This review would be useful to those who a planning on taking the GRE in the next year or so. I am on of the aspirants and have been researching on the same for som time now. I felt it would be useful to place some of what I have learnt on MouthShut to help others who are at a similar career stage.What is GRE? The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) consists of two separate tests: the General Test and the Subject Test on subjects (called subkect GRE). Dont worry, most of the US universities do not require the latter. The General Test is composed of three parts--verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing.
The verbal and the quantitative tests each yield a separate score between 200-800. Scores on the analytical writing test are reported in ½-point increments along a scale of 0 to 6. The Subject Test, required by only some programs, measures knowledge of specific subject related concepts that are essential to graduate study; it also yields a score of from 200-800. You can visit the website of any US University to find out whether you would need the subject GRE or not. More than anything else, your admission to graduate school will depend on your scores on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE (not the Subject Test).
It is essential that you do well--at least 550 on each test (600+ is even better)--to get into most doctoral programs. Master’s programs are less competitive, so lower scores (450-500 on each of the tests) are less of a problem. You will probably have trouble being admitted into any program with scores less than 450 on one of the tests. Preparation for the test.
To ensure that one scores as high as one can, it is essential to prepare for the GRE. Buy one of the review books and develop a systematic plan that will enable you to brush up on your skills in vocabulary, reading comprehension, analogies, algebra, and geometry. Don’t think that you can "cram" in these areas the week before the test--you will simply need more time (months) if you are serious about doing well. (When you register for the GRE General Test, you will receive free software to help you study for the test, but it is likely that you will need to begin studying before you register.)
The format of the exam1. Verbal section: It contains 30 multiple choice questions to be completed in 30 minutes. It tests your reading skills along with vocabulary and analytical reasoning. It essentially contains 4 types of questions:
a) Sentence completions.
b) Analogies.
c) Reading comprehension and
d) Antonyms.2. Quantitative section: It contains 28 multiple choice questions to be completed in 45 minutes. It tests your basic mathematics along with mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning. It contains 2 types of questions : a) Problem Solving and b) Quantitative Comparisons.3. Writing Assessment section: It tests us on one long essay (45 minutes) and one short essay (30 minutes) , hence the total duration being 75 minutes. The longer essay would be a test on how well you an analyse an argument while the latter would test you on how well can you analyse an issue.
How to evaluate GRE ScoreScoring on the GRE can be fairly confusing to the uninitiated. Each of the three sections is scored separately and these numbers can mean very different things depending on the program and schools to which you are applying.Scaled Score: To begin with, you will receive a "scaled score" within a range of 200-800 for the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE. The highest you can score on either of these sections is 800 and the lowest you can score on these sections is 200.
In addition, you will receive a score on a scale of 0 to 6 for the writing section.Percentile Rank: In addition to scaled scores, you will receive a percentile rank. This calculation places your performance relative to those of a large sample population of other GRE takers. From the percentile rank, graduate schools are able to determine what your scaled scores are worth. So in effect, even if everyone received high scaled scores, schools are still able to differentiate candidates by using the percentile rank.
Good score vs Bad score : Some schools have cut-off scores, below which they do not even consider applicants. Large state university programs are generally more likely to do this. The score you’ll "need" also depends on the area in which you’re hoping to study. For example a 600 Quantitative score might be fine if you’re planning to study history. However, it might not be distinctive if your planned field is engineering or in the sciences. A 600 Quantitative score would probably fall into the 58th percentile range and thus be a handicap at more selective schools.Points to remember:
There is no negative marking for wrong answers, hence answer all questions.
Give yourself enough time to gear up for the exam and prepare in a planned manner.
Do plan to take 15-20 mock GRE tests before the D-day to evaluate your progress.4. There is a plethora of mock tests and other information available over the internet, but spend time judiciously as there is a lot of crap too around.5. Believe in yourself and not the myths that people talk about.All the best!