Chapter 1
Knowing What to Expect with the GRE
In This Chapter
Fitting the GRE into your schedule
Deconstructing the GRE to better understand what’s on it
Grasping the scoring system
Looking forward to intermissions
One of the easiest ways to reduce any test anxiety and optimize your performance on the GRE is to become familiar with it. Knowing what to expect gives you less to think about and fret over come test day, so you can focus on what really matters — the test itself.
In this chapter, I encourage you to sign up for the GRE early so you can get a time slot in line with your peak performance period of the day. I also reveal the GRE’s structure and scoring system and clue you in on what to expect during the exam. With this guidance, you’re better equipped to avoid any surprises that may throw you off your game.
Signing Up for the GRE
In most parts of the world, the GRE is a computer-based test, which makes it easier to administer to small groups of test-takers. Signing up in advance enables you to schedule the GRE for the day, time, and place that work best for you. If you’re a morning person who’s sharpest at sunrise, you can schedule the test for 8 a.m.; if you’re a night owl who tends to sleep in, you can opt for an 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. time slot. Actual time slot availability varies according to the testing center, but you generally have more days and times to choose from than with paper-based tests, such as the SAT.
To sign up for the GRE, see the current GRE Information and Registration Bulletin (available through most college admissions offices), register online at www.ets.org, or register via phone by calling 800-473-2255. You can also check the GRE testing center locations and available time slots at www.ets.org.
To help you get in the right mindset, consider taking the practice tests at the same time of day you plan on taking the real thing. (Check out the practice tests in Chapters 16, 18, and 20. If you purchased the Premier edition, you can find two more tests on the CD at the back of this book.) I’ve had students employ this strategy to become accustomed to the effects that their circadian rhythms (hunger and nap patterns) have on their test-taking abilities. Neurotic? Maybe, but it’s not a bad idea. As I discuss in greater detail throughout this book, one of your goals is to make the GRE as familiar as possible, or rather, make the test-taking experience as less unfamiliar as possible. (See Chapter 3 for info on how to prepare for the GRE.)
Because the computerized GRE is offered in small groups, testing centers tend to fill up quickly during the admission deadline months (April and November). If you’re planning to take the GRE around these months (something you may need to do to get your test scores in on time), schedule your test early and secure your ideal time slot. You can always reschedule, but the last thing you need is an inconvenient time or location. One of my students had to drive from Phoenix to Tucson (approximately 120 miles) to take his GRE in order to get his scores in on time.
Breaking Down the GRE into Small Doses
Acronyms for standardized tests tend to convey a sense of gloom and doom. Telling someone you have to take the SAT, ACT, or GRE usually elicits the same facial expression as saying that you need to have your wisdom teeth pulled. However, breaking the GRE down into its component parts makes it much more manageable and much less threatening.
Table 1-1 provides a quick overview of what’s on the GRE. The essays are always first, but the four multiple-choice sections may be in any order.
Table 1-1 GRE Breakdown by Section
|
Section |
Number of Questions |
Time Allotted |
|
Analyze an Issue |
1 essay |
30 minutes |
|
Analyze an Argument |
1 essay |
30 minutes |
|
Verbal Section |
20 questions |
30 minutes |
|
Math Section |
20 questions |
35 minutes |
|
Verbal Section |
20 questions |
30 minutes |
|
Math Section |
20 questions |
35 minutes |
|
Unscored Hidden Math or Verbal Research Section |
20 questions |
30 or 35 minutes |
At close to four hours long, the GRE challenges your stamina as much as your ability to answer the questions. No matter how solid your math and verbal skills are, you must maintain a high level of concentration for the duration of the test. You can achieve this through practicing in four-hour stretches and taking several practice tests.
The GRE includes an unscored Math or Verbal research section. You actually have three Math or three Verbal sections, meaning one section isn’t scored. Unfortunately, you won’t know which one it is. For more on unscored sections, see the “Unscored sections or questions” sidebar in this chapter.
Unlike other computer-based tests (such as the GMAT and TOEFL), the GRE allows you to skip questions and return to them later, as long as you’re still in the section. When you reach the end of each section, the GRE displays a review screen that indicates any unanswered questions. If you have time remaining in the section, return to these questions and answer them as well as you can. This feature is nice because you can knock out all the easy questions before spending time on the hard ones. (See Chapter 2 for tips on managing your time during the GRE.)
In each section, the questions are worth the same amount of points, and they don’t become more or less difficult based on your performance. Combined with the ability to go back to earlier questions, the format of the GRE is more like that of a paper-based test than some other computer-based tests, such as the adaptive GMAT. However, your performance on the Math or Verbal section determines the overall difficulty level of the next Math or Verbal section. For example, if you do extremely well on the first Math section, the GRE places you in high esteem and makes the second Math section harder. Even if you don’t get as many questions right in the second Math section as you did in the first, the GRE considers that the questions are harder and gives you a higher score.
So exactly what types of questions and how many of each type can you expect to run into on the GRE? Check out Table 1-2 for the answers.
Table 1-2 GRE Breakdown by Question Type
|
Type of Question |
Approximate Number of Questions |
|
Per Math Section (20 questions each) |
|
|
Multiple choice with exactly one correct answer |
6 |
|
Multiple choice with two or more correct answers |
2 |
|
Fill in the blank with the correct answer |
2 |
|
Data Interpretation (based on graphs) |
3 |
|
Quantitative Comparisons |
7 |
|
Per Verbal Section (20 questions each) |
|
|
Text Completion |
6 |
|
Sentence Equivalence |
4 |
|
Argument Analysis |
2 |
|
Reading Comprehension |
8 |
These question types are mixed throughout their respective sections, so you may encounter them in any order. Sometimes the software groups like questions at the beginning or the end. For example, if you’re halfway through a Verbal section and haven’t seen a Text Completion question, you soon will.
Scoring Max: 340 and 6
With the GRE, you receive three separate scores: Verbal, Math, and Analytical Writing. Although you get your unofficial Verbal and Math scores immediately after taking the test (as explained in the following section), you must wait 10 to 15 days to get your Analytical Writing score in the mail. The following sections explain in more depth some important scoring tidbits you may want to know.
Knowing how the scoring breaks down
On the GRE, you can score a maximum of 340 points on the multiple choice and 6 points on the essays. Here’s the scoring range for each of the three sections:
Verbal: The Verbal score ranges from 130 to 170 in 1-point increments. You get 130 points for just showing up, which accounts for about 80 percent of a job well done. It doesn’t help much, though: You need to score as well as or better than most of the other people who took the test. Refer to the chapters in Part II for the lowdown on the Verbal sections.
Math: The Math score also ranges from 130 to 170 in 1-point increments. Head to the chapters in Part III for more on the Math sections.
Analytical Writing: You get 1 to 6 points per essay, with 6 being the highest. Two essay evaluators grade each essay, and your score per essay is the average of the two. If the two evaluators score your essay very differently (more than one point apart), then another grader steps in, and your essay score is the average of the three. Finally, the two essay scores are averaged for your Analytical Writing score of 1 to 6. Essay responses that are blank or filled with typed nonsense receive a score of 0. You can discover more information about the essays in Part IV.
So in essence, if you perfectly ace the Verbal and Math sections, you get 170 points for each, or a total of 340. If you’re perfect on the two essays, you can get an essay score of 6. The three scores are separate: You get a Math score and a Verbal score, each from 130 to 170 in one-point increments, and an Analytical Writing score of 0 to 6, in half-point increments.
On the multiple-choice questions, you earn points only for completely correct answers. Answer incorrectly, and you don’t get the points, but you don’t lose any points, so guessing behooves you. If the question requires two or more answers, you have to get all the answers correct; you don’t get partial credit for a partially correct answer. See “Playing the guessing game,” later in this chapter, for more on this.
Calculating your score
Each question in each section counts exactly the same toward your score, regardless of the difficulty of the question. Because you can move back and forth within each section, a good strategy is to skip around and answer all the easy questions first and then go back and work the hard questions. Also, the more questions you get right, the higher your score — not the case with the old, adaptive-style GRE, where each section’s score was mostly determined by the first 15 questions.
When you take a practice test, you can easily approximate your Math and Verbal scores. For the Math score, count the math questions you answered correctly and then add 130 to that number. Because the GRE has 40 math questions (two sections with 20 questions each), this method gives you a score from 130 to 170. You can find your Verbal score the exact same way, because the GRE also has 40 verbal questions.
The way that the actual GRE calculates your scores is slightly more complicated. It takes into account the difficulty levels of the second Math and Verbal sections, weighing the scores accordingly. A more difficult section results in a higher score, which is important. For example, if you do very well on the first Math section, the second Math section will be more difficult. Regardless of the section’s difficulty level, each question within that section counts exactly the same toward your score. Short of this fine detail, however, you can closely approximate your practice-GRE scores using this scoring method.
Knowing how your scores measure up
If you score a perfect 340 or something close to it, you know you did well. If you score a 260, you know you bombed. But what if you score something in between? Did you pass? Did you fail? What do you make of your score? Well, you can’t really tell much about your score out of context. There’s no pass or fail; no A, B, C, D, F; and no percentile ranking just yet. Because I’m writing this in the first year of the new-and-improved GRE, I don’t have median scores from the previous year — scores that half the people taking the test scored above and half scored below.
How well you did is relative to how well the other people taking the test performed and the requirements of the graduate program you’re applying to. What’s most important is that you score high enough to get accepted into the program you have your heart set on.
Your GRE score is only one part of the total application package. If you have a good undergraduate GPA, a strong résumé, and relevant work experience, you may not need as high of a GRE score. On the other hand, if the converse is true, then a stellar GRE score can compensate for your weak areas.
Playing the guessing game
The GRE doesn’t penalize you extra for guessing. Sure, if you guess wrong, you don’t get the points you would’ve gotten for answering correctly, but the GRE doesn’t deduct extra points for incorrect answers, so
If you don’t know the answer, rule out as many obviously incorrect choices as possible and then guess from the remaining choices.
Finish the section, even if you must take wild guesses near the end. Wrong answers count the same as not answering a question, so you may as well guess.
Seeing or cancelling your scores
When you finish the GRE, you have the option of either seeing or cancelling your Verbal and Math scores. Unfortunately, you don’t get to see your scores before deciding whether to cancel them. If you think you had a bad day, you can cancel, and your scores are neither reported to the schools nor shown to you. However, the schools are notified that you cancelled your test. If you choose to see your score, you get it — minus the essay scores — right away.
How much do the schools care about cancelled scores? Probably not much, especially if a top GRE score (from when you retake the test 60 days later) is next to the original cancelled score on your file. If you really want to know the impact of a cancelled score, check with the admissions office of your target school. Each school weighs cancelled scores differently. See Chapter 2 for more about what to do after cancelling your GRE score.
Gimme a Break! GRE Intermissions
You have the option of taking a ten-minute break after the third section of the GRE. However, don’t expect to have the entire ten minutes to yourself: Part of that time is for checking in and out while the proctors go through their security procedures to ensure you’re not bringing in any materials to cheat with. The ten-minute intermission is timed by the computer, which resumes the test whether you’re seated or not. You probably have five minutes to do your business, which leaves little time to grab a bite if you’re hungry. Plan accordingly with snacks and water in your locker, so during your actual five minutes, you can refresh yourself without having to scramble.
Make sure your packed snacks are light and nutritious. Sugar makes you high for a few minutes and then brings you way down. Something heavy, like beef jerky, makes you drowsy. You don’t want to crash right in the middle of a quadratic equation. Take a handful of peanuts, some trail mix, or anything else light that isn’t going to send all the blood from your brain down to your stomach for digestion.
Between other sections of the test, you get a one-minute break — just enough time to stand up and stretch a bit. You don’t have time to leave your seat and come back before the test resumes. If you absolutely, positively must use the restroom and leave the computer during the test, just remember that the clock keeps ticking.