Change In GRE Pattern

Change In GRE Pattern from September 2007
ETS is completing the most significant overhaul of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test in the test’s 60-year history. The revamped GRE General Test will be offered for the first time in September 2007.

Why is the GRE changing?

ETS trying to improve the validity of the GRE, ETS is changing the GRE in order to provide graduate schools with better information on an applicant's performance. Each of the GRE General Test’s three sections — Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing — will have different types of questions and new formats,

Current GRE Vs New GRE a Comparison Chart

	Current GRE (Through September 2007)	New GRE (Starting September 10, 15 or 16, 2007 (depending upon location), and September 29, 2007)
Verbal	One verbal Section: 30 Questions, 30 Minutes section includes analogy and antonym questions	Two Verbal sections* 40-minute each No more analogy and antonym questions will include more >> Critical reading >> Sentence equivalence questions
Score	200-800	130-170
Format	Computer Adaptive Test (CAT)—the difficulty of each question is based on students' performance on previous questions	Computer Based Test (CBT) —each student taking that administration receives the same questions in the same order
Quantitative	One Quantitative Section: 28 Questions, 45 Minutes	Two Quantitative sections* 40-minute each quantitative reasoning skills tested more thoroughly fewer geometry questions more “real-life word problems ” and data interpretation questions >> New on-screen calculator
Score	200-800	130-170
Analytical Writing	2 essays: one 30-minute and one 45-minute, One Issue essay, one Argument essay	2 essays: 30 minutes each for the Issue and Argument essays >> More specific essay questions >> Grad schools can see actual essays
Score	0-6	0-6
Total Time	2 Hours 30 Min	4 Hours
Administration	Most weekdays and weekends	Year-round 30 fixed test dates per year
*One section may be experimental and number of questions yet to be decide.

Highlights:
>>> The new GRE General Test will be slightly over four hours long, an increase from the current two-and-a-half-hour exam. It will also no longer be offered in a computer-adaptive format, where the difficulty of the test is determined by the test taker’s right or wrong answers. Instead, it will be offered in a linear format, in which every student takes the same exam.

>>> Unlike the current exam, each version of the revised GRE General Test will be used only once, and no test takers will encounter the same questions on different dates. Instead of continuous testing, the exam will be given 29 times a year worldwide. The number of administrations in any given region will depend on the test volumes in that region.

• The revised GRE General Test will be administered in the ETS global network of Internet-based test centers and through Thomson Prometric, the world’s largest computer-based testing network.

• Registration for the revised GRE General Test begins on July 1, 2007. The current GRE General Test will no longer be offered after July 31, 2007.

Changes in the Verbal and Quantitative Score Scales

1. The new score scales will have 40–50 scale points. The scales will increase in one-point increments and will be centered between 120 and 179. The actual score ranges will be finalized in 2007 based on field test results.
2. A concordance table to compare old and new Verbal and Quantitative scores will be available.
3. The Analytical Writing section will continue to be scored using a six-point holistic scale.

Which GRE should I choose?

In the 2007–2008 application cycle, we hope that universities will accept both new and old GRE. Later ETS will release a conversion scale that compares scores on the old and new versions. The GRE scores are typically valid for 5 years. It is our view that the colleges will continue to accept valid GRE scores, whether under the new or old format.

Strategies:

1. If you are particularly weak in the existing Analogy/Antonyms section and strong at Critical reading /grammar/writing, you should try to delay taking the test until September.

2. If you are weak at Critical reading /grammar/writing AND strong at the existing Analogy/Antonyms, you should try to take the GRE as soon as possible so that you can take it once or twice before the format change.

GOLDEN Rule: The questions are probably going to be more rigorous, we urging students who can take the current form of the exam to do so. If you need more time and plan to take the new GRE, AchieversPoint.com will have a full-line of GRE Prep options that will get you the high score you want.

Is New GRE will be Computer Adaptive?
No, GRE which has been computer-based for the past seven years will no longer be computer adaptive Test (CAT). Each student taking that administration receives the same questions in the same order. The GRE will be delivered via the Internet to testing centers Thomson Prometric, the world’s largest computer-based testing network and everyone who takes the exam on a given day will receive the same questions.

Can I use Calculator in New GRE?
There will be New on-screen calculator.