New GRE Presentation (1)

7/30/2019 New GRE Presentation (1)

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The GRE Revised Test

Introduction and Overview


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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.


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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.


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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.


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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.


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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.


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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


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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


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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


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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


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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


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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.


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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.


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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


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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


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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.


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Simplify one side or another:


64% of (50)(40) 1200

A B C D

A B C D

(.64)(2000)

1280


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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


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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


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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


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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)


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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.


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Items with indeterminacy:

A B C D

A B C D


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Items with indeterminacy:

A B C D

A B C D


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64% of (50)(40) 1200

Items withoutindeterminacy:

A B C D

A B C D


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Items withoutindeterminacy:

A B C D

A B C D


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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.


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Example:

:0x

:1y

0 -1

:0y

:1x

0-1

(pg. 148 #4)

A B C D


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Example:

:2x

:1y

2

:3x

:2y

A B C D


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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.


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Case study:

A B C D

:1x

:1y

2 1

:2x

:2y

168


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Case study:

A B C D:3x

:2y 6

:3x

:2y

-6

:1z

:1z


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Case study:

Alices salary is greater than Bills salary. At the end

of the year they each receive a bonus of $4000 dollars.


Alices bonus, as a Bills bonus, as a

percentage of her percentage of his

salary salary A B C D

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