New restrictions on GRE make test taking more difficult
Starting in October 2006, students taking the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) will endure a lengthier, more difficult and more expensive test.
The GRE is an exam that graduate students entering the fields of education, journalism and arts and sciences must take in order to be accepted into a graduate studies program.
According to Matt Fidler, GRE program manager for Kaplan Test Prep and Admission, the changes were put into effect for two reasons. The first is that the new exam will be a better predictor of the skills new graduate students will need, and second, the changes will make the test more secure and leave less room for cheating.
“ Overseas, we’ve had a problem with students taking the exam, memorizing the questions and posting them on the Internet,” Fidler said.
In the past, all students taking the test had questions randomly drawn from the same pool based on their response to the previous question, which is known as a computer adaptive test.
In order to reduce the amount of cheating on the exam, the questions used in one session of test taking will not be used again for any other session, Fidler said.
Among the most noticeable changes are the length and cost of the test. Prior to the changes, the test lasted only 2 1/2 hours, while the new test will last closer to four hours. The current cost for the exam is $115, but the new exam will be more expensive; however the new price has not yet been announced.
Several changes in question type and difficulty level will also be made. All three sections, verbal, quantitative and analytical writing, will see changes.
The verbal section will include more questions involving critical reading and sentence completion in place of analogies and antonyms.
The quantitative or mathematics section will include more word problems and less geometry, possibly making the test more difficult for foreign students. According to Fidler, the changes to the quantitative section are not meant to hinder foreign students from doing well, but to make sure the students are fully prepared to be graduate students.
Previously, university officials have not had access to essays written for the GRE. Starting in October 2006 they will see essays as well as scores.
The frequency of exam dates will also decrease considerably. In the past, the exam has always been offered almost every day of the year. However, the new format will only be given 30 times a year.
If students are prepared to take the exam before the changes go into effect, Kaplan recommends doing so. Preparation to the take the exam should begin at least three months in advance.
According to Fidler, in Kaplan’s 65 years of test preparation, whenever there has been a change to an exam, people rush to take the exam before the changes go into effect
For more information on the new format as well as preparation tips, students can visit www.kaptest.com/newgre