GRE—The most sought after test for graduates
The Selection for master programs in the United States, be it a prestigious universities or recently established institutions is mostly decided by Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). Incorporated in 1949 by Educational Testing Service (ETS) the GRE, a computer-based exam aims to measure verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing and critical thinking. GRE also has subject tests, apart from the GRE general exam. These subject tests help to make your application stand out from the rest by highlighting your subject knowledge and skill-level of a particular subject. Each 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. The GRE was significantly overhauled in August 2011, the scoring scale was changed to a 130 to 170 scale (from a 200 to 800 scale). Though GMAT is conducted worldwide particularly for management cources. Business schools worldwide consider GRE scores as part of their admissions process for MBA, specialized master’s and other graduate business programs. In fact, the GRE General Test is the most widely accepted measure of a student’s readiness for graduate-level work — and the only test that can help you get into graduate and business school, giving you more opportunities for success. Edufoster is the most trusted name as far as GRE preparation. training is concerned. Edufoster is the top CAT coaching in Kolkata not only in Kolkata but also in India.
GRE Eligibility
ETS does not set any age, qualification, timing related pre-requisites other than the fact that. Anyone can register for this exam, irrespective of age or qualifications. The only condition is producing your original passport as proof of identity at the exam center However, there will be a range of eligibility criteria set by universities that accept GRE scores . For each of their programs, they may have minimum age, experience and many more. In addition to GRE scores, admission to graduate schools depends on several other factors, such as GPA, letters of recommendation, and statements of purpose. Furthermore, unlike other standardized admissions tests (such as the SAT, LSAT), the use and weight of GRE scores vary considerably not only from school to school, but also from department to department and program to program.
GRE Pattern
GRE exam pattern consists of six sections. The first section is always the analytical writing section involving separately timed issue and argument tasks. The next five sections consist of two Verbal reasoning sections, two quantitative reasoning sections and either an experimental section. These five sections may occur in any order . The writing section has two tasks and you have 30 minutes to complete each task, making the total time for this section to be one hour. Verbal section has to be completed within one hour as well as both the two sections require 30 minutes each. Same goes for quantitative section, where you get 35 minutes for the two sections.
The paper-based GRE General Test also consists of six sections. The analytical writing is split up into two sections, one section for each issue and argument task. The next four sections consist of two verbal and two quantitative sections in varying order. There is no experimental section on the paper-based test. This version is only available in areas where the computer-based version is unavailable.
Here is the GRE paper pattern –
| Section | No. of Questions | Duration |
| Analytical Writing (One section with two separately timed tasks) |
One “Analyze an Issue” task and one “Analyze an Argument” task | 30 minutes per task |
| Verbal Reasoning (Two sections) |
20 questions per section | 30 minutes per section |
| Quantitative Reasoning (Two sections) |
20 questions per section | 35 minutes per section |