Just received the following from GRE:
"Score reporting for the GRE® revised General Test has started!
One of the key changes introduced with the launch of the GRE revised General Test is the transition to the new score scales: Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores will be reported on new 130–170 score scales, in one-point increments. These new score scales are designed to provide more simplicity in distinguishing performance differences between your applicants. Now that score reporting has started, you will see these new scores on official GRE® score reports.
To become familiar with the new score scales and begin successfully using them, you can draw on these helpful resources:
The new score report that includes concordance information, percentile ranks and more. Whether you receive paper reports or electronic files, this information is included.
A new Scores section of the GRE website with the information you need at your fingertips, such as:
Concordance tables and percentile ranks to help you gain familiarity with the new score scales and compare applicants
Guidelines for the Use of GRE Scores adopted by the GRE Board to encourage appropriate use of GRE scores and help you make the best admissions decisions
GRE Guide to the Use of Scores, which provides more in-depth information, including reliability and Standard Error of Measurement
An all-new webinar, Understanding and Using the New Score Scales, including live Q&A with GRE assessment experts. Learn more and register to attend your preferred session.
And for Business Schools, we've updated the GRE Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind that the special score reporting schedule for the computer-based GRE revised General Test will remain in place until early December. At that time, score reporting returns to the regular reporting period of 10–15 days after the test date. Scores for paper-based test administrations continue to be reported within six weeks after the test date.
At ETS, we are committed to providing you with ongoing support to help you understand and use the new score scales. You can always find the latest materials in the GRE Information Center as well as previous resources created to help the graduate community get ready for the launch of the GRE revised General Test. If you have additional questions, you can also contact us at the GREhelpline@ets.org or 1-609-683-2002.
Sincerely,
The GRE revised General Test Team"
As you know, the Revised GRE has a new scoring scale. For:
GRE Verbal: 130 – 170
GRE Quantitative: 130 – 170
GRE Writing: 0 – 6
The scores on the new scale will not be released until November of 2011.
It is interesting that those who are taking the Revised GRE are receiving instant score approximations based on the old 200 – 800 scale.
In the words of GRE:
“Viewing unofficial scores:
At the test center, from August through November, you will see score ranges on the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections based on the prior 200 – 800 score scale. Because of the essay scoring process, you won’t be able to view your Analytical Writing scores at that time.
Starting in December, you will see your unofficial Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores at the test center. Scores will be based on the 130 – 170 score scale, in 1-point increments.”
On Sunday July 24, 2011 the New York Times published a story about the GRE Preparation experience for those who have been away from academia and are intending to return to graduate school. The article began with the following comment:
“On the first day of test prep, after we had tackled a mini-G.R.E., the instructor assured our class that though she was 30 years old, she was still up on the latest test-taking trends. Finally, I thought, a problem I could easily solve. Answer: the last math class I had taken was three years before she was born.”
Peak Performance on the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT and other admission tests is partly a function of being in “top test taking shape”. When you are in school, you are taking tests all the time. Once you leave school you will lose your “test taking conditioning”. In addition, don’t forget that the longer you wait the harder it will be to relearn and use important skills (particularly in the area of math). This point is underscored in the article where the author states that:
“Mean GMAT scores decline with age: 26- and 27-year-olds score on average a 572; 28- to 30-year-olds, 565; 40- to 49-year-olds, 501; and 50-plus, 486, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council, which administers the test.”
Our advice: In order to make future graduate school admission easier, take the appropriate admission test while you are still in school. GMAT test scores, LSAT test scores and GRE test scores are good for a number of years. Take the test now!
“Starting on Aug. 1, 2011, test takers will be greeted with a new version of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test, the gateway assessment for many graduate programs across the country. And in June 2012, prospective business school applicants will face a modified Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Here’s what to expect:”
What follows are the thoughts of one of our Toronto GRE tutors. After having read this post, you might want to participate in our GRE poll: Will the Revised GRE be harder?
“So, is the revised GRE easier or harder than the “old” GRE?
And how will this be reflected in your score?
And how is your score on the new GRE going to be compared to the scores of other applicants who wrote the “old” GRE? (Remember that GRE results are valid for 5 years.)
First, consider the measuring stick.
The “old” GRE has a score scale of 200 to 800. When the GRE was first developed it was probably intended that the means and medians would be around 500 with a normal (bell curve) distribution of scores. At present the median for the Verbal section is about 450 (yes, that is low) and for the Quantitative section it is about 610 (yes, that is high).
Both the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the revised GRE will have a score scale from 130 to 170. I would expect that the revised GRE results which are due to be first released in mid-November will have Verbal and Quantitative medians to be about 150 – right in the middle of the scale.
So how can you compare old and new results? Well, the same way Verbal and Quantitative scores should be viewed when you are looking at the scores required by the schools you are applying to.
You’ve heard “it’s not the heat it’s the humidity?” For the GRE it’s not your score it’s your percentile ranking – how does your score compare with all of the other test writers.
View all scores old and new, verbal and quantitative as percentiles for purposes of comparison.
That said how will you fare on the test? As I said in my last posting the revised GRE test is more test-taker friendly. But it will probably be for the vast majority of test-takers. While some may do better on one version than on the other, most test-takers will probably stay in relatively the same position on the curve – i.e. same percentile ranking.
So remember, it’s not your score it’s your percentile.
Note: Whether the Revised GRE is harder or easier it is still vital that you prepare with the best GRE books. Did you enjoy this post? Read more of our best GRE blog posts.
“A new test-taker friendly design for the computer-based test that lets you edit or change your answers, skip questions and more, all within a section — giving you the freedom to use more of your own test-taking strategies. Another new feature: an on-screen calculator
New types of questions in the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections, many featuring real-life scenarios that reflect the kind of thinking you’ll do in today’s demanding graduate and business school programs.”
Educational Testing Service (ETS)
No doubt the majority of test-takers will find the new GRE to be more test-taker friendly.
Gone from the GRE Verbal Section are Antonyms and Analogies, two question types that were not at the top of the list for many GRE test-takers. Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions will be added to the new test and Reading Comprehension questions kept from the existing GRE.
There will be no more questions that test vocabulary out of context and there will be a greater emphasis on critical reading and reasoning, long a mainstay of our preparation courses.
On the Quantitative side of things there are only additions, no subtractions. Two new question types, Multiple Answer and Numeric Entry, have been added. The multiple-choice questions for Problem Solving and Data Analysis remain.
Some have opined that the Quantitative Section of the new GRE will be a more challenging section since ETS has been pushing to have the GRE accepted in lieu of the GMAT for business school applicants. Having prepared both GMAT and GRE test-takers we are well positioned to prepare you to meet that challenge.
We are down to the final few course dates for the current GRE. Remember that if you need a GRE test score before November you must take the current GRE.
Our next course Toronto GRE Preparation Course (held on the University of Toronto campus) will be:
Toronto GRE Preparation Course: GRE Math Intro – Feb. 13 – GRE Weekend Preparation Course – February 19, 20 http://www.grecoursescanada.com— Gre Preparation (@grepreparation) January 24, 2011
