The GRE revised General Test Launching in 2011

Now, the most trusted assessment of graduate-level skills is even better. For you. And for your potential students.
For more than 60 years, the graduate community has accepted the GRE General Test as a proven measure of a candidate's readiness for graduate-level work and of their potential for success. Now ETS, creator of the GRE General Test, has enhanced the content and delivery of the test in several significant ways. The GRE revised General Test, launching in 2011, is even more closely aligned with the skills needed in today's demanding graduate and business school programs. And it can help you make more informed admissions decisions. Featuring a new level of sophistication in psychometric design and delivery, the GRE revised General Test is a friendlier, more technically advanced test that's been updated to provide you with even more reliable results.

Here's What You Can Expect from the Revised Test:

Changes to test content that more closely align with the skills your candidates need to succeed:

The Verbal Reasoning measure places a greater emphasis on higher cognitive skills, making it a truer, deeper assessment of the test taker's ability to understand what they read and how to apply their reasoning skills. Learn more about the Verbal Reasoning measure. The Quantitative Reasoning measure tests the same basic mathematical concepts, but emphasizes the data interpretation and reallife scenarios a test taker will encounter, to better gauge their skills. Learn more about the Quantitative Reasoning measure.

The Analytical Writing measure asks test takers to provide more focused responses to questions, so they can more accurately demonstrate their skill in directly responding to the task presented. Learn more about the Analytical Writing measure. Changes to the test design that provide your candidates a friendlier, more flexible test-taking experience: Now they'll find new features that allow them to change their answers, skip questions and more giving them the freedom to use their own personal test-taking strategies. Learn more about test design changes. Changes to scoring that deliver more simplicity in distinguishing performance differences between your candidates: The revised test features a new score scale that reports the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures on a 130 170 score scale, in 1-point increments (vs. 200 800 in 10-point increments). Compressing the reporting metric means producing scores that won't exaggerate small performance differences between examinees. Learn more about score changes. While several key areas of the GRE General Test are changing, one thing will not: Our commitment to maintaining the trusted validity, security and fairness that are hallmarks of ETS and the GRE program. Learn more about test fairness and validity. Important: To help the graduate community prepare for the 2011 launch, we'll send out information on the tips and timing you need throughout the year. We highly recommend that you sign up to receive these emails for your institution. Sign up now.

Start Preparing for the Launch in 2011. Here Are Important Dates You Need to Know:
MONTH MILESTONE

2010
JULY

Free test prep available to test takers

2011
August 1: First day of testing for revised test For tests administered in August September, scores will be reported starting in early November For tests administered in October, scores will be reported starting in mid-November* For tests administered in November, scores will be reported starting in late November* Score reporting returns to the regular reporting period (10 15 days after test date)*

AUGUST SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

Table with important dates about the GRE revised General Test

Dates reflect scores sent through SCORELINK Internet Delivery Service. Scores reported on paper reports will be sent approximately one week later. Check back for a more detailed reporting schedule in early 2011. *Score reports for paper-based administrations will continue to be reported six weeks after test date.

What Is Changing About the Test

New content is more closely aligned with the skills your candidates need to succeed
The revised test more closely aligns with the types of skills that are required to meet today's demanding graduate and business school expectations, regardless of a student's field of study. Here's a look at what's changing on the three test measures Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing.

The Verbal Reasoning measure: more complex reasoning, no vocabulary out of context
To more closely align with the type of work students do in graduate school, the GRE revised General Test places a greater emphasis on higher level cognitive skills, as a truer, deeper assessment of their ability to understand what they read and how they apply their reasoning skills. Measures a candidate's ability to:

analyze and draw conclusions from discourse; reason from incomplete data; identify author's assumptions and/or perspective; understand multiple levels of meaning such as literal, figurative and author's intent select important points; distinguish major from minor or relevant points; summarize text; understand the structure of a text understand the meanings of words, sentences and entire texts; understand relationships among words and among concepts

An emphasis on complex reasoning skills: greater emphasis on higher cognitive skills more text-based materials, such as reading passages less dependence on vocabulary knowledge alone broader selection of reading passages

New question types and new computer-enabled tasks, such as highlighting a relevant sentence to answer a question

The Quantitative Reasoning measure: same basic mathematical concepts, more real-life scenarios
The mathematical knowledge expected of test takers remains unchanged. The difference, however, is the emphasis on the data interpretation and real-life scenarios the candidates will encounter, to better gauge their skills. Measures a candidate's ability to:

Understand quantitative information Interpret and analyze quantitative information Solve problems using mathematical models Apply basic mathematical skills and elementary mathematical concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, probability and statistics

An emphasis on quantitative reasoning skills: Increased proportion of questions involving real-life scenarios and data interpretation An on-screen calculator for use in this section to reduce the emphasis on computation*

New question types and new computer-enabled tasks, such as entering a numerical answer *For those taking the paper-based GRE revised General Test, calculators will be provided at the test center for use during the test.

The Analytical Writing measure: more focused responses, less generalization

In the revised test, the Analytical Writing measure will not change dramatically. However, test takers will be asked to provide more focused responses to questions so they can more accurately demonstrate their skill in directly responding to the task presented. Measures a candidate's ability to:

articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively support ideas with relevant reasons and examples examine claims and accompanying evidence sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion control the elements of standard written English

Integrates the assessment of critical thinking and analytical writing Introduces topics that require a more focused response, reducing the possibility of reliance on memorized materials These key content enhancements will help give you a better understanding of each candidate's potential for success. To receive important information, tips and timing to help you get ready, sign up now.

Test Fairness and Validity

Throughout the development process of the GRE revised General Test launching in 2011 we've taken significant measures to ensure the test upholds the highest standards for fairness by incorporating reviews and checkpoints. These measures include:

Pilot-testing question types to identify and eliminate those that tend to produce group differences in performance Employing specially-trained fairness reviewers to ensure test questions meet rigorous standards Pre-testing and ongoing statistical analysis to further ensure fairness of test questions

To learn more about the revised test, go to the GRE revised General Test section.

For both the GRE General Test and Subject Tests:

The GRE Program and ETS make ensuring the fairness and validity of GRE tests throughout the test development, administration and scoring processes a high priority. To ensure that these goals are reached, ETS has developed a meticulous system of internal checks and balances, and audit teams routinely verify that all tests and services meet rigorous professional standards such as those outlined by APA, AERA and NCME.

Fairness
Fairness concerns are an integral part of the development and scoring of all tests. The many activities that ensure fairness include:

Validity

involvement of minority educators and representative committees in every phase of the development and scoring processes multiple fairness evaluations by trained reviewers routine analyses of test questions to establish that questions do not unfairly contribute to group differences. rigorous training for all persons involved in the development or scoring of test questions to ensure that all examinees have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills and abilities. appropriate accommodations (e.g., Zoom text, extra time) for examinees who may need them

Validity research and analyses establish that the test measures what it is supposed to measure. The types of validity support that the GRE Program has documented include:

construct validity (the test measures the skills/abilities that should be measured) content validity (the test measures appropriate content) predictive validity (the test predicts success) consequential validity (the test demonstrates that adverse consequences are minimal) external validity (the test has the expected relationship with other measures of the same construct).

Although ETS works to accumulate validity evidence at each stage of the delivery and scoring process, the initial direction for validity research derives from feedback from members of the graduate community, who provide information about the skills and abilities that they consider essential for success in graduate school.

For the GRE General Test Only:

Verbal Measure
The Verbal measure of the General Test measures verbal reasoning skills. The capabilities that are assessed include: a. b. the ability to understand text (such as the ability to understand the meanings of sentences, to summarize a text or to distinguish major points from irrelevant points in a passage); and the ability to interpret discourse (such as the ability to draw conclusions, to infer missing information or to identify assumptions). These skills are based on faculty surveys that identify them as important.

We've undertaken a variety of rigorous activities to ensure the validity of the upcoming GRE revised General Test, involving external and ETS experts in the development of the revised test specifications to ensure test appropriateness at every stage. To learn more about the revised test, go to the GRE revised General Test section.

Quantitative Measure
The Quantitative measure of the General Test measures quantitative reasoning skills. The skills assessed are consistent with capabilities outlined in the Mathematical Association of America'sQuantitative Reasoning for College Graduates: A Complement to the Standards and are based on feedback from faculty surveys. The capabilities that are assessed in the GRE quantitative measure include:

reading and understanding quantitative information

interpreting and analyzing quantitative information, including drawing inferences from data using mathematical methods to solve quantitative problems

Analytical Writing Measure

Interviews with graduate faculty, surveys of graduate faculty, and the work of the GRE Writing Test Committee have consistently identified critical thinking and writing skills as important for success in graduate school. The two tasks that comprise the Analytical Writing section (constructing an argument and evaluating an argument) are both considered essential in many fields of graduate study. Thus, the structure of the test can be shown to have content validity because the test assesses skills identified by the graduate community as essential for success in many fields of graduate work. Other types of validity evidence, such as construct validity, are documented in a variety of studies. In particular, large validity studies were conducted during the development of the Analytical Writing section (Validating a Writing Test for Graduate Admissions (PDF) and Further Validation of a Writing Test for Graduate Admissions (PDF)). These studies contain evidence of the psychometric quality of the Analytical Writing section. Additional studies focus on particular aspects of validity, such as a comparison of the usefulness of the Analytical Writing section with that of the personal statement.

Score Use and Decision Making

What You Need to Know About the New Score Scale
GRE General Test scores are valid for five years and that's not changing with the introduction of the GRE revised General Test. However, because there are substantial changes to the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures, professional standards require us to change their score scales. Within the new score scale, the most noticeable change is the move from 10-point increments to 1-point increments. The purpose for compressing the reporting metric is simple: to produce scores that don't exaggerate small performance differences between examinees. The new score scale for the GRE revised General Test is as follows:

Verbal Reasoning scores will be reported on a new 130170 score scale, in 1-point increments (versus 200800 in 10-point increments). Quantitative Reasoning scores will be reported on a new 130170 score scale, in 1-point increments (versus 200800 in 10-point increments). Analytical Writing scores will continue to be reported on the same 06 score scale, in half-point increments.

Using scores based on the new scale

To help make the transition go smoothly when new score reports go into effect in 2011, here are two things you can do to prepare: 1. Sign up now to receive important information, tips and timing to help you get ready for topics such as: o Understanding the new scores

o o o
2.

Accepting new and old scores Using percentile ranks Comparing candidates

Watch Get Ready webinars and What to Expect videos, which will be released periodically to give you guidance on the score scale changes and what they will mean for your institution.

Accepting scores based on the prior scale

Since GRE scores are valid for five years, it's likely you'll receive applications with one of three score scenarios: scores based on the new score scale, scores based on the prior scale and scores based on both scales. This mix of score reporting will be most prevalent in the first year of the revised test, but can continue for the next five years until prior scores are no longer valid. It's important for you to know that all official GRE scores are valid and should be considered with equal preference in your admissions decision. However, if an applicant presents two sets of scores, use the new score as part of your consideration for admissions, since the revised test is more closely aligned with the skills needed in graduate and business school programs. For more information on important score topics check back regularly for more webinars and videos that will provide updates and guidance.

Extending the score reporting period through November 2011

For test takers who take the GRE revised General Test between August and mid-November, score reports will be issued throughout November instead of the regular 1015 day reporting period.* The testing experience is the same for test takers who take the GRE revised General Test between August to November or later. The reason for this extended reporting period is to provide the necessary statistical analysis required for a new test.

Here are important score-reporting milestones in 2011

AUGUST SEPTEMBER

For tests administered in AugustSeptember, scores will be reported starting in early November

OCTOBER

For tests administered in October, scores will be reported starting in mid-November* For tests administered in November, scores will be reported starting in late November* Score reporting returns to the regular reporting period (1015 days after test date)*

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

Dates reflect scores sent through SCORELINK Internet Delivery Service. Scores reported on paper reports will be sent approximately one week later. Check back for a more detailed reporting schedule in early 2011. *Score reports for paper-based administrations will continue to be reported six weeks after test date. Tell your applicants who need their GRE scores before November 2011 that they should take the GRE General Test before August 1, 2011.