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"

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:

“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.”

(I invite you to read the complete article here.)

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!

http://www.takethegre.com/email/eupdate/GRE_eUpdate_Web_June2011.html

Read the current issue — Top Story: Business Schools are Joining Graduate Schools in Getting Ready for the GRE revised General Test

About the Revised GRE – Links to videos prepared by GRE

• Overview
• Understanding the New Score Scale
• A Closer Look at the New Test Content
• Advising Students for Success
• A Good Business Decision — **Updated for 2011**
• Around the World — **Updated for 2011**
• Creating Opportunities for Success: Fairness and Access

• It’s Time to Get Ready! Your Guide to Helpful Resources (PDF) — a quick guide, organized by topic, that will help you find the resources that you and your colleagues need to get ready for the GRE revised General Test
• The New Score Scale — An In-Depth Look (PDF) — explaining the new score scale — how it has changed, how it can help you with your admissions decisions and what we’re doing to help you compare scores from both tests. Includes the new score report for the GRE revised General Test
• Special Score Reporting Schedule (PDF) — a look at the detailed score reporting schedule for tests administered between August and November 2011
• Sample Score Report (PDF) — a sample of the new score report for the GRE revised General Test
• Overview Brochure (PDF) — an introduction to the changes coming with the GRE revised General Test
• At-A-Glance Summary (PDF) — a quick view of the changes coming with the GRE revised General Test
• Free Information Kit for Advisors and Educators — a free online kit with the information and tools you need to inform your students and help them get ready for the GRE revised General Test, including an Advisor’s Guide and video, information to give your students, ads for your campus newspaper and website, a poster and more
• Free Test Preparation Materials for Test Takers — a variety of free test preparation materials to help your students prepare for the GRE revised General Test, including POWERPREP® II Software for the computer-based GRE revised General Test, The Practice Book for the Paper-based GRE® revised General Test, materials in accessible formats and more
• Additional Test Preparation Materials for Purchase — new test preparation materials are available to help your students prepare for the GRE revised General Test, including The Official Guide to the GRE revised General Test and ScoreItNow!™ Online Writing Practice
• www.TakeTheGRE.com — providing a wealth of new information and resources for test takers

• GRE revised General Test Website for Test Takers
• 2011 – 2012 GRE Information and Registration Bulletin (PDF)
• Detailed Score Reporting Schedule

To read the complete  article click here:

“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.

Wayne Barkel – GRE Prep  Courses Canada

Toronto GRE  Tutor Teacher”

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.

Update August 2011: The Revised GRE is now in effect.  Read or add comments about the Revised GRE.

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.

Wayne Barkel

GRE  Tutor/Teacher

Upcoming Post: Is the revised GRE easier or harder than the “old” GRE?

Our next course Toronto GRE Preparation Course (held on the University of Toronto campus) will be:

Sunday April 17

Saturday April 30

Sunday May 1

http://www.grecoursescanada.com

The GRE is being used as a substitute for the GMAT. Here is an argument for why the GRE should be used as a substitute for the LSAT.

Look forward to your comments on this topic.

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