The Graduate Records Exam
(GRE)
Who?
 Test takers are mostly college students seeking to enter
graduate school.
 Ages would be in the college years around the age of 21
years. There is not a specific age group though because
students finish school at different paces.
 Test material is college level meant for that level of
knowledge.
What?
 Purpose: to help graduate schools
choose the right candidates to accept. A
good enough score will bring promising
results.
What? (cont.)
 Content: The GRE general test is divided into 3
main sections that can be taken either on
computer or on paper.
1. Analytical Writing
2. Verbal
3. Quantitative
What? (cont.)
 The GRE also has a separate test called the
subject test. This tests the students’
knowledge of psychological concepts. Only
some programs require this.
How?
 General Test:
1. Analytical writing-appears first and has 2
essays, one 45 minute on a general issue and one
30 minute critiquing an argument. These can be
done on computer but are not scanned. They are
graded by actual computers.
How? (cont.)
 Either the Verbal or Quantitative section could come next.
 2. Verbal: includes sentence completions, analogies,
antonyms, and reading comprehension questions. Its purpose
is to test your ability to form conclusions from written
materials, recognize relationships between concepts and
words, and to determine relationships between different
parts of sentences.
Computer: 30 min., 30 questions
Paper: Two 30 min. sections, 38 questions each.
How? (cont.)
 3. Quantitative: tests high-school-level math. This portion of
the exam aims to test your skill at solving a variety of
different math problems, as well as to analyze your ability to
use quantitative reasoning. It is very much similar to tests
taken before college like ACT and SAT.
Computer: 45 min., 28 questions
Paper: Two 30 min. segments, 30 questions each
Sample Question
When walking, a certain person takes 16 complete
steps in 10 seconds. At this rate, how many complete
steps does the person take in 72 seconds?
(A) 45
(B) 78
(C) 86
(D) 90
(E) 115
Strategies for Answering
• Determine what is given and what is being
asked.
• Scan all answer choices before answering a
question.
• When approximation is required, scan
answer choices to determine the degree of
approximation.
• Avoid long computations. Use reasoning
instead, when possible.
Sample Question
Early ________ of hearing loss is ________ by the
fact that the other senses are able to compensate for
moderate amounts of loss, so that people frequently
do not know that their hearing is imperfect.
(A) discovery . . indicated
(B) development . . prevented
(C) detection . . complicated
(D) treatment . . facilitated
(E) incidence . . corrected
Strategies for Answering
• Read the incomplete sentence carefully.
• Look for key words or phrases.
• Complete the blank(s) with your own words; see
if any options are like yours.
• Pay attention to grammatical cues.
• If there are two blanks, be sure that both parts of
your answer choice fit logically and stylistically
into the sentence.
• After choosing an answer, read the sentence
through again to see if it makes sense.
Scores/Results
 The Verbal, Quantitative, and Subject tests
are scored on a basis of 200-800.
 The Analytical Writing portion is scored on
a basis of 0-6 with ½ increments.
Usage
 The scores are based on the how high your score is. If a score
is deemed to be proficient enough, the graduate college will
accept the student.
 Obviously, if it is not, the college will not accept the
individual.
Important Facts
 It is important to take the test in November to meet any
deadline for applications for grad. School.
 Also, you can re-take the test in December to improve your
scores.
 There is still a 50-50 chance that your score could be worse,
and both scores are reported to the schools unless the scores
are cancelled before that point.
 There are some questions that are research questions that are
not scored to see if they can be used in future tests.
Works Cited
“General Test Practice Test.” GRE. 30, November 2011.
<http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/gre%20practice
%20general%20test.pdf>.
“The GRE Test: What You Need to Know.” Petersons Graduate Schools. 30,
November 2011. <http://www.petersons.com/graduateschools/gre-test-description.aspx>.
Lloyd, M.A. “What is the GRE (Graduate Record Exam)?”
15, October 2002. 30, November 2011.
<http://www.psywww.com/careers/gre.htm>.
Psi Chi. 30, November 2011.
<http://www.psichi.org/pubs/articles/article_537.a
spx>.