GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATION (GRE)

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a standardized test that is required to be taken by students seeking admission to graduate schools. The GRE question categories are planned to closely reflect the kind of thinking that students will be expected to show in graduate or business school. It has been premeditated in a way to calculate the student’s academic and logical abilities, adapting to performance of students grounded on previous quantitative/ verbal ability sections.

GRE also has subject tests, apart from the basic GRE exam. These subject questionnaires help to make your statement stand out from the rest by highlighting your subject knowledge and skill-level of a distinct subject.

Every subject test is intended for those students who have a bachelor’s degree in the particular disciplines. The subject tests being offered currently are Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Literature, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology. GRE scores are used by admittances or fellowship panels to supplement your undergraduate records, recommendation letters and other qualifications for graduate-level study. GRE, emphasizes on evaluating a student’s critical and analytical thinking capabilities, which is a benchmark for checking whether the student is suitable for admissions to higher education curricula, such as MS, Ph.D., and business programs like MBA, MIS, and MEM. You can attempt it any time of the year by making an appointment with the closest GRE exam center. But with this flexibility, there’s another issue. During the peak application season i.e. (generally around August to December), it may be difficult for you to get an appointment in your preferred exam center. You can retake the test and then send only the scores you want schools to see. GRE is conducted all around the year, except on Sundays and National Holidays. GRE score is valid for five years. However, the colleges prefer score within last three years. There is no specific GRE Eligibility Criteria. Aspirants can apply for the test irrespective of age and qualification. However, applicants have to keep in mind the eligibility criteria of the universities they are applying to.

 

STRUCTURE

 

The GRE is a generalized test that isn’t related to any particular discipline or field. It has been designing to evaluate skills that you’ve already picked up over the years. This allows a wide range of universities to use it to benchmark applicants from diverse backgrounds applying to a big mix of degrees.

If you were to look at the overall GRE pattern, it has three sections: Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning.

  • Verbal Reasoning: Measures your capability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize info obtained from it, analyze relationships among parts of sentences and recognize relationships among words and ideas.
  • Quantitative Reasoning: Measures problem-solving ability using basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis.
  • Analytical Writing: Measures critical thinking and analytical writing skills, precisely your ability to articulate and back complex ideas accurately and efficiently.