Recent changes in GRE exam pattern; who are likely to get benefited
Certification: Test Prep GRE - Graduate Record Examination
The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is an exam taken by students to get admission in foreign colleges and universities, mostly in United States. The test is conducted and monitored by Education Testing Service. Initially around 1949 the test aimed to measure the verbal and quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking. These skills are attained by the students over a long period of time; it can’t be gained by studying a particular period of time in any school. The format of the exam is objective type having multiple choice questions, the scores of the test is a determining factor for the admission foreign graduate schools and the various department within schools. ETS had made some changes in august 2011 in the question pattern, making the exam more users friendly and less difficult in comparison to other exams. The changed pattern will make evaluation of students easier by the universities, enabling them to choose more deserving candidates. The new pattern is effective since august 2011. According to the GRE team this is largest change in the last 60 yrs of GRE history. Following are the changes that are introduced in the new GRE pattern:
- Improved Structure: As in the old structure of paper you were not allowed to go back and forth to made change in your answer or modify it. Be happy now, it’s allowed in the new pattern. You can go forward as we as back, whenever you want to review a question, make any change to it, which was not allowed earlier. The motto behind this change was to provide a natural exam environment to the students as it used to be.
- Improved Data: Quality of the new GRE paper is more advanced and better in comparison to the earlier formats. The knowledge and sis of the students can be evaluated better by the new format of exam, the format makes the educators decide which of the students are better for graduate and business programs and which are not.
- Changed Verbal Section: In the new pattern of GRE exam, verbal section changed the most. In the new format of exam, there is more complex reasoning, antonyms and analogies are removed, and the vocabulary is totally removed. The students should expect a totally new kind of questions in the paper.
- Quantitative reasoning: The new pattern has made the students do their calculations faster by allowing the use of calculators. In the new pattern there is more emphasis on the reasoning ability, real life scenarios and Data interpretation not on the arithmetic calculations.
- Analytical writing: This is the section that has not undergone any major changes, rather now the section will be more chances of fewer generalizations and focused responses.
- Change in score rating: The change in the verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning, the new scale of range is between 130 and 170 having increment of point 1 in lieu of 200 to 800 with increments of 10 points. In case of analytical section the scale range remains same as 0 to 6 with having increments of 0.5. The new test is designed to help out students and to provide enough opportunities giving them an option to demonstrate their reasoning skills despite of their skills.
- First score of new pattern: The first test of the revised exam pattern too pace in the between the month of August and October. The score of the test held was available in the month of November. If any student wanted their score before, they should have taken the test before August 2011. After November the declaration of the score was back to normal i.e. after 10 to 15 days of the test.
- Offline mode of the test: The offline modes of the test too have the same changes that too pace for the online mode. The earlier pattern of the test is no longer available for the students.
- No split test: The students of the Asian continent such as from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, will not be able to use the split test pattern. The format of spit test has been eliminated from the new format. The new format allows reporting faster, and can be taken easily on computer and can be completed on a single day.
- Preparation material for GRE: the GRE conducting body has provided new practice papers for the students to be familiar with the new format. The test paper was launched by the GRE was a year before. The students can check the material for preparation available on the website of GRE.
Benefitted to whom?
The change in the pattern of questions of GRE, it is beneficial to the students most. It allows them to prepare well, and they can score good, so that they can have admission to the college of their choice. Then, secondly the colleges and universities are now able to judge students who are coming for their graduation or other higher studies much better than earlier. The changes like the back and forth movement while answering the question, will help the students review their answer and if they are in doubt that they answers it incorrectly they can modify it, which was not allowed earlier. The GRE scores of students can be used to supplement the admission records and other recommendation letters by the admission pane or fellowship panels of the student who are studying. The revised pattern of test gives a power of self confidence to them, to do their best. With the revised pattern they can choose whether to send the score to graduate schools or not. If the score is not good, they can retake the exam. This kind of freedom is the part of Score Select option available only with the new GRE test.