GRE Preparation

The GRE or Graduate Record Exam is required for admission to most U.S., Canadian, and UK graduate schools. Most students attend graduate business school for pursuing an Master degree. In addition, GRE can also be used for admission to PhD program.

The GRE general test does not test specific knowledge in any subject. It measures the ability to respond to questions in limited time.The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a multiple-choice exam designed to measure verbal, analytical, and quantitative skills. The GRE General Test, required by most graduate schools, many vet schools, and various other allied health professional schools, is considered to be a good predictor of your success in a graduate program. GRE Subject Tests (in 17 specific areas, e.g. Psychology, Biology, Chemistry) are often required for graduate school (Ph.D.) admission, but not generally for health fields.

Your preparation for the GRE General Test should be similar to that described above for the MCAT . . . no last minute cramming, etc. There are many good self-help books at local bookstores with sample exams. You should at least review such a publication before you take the GRE. There are seven sections to the GRE General Test:

Two Verbal Sections (38 questions and 30 min each)
Two Quantitative Sections (30 questions and 30 min each)
Two Analytical Sections (25 questions and 30 min each)
One Experimental Section (30 min)

The Experimental section is not scored, nor is it identified in the exam booklet. It may be of a verbal, quantitative, or analytical nature.

There are some important facts to remember when taking the GRE General Test. First, each question is worth the same number of points, no matter how hard or easy it is. Second, in each section except the reading comprehension questions (in the Verbal Section), the questions tend to go from easy to difficult. Therefore, it is foolhardy to spend too much time on early questions when you know that later ones will probably take even longer. You have somewhere around one minute or less to answer each question (on the average), so budget your time effectively. Finally, when in doubt, guess. Do not leave a question unanswered. There are no penalties on the General Test for wrong answers.

The GRE is offered five times a year at test centers throughout the state. Tests are always on Saturday in February, April, June, October, and December. You may obtain a registration form from the Fort Lewis College Career Placement Office, or by writing:

Graduate Record Examinations
Educational Testing Service
CN 60000
Princeton, NJ 08541-60000

Your raw score (number of correct answers) is converted to a score on a scale of 200-800. If you miss all the questions, you still score 200. An 800 score can be achieved even if you miss one or two questions. The Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical scores are reported separately as scaled scores – you will also receive a percentile rank (indicating the percent of total examinees scoring below your score). Scores are mailed to you about six weeks after the test date.

Format of computer-based GRE exam is as followed: