The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a standardized
test that is an
admissions requirement for most Graduate
Schools in the United
States. The GRE is owned and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS) who created it in 1949. According to ETS, the GRE aims to measure
verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical
thinking skills that have been acquired over a long period of learning. The
content of the GRE consists of certain specific algebra, geometry, arithmetic,
and vocabulary. The GRE General Test is offered as a computer-based exam
administered at Prometric testing centers.
In the graduate school admissions process, the level of emphasis that is
placed upon GRE scores varies widely between schools and between departments
within schools. The importance of a GRE score can range from being a mere
admission formality to an important selection factor.
The GRE was significantly overhauled in August 2011, resulting in an exam
that is not adaptive on a question-by-question basis, but rather by section, so
that the performance on the first verbal and math sections determine the
difficulty of the second sections presented. Overall, the test retained the
sections and many of the question types from its predecessor, but the scoring
scale was changed to a 130 to 170 scale (from a 200 to 800 scale).
The cost to take the test is US$205, although ETS will reduce the fee under
certain circumstances. They also
promote financial aid to those GRE applicants who prove economic hardship. ETS does not release scores that are
older than 5 years, although graduate program policies on the acceptance of
scores older than 5 years will vary.
