By Ariane Garrett, OUR Peer Research Ambassador
Are you considering graduate school? The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) might be just the test you are looking for! There is a wealth of detailed information available online about the GRE, and although this is helpful it can also be overwhelming. Through this post, I hope to give a brief overview of the exam and discuss my experience.
Who?
Not everyone applying to graduate school needs to take the GRE, but most do. If you’re unsure which graduate schools you are applying to, your best bet is to take the test and assume that at least one of the schools you are applying to will require the GRE. If you do know where you are applying to graduate school, just check out that program’s website and see what the requirements are. In my experience as a biomedical engineering major, every program I am applying to requires the GRE.
What?
The GRE is a four hour long test with Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning sections. It is very similar to the SAT in that you don’t need to memorize a lot of facts, as you might for the MCAT. Instead, the test aims to assess your capacity to reason and solve problems under a time constraint. However, as you might expect, the GRE is more difficult than the SAT. The reading passages are more complex and dense, and the mathematical knowledge required is slightly broader. Of course, after four years of college we are all smarter so this shouldn’t be too intimidating!
The test consists of 6 sections. The first two sections are 30 minutes each and comprise the Analytical Writing portion of the exam. You will be asked to write two short essays responding to prompts. The next four sections alternate between Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning. In the Quantitative section, you have 35 minutes to answer 20 questions, and in the Verbal section you have 30 minutes to answer 20 questions.
The Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections are each given a score between 130 and 170, and the Analytical Writing Section is given a score between 0 and 6. The percentiles change every year, but generally speaking a score between 162-170 for Verbal Reasoning, 165-170 for Quantitative Reasoning, and 5-6 for Analytical Writing will put you in the 90th percentile, respectively. If you are an English major who is terrible at math, don’t worry! Most likely your graduate program will place a much lower emphasis on the Quantitative Reasoning score than on your Analytical Writing and Verbal Reasoning scores.
Where?
Unlike the SAT, the GRE is taken at a specific testing facility on a computer. There are pros and cons to this system. The testing environment is very strictly regulated, so there are less chances for distraction during the exam. However, you may have to drive farther away to take your test and be prepared for stricter security procedures than when you took the SAT. You will be given scrap paper to write on, but taking an exam on the computer is much different than on paper. I personally find it difficult to stare at a computer screen for four hours, and you cannot mark the test or cross out answers as you would on paper. You can prepare for this by practicing questions online, rather than solely in a study book. There is one giant pro to taking the test online, which is that you receive your scores for the Verbal and Quantitative sections immediately after the exam is finished!
When?
You can take the GRE any time of the year, and you can retake it after one month has passed from your previous attempt. I would recommend beginning to consider the timing at the start of your junior year. Think carefully about what classes you are going to take in the following semesters, what important obligations you have coming up, and when would be the most convenient time to study for and take the exam. If you are unsure how much you will need to study, buy a practice book and take the sample exam, then evaluate how much time you will want to prepare for the exam. In my case, I decided I wouldn’t have enough time during the school year to study, so I studied throughout the summer after my junior year and took the exam in the beginning of this year.
My Experience:
I wouldn’t exactly call the GRE fun, but it is definitely not something to get too worried about. Think carefully about when you want to take the test and give yourself plenty of time to prepare in order to minimize stress. I started with taking a practice exam (included if you buy a Kaplan prep book) and then tailored my studying to the sections where I struggled the most. In the end, the GRE is only ONE aspect of your application. Your grades, letters of recommendation, research experience, and personal statement all hold equal or greater weight in the decision making process.
For more information, check out these sites:
https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about
https://www.princetonreview.com/grad/gre-information
https://www.kaptest.com/gre
Ariane is a senior majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Spanish. Click here to learn more about Ariane.