimination. Mentally cross off the wrong answers
and work toward the correct one. Eliminate those that are obviously incorrect.
Select the one that strikes you as correct right from the start. The more choices you
eliminate, the better your odds are for getting the correct answer.
It is important to understand that the questions at the beginning of a section affect
your score more than those at the end. That's because the early questions are used to
determine your general ability level. Once the computer determines your general ability
level, it presents questions to identify your specific ability level. As you progress farther
into a section, it will be difficult to raise your score very much, even if you answer most
items correctly. That's because the later questions affect your score less, as they are used to
pinpoint your exact score once the computer has identified your general ability level.
Therefore, take as much time as you can afford to answer the early questions
correctly. Your score on each section is based on the number of questions you answer
correctly as well as the difficulty level of those questions. You will receive a score on each
of the sections, whether or no you complete all of the questions. If you do not answer any
of the questions in a section, a "No Score" will be reported.
Because of the nature of this type of test, you must answer each question as it is
presented to you before you get the next question. If you don't answer the question, you
can't go forward. And once you answer a question, you can't go back either, since the
computer has already selected the next question, based on what you answered. Also, once
you exit a section, you cannot go back.
If you are not computer literate, don't worry. You will only be required to have basic
comp skills, and fortunately, you will have a tutorial prior to taking the exam, in order to
demonstrate 1 you are capable of taking the test. Of course, it would be helpful to practice
on a computer prior taking the actual test, especially since the Analytical Writing portion of
the exam will require the skills. At the test center, you will have up to 4 hours for your test
appointment, but only 2 hour 15 minutes are allotted for the actual exam. So you will have
enough time to take the tutorial and answer most of the other questions that you will
receive, along with an ETS survey.
GRE Introduction – UNL Summer Research Program
5
Scoring
The scoring for the GRE CAT is similar to the scoring for the pencil-and-paper test. The
number of correct answers is adjusted to the difficulty level of the questions you answered.
As we mentioned earlier, this is why it is important to answer the first questions correctly,
so that the difficulty increases, as does your score. The final score incorporates the
properties of the questions, how many questions you answered correctly, and the number of
questions that you answered. Your score will range from 200 to 800, will be separated into
separate scores for each section, and will be accompanied by a percentile rank for those
sections.
One advantage of the CAT exam is that you will receive your verbal and quantitative
scores soon as you complete the test, if you wish. You can cancel the test at that time
before getting scores, if you think you did poorly. If you click on the "Test Quit" box on
your screen, you stop the test, and no scores will be reported-not even for those sections
you have already completed, you decide to see your scores, you will also receive a paper
report in the mail within six weeks after taking the test.
Another advantage of taking the CAT is that the test is offered year-round at hundreds
01 centers around the world. You can schedule your appointment at a time that is
convenient for you. You can also retake the test up to five times in one year but no more
than once in any given month.
Let's take a closer look at the components of the exam in order to prepare you for what
you will encounter.
Analytical Writing Measure
As we mentioned earlier, this section replaces the Analytical Ability section that was
on the previous GRE exams. The Analytical Writing Measure (A WM) is identical to the
former GRE Writing Assessment test that was given separately from the GRE General
Test. The A WM consists of two analytical writing tasks. The first 45-minute assignment is
an Issue task. The second is an Argument task. The Issue task asks you to write from any
perspective on a given opinion, and you'll have a choice from two tasks randomly selected
by the computer. The Argument task asks you to critique an argument by analyzing the
issues presented, how logical it is, and so on. You are not asked to take sides.
Verbal Ability
There are four major question types in the Verbal Ability section: Analogies, Antonyms,
Sentence Completions, and Reading Comprehension. There are a total of 30 questions in
this section, as follows:
Sentence Completion-6 questions
Analogies- 7 questions
Reading Comprehension-8 questions
Antonyms-9 questions
Each Verbal Ability test is only 30 minutes, so time is of the essence. Throughout this
book, we continually stress the idea of making time count, and one of the most important
time-savers is to be intimately familiar with the directions for the questions. If you have to
take the time to read them over again when you take the actual GRE, you're losing time.
Keep in mind that with 30 questions to be answered in 30 minutes, you have about 1
GRE Introduction – UNL Summer Research Program
6
minute to answer each question.
This portion of the GRE essentially is a test of vocabulary. The stronger your
vocabulary, the easier it will be to answer the questions in the Antonyms, Sentence
Completions, and Analogies. The Reading Comprehension test will measure your ability to
understand reading passages, and a command of vocabulary will be useful here as well.
The review units will give you some strong pointers and additional practice. There are
several basic skills involved in this section, and in order to do well, you must learn those
skills. Our inclusion of "Merriam-Webster's Roots to Word Mastery" will help to improve
your vocabulary.
Quantitative Ability (Mathematics)
The quantitative section of the GRE requires a basic understanding of fundamental
mathematical concepts. You are asked to solve problems and to utilize mathematical
reasoning. Fortunately, most of the mathematics on this test is high school level and should
not be that difficult. Unfortunately, by the time you have reached your last year in college
or have been out of college for some time and are getting ready to take the GRE, you have
probably forgotten most of your high school math. We have provided you with a basic
math review, covering all of the topics that will be included on this portion of the test.
The mathematics section of the test includes three main areas and contains 28 questions to
be answered in 45 minutes-about 1- minutes per question.
Quantitative Comparisons-14 questions
Basic Mathematics-9 questions
Data Analysis-5 questions
Quantitative Comparisons
The Quantitative Comparison questions require you to be able to _reason quickly and
accurately about two quantities provided. Thus, not only does this section require you to
have mathematical ability, but it also requires a sense of logic and reasoning. The chapter
on Quantitative Comparisons offers numerous fully explained examples as well as dozens
of practice questions.
Basic Mathematics
Basic Mathematics involves traditional computational skills and includes arithmetic,
algebra, and geometry. Fortunately, even if your math skills are somewhat weak, you can
develop strong question answering skills, that improve your chances of accurately
narrowing your choices.
Data Analysis
The Data Analysis section is a test of interpretation of charts, graphs, and tables. Much of
the information is fairly clear, but many of the questions require you to analyze the
material, select the data required, and then perform a variety of calculations. Don't be
misled by apparently easy answers. It's likely that you'll have to perform one or more
mathematical operations in order to find the correct answer.
GRE Introduction – UNL Summer Research Program
7
WORKS CONSULTED & RESOURCES
This book has been compiled from the following sources, some of which you might find as
useful resources.
ETS Practice General Test. Educational Testing Service. 2003.
www.gre.org, http://www.gre.org/pracmats.html#gentest,
ETS Math Review. Educational Testing Service. 2003
http://ftp.ets.org/pub/gre/GREmathPractice.pdf
ETS Practicing for the Verbal and Quantitative Sections of the GRE. Educational
Testing Service. 2003. http://ftp.ets.org/pub/gre/011499.GRE.pdf
Merriam-Webster’s Vocabulary Builder. Mary Wood Cornog, Merriam-Webster 1998
ISBN: 0-87779-910-5
Word Smart for the GRE. Anne Curtis, Random House Inc/ The Princeton Review, 2003
ISBN: 0-375-76336-8
GRE CAT Success. Merriam-Webster. Thompson Peterson’s, 2003
ISBN: 0-7689-1230-X
Cracking the GRE. The Princeton Review. 2003
ISBN: 0-375-76322-8
The Everything Grammar and Style Book. Susan Thurman. Adams Media Corporation.
2002. ISBN: 1-58062-573-8
GRE CAT: Answers to the Real Essay Questions. Thomson ARCO. Mark Alan Stewart,
J.D. 2003. ISBN: 0-7689-1174-5
GRE Introduction – UNL Summer Research Program
8