Revised GRE General Test 2007

Overview of the Revised GRE General Test

The revised Graduate Record Examinations® (GRE®) General Test will be offered for the first time worldwide in September. The first test dates will be September 10, 15 or 16 (depending upon location), and 29, 2007.

With the new test, the GRE Program will introduce a significantly revised and improved GRE General Test. The primary reasoning for the revisions to the test are to (1) address current and potential future security challenges associated with continuous testing, and (2) increase the validity of the test by reducing the possible effects of memorization in the Verbal and Analytical Writing sections of the test. Revisions to the test are also being made to provide faculty with better information on applicants' performance, and measure skills more directly related to graduate study.

Revisions to the test include revisions to the Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing measures; modifications to test structure and administration, and new Verbal and Quantitative score scales.

The revised General Test will measure the same general skills that are measured on the current General Test: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing. However, each of the sections will be revised to better focus on skills that are necessary for success in graduate school.

The New Verbal Reasoning Section

• Measures the ability to
  • understand the meanings of words, sentences, and entire texts; understand relationships among words and among concepts
  • select important points; distinguish major from minor or irrelevant points; summarize text; understand the structure of a text
  • analyze and draw conclusions from discourse; reason from incomplete data; identify author’s/speaker’s assumptions and/or perspective; understand multiple levels of meaning (such as literal, figurative, text’s intent, etc.)
• Emphasis on skills related to graduate work, such as complex reasoning
  • increased emphasis on inferential reasoning
  • increased emphasis on verbal reasoning in context
  • increased number of reading comprehension questions based on a greater variety of reading passages
  • reduced emphasis on vocabulary out of context (no Antonyms or Analogies)
• Inclusion of new question formats other than traditional multiple choice (e.g., highlighting a sentence in a passage that serves the function described in the question)
• Two 40-minute sections
• Verbal Reasoning Sample Questions

The New Quantitative Reasoning Section

• Measures the ability to
  • Understand quantitative information
  • Interpret and analyze quantitative information
  • Solve problems in a quantitative setting
  • Apply basic mathematical skills and elementary mathematical concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics
• Quantitative reasoning skills that are similar to skills generally used in graduate school
  • increased emphasis on questions involving real-life scenarios
  • increased emphasis on data interpretation
  • reduced emphasis on Geometry
• On-screen four-function calculator with square root (reduced emphasis on computation)
• Inclusion of new question formats other than multiple-choice (such as entering a numeric answer via a keyboard)
• Two 40-minute sections
• Quantitative Reasoning Sample Questions (coming soom!)
  

The New Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing Section

• A new name to more accurately reflect the skills being measured
• A performance-based measure that integrates the assessment of critical thinking and analytical writing
• Measures the ability to
  • articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
  • examine claims and accompanying evidence
  • support ideas with relevant reasons and examples
  • sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion
  • control the elements of standard written English
• New, more focused prompts
  • Requires a more specific response from the test taker
  • Will reduce the possibility of reliance on memorized materials
• The Issue and Argument tasks are each 30 minutes in length
• Essay responses will be made available electronically to institutional score recipients
• Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing Sample Topics (coming aoon!)

The New Verbal and Quantitative Score Scale

The mean of the new score scales will be 150 with an expected range will be 130 to 170, in 1-point increments. Final specification of the precise score scales will be determined based on data from the initial revised General Test administrations, before scores are reported.

• Advantages of the new score scales include:
  • The Verbal and Quantitative means will be aligned which will allow score users to see relative strengths for a particular candidate.
  • Score users will be less likely to interpret small score differences as meaningful differences between candidates.
  • The new scales will help facilitate more appropriate comparisons between candidates.
  • The new score scales are compatible with backend systems in most graduate schools.
  • The new score scales will not be easily confused with scores from the current General Test or the Subject Tests.
• The score scale for the Analytical Writing section will continue to be 0 to 6, in half-point increments.
• Scores will continue to be available for reporting for 5 years following the examinee’s test administration.

Sample Revised General Test Score Report

Test Date	Verbal*
MMDDYY	Original Score	New Score	% Below
10/28/07	-----	160	74
10/06/06	520	156	64
07/10/04	540	158	69

*For tests taken beginning in September 2007, scores will be printed in the "New Score" column and dashes will be printed in the "Original Score" column. For tests taken before September 2007, scores will be printed in the "Original Score" column and approximate equivalents on the new scale will be printed in the "New Score" column.