WIXLIB

1About the GRE GeneralTestYour goalfor thischapterReview basic information on the structure of the test, test preparation,and scoringIntroductionThe GRE General Test—the most widely accepted graduate admissionstest worldwide—measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning,critical thinking, and analytical writing skills that are necessary forsuccess in graduate and business school.Prospective graduate and business school applicants from all around theworld take the GRE General Test. Applicants come from varying educationaland cultural backgrounds, and the GRE General Test provides a commonmeasure for comparing candidates’ qualifications.GRE scores are used by admissions committees and fellowship panels tosupplement your undergraduate records, recommendation letters, and otherqualifications for graduate-level study.The GRE General Test is available at about 1,000 test centers in more than160 countries. In most regions of the world, the computer-delivered test isavailable on a continuous basis throughout the year. In Mainland China, HongKong, Taiwan, and Korea, the computer-delivered test is available up to threetimes per month. In areas of the world where computer-delivered testing is notavailable, the test is administered in a paper-delivered format up to three times ayear.For the most up-to-date information about the GRE General Test, visit theGRE website at www.ets.org/gre.

Structure and Content of the TestContentThe GRE General Test is composed of three measures—Analytical Writing,Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning.The Analytical Writing measure assesses the ability to articulate andsupport complex ideas, examine claims and accompanying evidence, sustain afocused and coherent discussion, and control the elements of standard writtenEnglish. The Analytical Writing section requires you to provide focusedresponses based on the tasks presented, so you can accurately demonstrateyour skill in directly responding to a task.The Verbal Reasoning measure assesses your ability to analyze andevaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it;understand the meanings of words, sentences, and entire texts; and understandrelationships among words and among concepts. The Verbal Reasoningsection measures your ability to understand what you read and how you applyyour reasoning skills.The Quantitative Reasoning measure assesses your basic mathematicalskills and your understanding of the elementary mathematical concepts ofarithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. The Quantitative Reasoningsection measures your ability to understand, interpret, and analyzequantitative information and to solve problems using mathematical models.The Computer-delivered GRE General TestTypical Test StructureMeasureNumber of QuestionsAllotted TimeAnalytical Writing(One section with twoseparately timed tasks)One “Analyze an Issue”task and one “Analyze anArgument” task30 minutes per taskVerbal Reasoning(Two sections)20 questions per section30 minutes per section

QuantitativeReasoning(Two sections)20 questions per section35 minutes per sectionUnscored* (Positionvaries)20 questionsVariesResearch** (At the end of Variesthe test)Varies* An unidentified, unscored section that does not count toward a score may be included and may appear inany order after the Analytical Writing section. Questions in the unscored section are being tried out eitherfor possible use in future tests or to ensure that scores on new editions of the test are comparable to scoresfrom earlier editions.** An identified research section may be included in place of the unscored section. The research sectionwill always appear at the end of the test. Questions in this section are included for ETS research purposesand will not count toward your score.The Analytical Writing section will always come first in the test. The VerbalReasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and unidentified/unscored sections mayappear in any order; therefore, you should treat each section as if it countstoward your score.Total testing time is 3 hours and 45 minutes, including the unscored section.The directions at the beginning of each Verbal Reasoning and QuantitativeReasoning section specify the total number of questions in the section and thetime allowed for the section. For the Analytical Writing section, the timing foreach task is shown when the task is presented.Test Design FeaturesThe Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures of the computerdelivered GRE General Test are section-level adaptive. This means the computerselects the second section of a measure based on your performance on the firstsection.The advanced adaptive design also means you can freely move forward andbackward throughout an entire section. Specific features include:Preview and review capabilities within a sectionA “mark and review” feature to tag questions, so you can skip them andreturn later if you have time remaining in the sectionThe ability to change/edit answers within a sectionAn on-screen calculator for the Quantitative Reasoning measure

The Paper-delivered GRE General TestTypical Test StructureMeasureNumber of QuestionsAllotted TimeAnalytical Writing(Two sections)Section One: “Analyze an 30 minutes per sectionIssue” task Section Two:“Analyze an Argument”taskVerbal Reasoning(Two sections)25 questions per section35 minutes per sectionQuantitativeReasoning(Two sections)25 questions per section40 minutes per sectionThe Analytical Writing sections will always be first, while the other foursections may appear in any order.Total testing time is approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes. The directions atthe beginning of each section specify the total number of questions in the sectionand the time allowed for the section.Test Design FeaturesAnswers are entered into the test book, rather than a separate answer sheet.You will be provided with an ETS calculator to use during the QuantitativeReasoning section; you may not use your own calculator. Information aboutusing the calculator to help you answer questions appears in the free PracticeBook for the Paper-delivered GRE General Test, which is available atwww.ets.org/gre/prepare.Preparing for the TestPreparation for the test will depend on the amount of time you have availableand your personal preferences for how to prepare. At a minimum, before youtake the GRE General Test, you should know what to expect from the test,

including the administrative procedures, types of questions and directions,approximate number of questions, and amount of time for each section.The administrative procedures include registration and appointmentscheduling, date, time, test center location, cost, score-reporting procedures, andavailability of special testing arrangements. You can find out about theadministrative procedures for the General Test in the GRE InformationBulletin, which is available at www.ets.org/gre/bulletinandforms.Before taking the General Test, it is important to become familiar with thecontent of each of the measures. In this publication, you’ll find informationspecific to each measure of the test. You can use this information to understandthe type of material on which you’ll be tested and the question types within eachmeasure.It is also important to spend some time preparing for the Analytical Writingsection by reviewing the skills measured, scoring guides and score leveldescriptions, sample topics, scored sample essay responses, and readercommentary.Test-taking Strategies for the Computerdelivered TestAnalytical Writing SectionThe Analytical Writing measure of the computer-delivered General Test uses anelementary word processor developed by ETS so that individuals familiar with aspecific commercial word processing software do not have an advantage ordisadvantage. This software contains the following functionality: insert text,delete text, cut and paste, and undo the previous action. Tools such as a spellingchecker and grammar checker are not available in the ETS software, in large partto maintain fairness with those examinees who must handwrite their essays atpaper-delivered administrations.It is important to budget your time. Within the 30-minute time limit for eachtask, you’ll need to allow sufficient time to think about the topic, plan aresponse, and compose your essay. Although GRE readers understand the timeconstraints under which you write and will consider your response a first draft,you will still want to produce the best possible example of your writing.Save a few minutes at the end of each timed task to check for obvious errors.Although an occasional typographical, spelling, or grammatical error will not

affect your score, severe or persistent errors will detract from the overalleffectiveness of your writing and lower your score.Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative ReasoningSectionsThe questions in the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures arepresented in a variety of formats. Some require you to select a single answerchoice; others require you to select one or more answer choices, and yet othersrequire you to enter a numeric answer. Make sure when answering a questionthat you understand what response is required. An on-screen calculator will beprovided at the test center for use during the Quantitative Reasoning sections.When taking the computer-delivered GRE General Test, you are free to skipquestions that you might have difficulty answering within a section. The testingsoftware has a “mark and review” feature that enables you to mark questions youwould like to revisit during the time provided to work on that section. Thetesting software also lets you view a complete list of all the questions in thesection on which you’re working, indicates whether you’ve answered eachquestion, and identifies the questions you’ve marked for review. Additionally,you can review questions you’ve already answered and change your answers,

provided you still have time remaining to work on that section.A sample review screen appears at the top of the page. The review screen isintended to help you keep track of your progress on the test. Do not spend toomuch time on the review screen, as this will take away from the time allotted toread and answer the questions on the test.Your Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores will bedetermined by the number of questions you answer correctly. Nothing issubtracted from a score if you answer a question incorrectly. Therefore, tomaximize your scores on the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoningmeasures, it is best to answer every question.Work as rapidly as you can without being careless. Since no question carriesgreater weight than any other, do not waste time pondering individual questionsyou find extremely difficult or unfamiliar.You may want to go through each of the Verbal Reasoning and QuantitativeReasoning sections rapidly first, stopping only to answer questions you cananswer with certainty. Then go back and answer the questions that requiregreater thought, concluding with the difficult questions if you have time.During the actual administration of the General Test, you may work only onone section at a time and only for the time allowed. Once you have completed asection, you may not go back to it.Scratch PaperYou will receive a supply of scratch paper before you begin the test. You canreplenish your supply of scratch paper as necessary throughout the test by askingthe test administrator.BreaksThere is a 10-minute break following the third section and a one-minute breakbetween the other test sections. You might want to replenish your supply ofscratch paper during a scheduled break. Section timing will not stop if you takean unscheduled break, so you should proceed with your test without interruptiononce it begins.Test-taking Strategies for the Paper-delivered

TestAnalytical Writing SectionsIn the paper-delivered General Test, the topics in the Analytical Writing measurewill be presented in the test book, and you will handwrite your essay responsesin the test book in the space provided.It is important to budget your time. Within the 30-minute time limit for eachsection, you’ll need to allow sufficient time to think about the topic, plan aresponse, and compose your essay. Although GRE readers understand the timeconstraints under which you write and will consider your response a first draft,you will still want to produce the best possible example of your writing.Save a few minutes at the end of each timed section to check for obviouserrors. Although an occasional spelling or grammatical error will not affect yourscore, severe and persistent errors will detract from the overall effectiveness ofyour writing and lower your score.During the actual administration of the General Test, you may work only onthe particular writing section the test center supervisor designates and only forthe time allowed. You may not go back to an earlier section of the test after thesupervisor announces, “Please stop work” for that section. The supervisor isauthorized to dismiss you from the center for doing so.Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative ReasoningSectionsThe questions in the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measureshave a variety of formats. Some require you to select a single answer choice;others require you to select one or more answer choices, and yet others requireyou to enter a numeric answer. Make sure when answering a question that youunderstand what response is required. A calculator will be provided at the testcenter for use during the Quantitative Reasoning sections.When taking a Verbal Reasoning or Quantitative Reasoning section, you arefree, within that section, to skip questions that you might have difficultyanswering and come back to them later during the time provided to work on thatsection. Also during that time you may change the answer to any question in thatsection by erasing it completely and filling in an alternative answer. Be carefulnot to leave any stray marks in the answer area, as they may be interpreted as

incorrect responses. You can, however, safely make notes or performcalculations on other parts of the page. No additional scratch paper will beprovided.Your Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores will bedetermined by the number of questions you answer correctly. Nothing issubtracted from a score if you answer a question incorrectly. Therefore, tomaximize your scores on the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoningmeasures, it is best to answer every question.Work as rapidly as you can without being careless. Since no question carriesgreater weight than any other, do not waste time pondering individual questionsyou find extremely difficult or unfamiliar.You may want to go through each of the Verbal Reasoning and QuantitativeReasoning sections rapidly first, stopping only to answer questions you cananswer with certainty. Then go back and answer the questions that requiregreater thought, concluding with the difficult questions if you have time.During the actual administration of the General Test, you may work only onthe section the test center supervisor designates and only for the time allowed.You may not go back to an earlier section of the test after the supervisorannounces, “Please stop work” for that section. The supervisor is authorized todismiss you from the center for doing so. All answers must be recorded in thetest book.BreaksThere is a 10-minute break following the second Analytical Writing section.Understanding GRE ScoringAnalytical Writing Measure of the Computerdelivered TestFor the Analytical Writing measure, each essay receives a score from at least onetrained reader, using a six-point holistic scale. In holistic scoring, readers aretrained to assign scores based on the overall quality of an essay in response tothe assigned task. The essay is then scored by e-rater , a computerized programdeveloped by ETS that is capable of identifying essay features related to writing

proficiency. If the human and the e-rater scores closely agree, the average of thetwo scores is used as the final score. If they disagree, a second human score isobtained, and the final score is the average of the two human scores.The final scores on the two essays are then averaged and rounded to thenearest half-point interval on the 0—6 score scale. A single score is reported forthe Analytical Writing measure. The primary emphasis in scoring the AnalyticalWriting section is on your critical thinking and analytical writing skills. Scoringguides for the Issue and Argument prompts are included in this publication, andthey are available on the GRE website at www.ets.org/gre/scores/how.Analytical Writing Measure of the Paperdelivered TestFor the Analytical Writing measure, each essay receives a score from two trainedreaders, using a six-point holistic scale. In holistic scoring, readers are trained toassign scores based on the overall quality of an essay in response to the assignedtask. If the two assigned scores differ by more than one point on the scale, thediscrepancy is adjudicated by a third GRE reader. Otherwise, the two scores oneach essay are averaged.The final scores on the two essays are then averaged and rounded to thenearest half-point interval on the 0—6 score scale. A single score is reported forthe Analytical Writing measure. The primary emphasis in scoring the AnalyticalWriting section is on your critical thinking and analytical writing skills. Scoringguides for the Issue and Argument prompts are included in this publication, andthey are available on the GRE website at www.ets.org/gre/scores/how.Independent Intellectual ActivityDuring the scoring process for the General Test, your essay responses on theAnalytical Writing section will be reviewed by ETS essay-similarity-detectionsoftware and by experienced raters. In light of the high value placed onindependent intellectual activity within graduate schools and universities, youressay response should represent your original work. ETS reserves the right tocancel test scores of any test taker when an essay response includes any of thefollowing:Text that is unusually similar to that found in one or more other GRE essayresponses

Quoting or paraphrasing, without attribution, language that appears in anypublished or unpublished sources, including sources from the internet and/orsources provided by any third partyUnacknowledged use of work that has been produced through collaborationwith o

The Official Guide to the GRE General Test The book you’re holding is a one-of-a-kind resource: the only Graduate Record Examinations (GRE ) guide created by the ETS team that produces the actual exam. This book is uniquely suited to help you do your best