Taking a standardized test like GRE General Test for masters or Ph.D. programs seems at times quite intimidating. At some point during our preparation we all wonder how are these subtly convoluted questions are curated? Questions that are designed to be tough enough to reliably assess various skill-sets but not to tip us off the balance. It is not only fascinating, but also imperative to understand how this blend of perfectly designed GRE test questions are created. So, whether you are currently preparing for GRE or are a future GRE aspirant or just a curiosity-seeker, let’s together explore and comprehend this art of GRE test question creation in detail.
In this blog:
- GRE General Test Structure: An Insight
- GRE Question Types: How are they created and tackled?
- First step to get a great GRE General Test score.
GRE General Test Structure: An Insight
Educational Testing Service popularly known as ETS conducts GRE General Test (Graduate Record Examination). It is the most widely accepted graduate admissions test. It assesses students on writing, verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking skills that are essential for successfully securing admissions for higher education like masters’ degree and Ph.D. programs.
The GRE General test provides a common measure for candidates from all around the world. As the GRE score is used by College Admissions Committees and Fellowship Panels to evaluate your competency for a possible admission in their respective academic courses, it can be your ticket to your desired university.
The GRE General Test Structure
Section | No. of Questions | Duration |
Analytical Writing Assessment |
1 Issue Essay Task |
30 minutes |
Quantitative Reasoning Section 1 |
12 Questions |
21 minutes |
Quantitative Reasoning Section 2 |
15 Questions |
26 minutes |
Verbal Reasoning Section 1 |
12 Questions |
18 minutes |
Verbal Reasoning Section 2 |
15 Questions |
23 minutes |
Duration – 1 Hour 58 Minutes NO BREAKS
Test sequence: The test will always start with the Analytical Writing Assessment section and then Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections can appear on the test in any order, with first section of each appearing before its second section.
Sectional Adaptive: Based upon how many total questions you get correct on the 1st Quantitative Reasoning Section will decide what level of difficulty questions will come in your 2nd Quantitative Reasoning Section. Similarly, how you performed in the 1st Verbal Reasoning Section decides what level of difficulty questions will appear in the 2nd Verbal Reasoning Section.
Flexibility: You can “Mark” and “Review” any number of questions, change your answer, move across, and choose which question you want to attempt first within a section, unless you have time.
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GRE Question Types: How are they created and tackled?
The GRE test questions are designed to critique the core competencies of candidates that belong to different countries, cultures, ethnic groups, and educational backgrounds. Thus, to curate a test that would evaluate all the candidates at the same level requires profound research, carefully curated content, impeccable accuracy in the scoring, and well-trained proctors to ensure transparency and maintain credibility. Let’s explore and delve into the intricacies of the art of question crafting.
GRE Test: Analytical Writing Assessment
Scoring Scale: 0 to 6 Desirable Score: 4 or more
Most under-practiced and lightly taken section of GRE, AWA consists of one ‘Analyse the Issue’ essay task. The task presents a perspective on an issue of widespread relevance followed by instruction on how to respond to that issue. You have to comprehend the task well and write a compelling essay where you sagaciously build your case with reason and examples to bolster your stance.
AWA is designed to test your critical thinking and analytical writing skills. Often taken lightly this section needs more practice than you can imagine and a good understanding of the nuisances in essay writing techniques will ensure that you have put the pawns in place. This can only be possible by focussed training, efficient teaching, and constructive and regular feedback by experienced trainers.
GRE Test: Quantitative Reasoning
Scoring Scale: 130- 170
Now is the time to dive into the ocean of mathematics and fish out some numbers based on your reasoning skill, as this is the most test-takers’ favourite section, Quantitative Reasoning. This section consists of questions from four key areas-
The Quantitative Reasoning questions are curated to assess-
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basic mathematical skills
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comprehension of elementary concepts
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mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills with quantitative methods
Some questions in this section are modelled in ‘real-world’ settings, while others in solely ‘mathematical’ settings. Many of these are ‘word problems’ but constructed and solved mathematically.
The Quantitative Reasoning sections has four types of questions including:
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Quantitative Comparison questions
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Multiple choice questions where some have one correct answer
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Multiple choice questions with one or more than one correct answer
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Numeric entry questions.
Either the question appears discretely or as a part of a set of questions called a Data Interpretation set, which are based on same data presented in table, graphs, or other figures to display data.
The content of these questions is no higher than high school mathematics and statistics. The symbols, nomenclature, and rules used are those which are standard at the high school level. Now don’t think this is going to be “a walk in the park!” Even though this section may seem like a “day-dream” to many test-takers, it might become a “nightmare” if not ‘handled with care’. Yup, you heard it right! This section does test you on the fundamentals of mathematical concepts, but GRE is not going to make your lives easy. Thus, without meticulous understanding on how to crack the text, disciplined practice with time management, and guided approach you might end up being disappointed and taking proper and regular GRE classes from experts in the field is non-negotiable. This will ensure that you are on a war footing to conquer this section with a clean-sweep.
Verbal Reasoning
Scoring Scale: 130-170
If Quantitative Reasoning is the most coveted section on GRE, Verbal Reasoning is definitely the most dreaded one and rightly so! This section has earned its reputation due to the remarkably tortuous text content designed to assess students’ ability to evaluate written context and harmonize the information collected from it, to critique association among different parts of sentence, and to discern relationships among words and concepts.
The questions are majorly divided in four domains-
The Question structures are as follows-
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Standard multiple-choice questions with one correct answer
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Multiple-choice questions are multiple correct answers
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Select a sentence from the passage.
These GRE test questions are taken from published texts such as books and periodicals, both academic and non-academics. Some are used as it is, while others are modified. About half of the GRE questions require you to read passages and answer questions based on them. The other half requires you to read, interpret, and complete existing texts.
Let’s understand this section further –
Reading Comprehension question type is far more than just passive reading and understanding of the words and sentences it contains – it requires active involvement with the text, summarization, identification of major and minor point of discussion, inference from the information, recognition of author’s conclusion etc. The contexts are from physical sciences, the biological sciences, the social sciences, the arts and humanities, and everyday topics. The length of the passages may range from single paragraph to several paragraphs. The questions are generally with multiple-choices with one correction option or more than one correct answer. There are also questions where you have to select a sentence from the passage as your correct answer.
The answers to these questions are based on the content in the passages, so technically you have the answer right in front of you; however, figuring out those answers can be tricky especially with the complicated language of the question-stem and answer choices and limited time to figure out the correct answer. For this reason, learning the correct approach, practice in timed manner, and creating a strategic plan of action is sacrosanct and this can be possible only with mentorship by experienced trainers. Know how to leverage the power of practice tests for GRE preparation.
Text Completion questions generally have text from one to five sentences. They can have one, two, or three blanks. For a one-blank question you will be provided with 5 answer choices and for two/ three-blank questions you will encounter 3 answer choices per blank. Remember there is no credit for partially correct answers and just reading text and plugging-in options individually will not help in this section. Therefore, knowing the strategies, ability to crack the intent of the text, practicing in a timed manner with GRE-oriented content and guidance from experts can help you score high.
Sentence Equivalence questions are similar to Text Completion and examine your ability to complete the passage by reaching a conclusion based on partial information provided. These questions are single sentence with one blank, with six choices, and two correct answers. The idea is to pick those options that when placed individually in the sentence, shall create complete, coherent sentences that mean the same thing. Again, there is no credit awarded for partially correct answers.
Vocabulary: It would be unfair to state that vocabulary learning plays no role in successfully solving of Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions. But as many of us don’t have a year to dedicate solely for GRE preparation, vocabulary learning might take a toll on some. This is the reason it is important to understand that learning new words and building your word bank is crucial, but knowing what kind of words are relevant to GRE prep and a customized approach to learn them in lesser amount of time with high retention is the only way to scale this giant. Hence, seeking guidance from a skilled teacher can definitely take you a long way.
Critical Reasoning is the last section, which is tested on GRE. There are eight types of Critical Reading questions. Each has an argument of one paragraph, followed by one question stem, and five answer choice out of which there can be only one correct answer. These questions are curated to evaluate your proficiency in understanding the meaning of and critiquing the argument given. These questions propel you to think critically and reasonably based only on the context provided. Each type of Critical Reasoning question requires a separate tactic and way to approach the argument.
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First step to get a great GRE General Test score
Getting your first step in the right direction while preparing for GRE will be like half battle won. So, even before you start your GRE preparation-
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Do your research, find out whether the colleges you wish apply require GRE or not. Even if it is optional, it is better to submit the score, it will give you an edge.
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Seek advice from the experts in the field and if possible, join regular GRE classes, it will not only give your preparation the right start but also keep you motivated and focussed, which is very difficult at times.
Here are some best GRE test prep strategies for busy professionals.
As with better understanding of GRE test questions, dedicated GRE prep, and right guidance, you will seal the deal!
Happy Learning!!
FAQs
At Center: There are more than 1000 centers in more than 160 countries. You can search the center nearest to your current location, by entering the postal code and a tentative date, all the centers and available dates will be shown and you can book as per your convenience.
At Home: Since pandemic, ETS also offers GRE Home Edition and you can take the test at the comfort of your home, but under very strict protocols.
However, it is recommended to take the test at the center only.
Yes, you can take the GRE General test only five times in a rolling period of 365 days and need to have a gap of 21 days between two attempts.
You can designate up to four graduate institutions or fellowship sponsors to receive your scores as part of your test fee, but this should be done on the test day itself; however, if you wish to send your GRE General Test scores to additional institutions or you decide to send scores after test day, you can order Additional Score Reports (ASRs) for a fee of $35/ application.