Tests Directory > GRE - Graduate Record Examinations

Revised GRE General Test

Overview of the Revised General Test

Value of the Revised General Test
Test Content Changes
Test Administration Changes
Changes to the Verbal and Quantitative Score Scales
Sample Revised General Test Score Report
Sample Verbal Test Questions
Sample Quantitative Test Questions
Sample Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing Topics
Sample Questions for Test Takers with Disabilities
Timeline of Major Events
Revised GRE General Test Brochure (PDF)
Frequently Asked Questions for Limiting Registration for the Current GRE General
Test

Frequently Asked Questions for Educators

PowerPoint Presentations for Educators

Overview of the Revised General Test

The revised Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test will be offered for the first
time worldwide in September. The first test dates will be September 10, 15 or 16 (depending
upon location), and 29, 2007. Read Press Release.
With the new test, the GRE Program will introduce a significantly revised and improved GRE
General Test. The primary reasoning for the changes to the test are to (1) address current
and potential future security challenges associated with continuous testing, and (2) increase
the validity of the test by reducing the possible effects of memorization in the Verbal and
Analytical Writing sections of the test. Changes to the test are also being made to provide
faculty with better information on applicants performance, and measure skills more directly
related to graduate study. Changes to the test include test content changes, test
administration changes, and changes to the Verbal and Quantitative score scales.

Value of the Revised General Test

The value of the revised General Test includes the following:

Improved security An administration plan that directly addresses current and
potential future security challenges over the long term
Improved predictive validity The revised test reduces the possible effects of
memorization.
Improved construct validity The revised test measures skills more directly related
to graduate study
The linear testing format of the revised test is more test taker friendly than the
current computer adaptive General Test. The test format is more familiar to test
takers, and it allows test takers to review, omit, go back and change an answer, etc.,
which means that test takers can better allocate their time according to their personal
test-taking approach.

Test Content Changes

The revised General Test will measure the same general skills that are measured on the
current General Test: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical
writing. However, each of the sections will be revised to better focus on skills that are
necessary for success in graduate school.
The New Verbal Reasoning Section
Measures the ability to

understand the meanings of words, sentences, and entire texts; understand

relationships among words and among concepts
select important points; distinguish major from minor or irrelevant points;
summarize text; understand the structure of a text
analyze and draw conclusions from discourse; reason from incomplete data;
identify authors/speakers assumptions and/or perspective; understand
multiple levels of meaning (such as literal, figurative, texts intent, etc.)
Emphasis on skills related to graduate work, such as complex reasoning
increased emphasis on inferential reasoning
increased emphasis on verbal reasoning in context
increased number of reading comprehension questions based on a greater
variety of reading passages
reduced emphasis on vocabulary out of context (no Antonyms or Analogies)
Inclusion of new question formats other than traditional multiple choice (e.g.,
highlighting a sentence in a passage that serves the function described in the
question)
Two 40-minute sections
See Verbal Reasoning Sample Questions

The New Quantitative Reasoning Section

Measures the ability to
Understand quantitative information
Interpret and analyze quantitative information
Solve problems in a quantitative setting
Apply basic mathematical skills and elementary mathematical concepts of
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics
Quantitative reasoning skills that are similar to skills generally used in graduate school
increased emphasis on questions involving real-life scenarios
increased emphasis on data interpretation
reduced emphasis on Geometry
On-screen four-function calculator with square root (reduced emphasis on
computation)
Inclusion of new question formats other than multiple-choice (such as entering a
numeric answer via a keyboard)
Two 40-minute sections
See Quantitative Reasoning Sample Questions
The New Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing Section
A new name to more accurately reflect the skills being measured
A performance-based measure that integrates the assessment of critical thinking and
analytical writing
Measures the ability to
articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
examine claims and accompanying evidence
support ideas with relevant reasons and examples
sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion
control the elements of standard written English
New, more focused prompts
Requires a more specific response from the test taker
Will reduce the possibility of reliance on memorized materials
The Issue and Argument tasks are each 30 minutes in length
Essay responses will be made available electronically to institutional score recipients
See Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing Sample Topics

Test Administration Changes

The revised Verbal and Quantitative sections are changing from an adaptive test
format, where the questions presented to each examinee vary according to his or her
performance, to a linear test format, where all examinees testing at the same time
receive the same questions.
The GRE General Test will be administered on computer on approximately 30 test
dates worldwide. The number of administrations in any given region will be based on
the test volume in that region.
To address possible security concerns, starting times for the test will be staggered
across time zones.
An expanded Internet-based testing network with about 3,500 test sites will be
available worldwide.

Changes to the Verbal and Quantitative Score Scale

The Verbal and Quantitative score scale is changing for the following reasons:

Sound measurement practice and professional standards (developed by AERA,

APA, and NCME) recommend a change in the score scale when significant
changes to test specifications are made.
The ways in which we are measuring the verbal and quantitative reasoning
skills (i.e., question types) and the relative emphasis among the component
skills in the revised Verbal and Quantitative sections are sufficiently different
from those on the current test, so that it is appropriate to use a new scale for
the revised test.
The mean of the new score scale will be 150 with an expected range will be 130 to
170, in 1-point increments. Final specification of the precise score scale will be
determined based on data from the initial revised General Test administrations, before
scores are reported.
This range was selected in order to maintain a 3-digit score scale for IT
systems, avoid confusion between scores on the revised General Test and the
current test, and avoid overlap of the new scale with the Subject Test scales.
The GRE Board and Program realize that such a change presents many challenges for
score users accustomed to the 200 to 800 score scale. The decision to revise the
score scale was not made lightly.
The following information will be available to assist GRE score recipients:
Percentiles for Verbal and Quantitative scores will be reported on score
reports and available on the GRE Web site beginning in early November 2007.
In mid-November 2007, a concordance table will be available on the GRE
Web site to assist score users in determining the relationship between old and
new Verbal and Quantitative scores. The concordance table will present
information on Verbal and Quantitative scores on the old 200 to 800 score
scale and the corresponding approximate equivalents on the new 130 to 170
score scale.
Shortly after the concordance table is available, approximate score
equivalents on the new scale will be included on GRE score reports for Verbal
and Quantitative scores earned prior to September 2007.
In early January 2008, broad major field score distributions will be
available on the GRE Web site.
The change will allow us to address 2 situations that have developed over the life of
the current test:
First, the score scales for the Verbal and Quantitative measures have slowly
separated over time such that the means for these two scales for the total
group of test takers are now quite different (mean Verbal = 470 and mean
Quantitative = 593). These differences are even more pronounced when one
considers International test takers only (mean Verbal = 439, mean
Quantitative = 686).

Second, scores for the current Quantitative measure have tended to cluster at
the top of the scale.
Advantages of the new score scale include:
The Verbal and Quantitative means will be aligned which will allow score users
to see relative strengths for a particular candidate.
Score users will be less likely to interpret small score differences as meaningful
differences between candidates.
The new scales will help facilitate more appropriate comparisons between
candidates.
The new score scales are compatible with backend systems in most graduate
schools.
The new score scales will not be easily confused with scores from the current
General Test or the Subject Tests.
The score scale for the Analytical Writing section will continue to be 0 to 6, in halfpoint increments.
Scores will continue to be available for reporting for 5 years following the examinees
test administration.

Sample Revised General Test Score Report

Test Date

Verbal*

MMDDYY

Original Score

New Score

% Below

10/28/07

-----

160

74

10/06/06

520

156

64

07/10/04

540

158

69

*For tests taken beginning in September 2007, scores will be printed in the "New Score"
column and dashes will be printed in the "Original Score" column. For tests taken before
September 2007, scores will be printed in the "Original Score" column and approximate
equivalents on the new scale will be printed in the "New Score" column. These equivalents are
based on a concordance study; the full table showing the relationship between the two scales
will be posted on the GRE Web site at www.ets.org/gre.

Sample Questions for Test Takers with Disabilities

Sample questions for the revised GRE General Test are available in the following downloadable
formats:

Sample Questions for the Revised GRE General Test (18-point edition)

Sample Questions for the Revised GRE General Test Reader's Script
Sample Questions for the Revised GRE General Test Reader's Script (screen reader
version)

Sample Questions for the Revised GRE General Test Reader's Script (Word version)

Figure Supplement to Accompany Cassette or Reader's Script Edition (18-point

edition) (Figures for Questions 1, 6, 12, 1721)

To order sample questions in Braille or cassette (including the tactile figure supplement),
contact ETS Disability Services, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. EST:
Phone:
1-866-387-8602 - U.S., U.S. Territories*, and Canada
1-609-771-7780 - all other locations
TTY:
1-609-771-7714
Fax:
1-609-771-7165
E-mail:
stassd@ets.org
Mail:
ETS

Disability Services
PO Box 6054
Princeton, NJ 08541-6054
*Includes American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands

Timeline of Major Events

Spring 2007
Test preparation materials available
Test administration schedule available
July 2007
Registration for the revised General Test opens
September 2007
Revised GRE General Test launched
Internet-based testing in a new network
October 2007
New Verbal and Quantitative score scale finalized
November 2007
Scores reported for first 3 administrations and for subsequent administrations
Percentiles available on GRE Web site and printed on score reports
Concordance table available on the GRE Web site
Approximate score equivalents on the new scale included on score reports for
Verbal and Quantitative scores earned prior to September 2007
Essay responses made available to score recipients
January 2008
Broad major field score distributions available on the GRE Web site

PowerPoint Presentations for Educators

An Overview of the Revised GRE General Test
PowerPoint (2.6MB) | PDF (614KB)

An Overview of the GRE Analytical Writing Measure

PowerPoint (2.7MB) | PDF (605KB)

How to Use Revised GRE General Test Scores in the Admissions Process
PowerPoint (2.6MB) | PDF (630KB)

Revised GRE General Test Prelaunch Update (CGS Annual Meeting, Dec. 8, 2006)
PowerPoint (3.2MB) | PDF (1.2MB