New GRE format for 2011?

[Comet7777]

I was reading this article: http://sites.google.com/site/gradappadvice/gre, and am actually shocked to read about the new GRE format. I've taken it before and figured that for this cycle of applications I can build upon what I learned. But now I'm a bit apprehensive about this "newness." Does anyone have any information on what exactly is changing?

[newms]

ETS has a summary of the changes on their website here: http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general_institutions as well as some sample questions and preparation materials for the new test here: http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare It seems to me to be more of a change in format than a change in the content tested. Some of the material will be presented in different ways but it doesn't seem to be a radical change in the tested material.

Edited October 20, 2010 by newms

[DrFaustus666]

ETS has a summary of the changes on their website here: http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general_institutions as well as some sample questions and preparation materials for the new test here: http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare It seems to me to be more of a change in format than a change in the content tested. Some of the material will be presented in different ways but it doesn't seem to be a radical change in the tested material.

Hi newms,

The changes in the verbal part are fairly radical insofar as analogies are eliminated from the Aug 2011 GRE, after 30 years at least of inclusion of analogies (my first ever GRE, in 1975, had them). In place of analogies will be many more reading comprehension and some more sentence completion questions.

This will make the verbal part considerably easier for many people, and also reflect more of what graduate students in the humanities actually do: read, read, read, read, read, and then read some more.

Some very few people (yours truly included) won't like the new format, because the one thing we're good at and most people aren't (analogies) will be eliminated. Boo hoo.

But for most people, that significant change (no analogies) will be a big plus.

John

[newms]

Hi newms,

The changes in the verbal part are fairly radical insofar as analogies are eliminated from the Aug 2011 GRE

Hi John,

I had't noticed that part, but as you said it'll make the test a little easier for most people, although I'm with you in liking the analogies part. The quant section seems to also focus more on presenting 'real world' questions which adds the skill of being able to identify the math behind a real world problem to the test.

[Comet7777]

Yeah I looked up other information and the exclusion of the analogies in favor of more reading comprehension appears to be a godsend for people like me in the humanities (hell in any discipline really). ETS plans on administering this new GRE (along with the new scale of 130-170) in Fall 2011. So I'm thinking I may take the older one next summer, which I'm accustomed to as well as have been studying. Hmm tricky situation, it reminds me of the SAT change some years back. I found myself in this same exact situation of being stuck between the old format which I had studied laboriously for, and the new test which isn't radically different but different enough to make me apprehensive. I laugh at the fact that I checked out 3 prep books on the verbal section of the GRE today at the library.

[coffeekid]

Comet7777, I'm really glad that someone got this post going. I tried in the religion forum and got no responses, so I think I'll recycle from there what is still relevant here...

I think that the change is going to be most significant for those of us applying in the Fall 2011 for Fall 2012 admission (like me), in that ETS is doing the revision starting August 2011. Some of the changes include...

- A new scoring scale (130 to 170 for verbal and math sections, with one point increments)

- Revised verbal section (no antonyms or analogies, more emphasis on reading comprehension)

- Revised math section (online calculator included, more emphasis on data analysis than mental math)

There are some obvious advantages of the new format. The revised math section (not that it matters for humanities applications) is a better assessment of quantitative problem solving skills in a normal environment; the new verbal format, I feel, will be a more appropriate judgment of linguistic skills because of the revolutionary discovery (cough) that language acquires its meaning from context. Most importantly, the single point increment scale will more realistically portray the difference between applicant scores ("Oh, these students are only five points apart, we'll have to look at their applications more closely" rather than "Obviously we're taking this person, her/his score is FIFTY points higher than this person!").

The question is, do we stake our applications on the traditional GRE that we all love to hate, or do we risk it and take the new GRE late in the application season, perhaps without enough time for a retake, and not even really knowing how to gauge the numbers we get?

Obviously, some of us will do better on one or the other, but the real issue is how schools are going to read these scores, especially for those of us who will be submitting a history of old AND new scores (also like me). I've heard department one department head at a reputable program tell me clearly that that the most recent score is the only one that matters to them (he even mentioned that taking it "eight times" doesn't matter to them), but will they take the new scores less seriously because of their unfamiliarity with it? And, will the new GRE and its incremental scoring make the GRE any more or less of an influence in applications? That certainly would be wonderful for those of us who have strong applications apart from the standardized test!

[Tdearr]

Comet7777, I'm really glad that someone got this post going. I tried in the religion forum and got no responses, so I think I'll recycle from there what is still relevant here...

I think that the change is going to be most significant for those of us applying in the Fall 2011 for Fall 2012 admission (like me), in that ETS is doing the revision starting August 2011. Some of the changes include...

- A new scoring scale (130 to 170 for verbal and math sections, with one point increments)

- Revised verbal section (no antonyms or analogies, more emphasis on reading comprehension)

- Revised math section (online calculator included, more emphasis on data analysis than mental math)

There are some obvious advantages of the new format. The revised math section (not that it matters for humanities applications) is a better assessment of quantitative problem solving skills in a normal environment; the new verbal format, I feel, will be a more appropriate judgment of linguistic skills because of the revolutionary discovery (cough) that language acquires its meaning from context. Most importantly, the single point increment scale will more realistically portray the difference between applicant scores ("Oh, these students are only five points apart, we'll have to look at their applications more closely" rather than "Obviously we're taking this person, her/his score is FIFTY points higher than this person!").

The question is, do we stake our applications on the traditional GRE that we all love to hate, or do we risk it and take the new GRE late in the application season, perhaps without enough time for a retake, and not even really knowing how to gauge the numbers we get?

Obviously, some of us will do better on one or the other, but the real issue is how schools are going to read these scores, especially for those of us who will be submitting a history of old AND new scores (also like me). I've heard department one department head at a reputable program tell me clearly that that the most recent score is the only one that matters to them (he even mentioned that taking it "eight times" doesn't matter to them), but will they take the new scores less seriously because of their unfamiliarity with it? And, will the new GRE and its incremental scoring make the GRE any more or less of an influence in applications? That certainly would be wonderful for those of us who have strong applications apart from the standardized test!

Hello,

This is a good analysis of this change. As an employee of a GRE tutoring company I was invited by ETS to attend an informational session on the new GRE, and was able to hear from ETS exactly what their goals were. You are correct in your analysis of what they are trying to do with the revised sections as well as with the new point scale. Another goal of the new scoring scale is to realign the Quant section so that a mid-range score is the 50th percentile. As it currently stands there is a skew on the Quant section and a perfect 800 only falls in the 94th percentile.

One very important thing to consider when determining which test to take, is by when you will need to receive your scores. The new GRE will not begin sending out scores until November of 2011. Meaning, if you take the new GRE in August when it is first offered, your scores won't arrive for three months. Check your school deadlines, if for any reason you need a score before November of 2011 you must take the current GRE. I hope that information is helpful. If you have other questions, I may be able to answer them based on the information ETS dispensed at that conference, so feel free to ask.

Regards,

Taylor Dearr

[coffeekid]

Thanks for the confirmation, Tdearr. But still, I'm wondering what application comittees are going to think of any new scores they receive for Fall 2012 matriculation. I just spoke with someone on the admissions comittee at a program who told me s/he had not even heard of the new GRE and advised me to take the old version before they change it! I feel like it is not out of the realm of possibility for a prof to look at a new "170" and say, "OMG! I can't believe this person even bothered applying!" This might be a bit outlandish, but i definitely feel like faculty will scatch their head at how to interpret a certain score, even if it has a percentage by it. Then again, it might make the score a moot point and (hopefully) force them to actually look at the rest of the application.

I honestly don't know what to make of this.

[Tdearr]

Thanks for the confirmation, Tdearr. But still, I'm wondering what application comittees are going to think of any new scores they receive for Fall 2012 matriculation. I just spoke with someone on the admissions comittee at a program who told me s/he had not even heard of the new GRE and advised me to take the old version before they change it! I feel like it is not out of the realm of possibility for a prof to look at a new "170" and say, "OMG! I can't believe this person even bothered applying!" This might be a bit outlandish, but i definitely feel like faculty will scatch their head at how to interpret a certain score, even if it has a percentage by it. Then again, it might make the score a moot point and (hopefully) force them to actually look at the rest of the application.

I honestly don't know what to make of this.

ETS will be doing heavy outreach to try and inform admission counselors about the new scale. This will include distribution of conversion charts that relate new scores to old scores, as well as explanations of why the changes have been made. That being said, there is no way of knowing how effective this outreach will be. It is always good to deal with a known quantity, so you might be safer with the current GRE.

[coffeekid]

Thanks again, Tdearr. This is all really valuable insight to hear from someone who is on the inside. It sounds like it may have just been early for me to be talking GRE scores for applications next Fall.

I guess this is just my lot in life... The SAT switched from the 1600 to 2400 point system Spring of my junior year in high school and I was forced to take both of them as well!

[Mocha001]

I have read that new GRE will be much harder. Current GRE requires extensive knowledge of advanced vocabularies. It means that you can improve your score easily if you study words.

And, the new test will be much harder. People who I know recommended me take the GRE until August and get done with it since I am not a native speaker and current one is much

easier.

[dilly-dallier]

When I took the GRE test last week, after I'd done both V & Q sections, I've got an identified research section with question types I've never seen before. I guess those belong to the new GRE format. For instance, the sentence completion question becomes a testing for synonyms. There is a blank in each question, and you will be given six choices. You are asked to choose two of them which would yield meanings more or less the same. I answered 10 such questions. To me such questions are very simple, considering that I've never been trained for this question type before.

[khida]

hi guys !! i will take the new gre on octuber because i wanna to begin a master in US.... do you know where i can find free material ?..... it will be so useful for me !!!....