student test experience. structure of the computer-based gre ® revised general test *an...

Student Test Experience

TheGRE® revised General Test Better by Design™

Structure of the Computer-based GRE® revised General Test

*An unidentified unscored section that does not count toward a score may be included and may appear in any order after the Analytical Writing section.

** An identified research section may be included in place of the unscored section. The research section will always appear at the end of the test. Questions in this section are included for ETS research purposes and will not count toward your score.

Section Number of Questions Time

Analytical Writing (1 section)

1 “Analyze an Issue” task 30 min.

1 “Analyze an Argument” task 30 min.

Verbal Reasoning(2 sections)

20 questions per section 30 min. per section

Quantitative Reasoning (2 sections)

20 questions per section 35 min. per section

Unscored* (Position varies) Varies Varies

Research ** (At end of test) Varies Varies

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading.®

Copyright © 2012 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING., GRE and POWERPREP are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). BETTER BY DESIGN is a trademark of ETS.


The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections Are Section-Level Adaptive

• The computer selects the second section of a measure based on the test-taker’s performance on the first section

• Within each section, all questions contribute equally to the final score

• Both sections are important, since the final score on each measure is based on the total number of correct answers and the level of difficulty of the questions




What to Bring to the Test Center

• You must have acceptable and valid ID with your name, signature and photograph to be admitted to a test center– ID requirements are strictly enforced

• The names of schools where you would like to send your scores

• The following items are not allowed in the testing room: – Food, drinks and tobacco– Cell phones, smartphones (e.g., BlackBerry® devices,

iPhones), PDAs and other electronic or photographic devices

– Personal items other than identification documents




Before the Start of the Timed Test

• Photograph taken• Handwriting sample collected• Test takers receive a supply of scratch paper

– Test takers are able to replenish their supply of scratch paper, as necessary, throughout the entire test administration

– Scratch paper may not be taken from the test center• Testing room has proctors and electronic surveillance• Test takers read screens that contain the following

information:– Read Test Center Regulations– Confidentiality Agreement– Timing, Break and Test Information– Repeater Policy




Before the Start of the Timed Test (continued)

• Test takers are asked to respond to two background information questions– The remainder of the background information questions

are asked during test registration

• The revised test does not contain a “Test Tutorial”– Test takers should prepare in advance by reviewing the

free POWERPREP® II software, which can be downloaded from the GRE website




The Timed Test:Directions

• For each test section, the first screen that is presented contains the general directions for that section

• Following the general directions, the test questions are presented

• The test taker can review the general directions at any time during the test by clicking on the “Help” button



TheGRE® revised General Test Better by Design™Copyright © 2010 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING., GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATIONS, GRE and POWERPREP are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). BETTER BY DESIGN is a trademark of ETS. 15259


The Timed Test:Section Rules

• During the timed test, test takers may work only on one section at a time and only for the time allowed

• Test takers may skip questions that they have difficulty answering and come back to them later before they exit the section

• Test takers may review questions they have already answered and change their answers before they exit the section

• Throughout the timed section, test takers may navigate forward and backward freely, at their discretion

• Once a test taker has completed a section, they may not go back to it




The Help Feature

• The “Help” button allows the test taker to review the– Question directions– Section directions– General directions– Testing tools (such as how to navigate through the test,

exit a section, etc.)




Mark and Review Features

• The “Mark” button allows test takers to mark questions they would like to come back to later during the time provided to work on that section.

• The “Review” button allows test takers to view a list of the test questions in the section. The list contains each question number in the section, whether the test taker has answered the question, and whether the test taker has marked the question for review.




The On-Screen Calculator*

• The “Calc” button accesses the on-screen calculator • This button only appears during the Quantitative

Reasoning sections• Contains the basic functions: addition, subtraction,

multiplication, division and square root• Recognizes order of operations• The Transfer Display button on the calculator transfers

the calculator display to the answer box • Students cannot bring their own calculator into the

test center

*For those taking the paper-based GRE revised General Test, calculators will be provided at the test center for use during the test.




Breaks

• There is a 10-minute break after the third section, and a one-minute break between the other test sections

• Test takers might want to replenish their supply of scratch paper during each scheduled break

• Section timing will not stop if the test taker takes an unscheduled break, so they should proceed with their test without interruption once it begins




At the End of the Timed Test

• When all of the test sections have been completed, the test taker is asked if they would like to report or cancel their scores; if they select to report their scores, they view their unofficial scores on the screen and the scores become a permanent part of the test taker’s record

• After viewing their scores, test takers designate up to four institutions to receive their scores




After the Test

• Students receive an official paper score report in the mail per our score reporting timelines– The score report contains the test taker’s Verbal

Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores on the new 130–170 score scale

– The score report also contains the test taker’s score on the Analytical Writing measure

• The score report contains all General Test scores in the test taker’s reportable history (past five testing years)




Scoring the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections

• A test taker’s scores on each measure are based on both sections of the measure and consider the number of right answers as well as the level of difficulty of the questions

• For each of the two measures, a raw score is computed. The raw score is the number of questions answered correctly

• The raw score is converted to a scaled score through a process known as equating– The equating process accounts for minor variations in

difficulty among the different test editions as well as differences in difficulty among individuals’ tests introduced by the section-level adaptation

– A given scaled score reflects the same level of performance regardless of which section was selected and when the test was taken




Scoring the Analytical Writing Section

• Each essay receives a score from two readers using a six-point holistic scale – In holistic scoring, readers are trained to assign scores

based on the overall quality of an essay in response to the assigned task

• If the two scores differ by more than one point on the scale, the discrepancy is adjudicated by a third GRE reader

• Otherwise, the two scores on each essay are averaged• The final scores on the two essays are then averaged

and rounded up to the nearest half-point interval • A single score is reported for the Analytical

Writing measureETS — Listening. Learning. Leading.®



General Strategies for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections

• Test takers should familiarize themselves with the Help section provided in the free POWERPREP® II software before they take the actual test – They may review the Help section at any time during

the actual test, but this reduces the amount of time they have available to answer the test questions

• Test takers should work as rapidly as they can without being careless

• Since no question carries greater weight than any other, test takers should not waste time pondering individual questions they find extremely difficult or unfamiliar




General Strategies for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections (continued)

• Test takers may find the following strategy advantageous:– Go through a section the first time quite rapidly, stopping

only to answer those questions the test taker can answer with certainty, and marking those that require more thought

– Next, go back and spend time answering the questions marked for further review

– Finally, if there is time, go back and answer the questions that seemed to be the most difficult

• To maximize scores, it is better to guess at an answer than not to respond at all




General Strategies for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections (continued)

• The review screen is intended to help test takers keep track of their progress on the test. They should not spend too much time on the review screen, as this will take away from the time they spend on the test questions

• The test taker should always check the review screen before completing the session to make sure he or she didn’t miss any questions.

• The test taker should not use the calculator just because it is available– Most of the questions in the Quantitative Reasoning

sections don't require difficult computations – Some questions can be answered more quickly by

reasoning and estimating than by using the calculator




General Strategies for the Analytical Writing Section

• Test takers should be attentive to time, but not rush• Test takers should be sure to organize their thoughts

and prepare outlines for the two essays• Test takers are advised to save a few minutes at the

end of each timed section to check for obvious errors – Although an occasional typographical, spelling or

grammatical error will not affect a test-taker’s score, severe and persistent errors will detract from the overall effectiveness of the writing and lower the score




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