Study shows extra time on GRE doesn't do much to help. WOW

[md152]

From everything I have heard, I would have thought that extra time (1.5x) would be hugely benificial.

 

This study says otherwise. It's results indicate that on the old test, being allowed to have 1.5x as much time only added an average of 7 points. 

 

Did you feel like you had enough time or did you feel rushed while taking it? I'm trying to get a feel for how big an issue the time constraint is. I have tons of documentation of my diagnosis of add and several learning disabilities and trying to decide if I should apply for a time extension.

 

http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/RR-03-13-Bridgeman.pdf

[aerin_sol]

I took my GRE yesterday.  I felt I had plenty of time.  As a matter of fact I finished a full 2 hours ahead of schedule (my appointment was at 1:30 and I was getting into my car to leave at 4:00) and my unofficial scores didn't really leave much room at all for improvement (170V, 162Q).  Of course, I have always tended to work quickly.  Personally, I moved on to the next section with time left almost always, because I didn't feel that waiting out the remaining time would lead me to change any answers.

 

I think it probably just depends on you personally.  I have a younger brother with ADHD.  I know he really benefits from extended time on things like that.

[Guest |||]

To some extent it is irrelevant whether or not extra time is given to the gre.  We are all ultimately judged on the same time scale, and all feel the same time constraint, learning how to manage it is better than hoping for more.

[nugget]

Was the study done with participants who also have ADD? Your situation is not quite the same as people who don't have to deal with this issue. Instead of trying to predict whether or not you will need the extra time, I'd consider the reasons why you wouldn't want to apply for it as a backup. Do you feel embarrassed in any way because you are eligible for special accommodations? Having extra time can allow you to take your time when answering questions and you won't feel the same pressure to finish the test within the time limit. The extra time is there in case you get distracted during the exam due to your health condition so that your test results won't be compromised in any way. If you have never written the GRE before and don't know what to expect,I would take the time if it is given to you. If you don't need it, you can simply leave earlier than planned or use the time to double check your answers.   

Edited July 4, 2013 by jenste

[Arcanen]

You're in grad school people (or will be if you don't screw up the GRE too hard), time to critically analyse arguments!

 

The biggest issue with this is that the GRE is exceptionally trainable (this is something ETS doesn't want to admit; it lowers the value of their test), and so people prepare for the GRE. They do so by becoming acclimatised to the testing conditions of the GRE. You have 35 minutes to complete a section... and so people practice to complete a section in 35 minutes. People typically find this time limit really hard at first, but soon it becomes more reasonable with practice. If you suddenly give people more time during an official test on a "research section", it doesn't change the fact that they've studied to complete the sections in 35 minutes. They'll approach the questions in much the same way and as a consequence their scores don't differ much (approaching the questions differently could mess up their state of mind/flow/etc). But this does not mean that time isn't a factor in the GRE. People still need to train to complete the questions in the time allotted to their best standards. If people actually practiced for months thinking they'd have double time, the results would be very different.

 

The second issue is that this is the for the old GRE, and considering one could not skip questions in that test, it would be incredibly dubious to assume that the results from this "paper" extend to the new GRE where it's possible to leave questions one is uncertain about until the end of a section. Even under the suspect circumstances of this study, this would have a much bigger result in the current form of the GRE where the extra time could be used at the end to check all answers rather than during each question before one finishes the test. Relating to the above, these people doing the old GRE would have timed themselves to move on to other questions as a key part of their strategy, extra time that can't be used at the end completely throws students into unfamiliar territory. Since the GRE tests how well you've prepared for the GRE, it is not surprising this doesn't lead to massive increases in score.

 

The third issue is that this is a study performed and commissioned by ETS about an ETS product designed to be released to the public about the value of its own test. This study doesn't mean a thing. It's purpose isn't to study anything, it's to show a predetermined desired result to the public in order to increase the "value" of the GRE in the public eye. The above issues would have doubtless occurred to the people organising the study, but they are ignored because they want the result they end up getting. End result, these concerns are ignored and the testing methodology all but guarantees the result they are after.

 

Really, this study should become a question in the AW section about misleading arguments and the assumptions therein.

[MikKar]

Arcanen summed it up pretty well. GRE is mostly a test on how well you perform in a given time-frame. If that time was shortened/lengthened, then the results will start looking different, purely because the whole preparation of the student would have to adjust accordingly (or not, that would depend on the student, obviously).

[nugget]

The degree and manner in which certain disabilities, such as ADD, express themselves can vary at any given time, even for the same individual. So if one practices for the GRE at home and establishes a sense of how much time one can give to a question before moving on, yes this will be helpful. However, if the ADD symptoms are particularly problematic at the time of testing (more so than during all of the practice runs previously done to prepare) than it may take longer for the person with the disability to read, process and answer the questions. On a "good day" when the symptoms are mild or not present, the individual can proceed at a quicker pace. The point I was simply trying to make was why take that risk? If the person did not have a disability I would fully agree with your post. But stress, being in different surroundings and a certain degree of unpredictability of the extent to which the symptoms of certain disabilities will appear would make me want to err on the side of caution for something as important as writing the GRE.