After eight years in development, the new Graduate Record Examinations, better known as the GRE, is set to launch this August.
On August 1 (a date that has been pushed back twice due to ‘technical reasons’), the GRE, which is used by 3,200 colleges and universities, will be introduced, and is intended to focus more on the skills that would-be students will use when they are studying.
One important thing to note for any applicants that need to take the GRE is that, if you need your score before November 1, you should take the exam before August 1 in order to guarantee that you get your results back in time.
Speaking to the New York Times, Dawn Piacentino, programme director of the GRE, says that the test will be more relevant for students and colleges alike. “We’re making changes to measure skills that the kids are more likely to be using when they are graduate students… It allows them to focus more on comprehensive reasoning than calculation,” she said.
For more information, please see the ETS website.
Comparison:
| Current GRE | New GRE | |
| Availability | Until July 31, 2011 (seats permitting) | Starting August 1, 2011 |
| Adaptivity | Adapts after you answer one question. If you answer a question correctly, the next question is harder. If you answer a question incorrectly, the next one is easier. | Adapts after answering a set of 20 questions. If you do well, the next set is harder. If you don’t do well, the next set is easier. |
| Length | About 3 hours | About 4 hours |
| Scored sections | 2 essays, 1 math, 1 verbal | 2 essays, 2 math, 2 verbal |
| Question types | Verbal: Analogies, Antonyms, Sentence, Completion, Reading Comprehension Math: Quantitative Comparison, Problem Solving, Data Interpretation | Verbal: Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, Reading Comprehension (with increased focus on short passages) Math: The same question types with additional answer formats (numeric entry and “select all that are correct”) |
| Navigation | Must answer a question before you see can move on. You can’t go back and change this answer. | Can move within a section, and alter answers in the section you are currently on |
| Scores | 0-6 in .5 point increments | 200-800 in 10 point increments | 0-6 in .5 point increments | 13-170 in 1 point increments |
| Results | Unofficial scores available on the day, official scores available 10-15 days later | Test taken between Aug-Nov will not be scored until Nov-Dec. Come Dec, tests will be scored immediately |
| Cost | $160 | $160 (expected). 50% discount in Aug and Sep |