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GRE Exam Format

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TEST COMPONENTS

The Analytical Writing section consists of two analytical writing tasks: ‘Present Your Perspective on an Issue’ and ‘Analyze an Argument’ task, for 45 minutes and 30 minutes respectively.

  • The former task states an opinion on an issue of general interest and asks you to address the issue from any perspective(s) you wish, as long as you provide relevant reasons and examples to explain and support your views.
  • The latter task presents a different challenge — it requires you to critique an argument by discussing how well you reason it. You are asked to consider the logic of the argument rather than agreeing or disagreeing with the position it presents.
  • The ‘Issue’ and ‘Argument’ tasks are complementary in the sense that ‘issue’ requires you to construct a personal argument while an ‘argument’requires you to critique someone else’s argument by assessing its claims.

Overview of Analytical Writing Section

You will be given a choice between two Issue topics. Each states an opinion on an issue of broad interest and asks you to discuss the issue from any perspective(s) you wish, so long as you provide relevant reasons and examples to explain and support your views. You will not have a choice of argument topics.

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Test-Taking Strategies for the Analytical Writing Section

It is important to budget your time. Within the 45-minute time limit for the Issue task, you will need to allow sufficient time to choose one of the two topics, think about the issue you’ve chosen, plan a response, and compose an  essay. Similarly, with the 30-minute time limit for the Argument task, you will need to allow sufficient time to analyze the argument, plan a critique, and compose a  response. Although GRE readers understand the time constraints under which one writes and considerstheresponse as a‘first draft’,you still want it to be the best possible example under the testing circumstances.

Save a few minutes at the end of each timed task to check for obvious errors. Although an occasional spelling or grammatical error will not affect your score, severe and persistent errors will detract from the overall effectiveness of your writing and thus, lower your score.

Following the analytical writing section, you will have the opportunity to take a 10-minute break. There is a one-minute break between the other test sections. You might want to replenish your supply of scratch paper during each scheduled break.

SCORING OF THE ANALYTICAL SECTION

Each response is holistically scored on a 6-point scale, according to the criteria published in the GRE analytical writing scoring guides. Holistic scoring means that each response is judged as a whole; readers do not separate the response into component parts and award a certain number of points for a particular criterion or element such as ideas, organization, sentence structure, or language. Instead, readers assign scores based on the overall quality of the response, considering all of its characteristics in an integrated way. Excellent organization or poor organization, for example, will be part of the readers’ overall impression of the response and will, therefore, contribute to the score, but the organization, as a distinct feature, has no specific weight.

In general, GRE readers are college and university faculty, experienced in teaching courses in which writing and critical thinking skills are important. All GRE readers have undergone careful training, passed stringent GRE qualifying tests, and demonstrated that they are able to maintain scoring accuracy.

To ensure fairness and objectivity in scoring:

  • Responses are randomly distributed to the readers.
  • Information of  the test takers is concealed from the readers.
  • Each response is scored by two readers.
  • Readers do not know what other scores a response may have received.The scoring procedure requires that each response receive identical or adjacent scores from two readers; any other score combination is adjudicated by a third GRE reader

The scores given for the two tasks are then averaged for a final score. The score level descriptions, presented provide information on how to interpret the total score on the analytical writing section.

The primary emphasis on scoring the analytical writing section is on critical thinking and analytical writing skills.

Your essay responses on the analytical writing section will be reviewed by ETS essay-similarity-detection software, along with experienced essay readers during the scoring process. In light of the high value placed on independent intellectual activity, within United States graduate schools and Universities, ETS reserves the right to cancel test scores of any test taker when there is substantial evidence that an essay response includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:

  • Text that is substantially similar to that found in one or more other GRE essay responses;
  • Quoting or paraphrasing, without attribution, language or ideas that appear in published or unpublished sources;
  • Unacknowledged use of work that has been produced through collaboration with others without citation of the contribution of others;Essays that are submitted as work of the examinee when the ideas or words have, in fact, been borrowed from elsewhere or prepared by another person.

When one or more of the above circumstances occurs, your essay text, in ETS’s professional judgment, does not reflect the independent, analytical writing skills that this test seeks to measure.

Therefore, essay score is considered as invalid and cannot report the GRE General Test scores, of which, the essay score is an indispensable part. Test takers whose scores are canceled will forfeit their test fees and must pay to take the entire GRE General Test again at a future administration. No record of the score cancellations, or the reason for cancellation, will appear on their future score reports sent to colleges and Universities.

QUANT

The quantitative section, a Multiple choice one  consists of problem-solving and quantitative comparison questions that test high-school level mathematics. Multiple-choice response sections are graded on a scale of 200-800, in 10-point increments. In a typical examination, this section may consist of 28 questions, and test-takers may be given 45 minutes to complete the section. This section typically includes 14 quantitative comparison questions, 10 discrete quantitative questions (multiple-choice), and four  data interpretation questions.

Problem Solving​

The Problem Solving format is one of the two basic questions used for GRE Quantitative (Math) questions. The FREE Practice Quiz, featuring GRE Problem Solving questions, provides the test directions for the question format.

Here are some tips for GRE Math questions in the Quantitative Comparison format:

  • Do only as much work as you need to do to make the comparison. All you have to do is determine which quantity is greater (or whether they’re equal, or whether no comparison can be made). You don’t have to determine how much greater one quantity is than the other.
  • Do the Math if it’s not difficult. Even if you’re confident that your comparison is accurate, if a simple computation will confirm your analysis, by all means, do it. There’s no sense in analyzing a problem entirely in the abstract if it only takes a few seconds to scratch some numbers down on paper. Committing your mental process to the paper helps you see if you’re making a mistake along the way.

NOTE: You shouldn’t have to do involved calculations to get to the answer in a Quantitative Comparison question. A few simple calculations may be required; but if you’re doing a lot of number crunching, you’ve probably missed the mathematical principle the question is asking.

  • Never make a comparison by visual estimation of measurement. Instead, make your comparison based on your knowledge of Mathematics, along with non-graphical data provided in the question.
  • Never choose the last (fourth) answer choice (the relationship cannot be determined from the information given) if a comparison does not involve variables or figures. Why? If the comparison at hand involves numbers only, you’ll always be able to calculate specific numerical values for both expressions (assuming you have time to do the Math). You certainly don’t need more information just to compare the relative size of two specific numbers, do you? So the last (fourth) answer choice cannot possibly be the correct one!
  • Consider all the possibilities when it comes to unknowns. When comparing expressions involving unknowns, unless the centered information restricts their value, consider positive and negative values, as well as fractions and the numbers zero (0) and 1. Comparisons often depend on which sort of number is used. In these cases, the correct answer is the last (fourth) answer choice.
  • If you’re clueless as to how to analyze a particular problem, try manipulating one or both of the expressions — until they resemble each other more closely. You may be able to combine numbers or other terms, do some factoring, or restate the equation in a slightly different form. Get your pencil moving, and you’ll soon see the light! (The next two tips are related to this one.)
  • If both expressions include the same term, you can safely ‘cancel’ that term from each one — by either adding or subtracting it from both quantities. This technique may help to simplify one or both of the expressions, thereby, revealing the comparison.

Remember: you don’t change the relative value of two expressions merely by adding or subtracting the same terms from each one.

 

  • You might be able to simplify one or both expressions by multiplying or dividing both by the same term. But don’t multiply or divide across columns unless you know that the quantity you’re using is positive! Multiplying or dividing two unequal terms by a negative value changes the inequality; the quantity that was the greater one becomes the smaller one. So think twice before performing either operation on both expressions. You can do so safely only if you use a specific positive number (not a variable that could be either positive or negative).

VERBAL

The verbal section consists of analogies, completions, and reading comprehension passages. Multiple-choice response sections are graded on a scale of 200-800, in 10-point increments. This section primarily tests vocabulary. In a typical examination, this section may consist of 30 questions, and 30 minutes may be allotted for it.

Analogies

This GRE Verbal review consists of 10 GRE Analogy practice questions. (Analogy questions will account for 9 of the 30 questions on your actual GRE Verbal section, and they’ll be mixed with Reading Comprehension sets, Sentence Completion questions, and Antonym questions.)

Here are some tips for tackling GRE Analogies (The Analogy format is one of four basic formats used for GRE Verbal questions):

  • Create a sentence that includes the two capitalized words. Ideally, the sentence should reveal the essence of the relationship between those two words, and should not be so specific that none of the answer choices will fit, or so general that several fit. Here are two examples of the types of sentences that might zero in on the correct choice:
    One possible function of a [first word] is to [second word].
    2. [First word] is a condition that is necessary in order for [second word] to occur.

 

  • Eliminate any answer choice in which the two words are unrelated to each other. Typically, at least one answer choice will fit this description. You can eliminate all such choices without even considering the original pair!

 

  • If you know only one of the two words in an answer choice, you can always take an educated guess, even with just one of the words. You can often eliminate an answer choice by knowing just one of the two words.

 

  • If one of the original words has either a negative or positive connotation, the corresponding word in the correct answer choice will be similarly ‘charged’. But if the original word is neutral, the corresponding word in the correct answer choice must be neutral as well.

 

  • You can often guess the meaning of unfamiliar words. Any of the following might provide a clue about what a word means:
    Another word that resembles the word in any way.
    2. The word’s root or prefix.
    3. The meaning of the other word in the pair.

 

Look out for the sucker-bait answer choice that involves the

ANTONYMS

This GRE Verbal review consists of 10 GRE Antonym practice questions. (Antonym questions will account for 7 of the 30 questions on your actual GRE Verbal section, and they’ll be mixed with Reading Comprehension sets, Sentence Completion questions, and Analogy questions.)

Tips for tackling GRE Antonyms (The Antonym format is one of four basic formats used for GRE Verbal questions)

  • In most Antonym questions, the best answer isn’t a perfect antonym. The test-makers can’t resist hiding the ball from you, so don’t expect to find an exact opposite among the answer choices.
  • If you encounter an unfamiliar word, don’t give up, ask yourself whether the word resembles a familiar one in any way. Perhaps the two words have the same root. If so, the two words are likely to have related meanings.
  • Try working backward — from an answer choice to the capitalized word — to help gain insight if you are stuck. Try to think of a single word (not a phrase) that expresses the opposite of the answer choice. Ask yourself whether your antonym for the answer choice is a good synonym for the headword? If not, you can eliminate the answer choice.
  • If an answer choice stumps you, resort to intuition by asking yourself two questions:
    Can you express the opposite idea using only one word (as opposed to a phrase)? If not, the answer is probably wrong.
    2. Can you imagine hearing the headword used in connection with the answer choice’s antonyms? If not, go with your hunch an eliminate that answer choice.
  • If you’re stuck, try converting a word to another part of speech. Many GRE words are difficult to deal with simply because their part of speech (noun, verb, or adjective) is not commonly used. Turning the word into a more familiar form can help.
  • Be sure to look for an antonym, not a synonym! This might seem like obvious advice, yet it’s amazingly easy to get everything backward during the pressure of the actual exam. The slightest lapse in concentration can result in your carelessly choosing a synonym instead of an antonym. Avoid ‘synonym syndrome’, by always verifying your choice before you move on.
  • Resolve close judgment calls in favor of the more specific antonym. This is another one of the test-makers’ common ploys, and it is sometimes the key to distinguishing the best response from a second-best one. Always be on the lookout for this ploy!

Passages

The Reading Comprehension format is one of four basic ones used for GRE Verbal questions. This page lists key features of GRE Reading Comprehension questions. It also provides the test directions for this question format, a sample question (along with a tip for answering it), and a detailed analysis of the sample.

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Sentence Completions

Here are some tips for tackling GRE Sentence Completion questions (one of four basic question types, or formats, on the GRE Verbal section):

  • Look for keywords and phrases in the sentence that tell you where the sentence is going. Is it continuing along one line of thought? If so, you’re looking for a word that supports that thought. Is it changing direction in midstream? If so, you’re looking for a word that sets up a contrast between the thoughts in the sentence.

Words signal blanks that shift gears:
but, yet, although, on the other hand, in contrast, however, nevertheless
Words signal blanks that go with the flow:
and, also, consequently, as a result, thus, hence, to get your mental wheels turning and help you to ‘get into’ the question, first think of your own words that complete the sentence at hand. Although you shouldn’t expect to find your words verbatim among the answer choices (most GRE Sentence Completion questions aren’t that easy), determining upfront what sort of words you’re looking for will help you zero in on the best answer choice.

  • Don’t choose an answer to a dual-blank question just because one of the words is a perfect fit. As often as not, one word that fits perfectly is paired with another word that doesn’t fit well at all. This is the test-makers’ most common Sentence Completion ploy; don’t fall for it!
  • Check for usage and idiom problems, if you’re having trouble homing in on the best answer. Sentence Completion questions cover not just overall sentence sense but also word usage and idiom (how ideas are expressed as phrases). So eliminate any answer choice that makes any part of the sentence confusing, awkward, or sound wrong to your ear.
  • In dual-blank questions, if you can eliminate just one of the words, the whole choice won’t work, so you can toss it out and go on.
  • Don’t confirm your response until you’ve considered each and every one of the five answer choices.

Remember: The qualitative difference between the best and second-best answer choices can be subtle.