GRE Information and Test Dates

The GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is designed to measure certain developed verbal, quantitative, and analytical abilities important for academic achievement and to compare students with different backgrounds who are applying to graduate school. All questions are multiple choice. Verbal question types include analogies, antonyms, sentence completions and reading. Quantitative question types include arithmetic, algebra, geometry, quantitative comparisons, discrete quantitative, and data interpretation. And, to measure analytical ability, question types include analytical reasoning and logical reasoning.

The GRE General Test is required for most graduate programs with the exception of law, medical and business programs. You will receive a scaled score between 200 and 800 for each of the three measures--verbal, quantitative and analytical--along with a percentile score that ranks your performance relative to the scores of other GRE examinees. There is no passing score; programs simply establish a score required for admission. In many cases, scores are also used to determine eligibility for scholarships and other types of financial aid.

The GRE General Test is now administered exclusively as a Computer Adaptive Test. The last pencil-and-paper GRE was given in April, 1999. The GRE Subject Test, used for placement purposes by graduate schools, is still in a pencil-and-paper format.

In the Fall of 1999 the GRE will introduce a new Writing Assessment section. The section is optional, but may be required by the schools to which you are applying for admission. It consists of two essay tasks: one is a 45-minute Issue Task, in which you are required to articulate your opinion on the issue presented by the test, the other is a 30-minute Argument Task, in which you must critique an argument presented by the test. The Writing Assessment may be taken on computer at a GRE computer testing center on any day that center is open, or it may be taken in a pencil-and-paper format on the same days the GRE administers the GRE Subject Tests. The Writing Assessment is graded on a 0 - 6 scale.

To find out more information about the test, call (800) 967-1100. The testing schedule and registration deadlines are provided below.