Chapter One: About the GRE CATBefore we start preparing for the Verbal section of the GRE, let's take a look at the big picture. In this chapter, we'll discuss the content and structure of the GRE CAT. We'll also explain strategies for making the computer-adaptive format of the exam work to your advantage.
WHAT'S ON THE GRE?
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a computer-based exam that is administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS). The Verbal section is 30 minutes long and is made up of four question types: sentence completions, antonyms, analogies, and reading comprehension. The Quantitative section is 45 minutes long and is made up of three question types: problem solving, quantitative comparison, and graphs. The Analytical Writing Measure is 75 minutes long and consists of two essays. (You will be required to write these on the computer.) In addition, there can be up to two unscored experimental sections. A short break is given between each section.
Verbal Questions
There are about six sentence completion questions. In each of these, one or two words from a sentence is missing. You must select an answer choice that best fits those blanks. The heart of sentence completions is not grammar or vocabulary; rather, sentence completions test your ability to recognize the author's intent, and find the best words to fit this meaning.
There are about eight analogies questions. In each of these you are given a pair of words. You must determine the relationship between these pairs and choose the pair of words from the answer choices that has the same relationship. While analogies test vocabulary to some extent, they are really testing your ability to form a strong connection between words. Fortunately, the same types of relationship show up on the GRE over and over again.
There are about nine antonym questions. Here you are given a word and must choose its opposite from among the answer choices. Antonym questions mainly test your vocabulary skills. Kaplan provides you with two ways to improve your performance on these questions: first by showing you which words are most likely to appear on the test and second by giving you techniques to enable you to find the correct answer even if you do not know the meaning of all the words in the question.
The Verbal section will contain two or three reading comprehension passages (each approximately 200-300 words) with two to four questions based on each. The passages are written in difficult, often technical prose adapted from books and journals in the broad areas of the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. You shouldn't take the reading comprehension challenge lightly. The reading skills you developed in college and use for your personal pleasure are ill-suited to success on the GRE. Reading comprehension requires a commitment to a different, more aggressive kind of reading. We'll explain these new reading techniques in the chapter on reading comprehension.
Quantitative Questions
Quantitative Comparisons are a "fixed-format" question type, meaning that each of the four answer choices has a specific definition. (You may remember this question type from the SAT.) You'll see about 15 Q.C. questions. In each you must compare two quantities and decide which is the larger, or if you have enough information to make this judgment. This is one of the most difficult question types on the GRE, but also one where your effort and a well-considered strategy yield great rewards.
You'll see approximately ten problem solving questions in the classic five-answer-choice format. The concepts and skills tested are taken from the broad areas of arithmetic, algebra, and geometry -- essentially the math we all studied in high school. This doesn't mean, however, that the GRE rewards you solely for your knowledge of that material. The most successful test-takers organize available data and efficiently utilize an arsenal of math tools and test-taking strategies.
You'll see about two graph sets, each of which will be followed by two or three questions. The graphs that show up on the GRE are those that are most commonly used in everyday life: bar, line, and pie charts, which are often combined with information tables. The most successful test takers will learn how to read a graph so that they can focus on the data that they need and not waste time with all the extraneous data that a graph provides.
Analytical Writing Measure
The Analytical Writing Measure allows schools to evaluate your academic writing ability. The Analytical Writing Measure must be written on the computer. You will use a simple word processing program. The essays will then be sent to graders who will determine your Analytical Writing score at a later date.
The writing assessment consists of two timed essay sections. The first is what ETS calls an "Issue" essay. You'll be shown two essay topics -- each a sentence or paragraph that expresses an opinion on an issue of general interest. You'll be asked to choose one of the two topics, and then you'll be given 45 minutes to plan and write an essay that communicates your own view on the issue. Whether you agree or disagree with the opinion provided is irrelevant: What matters is that you back up your view with relevant examples and statements.
The second of the two writing tasks is the "Argument" essay, which is somewhat different. This time, you will be shown a paragraph that argues a certain point. You will then be given 30 minutes to assess the argument's logic. As with the "Issue" essay, it won't matter whether you agree with the information provided.
HOW IS THE GRE SCORED?
The official score report you receive, and which ETS will send to the graduate schools you choose, will contain five separate scores: both a scaled score and a percentile score for the Quantitative and Verbal sections of the test (the scaled score lies on a 200-800 scale), and your score on the Analytical Writing Measure. (See chapter 6 for details on how the Writing Measure is scored.) You'll receive your unofficial Quantitative and Verbal scores on the computer immediately after you take the exam. Some schools will look at your scores for all three sections, while others will look at scores for only one or two. Check with the schools in which you are interested before you start studying. Also bear in mind that while some programs only look at one or two scores, applications for financial aid may be dependent on all your GRE scores.
Each of these scores will be accompanied by a percentile ranking, showing the percentage of test takers who scored below you. An improvement in your percentile ranking can often mean the difference between choosing from the top graduate programs and from less prestigious programs.
HOW DO I REGISTER?
The GRE is administered at many special computerized testing centers six days a week during regular business hours. To register to take the GRE, go to www.gre.org. You can download the most recent GRE Information and Resource Bulletin, published by ETS every summer for the forthcoming academic year.
HOW DOES THE CAT FORMAT WORK?
The CAT format takes some getting used to -- in fact, it's pretty weird at first. Here's how it works. You will see only one question at a time. Instead of having a predetermined mixture of basic, medium, and hard questions, the computer will select questions for you based on how well you are doing.
The first question will be of medium difficulty. If you get it right, the second question will be selected from a large pool of questions that are a little harder; if you get the first question wrong, the second will be a little more basic.
If you keep getting questions right, the test will get harder and harder; if you slip and make some mistakes, the test will adjust and start giving you easier problems, but if you answer them correctly, it will go back to the hard ones. Ideally, the test gives you enough questions to ensure that scores are not based on luck. If you get one hard question right, you might just have been lucky, but if you get ten hard questions right, then luck has little to do with it. So the test is self-adjusting and self-correcting.
Because of this format, the GRE CAT is very different structurally from the paper-based test. After the first problem, every problem that you see is based on how you answered the prior problem. That means you cannot return to a question once you've answered it, because that would throw off the sequence. Once you answer a question, it's part of your score, for better or worse. That means you can't skip around within a section and do questions in the order that you like.
Another major consequence of the CAT format is that hard problems count more than easy ones. It has to be this way, because the very purpose of this adaptive format is to find out at what level you reliably get about half the questions right; that's your scoring level.
Imagine two students: one who does ten basic questions, half of which she gets right and half of which she gets wrong, and one who does ten very difficult questions, half of which she gets right and half of which she gets wrong. The same number of questions have been answered correctly in each case, but this does not reflect an equal ability on the part of the two students.
In fact, the student who answered five out of ten very difficult questions incorrectly could still get a very high score on the GRE CAT. But in order to get to these hard questions, she first had to get medium-difficulty questions right.
What this means for you is that no matter how much more comfortable you might be sticking to the basic questions, you definitely want to get to the hard questions if you can, because that means your score will be higher.
HOW SHOULD I ATTACK THE VERBAL SECTION?
In the chapters that follow, we'll cover techniques for answering various types of questions that you can expect to see on the Verbal section of the GRE. But you'll also need strategies for managing a section as a whole. Here are some strategies for attacking a section ofthe GRE CAT.
Be Systematic
Because it's so important to get to the hard questions as early as possible, work systematically at the beginning of a GRE CAT section. Use scratch paper to organize your thinking. If you eliminate choices, cross them off and guess intelligently. The first 10-15 questions of a section are crucial in determining your ability estimate, so invest the necessary time to try to answer these questions correctly. You must, however, leave enough time to mark an answer for every question in the section. You will be penalized for questions you don't reach.
Draw a Grid
If crossing off answer choices on paper tests really helps to clarify your thinking (using a process of elimination), you may want to consider making a grid on your scratch paper before you begin the CAT. Use it to mark off answer choices that you have eliminated, as shown below. That way you can tell at a glance which answer choices are still in the running. If you end up using it often, it'll be worth the10 seconds it takes to draw a simple grid.
Pace Yourself
Of course, the last thing you want to happen is to have time called before you've done half the questions. It's essential, therefore, that you pace yourself, keeping in mind the general guidelines for how long to spend on any individual question or passage.
No one is saying that you should spend, for instance, exactly 90 seconds on every antonym question. But you should have a sense of how long you have to do each question, so you know when you're exceeding the limit and should start to move faster. You'll develop this sense if you time yourself while working on practice GRE questions.
Stop the Clock
The timer in the corner can work to your advantage, but if you find yourself looking at it so frequently that it becomes a distraction, you should turn it off for 10 or 15 minutes and try to refocus your attention on the test, even if you lose track of time somewhat. The CAT rewards focus and accuracy much more than it does speed.
Don't Waste Time on Questions You Can't Do
We know that foregoing a possibly tough question is easier said than done; we all have the natural instinct to plow through test sections, answering every question as it appears. But it just doesn't pay off on the GRE CAT. If you dig in your heels on a tough question, refusing to move on until you've cracked it, you're letting your test macho get in the way of your test score. Like life itself, a test section is too short to waste on lost causes.
Remain Calm
It's imperative that you remain calm and composed while working through a section. You can't allow yourself to be rattled by one hard question or reading comp passage to the degree that it throws off your performance on the rest of the Verbal section. Expect to find some difficult questions, but remember, you won't be the only one encountering difficult problems. The test is designed to challenge everyone who takes it. Having trouble with a difficult question isn't going to ruin your score, but getting upset about it and letting it throw you off track will. When you understand that part of the test maker's goal is to reward those who keep their composure, you'll recognize the importance of not panicking when you run into challenging material.
HOW DO I MOVE AROUND ON THE CAT?
Let's preview the primary computer functions that you will use to move around on the CAT. ETS calls them "testing tools," but they're basically just boxes that you can click with your mouse. The screen below is typical for an adaptive test.
Here's what the various buttons do.
The Time Button
Clicking on this button turns the time display at the top of the screen on and off. When you have five minutes left in a section, the clock flashes and the display changes from Hours/Minutes to Hours/Minutes/Seconds.
The Exit Button
This allows you to exit the section before the time is up. If you budget your time wisely you should never have to use this button -- time will run out just as you are finishing the section.
The Help Button
This one leads to directions and other stuff from the tutorial. You should know all this already, and besides, the test clock won't pause just because you click on Help.
The Quit Button
Hitting this button ends the test.
The Next Button
Hit this when you want to move on to the next question. After you press Next, you must hit Confirm.
The Confirm Button
This button tells the computer you are happy with your answer and are really ready to move to the next question. You cannot proceed until you have hit this button.
The Scroll Bar
Similar to the scroll bar on a Windows-style computer display, the scroll bar is a thin, vertical column with up and down arrows at the top and bottom. Clicking on the arrows moves you up or down the page you're reading.
PROS AND CONS OF THE GRE CAT
There are both good and annoying things about the GRE CAT. The following are a few things you should be thankful for or watch out for as you prepare to try your luck on the test.
Eight Good Things about the CAT
- There is a little timer at the top of the computer screen to help you pace yourself (you can hide it if it distracts you).
- There will be only a few other test takers in the room with you -- it won't be like taking it in one of those massive lecture halls with distractions everywhere.
- You get a pause of five minutes between each section. The pause is optional, but you should always use it to relax and stretch.
- You can sign up for the CAT two days before the test, and registration is very easy.
- The CAT is much more convenient for your schedule than the pencil-and-paper exam was. It's offered at more than 175 centers three to six days a week (depending on the center) all year long.
- The CAT gives you more time to spend on each question than you got on the paper-based test.
- You can see your scores before you decide which schools you want to send them to.
- Perhaps the CAT's best feature is that it gives you your scores immediately and will send them to schools just 10 to 15 days later.
Seven Annoying Things about the CAT
- You cannot skip around on this test; you must answer the questions one at a time in the order the computer gives them to you.
- If you realize later that you answered a question incorrectly, you can't go back and change your answer.
- If the person next to you is noisy or distracting, the proctor cannot move you or the person, since your test is on the computer.
- You can't cross off an answer choice and never look at it again, so you have to be disciplined about not reconsidering choices you've already eliminated.
- You have to scroll through reading comprehension passages, which means you won't be able to see the whole thing on the screen at once.
- You can't write on your computer screen the way you can on a paper test (though some have tried), so you have to use scratch paper they give you, which will be inconveniently located away from the computer screen.
- Lastly, many people find that computer screens tire them and cause eyestrain -- especially after four hours.
Copyright © 2004 Kaplan, Inc.