8/13/2019 GRE new format

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With a brand new format, scoring scale and test-taking interface, the revised GRE General Test

attempts to offer much to applicants. With the freedom to move back and forth, edit or change

answers, and skip and return to questions, all within a section, candidates have the ability to use

more of their own test-taking strategies.

No more analogies, antonyms

In the Verbal Reasoning section of the new format there is less reliance on vocabulary out of

context. At the end of the day, memorising vocabulary out of context isnt going to help in yourMBA programme. You will be reading passages, trying to understand the authors main thesis

and conflicting points of view. Now you will be doing a lot of Reading Comprehension types of

tasks and if you get better at Reading Comprehension, thats going to help you in the educationalarena and beyond.

The best place to start is on our website. Here test-takers will find sample questions for the

Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing sections of the test, free

downloadable software that gives students a simulated test-taking experience, and a Mathematicsreview to prepare them for the Quantitative Reasoning section.

Scoring is more reflective

It used to be 200-800 in 10-point increments for both Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning. So if A

scored 620 in Verbal and B scored 600, 620 sounds a lot higher than 600 but its really only two

score points and not a significant real-world difference between the two. The new score scalewill go from 130-170 in one point increments. Now As score would 162 and B is 164. We think

the new score scales will minimise misinterpretations of such small score differences. Analytical

Writing will be scored from 0-6.

Preparation strategy

This will depend on the amount of time a candidate has available, and as well as personal

preferences for how to prepare. At a minimum, it is important to know what to expect.

Before taking a practice GRE revised General Test, visit takethegre.com and become familiar

with the content of the Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing

sections of the test.Take a practice test by using the free software offered by GRE. The software provides a timed

test that demonstrates the new design features, including the ability to move back and forth and

change answers within a section, as well as the new on-screen calculator.The questions in the Verbal Reasoning and QR sections have a variety of formats. Some requirecandidates to select a single answer choice; others require candidates to select one or more

answer choices, and yet others require test-takers to enter a numeric answer. When answering a

question, candidates should make sure they understand what response is required.The computer-based GRE revised General Test has a mark and review feature that enables

test-takers to keep track of questions they would like to revisit during the time provided to work

on a section and identify questions they may have skipped. Candidates can view a complete list

8/13/2019 GRE new format

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of the questions in the section, and see an indicator of whether they answered or marked

questions for review. Test-takers should budget their time so they can use the mark and review

feature as an added check before completing a section.

Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores will be determined by the number ofquestions answered correctly. To maximise scores on these sections, it is best to answer every

question. Points are not subtracted for incorrect answers, so its better to guess than to leave ananswer blank.Most of the Quantitative Reasoning questions dont require difficult computations, so test-takers

should not use the calculator just because its available. They should use it for calculations that

are more time-consuming, such as long division, square roots and addition, subtraction ormultiplication of numbers that have several digits.

During the Analytical Writing section candidates should be careful to budget their time. Within

the 30-minute time limit for each task, allow sufficient time to think about the issue, plan a

response and compose an essay.Save a few minutes at the end of each timed Analytical Writing task to check for obvious errors.

Although an occasional typographical, spelling or grammatical error will not affect a score,

severe and persistent errors will detract from the overall effectiveness of a candidates writingand lower the score. So errors have to be avoided at all costs

There is a 10-minute break following the third section and a one-minute break between the other

test sections. Candidates should use this time to replenish scratch paper. Section timing will not

stop if candidates take an unscheduled break, so proceed with the test without interruption once itbegins.

Use free materials available at www.takethegre.com/prep. You can also get official updates by

signing up, which will come in handy for the exam.