7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
1/33
The GRE Revised Test
Introduction and Overview
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
2/33
The GREFrequently asked questions*
*For answers to many other important questions concerning the GRE, or to register for
the general test, visit www.GRE.org..
Q: What is on the GRE?
A: The GRE consists of two subtests, one involving math skills and the other
involving verbal skills, plus an analytical writing assessment.
Q: How is the GRE scored?
A: The math and verbal subtests each receive a score from 130-170, in one-point
increments. The analytical writing assessment is given a separate score, on a scale of
0 to 6.
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
3/33
The GREFrequently asked questions
Q: How is the GRE structured?
A: The analytical writing assessment comes first. It consists of two 30-minute
sections, each requiring you to respond to a given prompt.
Next comes the GRE proper - two verbal sections and two math sections. The verbal
sections each consist of 25 items, with 35 minutes to complete them. The math
sections also consist of 25 items, but you are given 40 minutes to complete each ofthese sections.
The GRE is computer-based, but otherwise much like a paper-and-pencil examyou
may skip questions, leave questions blank, etc. The best way to become familiar with
the interface of the computer-based GRE is to practice with PowerPrep software,
which gives you the closest thing to the actual experience of taking the GRE.
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
4/33
The GREFrequently asked questions
Q: what are the math skills tested on the GRE?
A: Virtually all of the math tested on the GRE was covered by most students by the
end of ninth grade. A few specialized topics, such as standard deviation, are more
advanced, but their mastery is not necessary for a high score. The GRE emphasizes
problem solving, not math knowledge. GRE math items are hard not because the
math skills themselves are difficult, but because the items that involve these skills
require the test taker to analyze complex problems and implement multi-stepsolutions.
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
5/33
The GREFrequently asked questions
Q: How important is learning new vocabulary words to improving my GRE score?
A: Not very. Clearly, the more English words one knows the better. But the revised
GRE is designed to test vocabulary in context only, and so the emphasis is not on
vocabularyper se but on critical reading skills such as recognizing the roles of key
words such as although and since, and understanding the importance of
surrounding words to determining the meaning of a missing word.
Most test takers who plan to take the GRE within two to three months are better
served by developing these critical reading skills than by trying to learn new
vocabulary words.
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
6/33
The GREFrequently asked questions
Q: what kinds of questions are on the GRE?
A: Each of these two subtests contains test items of a variety of different formats,
some of which may be familiar from other tests (such as the ACT or SAT), but
some of which are found on no other test and which probably are entirely new to
you.
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
7/33
A B C D
GRE Math: item formats
Quantitative comparison:
Four answer choices, select exactly one:
These Items require you to compare two expressions and determine the relation
between their values, if a determinate relation exists.
Quantity A Quantity B
The circumference of the circle 12
O is the center of the circle, and the perimeter ofAOB is 6.
60
60
2 2
2
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
8/33
GRE Math: item formats
Multiple choice items
Five options, select exactly one
These are the standard multiple choice items with which most test takers are familiar.
14. Ifa is the smallest prime number greater than 21
and b is the largest prime number less than 16, then
ab =
A 299
B 323
C 330
D 345
E 351
a = 23
b = 13
ab = 299
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
9/33
GRE Math: item formats
Multiple choice items
Three or more options,select more than one
Some of these items require you to select exactly two answer choices; other instruct
you to select all that apply, from one answer choice up. The number of answer choices
available with these items ranges from three to more than five. Answer choices appearinsquaresto distinguish these items from select only one items
11. In triangleABC, the measure of angleA is 25 and
The measure of angleB is greater than 90. Which of
the following could be the measure of angle C?
Indicate all such measures.
A 12
B 15
C 45
D 50
E 70 AB
C
25 >90
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
10/33
GRE Math: item formats
Numeric entry:
Answer is keyed into provided space, or spaces (for fractions)
Each space will accommodate a single numeral or decimal expression (only
numerals for fractions); negations are keyed as hyphens. Fractions need not be in
reduced form.
23. The average (arithmetic mean) of the 11 numbers in
a list is 14. If the average of 9 of the numbers in the
list is 9, what is the average of the other 2 numbers?14
11
...1121
xxx9
9
...921
xxx
2
1110 xx
81921
... xxx14
11
81 1110
xx
154811110 xx
731110 xx
5.362
1110
xx
36.5
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
11/33
GRE Verbal: item formats
Reading comprehension:
Five answer choices, select exactly one
25. In the context in which it appears, accorded
(line 9) most nearly means
A reconciledB revealed
C granted
D verified
E maintained
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
12/33
GRE Verbal: item formats
Reading comprehension:
three answer choices, select all that apply
For the following question, consider each of the choices
separately and select all that apply.
21.Which of the following statements is supported by
the passage?
A The pull theory is not universally
accepted by scientists.
B The pull theory depends on one of
waters physical
properties.
C The pull theory originated earlier than
did the push theory.
A tall tree can transport a hundred gallons of water
a day from its roots deep underground to the treetop.
Is this movement propelled by pulling the water from
above or pushing it from below? The pull mechanism
has long been favored by most scientists. Firstproposed in the late 1800s, the theory relies on a
property of water not commonly associated with
fluids: its tensile strength. Instead of making a clean
break, water evaporating from treetops tugs on the
remaining water molecules, with that tug extending
from molecule to molecule all the way down to the
roots. The tree itself does not actually push or pull; all
the energy for lifting water comes from the sunsevaporative power.
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
13/33
GRE Verbal: item formats
Reading comprehension:
Select-in-passage: highlight the sentence from the passage that best meets thegiven description
10. In which sentence of the passage does the author
provide examples that reinforce an argument
against a critical response cited earlier in the
passage?
InRaisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry does not
reject integration or the economic and moral promise
of the American dream; rather, she remains loyal to
this dream while looking, realistically, at its
incomplete realization. Once we recognize this dual
vision, we can accept the plays ironic nuances asdeliberate social commentaries by Hansberry rather
than as the unintentional irony that Bigsby
attributes to the work. Indeed, a curiously persistent
refusal to credit Hansberry with a capacity for
intentional irony has led some critics to interpret the
plays thematic conflicts as mere confusion,
contradiction, or eclecticism. Isaacs, for example,
cannot easily reconcile Hansberrys intense concern
for her race with her ideal of human reconciliation.
But the plays complex view of Black self-esteem and
human solidarity as compatible is no more
contradictory than Du Bois famous,
well-considered ideal of ethnic self-awareness
coexisting with human unity, or Fanons emphasis on
an ideal internationalism that also accommodatesnational identities and roles.
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
14/33
GRE Verbal: item formats
Text completion:
One-to-three blanks per item, three answer choices per blank. Select exactlyone answer choice per blank.
6. To the untutored eye the tightly forested Ardennes hills around Sedan look quite (i)_____, (ii)_____ place
through which to advance a modern army; even with todays more numerous and better roads and bridges, the
woods and river Meuse form a significant (iii)_____.
A impenetrable
B inconsiderable
C uncultivated
D a makeshift
E an unpropitious
F an unremarkable
G resource
H impediment
I passage
similarity
contrastcontrast
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
15/33
GRE Verbal: item formats
Sentence equivalence:
One blank per item, six answer choices per blank. Select exactlytwo answerchoices per blank.
17. The macromolecule RNA is common to all living
beings, and DNA, which is found in all organisms
except some bacteria, is almost as _____ .
A comprehensive
B fundamental
C inclusive
D universal
E significant
F ubiquitous
similarity
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
16/33
Quantitative comparison items nicely illustrate the importance of critical reasoning to
the math section of the GRE.
Most generally, the challenge is to recognize what makes comparing the values of the
two expressions difficult, and then to remove this obstacle by implementing the
relevant steps to simplify the problem.
The item itself will offer strong clues as to which steps should be taken to accomplish
this goal.
The following are examples of common tactics for simplifying quantitative
comparison problems.
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
17/33
Simplify one side or another:
Quantity A Quantity B
64% of (50)(40) 1200
A B C D
A B C D
(.64)(2000)
1280
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
18/33
Add/subtract, multiply/divide* same thing on both sides:
* Multiplying or dividing by positive numbers preserves relationship between expressions
A B C D
A B C D
x + 39y 40y
x y
Subtract 39x:
Subtract 39y:
(930)(420) + 930 (930)(420) + 420
930 420
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
19/33
Collect together occurrences of a variable found on one or both sides:
A B C D
A B C D
2x - 2 2
2x 4
3(6x-2) 2(3x+3)
18x-6 6x+6
12x-6 6
12x 12
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
20/33
Use any given information to solve for one side or the other:
A B C D
A B C D
(x - 5)(x + 1) = 0
x = 5;x = -1
x + y+ z= 3y
x + z= 2y
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
21/33
Quantitative Comparison Items
The Basic Approach to Quantitative Comparison Items:
First step - check to see if one, the other, or both expressions are indeterminate.
indeterminate answer choice could be D. (Simplify as above, pick numbers)
not indeterminateanswer choice could not be D. (Simplify as above)
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
22/33
Q: What do we mean by indeterminate?
A: An expression is indeterminate if it can have more than one value.
Examples:
x,a prime factor of 15, and the base of a triangle with area 10 square
meters are all indeterminate expressions.
By contrast, 4, The average of 12 and 13, and the greatest prime factor of15 are all determinate expressions.
Only if at least one of the two expressions is indeterminate can the relation
between the two expressions change, and thus can the correct answer be D.
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
23/33
Items with indeterminacy:
A B C D
A B C D
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
24/33
Items with indeterminacy:
A B C D
A B C D
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
25/33
Quantity A Quantity B
64% of (50)(40) 1200
Items withoutindeterminacy:
A B C D
A B C D
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
26/33
Items withoutindeterminacy:
A B C D
A B C D
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
27/33
Once one finds indeterminacy in a quantitative comparison item, the next step is to
find out if the answer actually is D.
With many items, the best way to do this is to try out different values for the
indeterminate expressions, trying to make the relation between the expressions
change.
This technique, picking numbers, is the most important technique to master for
quantitative comparison items.
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
28/33
Example:
:0x
:1y
0 -1
:0y
:1x
0-1
(pg. 148 #4)
A B C D
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
29/33
Example:
:2x
:1y
2
:3x
:2y
A B C D
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
30/33
Tips for picking numbers, Quantitative Comparison Items:
Try simple numbers first; 0 and 1 often work best.
Try the same number for more than one variable at a time, if possible.
After plugging in one set of numbers, think about which new numbers will
make the relation between expressions change.
Dont forget negative numbers, and numbers between 0 and 1 (especially if
exponents are involved).
Usually if the answer is not D, after plugging in a few sets of numbers you
will understand why the relation does not change.
If youve tried several numbers from all the important categories and the
relation still hasnt changed, it is probably safe to guess.
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
31/33
Case study:
A B C D
:1x
:1y
2 1
:2x
:2y
168
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
32/33
Case study:
A B C D:3x
:2y 6
:3x
:2y
-6
:1z
:1z
7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)
33/33
Case study:
Alices salary is greater than Bills salary. At the end
of the year they each receive a bonus of $4000 dollars.
Quantity A Quantity B
Alices bonus, as a Bills bonus, as a
percentage of her percentage of his
salary salary A B C D