GRE® stands for the Graduate Records Examination; it is a multiple-choice and standardized test given by the Educational Testing Service. Colleges and Universities use the results of the GRE® to help them decide which students to accept to their graduate programs. Therefore it is similar to the well-known SAT test except that the GRE® is used for acceptance to graduate instead of undergraduate. The GRE® is a computerized test that can be taken at authorized testing centers at virtually any time during the year.
The GRE® is intended to test general abilities as opposed to specific knowledge about a topic, although a thorough grasp of less-common vocabulary is beneficial. Many people fault the GRE® for failing to test for skills and knowledge that would provide better assurance of success in graduate school; despite the controversy, schools still rely on the GRE® because it is one of the few widely-available standardized tests that allows them to compare all applicants on a single metric.
There are several sections of the test as shown below:
Mathematics
- Problem Solving; traditional mathematical questions with multiple-choice answers
- Quantitative Comparison; two mathematical formulas are given and the test-taker is asked to choose which one is greater, if they are equal, or if more information is required to make a determination.
Verbal
- Sentence Completion; an incomplete sentence is provided and the test-taker is asked to choose which word or phrase completes the sentence best.
- Analogies; the relationship between two sets of words is given and the test-taker is asked to choose another set that has a similar relationship.
- Antonyms; a word is given and the test-taker is asked to choose the word that means the opposite.
- Reading Comprehension; a reading selection is given, and questions are asked related directly to the passages.
Writing
- Analysis of an Argument; an argument is presented, and the GRE-test-taker is asked to critique the argumentation.
- Write an Argument; two issues are provided, and the GRE-test-taker is asked to provide a response supported by argumentation.
