Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Includes:
-4 practice tests on CD-ROM in iBT format
-Audio CD and transcripts of authentic-language conversations for listening comprehension
-8 comprehensive chapters of reading, writing, listening, and speaking practice
-Hundreds of strategies for answering integrated skills questions
About the Author
Kaplan Publishing is one of the nation's top publishers of academic and professional development resources. We publish titles on topics such as test preparation, college and graduate school admissions, academic and career development in the legal, medical, education, and general business fields. Kaplan Publishing is the leading provider of test prep materials for a variety of standardized tests, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, SAT, PSAT, MCAT, TOEFL, and more.
Our mission is to help individuals achieve their educational and career goals. We build futures one success story at a time.
Product Details
* Paperback: 416 pages
* Publisher: Kaplan Publishing; Pap/Cdr edition (August 7, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1419552791
* ISBN-13: 978-1419552793
* Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 1.1 inches
http://www.amazon.com/Kaplan-TOEFL-CD-ROM-2008-2009-Toefl/dp/1419552791/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205641178&sr=1-2
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วันเสาร์ที่ 15 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2551
The Official Guide to the New TOEFL iBT with CD-ROM (Official Guide to the New Toefl Ibt) (Paperback)
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
The bestselling official guide to the new-format Test of English as a Foreign Language™ (TOEFL) now includes a CDROM providing total preparation for the actual on-screen test!
A proven bestseller, this popular guide to the new TOEFL iBT (internet-based test) now includes a CD-ROM that gives you experience with onscreen testing in the format of the new exam. This unique interactive program provides on-screen reading passages, audio listening practice, audio speaking prompts, and on-screen writing practice-with authentic TOEFL questions from the test-maker. No other TOEFL guide sold in bookstores brings you this close to the actual test!
From the Back Cover
Get the only guide to the new TOEFL iBT
that comes straight from the test-makers!
If you're looking for the best, most trustworthy guide to the new TOEFL® iBT, you've found it! The Official Guide to the New TOEFL iBT is the one and only TOEFL guide specially created by ETS--the people who actually make the test. That's means it's your most reliable source for everything you need to know about new test. Only ETS can show you exactly what to expect on the new internet-based TOEFL test, tell you precisely how the test is scored--and give you hundreds of authentic test questions to study for practice! That's why this guide is your best choice for preparing for the new TOEFL test. It's packed with everything you need to succeed on the test--and help you get into the college or university of your choice!
No other TOEFL guide gives you:
* Everything you need to know about the new TOEFL® iBT, straight from the test-makers!
* Hundreds of authentic TOEFL iBT questions and essay topics - so you can study with the real thing
* Companion CD-ROM with a full-length TOEFL practice test
* In-depth descriptions of the multiple-choice Listening and Reading questions--with valuable tips for answering them
* Detailed information about the Speaking and Writing sections, with scoring information, real student responses - and actual raters' comments
* PLUS: Writer's Handbook for English Language Learners--to help you learn how to write essays in English
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-TOEFL-CD-ROM-Toefl/dp/0071481044/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205641178&sr=1-1
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Book Description
The bestselling official guide to the new-format Test of English as a Foreign Language™ (TOEFL) now includes a CDROM providing total preparation for the actual on-screen test!
A proven bestseller, this popular guide to the new TOEFL iBT (internet-based test) now includes a CD-ROM that gives you experience with onscreen testing in the format of the new exam. This unique interactive program provides on-screen reading passages, audio listening practice, audio speaking prompts, and on-screen writing practice-with authentic TOEFL questions from the test-maker. No other TOEFL guide sold in bookstores brings you this close to the actual test!
From the Back Cover
Get the only guide to the new TOEFL iBT
that comes straight from the test-makers!
If you're looking for the best, most trustworthy guide to the new TOEFL® iBT, you've found it! The Official Guide to the New TOEFL iBT is the one and only TOEFL guide specially created by ETS--the people who actually make the test. That's means it's your most reliable source for everything you need to know about new test. Only ETS can show you exactly what to expect on the new internet-based TOEFL test, tell you precisely how the test is scored--and give you hundreds of authentic test questions to study for practice! That's why this guide is your best choice for preparing for the new TOEFL test. It's packed with everything you need to succeed on the test--and help you get into the college or university of your choice!
No other TOEFL guide gives you:
* Everything you need to know about the new TOEFL® iBT, straight from the test-makers!
* Hundreds of authentic TOEFL iBT questions and essay topics - so you can study with the real thing
* Companion CD-ROM with a full-length TOEFL practice test
* In-depth descriptions of the multiple-choice Listening and Reading questions--with valuable tips for answering them
* Detailed information about the Speaking and Writing sections, with scoring information, real student responses - and actual raters' comments
* PLUS: Writer's Handbook for English Language Learners--to help you learn how to write essays in English
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-TOEFL-CD-ROM-Toefl/dp/0071481044/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205641178&sr=1-1
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Barron's SAT 2400: Aiming for the Perfect Score 2007 (Barron's SAT 2400) (Paperback)
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Most college-bound test-takers already know that 2400 represents a perfect score on the new-format SAT. This book focuses on meeting the needs of top students, the young men and women who believe they can approach that perfect score when it’s time for them to take the SAT. The authors skip past obvious test-taking strategies, coaching students on the do’s and don’ts of smart test-taking, using focused and effective techniques. Their goal is to help top students score 700 or above on all three sections of the new SAT—Critical Reading, Writing, and Math. A score of 2100 or higher will set test takers apart from the crowd, placing them in the top 5% of high-achieving students throughout the country, and virtually guaranteeing them acceptance to the most prestigious and academically challenging colleges. The authors present strategies for tackling the hardest questions on the SAT. Critical Reading strategies are given for both long and short passages. Coaching for the Writing Section covers essential grammar for the three question types and guides students on how to write an exemplary essay in 25 minutes. The Math Section reviews topics in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, statistics, and word problems. The book features many practice questions in all test areas with thorough answer explanations. Valuable appendices include upper-level vocabulary lists and useful math formulas. High-achievers will value this book as that extra leg-up to help them get those scholarships and gain admission to the college of their choice.
From the Back Cover
(back cover)
Barron’s SAT 2400
Aiming for the Perfect Score
If you’re an academic high achiever and plan to attend any one of America’s very best colleges, this book was written especially for you. The authors skip past obvious test-taking strategies and focus your attention on the do’s and don’ts of smart test-taking. The purpose is to help you score 700 or above on all three sections of the new SAT—Critical Reading, Writing, and Math.
A score of 2100 or higher will set you apart from the crowd, placing you in the top 5% of high-achieving students throughout the country. That virtually guarantees your acceptance to the most prestigious and academically challenging colleges.
Here is that extra leg-up to help you get those scholarships and gain admission to the college of your choice.
http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-SAT-2400-Aiming-Perfect/dp/0764132695/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205640776&sr=1-3
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Book Description
Most college-bound test-takers already know that 2400 represents a perfect score on the new-format SAT. This book focuses on meeting the needs of top students, the young men and women who believe they can approach that perfect score when it’s time for them to take the SAT. The authors skip past obvious test-taking strategies, coaching students on the do’s and don’ts of smart test-taking, using focused and effective techniques. Their goal is to help top students score 700 or above on all three sections of the new SAT—Critical Reading, Writing, and Math. A score of 2100 or higher will set test takers apart from the crowd, placing them in the top 5% of high-achieving students throughout the country, and virtually guaranteeing them acceptance to the most prestigious and academically challenging colleges. The authors present strategies for tackling the hardest questions on the SAT. Critical Reading strategies are given for both long and short passages. Coaching for the Writing Section covers essential grammar for the three question types and guides students on how to write an exemplary essay in 25 minutes. The Math Section reviews topics in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, statistics, and word problems. The book features many practice questions in all test areas with thorough answer explanations. Valuable appendices include upper-level vocabulary lists and useful math formulas. High-achievers will value this book as that extra leg-up to help them get those scholarships and gain admission to the college of their choice.
From the Back Cover
(back cover)
Barron’s SAT 2400
Aiming for the Perfect Score
If you’re an academic high achiever and plan to attend any one of America’s very best colleges, this book was written especially for you. The authors skip past obvious test-taking strategies and focus your attention on the do’s and don’ts of smart test-taking. The purpose is to help you score 700 or above on all three sections of the new SAT—Critical Reading, Writing, and Math.
A score of 2100 or higher will set you apart from the crowd, placing you in the top 5% of high-achieving students throughout the country. That virtually guarantees your acceptance to the most prestigious and academically challenging colleges.
Here is that extra leg-up to help you get those scholarships and gain admission to the college of your choice.
http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-SAT-2400-Aiming-Perfect/dp/0764132695/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205640776&sr=1-3
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The Official SAT Study Guide (Paperback)
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
The Official SAT Study Guide is the only book that features official SAT practice tests created by the test maker.It's packed with the information students need to get ready for the exam.They'll gain valuable experience by taking eight practice tests and receiving estimated scores.With 900 pages and 21 chapters, the book helps students raise their confidence by reviewing concepts, test-taking approaches, and focused sets of practice questions.
About the Author
The College Board is a national nonprofit membership association whose mission is to prepare, inspire, and connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 4,300 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves over three million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning.
http://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide/dp/0874477182/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205640776&sr=1-1
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Book Description
The Official SAT Study Guide is the only book that features official SAT practice tests created by the test maker.It's packed with the information students need to get ready for the exam.They'll gain valuable experience by taking eight practice tests and receiving estimated scores.With 900 pages and 21 chapters, the book helps students raise their confidence by reviewing concepts, test-taking approaches, and focused sets of practice questions.
About the Author
The College Board is a national nonprofit membership association whose mission is to prepare, inspire, and connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 4,300 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves over three million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning.
http://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide/dp/0874477182/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205640776&sr=1-1
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Cracking the GMAT, 2008 Edition (Graduate Test Prep) (Paperback)
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Cracking the GMAT brings you proven techniques from the test prep experts! The 2008 edition includes over 200 practice questions and exclusive free access to practice exams and further review online. In Cracking the GMAT, we’ll teach you how to think like the test writers and
·Solve complex sentence correction problems by recognizing key errors
·Crack tough data sufficiency questions using simple techniques
·Practice online with full-length tests, lessons, and drills
·Get the most out of your prep time with the study plan that’s right for you
We give you plenty of practice problems to help you master our proven techniques. In addition, you can access 2 full-length GMAT practice tests online. Our practice questions are just like those you’ll see on the real GMAT—but with detailed answers and explanations for every question.
Product Details
* Paperback: 608 pages
* Publisher: Princeton Review (June 12, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0375766103
* ISBN-13: 978-0375766107
* Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 1.6 inches
* Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
* Average Customer Review:
5 Reviews
5 star: 20% (1)
4 star: 80% (4)
3 star: (0)
2 star: (0)
1 star: (0)
See all 5 customer reviews...
4.2 out of 5 stars 5 customer reviews (5 customer reviews)
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,327 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#4 in Books > Business & Investing > Reference > Education
#5 in Books > Business & Investing > Reference > GMAT
#16 in Books > Reference > Education > Test Guides - Graduate & Professional
http://www.amazon.com/Cracking-GMAT-2008-Graduate-Test/dp/0375766103/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205639975&sr=1-5
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Book Description
Cracking the GMAT brings you proven techniques from the test prep experts! The 2008 edition includes over 200 practice questions and exclusive free access to practice exams and further review online. In Cracking the GMAT, we’ll teach you how to think like the test writers and
·Solve complex sentence correction problems by recognizing key errors
·Crack tough data sufficiency questions using simple techniques
·Practice online with full-length tests, lessons, and drills
·Get the most out of your prep time with the study plan that’s right for you
We give you plenty of practice problems to help you master our proven techniques. In addition, you can access 2 full-length GMAT practice tests online. Our practice questions are just like those you’ll see on the real GMAT—but with detailed answers and explanations for every question.
Product Details
* Paperback: 608 pages
* Publisher: Princeton Review (June 12, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0375766103
* ISBN-13: 978-0375766107
* Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 1.6 inches
* Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
* Average Customer Review:
5 Reviews
5 star: 20% (1)
4 star: 80% (4)
3 star: (0)
2 star: (0)
1 star: (0)
See all 5 customer reviews...
4.2 out of 5 stars 5 customer reviews (5 customer reviews)
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,327 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#4 in Books > Business & Investing > Reference > Education
#5 in Books > Business & Investing > Reference > GMAT
#16 in Books > Reference > Education > Test Guides - Graduate & Professional
http://www.amazon.com/Cracking-GMAT-2008-Graduate-Test/dp/0375766103/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205639975&sr=1-5
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The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition (Paperback)
By Youssef J. Habbouche (MA, USA)
The secret for the GMAT is practice and stamina.
For my own preparation, I used The Princeton Review, Kaplan's Book and ETS' The Official Guide for GMAT Review.
I will go through the advantages and disadvantages of each, and explain why The Official Guide for GMAT Review was the best of the three and why you should give it more time than the others.
Princeton:
Plus
- Good review sections (both quantitative and verbal)
- Practice tests similar to the GMAT
- Online tests are easy to review
- Provides you with a test strategy on how to crack the questions
- Explicitly advises you to practice also with The Official Guide for GMAT Review
Disadvantages
- Does not explain why a choice is wrong
- Not enough practice questions
Kaplan:
Plus
- Good quantitative review sections (appendix was great)
- Interactive software for reviewing the Kaplan GMAT strategies
- Practice tests similar to the GMAT
- Practice tests and sections are difficult, this creates in you a sense of urgency
- Plenty of practice questions
Disadvantages
- The software interface is old and slow, you are left to work with a little box on the screen
- Practice tests and sections' answer choices are not very well explained
- The questions are far fetched and do not fall in the spirit of the GMAT, this might lead you the wrong path
The Official Guide for GMAT Review:
Plus
- More than plenty of practice questions
- You might get the same or similar questions on the GMAT (like I did)
- The practice questions are organized by level of difficulty, the last ones are the most difficult
- Free PowerPrep software that has two practice tests exactly similar to the GMAT in look and feel (free online tests at the mba dot com website http://www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT/Tools/PowerprepSoftware.htm)
- The practice questions reveal actual GMAT test patterns
Disadvantages
- Absence of test taking techniques
- The skills review sections are poor
- Only the last 200 questions in every practice section will be like the ones you will see on the GMAT (unless you perform poorly)
This Official Guide from GMAC should be the cornerstone of your preparation, simply because the questions are from past tests and are very thoroughly researched. This will allow you to develop insight into the test mentality.
Equally important the correct and the wrong answer choices for each question are explained in detail. You will learn the various ways used to lead you in error and consequently, you will develop the feel to spot and eliminate wrong answers.
The rules of grammar on which the GMAT Sentence Correction questions are based are best outlined in this guide. I had a lot of difficulty with the Verbal section until I read through the explanations here.
Overall, this book shows you all the tricks of the GMAT. I did not have bad surprises when I took the actual test; it seemed that I had seen all the questions before.
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-GMAT-Review-11th/dp/0976570904/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205639975&sr=1-1
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The secret for the GMAT is practice and stamina.
For my own preparation, I used The Princeton Review, Kaplan's Book and ETS' The Official Guide for GMAT Review.
I will go through the advantages and disadvantages of each, and explain why The Official Guide for GMAT Review was the best of the three and why you should give it more time than the others.
Princeton:
Plus
- Good review sections (both quantitative and verbal)
- Practice tests similar to the GMAT
- Online tests are easy to review
- Provides you with a test strategy on how to crack the questions
- Explicitly advises you to practice also with The Official Guide for GMAT Review
Disadvantages
- Does not explain why a choice is wrong
- Not enough practice questions
Kaplan:
Plus
- Good quantitative review sections (appendix was great)
- Interactive software for reviewing the Kaplan GMAT strategies
- Practice tests similar to the GMAT
- Practice tests and sections are difficult, this creates in you a sense of urgency
- Plenty of practice questions
Disadvantages
- The software interface is old and slow, you are left to work with a little box on the screen
- Practice tests and sections' answer choices are not very well explained
- The questions are far fetched and do not fall in the spirit of the GMAT, this might lead you the wrong path
The Official Guide for GMAT Review:
Plus
- More than plenty of practice questions
- You might get the same or similar questions on the GMAT (like I did)
- The practice questions are organized by level of difficulty, the last ones are the most difficult
- Free PowerPrep software that has two practice tests exactly similar to the GMAT in look and feel (free online tests at the mba dot com website http://www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT/Tools/PowerprepSoftware.htm)
- The practice questions reveal actual GMAT test patterns
Disadvantages
- Absence of test taking techniques
- The skills review sections are poor
- Only the last 200 questions in every practice section will be like the ones you will see on the GMAT (unless you perform poorly)
This Official Guide from GMAC should be the cornerstone of your preparation, simply because the questions are from past tests and are very thoroughly researched. This will allow you to develop insight into the test mentality.
Equally important the correct and the wrong answer choices for each question are explained in detail. You will learn the various ways used to lead you in error and consequently, you will develop the feel to spot and eliminate wrong answers.
The rules of grammar on which the GMAT Sentence Correction questions are based are best outlined in this guide. I had a lot of difficulty with the Verbal section until I read through the explanations here.
Overall, this book shows you all the tricks of the GMAT. I did not have bad surprises when I took the actual test; it seemed that I had seen all the questions before.
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-GMAT-Review-11th/dp/0976570904/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205639975&sr=1-1
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Barron's GRE 2008 with CD-ROM (Barron's How to Prepare for the Gre Graduate Record Examination) (Paperback)
Book Description
This 17th edition of Barron’s GRE manual reflects recent Graduate Record Exams and presents six full-length model exams with all questions answered and explained. Tests are similar to recent actual GREs in length, question types, and degree of difficulty. The manual also reviews all GRE test topics: antonym, analogy, and sentence-completion questions, reading comprehension, analytical writing, quantitative comparison questions, data interpretation, and math. The enclosed CD-ROM contains computerized versions of the book’s subject reviews and practice tests.
From the Inside Flap
(back cover)
# This up-to-date manual and CD-ROM will prepare test takers for both the current GRE and the new-format exam
# Six full-length model tests in the manual plus a computer-adaptive model GRE on the CD-ROM are presented with all questions answered and explained
# In-depth subject reviews cover all test topics: antonym questions, analogy questions, and sentence-completion questions, reading comprehension, vocabulary, analytical writing, quantitative comparison questions, data interpretation questions, and math
# Extra features include an overview of the GRE with description of the new-format test plus study tips and test-taking advice
COMPUTER-ADAPTIVE
MODEL TEST
ON CD-ROM
http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-CD-ROM-Prepare-Graduate-Examination/dp/0764179497/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205639421&sr=8-4
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This 17th edition of Barron’s GRE manual reflects recent Graduate Record Exams and presents six full-length model exams with all questions answered and explained. Tests are similar to recent actual GREs in length, question types, and degree of difficulty. The manual also reviews all GRE test topics: antonym, analogy, and sentence-completion questions, reading comprehension, analytical writing, quantitative comparison questions, data interpretation, and math. The enclosed CD-ROM contains computerized versions of the book’s subject reviews and practice tests.
From the Inside Flap
(back cover)
# This up-to-date manual and CD-ROM will prepare test takers for both the current GRE and the new-format exam
# Six full-length model tests in the manual plus a computer-adaptive model GRE on the CD-ROM are presented with all questions answered and explained
# In-depth subject reviews cover all test topics: antonym questions, analogy questions, and sentence-completion questions, reading comprehension, vocabulary, analytical writing, quantitative comparison questions, data interpretation questions, and math
# Extra features include an overview of the GRE with description of the new-format test plus study tips and test-taking advice
COMPUTER-ADAPTIVE
MODEL TEST
ON CD-ROM
http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-CD-ROM-Prepare-Graduate-Examination/dp/0764179497/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205639421&sr=8-4
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Kaplan GRE Exam 2008 Premier Program
Book Description
The Education Testing Service has postponed its plans to change to the content and format of the GRE.Students who turn to Kaplan can depend on the most accurate, up-to-the-minute information on the GRE test change. With this unique multi-format preparation program, readers will be alerted to late-breaking developments via email updates, and will be notified when helpful resources on test changes are available on the online companion.
As always, Kaplan GRE Exam 2008: Premier Program provides a powerful combination of proven score-raising strategies and the latest technology. Students receive innovative preparation tools such as a personalized online study plan that delivers new practice questions every month, a CD-ROM with additional questions and tests, and study materials that can be downloaded to PDAs and cellphones for test prep anytime, anywhere.
Plus, the 2008 edition features brand-new score-raising strategies and four new practice essay prompts online. With so many options, it’s easy to see why Kaplan GRE Exam 2008: Premier Program is the number one choice for GRE prep.
Features:
* Up-to-the-minute GRE updates online
* Brand-new Kaplan-exclusive score-raising stratgies
* Four new practice essay prompts online
* 5 full-length practice tests (1 in the book, 1 online, and 3 on CD-ROM)
* Over 300 additional practice questions
* Detailed answer explanations
* Online diagnostic test with targeted feedback
* Essential tactics for the computer-adaptive test (CAT) format
About the Author
Kaplan Publishing is one of the nation's top publishers of academic and professional development resources. We publish titles on topics such as test preparation, college and graduate school admissions, academic and career development in the legal, medical, education, and general business fields. Kaplan Publishing is the leading provider of test prep materials for a variety of standardized tests, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, SAT, PSAT, MCAT, TOEFL, and more.
Our mission is to help individuals achieve their educational and career goals. We build futures one success story at a time.
http://www.amazon.com/Kaplan-Exam-2008-Premier-Program/dp/1427795029/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205639421&sr=8-1
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The Education Testing Service has postponed its plans to change to the content and format of the GRE.Students who turn to Kaplan can depend on the most accurate, up-to-the-minute information on the GRE test change. With this unique multi-format preparation program, readers will be alerted to late-breaking developments via email updates, and will be notified when helpful resources on test changes are available on the online companion.
As always, Kaplan GRE Exam 2008: Premier Program provides a powerful combination of proven score-raising strategies and the latest technology. Students receive innovative preparation tools such as a personalized online study plan that delivers new practice questions every month, a CD-ROM with additional questions and tests, and study materials that can be downloaded to PDAs and cellphones for test prep anytime, anywhere.
Plus, the 2008 edition features brand-new score-raising strategies and four new practice essay prompts online. With so many options, it’s easy to see why Kaplan GRE Exam 2008: Premier Program is the number one choice for GRE prep.
Features:
* Up-to-the-minute GRE updates online
* Brand-new Kaplan-exclusive score-raising stratgies
* Four new practice essay prompts online
* 5 full-length practice tests (1 in the book, 1 online, and 3 on CD-ROM)
* Over 300 additional practice questions
* Detailed answer explanations
* Online diagnostic test with targeted feedback
* Essential tactics for the computer-adaptive test (CAT) format
About the Author
Kaplan Publishing is one of the nation's top publishers of academic and professional development resources. We publish titles on topics such as test preparation, college and graduate school admissions, academic and career development in the legal, medical, education, and general business fields. Kaplan Publishing is the leading provider of test prep materials for a variety of standardized tests, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, SAT, PSAT, MCAT, TOEFL, and more.
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Test of English as a Foreign Language
This article is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFLs, pronounced "toe-full" or sometimes "toffle") evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand Standard American English at a college level. It is required for non-native applicants at many English-speaking colleges and universities. Additionally, institutions such as government agencies, businesses, or scholarship programs may require this test. A TOEFL score is valid for two years and then is deleted from the official database. Colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent score.
The TOEFL test is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS) and is administered worldwide. The test was first administered 1964 and has since been taken by nearly 20 million students.
Formats and contents
[edit] Internet-Based Test
Since its introduction in late 2005, the Internet-Based test (iBT) has progressively replaced both the computer-based (CBT) and paper-based (PBT) tests. The iBT has been introduced in phases, with the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy in 2005 and the rest of the world in 2006, with test centers added regularly.
Although the demand for test seats was very high, candidates had to wait for months, it is now possible to take the test in one to four weeks in most countries.[1] The four-hour test consists of four sections, each measuring mainly one of the basic language skills (although some tasks may require multiple skills) and focusing on language used in an academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is allowed during the iBT. The test cannot be taken more than once a week.
1. Reading
The reading section consists of 3–5 long passages and questions about the passages. The passages are on academic topics; they are the kind of material that might be found in an undergraduate university textbook. Students answer questions about main ideas, details, inferences, sentence restatements, sentence insertion, vocabulary, function and overall ideas. New types of questions in the iBT require paraphrasing, filling out tables, or completing summaries. Generally prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not necessary to come to the correct answer, though a priori knowledge may help.
2. Listening
It consists of six long passages and questions about the passages. The passages consist of two student conversations and four academic lectures or discussions. The questions ask the students to determine main ideas, details, function, stance, inferences, and overall organization.
3. Speaking
It consists of six tasks, two independent tasks and four integrated tasks. In the two independent tasks, students must answer opinion questions about some aspect of academic life. In two integrated reading, listening, and speaking tasks, students must read a passage, listen to a passage, and speak about how the ideas in the two passages are related. In two integrated listening and speaking tasks, students must listen to long passages and then summarize and offer opinions on the information in the passages. Test takers are expected to convey information, explain ideas, and defend opinions clearly, coherently, and accurately.
4. Writing
The Writing Section consists of two tasks, one integrated task and one independent task. In the integrated task, students must read an academic passage, listen to an academic passage, and write about how the ideas in the two passages are related. In the independent task, students must write a personal essay.
Task iBT Approx. time
READING 3 passages and 39 questions 60 minutes
LISTENING 6 passages and 34 questions 50 minutes
SPEAKING 6 tasks and 6 questions 20 minutes
WRITING 2 tasks and 6 questions 55 minutes
It should be noted that at least one of the sections of the test will include extra, uncounted material. Educational Testing Service includes extra material to try out material for future tests. If the test taker is given a longer section, he must work hard on all of the materials because he does not know which material counts and which material is extra. For example, if there are four reading passages instead of three, three of the passages will count and one of the passages will not be counted. It is possible that the uncounted passage could be any of the four passages.
(Detailed descriptions and samples are available at the official website.)
[edit] Computer-Based Test
The Computer-Based Test (CBT) was abolished on September 30, 2006. It was divided into four sections, measuring language proficiency in listening, structure (grammar), reading and writing. Note-taking was not allowed. The test took an average of 4 and a half hours. The test could not be taken more than once a month.
1. Listening Comprehension (40–60 minutes)
* Type of Questions: «Short dialogues between two or more people in academic environments. Short conversations between students, and lectures and discussions may be possible as well.» Questions were basically of the who said what type. There were 11-17 short dialogues, 2-3 short conversations and 4-6 lectures and discussions. The total number of questions was between 30 and 59.
2. Structure (grammar) (15–20 minutes)
* Type of Questions: «Identify the erroneous word(s) in the sentence and complete sentences correctly through filling in the blanks using the appropriate word.» The test had 10-15 questions for identifying errors and 10-15 questions for completing sentences correctly.
3. Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary (70-90 minutes)
* Type of Questions: Questions were posed about content, intent of the author, and ideas inferred from each of the 4–5 passages given.
4. Essay Writing (30 minutes)
* Type of Questions: «Write an essay on a given general topic and take a position toward it, e.g., "Is stem cell research necessary? Explain your stance."»
The Listening and Structure sections were computer-adaptive, meaning that the difficulty level of each question depended on the correctness of previous responses. Since the computer must score each question in order to select the next one, the student had to answer each question as it was presented. Test takers could not skip questions or return to a previous question to change an answer in the Listening or Structure Sections.
Since the Reading Section is not computer adaptive, test takers could skip questions and return to previously answered questions. How the student answers one question in the Reading Section did not affect the difficulty level of the following question.
[edit] Paper-Based Test
In areas where the iBT and CBT are not available, a paper-based test (PBT) is given. Because test takers cannot register at the testing center on the test date, they must register in advance using the registration form provided in the Suplemental Paper TOEFL Bulletin. They should register in advance of the given deadlines to ensure a place because the test centers have limited seating and may fill up early. Tests are administered only several times each year.
The PBT tests essentially the same skills as the CBT, albeit with some differences, noticeably the number of questions (which is higher in the PBT) and the score scales. The test lasts 4 hours more or less. Students can take the test as many times as they wish. However, colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent score.
1. Listening(30-40 minutes)
It consists of three parts. The first one contains 30 questions about short conversations. The second part has 8 questions about longer conversations. The last part asks 12 questions about lectures or talks.
2. Structure and Written Expression (25 minutes)
This part has 15 exercises of completing sentences correctly and 25 exercises of identifying errors.
3. Reading Comprehension (55 minutes)
It has 50 questions about reading passages.
4. Writing (30 minutes)
One essay with 250-300 words in average.
[edit] Test Scores
[edit] Internet-Based Test
* The iBT version of the TOEFL test is scored on a scale of 0 to 120 points.
* Each of the four sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing) receives a scaled score from 0 to 30. The scaled scores from the four sections are added together to determine the overall score.
* Speaking is initially given a score of 0 to 4, and writing is initially given a score of 0 to 5. These scores are converted to scaled scores of 0 to 30.
[edit] Computer-Based Test
* Three subscores are obtained, each of which is given on a 0–30 scale: Listening, Structure/Writing (combined), and Reading. These subscores are averaged to obtain the final score, which is on a 0–300 scale.
* The score for Writing is a component of the score for the Structure Section. Even though the college or university where the test taker applied did not require a score for Writing, the test taker had to write the essay to complete the test.
* The Writing test is scored on a scale from 0 to 6. A score of 6 showed strong writing abilities, 5 average writing abilities, and 4 minimal writing abilities. A score of 3, 2 or 1 showed a lack of writing technique. The essay was read by two testing evaluators. Each one gave the essay a score. The two scores are averaged to produce the final Writing scores. If the evaluators were more than 1 point different in their assessment, a third evaluator scored the essay.
[edit] Paper-Based Test
* The final PBT score ranges between 310 and 677 and is based on three subscores: Listening (31–68), Structure (31–68), and Reading (31–67). Unlike the CBT, the score of the Writing section (referred to as the Test of Written English, TWE) is not part of the final score; instead, it is reported separately on a scale of 0–6.
* The score test takers receive on the Listening, Structure and Reading parts of the TOEFL test is not the percentage of correct answers. The score is converted to take into account the fact that some tests are more difficult than others. The converted scores correct these differences. Therefore, the converted score is a more accurate reflection of the ability than the correct answer score is.
ETS has released tables to convert between iBT, CBT and PBT scores.
[edit] Registration
* The first step in the registration process is to obtain a copy of the TOEFL Information Bulletin. This bulletin can be obtained by downloading it or ordering it from the TOEFL website at [1]
* From the bulletin, it is possible to determine when and where the iBT version of the TOEFL test will be given.
* Procedures for completing the registration form and submitting it are listed in the TOEFL Information Bulletin. These procedures must be followed exactly.
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The Test of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFLs, pronounced "toe-full" or sometimes "toffle") evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand Standard American English at a college level. It is required for non-native applicants at many English-speaking colleges and universities. Additionally, institutions such as government agencies, businesses, or scholarship programs may require this test. A TOEFL score is valid for two years and then is deleted from the official database. Colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent score.
The TOEFL test is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS) and is administered worldwide. The test was first administered 1964 and has since been taken by nearly 20 million students.
Formats and contents
[edit] Internet-Based Test
Since its introduction in late 2005, the Internet-Based test (iBT) has progressively replaced both the computer-based (CBT) and paper-based (PBT) tests. The iBT has been introduced in phases, with the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy in 2005 and the rest of the world in 2006, with test centers added regularly.
Although the demand for test seats was very high, candidates had to wait for months, it is now possible to take the test in one to four weeks in most countries.[1] The four-hour test consists of four sections, each measuring mainly one of the basic language skills (although some tasks may require multiple skills) and focusing on language used in an academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is allowed during the iBT. The test cannot be taken more than once a week.
1. Reading
The reading section consists of 3–5 long passages and questions about the passages. The passages are on academic topics; they are the kind of material that might be found in an undergraduate university textbook. Students answer questions about main ideas, details, inferences, sentence restatements, sentence insertion, vocabulary, function and overall ideas. New types of questions in the iBT require paraphrasing, filling out tables, or completing summaries. Generally prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not necessary to come to the correct answer, though a priori knowledge may help.
2. Listening
It consists of six long passages and questions about the passages. The passages consist of two student conversations and four academic lectures or discussions. The questions ask the students to determine main ideas, details, function, stance, inferences, and overall organization.
3. Speaking
It consists of six tasks, two independent tasks and four integrated tasks. In the two independent tasks, students must answer opinion questions about some aspect of academic life. In two integrated reading, listening, and speaking tasks, students must read a passage, listen to a passage, and speak about how the ideas in the two passages are related. In two integrated listening and speaking tasks, students must listen to long passages and then summarize and offer opinions on the information in the passages. Test takers are expected to convey information, explain ideas, and defend opinions clearly, coherently, and accurately.
4. Writing
The Writing Section consists of two tasks, one integrated task and one independent task. In the integrated task, students must read an academic passage, listen to an academic passage, and write about how the ideas in the two passages are related. In the independent task, students must write a personal essay.
Task iBT Approx. time
READING 3 passages and 39 questions 60 minutes
LISTENING 6 passages and 34 questions 50 minutes
SPEAKING 6 tasks and 6 questions 20 minutes
WRITING 2 tasks and 6 questions 55 minutes
It should be noted that at least one of the sections of the test will include extra, uncounted material. Educational Testing Service includes extra material to try out material for future tests. If the test taker is given a longer section, he must work hard on all of the materials because he does not know which material counts and which material is extra. For example, if there are four reading passages instead of three, three of the passages will count and one of the passages will not be counted. It is possible that the uncounted passage could be any of the four passages.
(Detailed descriptions and samples are available at the official website.)
[edit] Computer-Based Test
The Computer-Based Test (CBT) was abolished on September 30, 2006. It was divided into four sections, measuring language proficiency in listening, structure (grammar), reading and writing. Note-taking was not allowed. The test took an average of 4 and a half hours. The test could not be taken more than once a month.
1. Listening Comprehension (40–60 minutes)
* Type of Questions: «Short dialogues between two or more people in academic environments. Short conversations between students, and lectures and discussions may be possible as well.» Questions were basically of the who said what type. There were 11-17 short dialogues, 2-3 short conversations and 4-6 lectures and discussions. The total number of questions was between 30 and 59.
2. Structure (grammar) (15–20 minutes)
* Type of Questions: «Identify the erroneous word(s) in the sentence and complete sentences correctly through filling in the blanks using the appropriate word.» The test had 10-15 questions for identifying errors and 10-15 questions for completing sentences correctly.
3. Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary (70-90 minutes)
* Type of Questions: Questions were posed about content, intent of the author, and ideas inferred from each of the 4–5 passages given.
4. Essay Writing (30 minutes)
* Type of Questions: «Write an essay on a given general topic and take a position toward it, e.g., "Is stem cell research necessary? Explain your stance."»
The Listening and Structure sections were computer-adaptive, meaning that the difficulty level of each question depended on the correctness of previous responses. Since the computer must score each question in order to select the next one, the student had to answer each question as it was presented. Test takers could not skip questions or return to a previous question to change an answer in the Listening or Structure Sections.
Since the Reading Section is not computer adaptive, test takers could skip questions and return to previously answered questions. How the student answers one question in the Reading Section did not affect the difficulty level of the following question.
[edit] Paper-Based Test
In areas where the iBT and CBT are not available, a paper-based test (PBT) is given. Because test takers cannot register at the testing center on the test date, they must register in advance using the registration form provided in the Suplemental Paper TOEFL Bulletin. They should register in advance of the given deadlines to ensure a place because the test centers have limited seating and may fill up early. Tests are administered only several times each year.
The PBT tests essentially the same skills as the CBT, albeit with some differences, noticeably the number of questions (which is higher in the PBT) and the score scales. The test lasts 4 hours more or less. Students can take the test as many times as they wish. However, colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent score.
1. Listening(30-40 minutes)
It consists of three parts. The first one contains 30 questions about short conversations. The second part has 8 questions about longer conversations. The last part asks 12 questions about lectures or talks.
2. Structure and Written Expression (25 minutes)
This part has 15 exercises of completing sentences correctly and 25 exercises of identifying errors.
3. Reading Comprehension (55 minutes)
It has 50 questions about reading passages.
4. Writing (30 minutes)
One essay with 250-300 words in average.
[edit] Test Scores
[edit] Internet-Based Test
* The iBT version of the TOEFL test is scored on a scale of 0 to 120 points.
* Each of the four sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing) receives a scaled score from 0 to 30. The scaled scores from the four sections are added together to determine the overall score.
* Speaking is initially given a score of 0 to 4, and writing is initially given a score of 0 to 5. These scores are converted to scaled scores of 0 to 30.
[edit] Computer-Based Test
* Three subscores are obtained, each of which is given on a 0–30 scale: Listening, Structure/Writing (combined), and Reading. These subscores are averaged to obtain the final score, which is on a 0–300 scale.
* The score for Writing is a component of the score for the Structure Section. Even though the college or university where the test taker applied did not require a score for Writing, the test taker had to write the essay to complete the test.
* The Writing test is scored on a scale from 0 to 6. A score of 6 showed strong writing abilities, 5 average writing abilities, and 4 minimal writing abilities. A score of 3, 2 or 1 showed a lack of writing technique. The essay was read by two testing evaluators. Each one gave the essay a score. The two scores are averaged to produce the final Writing scores. If the evaluators were more than 1 point different in their assessment, a third evaluator scored the essay.
[edit] Paper-Based Test
* The final PBT score ranges between 310 and 677 and is based on three subscores: Listening (31–68), Structure (31–68), and Reading (31–67). Unlike the CBT, the score of the Writing section (referred to as the Test of Written English, TWE) is not part of the final score; instead, it is reported separately on a scale of 0–6.
* The score test takers receive on the Listening, Structure and Reading parts of the TOEFL test is not the percentage of correct answers. The score is converted to take into account the fact that some tests are more difficult than others. The converted scores correct these differences. Therefore, the converted score is a more accurate reflection of the ability than the correct answer score is.
ETS has released tables to convert between iBT, CBT and PBT scores.
[edit] Registration
* The first step in the registration process is to obtain a copy of the TOEFL Information Bulletin. This bulletin can be obtained by downloading it or ordering it from the TOEFL website at [1]
* From the bulletin, it is possible to determine when and where the iBT version of the TOEFL test will be given.
* Procedures for completing the registration form and submitting it are listed in the TOEFL Information Bulletin. These procedures must be followed exactly.
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SAT Reasoning Test
This article is found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a non-profit organization in the United States,[1] and was once developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). ETS now administers the exam.
The current SAT Reasoning Test is administered in about 4 hours and costs $43 ($68 International),[2] excluding late fees. Since the SAT's introduction in 1901, its name and scoring has changed several times. In 2005, the test was renamed as "SAT Reasoning Test" with possible scores from 600 to 2400 combining test results from three 800-point sections (math, critical reading, and writing)[1], along with other subsections scored separately (see details below).
Function
The College Board states that the SAT measures critical thinking skills that are needed for academic success in college. They state that the SAT assesses how well the test takers analyze and solve problems—skills they learned in school that they will need in college. The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors.[3] Specifically, the College Board states that use of the SAT in combination with high school grade point average (GPA) provides a better indicator of success in college than high school grades alone, as measured by college freshman GPA. Various studies conducted over the lifetime of the SAT show a statistically significant increase in correlation of high school grades and freshman grades when the SAT is factored in.[4]
There are substantial differences in funding, curricula, grading, and difficulty among U.S. secondary schools due to American federalism, local control, and the prevalence of private, distance, and home schooled students. ACT/SAT scores are intended to supplement the secondary school record and help admission officers put local data—such as course work, grades, and class rank—in a national perspective.[5]
Historically, the SAT has been more popular among colleges in the coasts and the ACT more popular in the Midwest and South. There are some colleges that require the ACT to be taken for college course placement, and a few schools that do not accept the SAT at all. [6]
[edit] Structure
SAT consists of three major sections: Mathematics, Critical Reading, and Writing. Each section receives a score on the scale of 200–800. All scores are multiples of 10. Total scores are calculated by adding up scores of the three sections. Each major section is divided into three parts. There are 10 sub-sections, including an additional 25-minute experimental or "equating" section that may be in any of the three major sections. The experimental section is used to normalize questions for future administrations of the SAT and does not count toward the final score. The test contains 3 hours and 45 minutes of actual timed sections,[7] although most administrations, including orientation, distribution of materials, and completion of the biographical sections, run about 4 hours (10–25 minutes per sub-section) long.
Critical Reading
The Critical Reading, formerly verbal, section of the SAT is made up of three scored sections, two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section, with varying types of questions, including sentence completions and questions about short and long reading passages. Critical Reading sections normally begin with 5 to 8 sentence completion questions; the remainder of the questions are focused on the reading passages. Sentence completions generally test the student's vocabulary and understanding of sentence structure and organization by requiring the student to select one or two words that best complete a given sentence. The bulk of the Critical Reading questions is made up of questions regarding reading passages, in which students read short excerpts on social sciences, humanities, physical sciences, or personal narratives and answer questions based on the passage. Certain sections contain passages asking the student to compare two related passages; generally, these consist of short reading passages as well as longer passages. Since this is a timed test, the number of questions about each passage is proportional to the length of the passage.
[edit] Mathematics
The Mathematics sections of the SAT consists of three scored sections. There are two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section, as follows:
* One of the 25-minute sections is entirely multiple choice, with 20 questions.
* The other 25-minute section contains eight multiple choice questions and 10 grid-in questions.
* The shorter section is all multiple choice, with only 16 questions.
Notably, the SAT has done away with quantitative comparison questions on the math section, leaving only questions with straightforward symbolic or numerical answers. Since the quantitative comparison questions were well-known for their deceptive nature—often turning on the student's recognition of a single exception to a rule or pattern—this choice has been equated to a philosophical shift away from "trickery" and toward "straight math" on the SAT. Also, many test experts have attributed this change, like the addition of the new writing section, to an attempt to make the SAT more like the ACT. Indeed, there is a correlation between ACT scores and SAT scores.[8][9]
[edit] Writing
The writing section of the SAT, based on but not directly comparable to the old SAT II subject test in writing, includes multiple choice questions and a brief essay. The multiple choice questions include error identification questions, sentence improvement questions, and paragraph improvement questions. Error identification and sentence improvement questions test the student's knowledge of grammar, presenting an awkward or grammatically incorrect sentence; in the error identification section, the student must locate the word producing the source of the error or indicate that the sentence has no error, while the sentence improvement section requires the student to select an acceptable fix to the awkward sentence. The paragraph improvement questions test the student's understanding of logical organization of ideas, presenting a poorly written student essay and asking a series of questions as to what changes might be made to best improve it.
The essay section, which is always administered as the first section of the test, is 25 minutes long. All essays must be in response to a given prompt. The prompts are broad and often philosophical and are designed to be accessible to students regardless of their educational and social backgrounds. For instance, test takers may be asked to expound on such ideas as their opinion on the value of work in human life or whether technological change also carries negative consequences to those who benefit from it. No particular essay structure is required, and the College Board accepts examples "taken from [the student's] reading, studies, experience, or observations." Two trained readers assign each essay a score between 1 and 6, where a score of 0 is reserved for essays that are blank, off-topic, non-English, not written with a Number 2 pencil, or considered illegible after several attempts at reading. The scores are summed to produce a final score from 2 to 12 (or 0). If the two readers' scores differ by more than one point, then a senior third reader decides. The essay score accounts for roughly 30% of the writing score; the multiple choice component accounts for roughly 70%.
[edit] Questions
Most of the questions on the SAT are multiple choice; all multiple-choice questions have five answer choices, one of which is correct. The questions of each section of the same type are generally ordered by difficulty. However, an important exception exists: Questions that follow the long and short reading passages are organized chronologically, rather than by difficulty. Ten of the questions in one of the math sub-sections are not multiple choice. They instead require the test taker to bubble in a number in a four-column grid.
The questions are weighted equally. For each correct answer, one raw point is added. For each incorrect answer one-fourth of a point is deducted. No points are deducted for incorrect math grid-in questions. This ensures that a student's mathematically expected gain from guessing is zero. The final score is derived from the raw score; the precise conversion chart varies between test administrations.
The SAT therefore recommends only making educated guesses, that is, when the test taker can eliminate at least one answer he or she thinks is wrong. Without eliminating any answers one's probability of answering correctly is 20%. Eliminating one wrong answer increases this probability to 25%; two, a 33.3% probability; three, a 50% probability of choosing the correct answer and thus earning the full point for the question.
Section Average Score Time (Minutes) Content
Writing 497 60 Grammar, usage, and word choice
Mathematics 518 70 Number and operations; algebra and functions; geometry; statistics, probability, and data analysis
Critical Reading 503 70 Critical reading and sentence-level reading
[edit] Taking the test
The SAT is offered seven times a year in the United States, in October, November, December, January, March (or April, alternating), May, and June. The test is typically offered on the first Saturday of the month for the November, December, May, and June administrations. In other countries, the SAT is offered on the same dates as in the United States except for the first spring test date (i.e., March or April), which is not offered. In 2006, the test was taken 1,465,744 times.[10]
Candidates may either take the SAT Reasoning Test or up to three SAT Subject Tests on any given test date, except the first spring test date, when only the SAT Reasoning Test is offered. Candidates wishing to take the test may register online at the College Board's website, by mail, or by telephone, at least three weeks before the test date.
The SAT Subject Tests are all given in one large book on test day. Therefore, it is actually immaterial which tests, and how many, the student signs up for; with the possible exception of the language tests with listening, the student may change his or her mind and take any tests, regardless of his or her initial sign-ups.
The SAT Reasoning Test costs $43 ($68 International). For the Subject tests, students pay a $20 Basic Registration Fee and $8 per test (except for language tests with listening, which cost $20 each).[2] The College Board makes fee waivers available for low income students. Additional fees apply for late registration, standby testing, registration changes, scores by telephone, and extra score reports (beyond the four provided for free).
Candidates whose religious beliefs prevent them from taking the test on a Saturday may request to take the test on the following Sunday, except for the October test date in which the Sunday test date is eight days after the main test offering. Such requests must be made at the time of registration and are subject to denial.
Students with verifiable disabilities, including physical and learning disabilities, are eligible to take the SAT with accommodations. The standard time increase for students requiring additional time due to learning disabilities is 50%.
[edit] Raw scores, scaled scores, and percentiles
Students receive their online score report approximately three weeks after administration of the test (six weeks for mailed, paper scores), with each section graded on a scale of 200–800 and two sub scores for the writing section: the essay score and the multiple choice sub score. In addition to their score, students receive their percentile (the percentage of other test takers with lower scores). The raw score, or the number of points gained from correct answers and lost from incorrect answers (ranges from just under 50 to just under 60, depending upon the test), is also included.[11] Students may also receive, for an additional fee, the Question and Answer Service, which provides the student's answer, the correct answer to each question, and online resources explaining each question.
The corresponding percentile of each scaled score varies from test to test—for example, in 2003, a scaled score of 800 in both sections of the SAT Reasoning Test corresponded to a percentile of 99.9, while a scaled score of 800 in the SAT Physics Test corresponded to the 94th percentile. The differences in what scores mean with regard to percentiles are because of the content of the exam and the caliber of students choosing to take each exam. Subject Tests are subject to intensive study (often in the form of an AP, which is relatively more difficult), and only those who know they will perform well tend to take these tests, creating a skewed or non-linear distribution of scores.
The percentiles that various SAT scores for college-bound seniors correspond to are summarized in the following chart:[12][10]
Percentile Score, 1600 Scale
(official, 2006) Score, 2400 Scale
(official, 2006)
99.93/99.98* 1600 2400
99+ ≥1550 ≥2300
99 ≥1480 ≥2200
98 ≥1450 ≥2140
97 ≥1420 ≥2100
88 ≥1380 ≥1900
83 ≥1280 ≥1800
78 ≥1200 ≥1770
72 ≥1150 ≥1700
61 ≥1090 ≥1600
48 ≥1010 ≥1500
36 ≥950 ≥1400
15 ≥810 ≥1200
4 ≥670 ≥1010
1 ≥520 ≥790
* The percentile of the perfect score was 99.98 on the 2400 scale and 99.93 on the 1600 scale.
The older SAT (before 1995) had a very high ceiling. In any given year, only seven of the million test-takers scored above 1580. A score above 1580 was equivalent to the 99.9995 percentile. [13]
[edit] Historical development
Mean SAT Scores by year[14] Year of
exam Reading
/Verbal
Score Math
Score
1972 530 509
1973 523 506
1974 521 505
1975 512 498
1976 509 497
1977 507 496
1978 507 494
1979 505 493
1980 502 492
1981 502 492
1982 504 493
1983 503 494
1984 504 497
1985 509 500
1986 509 500
1987 507 501
1988 505 501
1989 504 502
1990 500 501
1991 499 500
1992 500 501
1993 500 503
1994 499 504
1995 504 506
1996 505 508
1997 505 511
1998 505 512
1999 505 511
2000 505 514
2001 506 514
2002 504 516
2003 507 519
2004 508 518
2005 508 520
2006 503 518
Originally used mainly by colleges and universities in the north-eastern United States, and developed by Carl Brigham, one of the psychologists who worked on the Army Alpha and Beta tests, the SAT was originally developed as a way to eliminate test bias between people from different socio-economic backgrounds.
[edit] 1901 test
The College Board began on June 17, 1901, when 973 students took its first test, across 67 locations in the United States, and two in Europe. Although those taking the test came from a variety of backgrounds, approximately one third were from New York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania. The majority of those taking the test were from private schools, academies, or endowed schools. About 60% of those taking the test applied to Columbia University. The test contained sections on English, French, German, Latin, Greek, history, mathematics, chemistry, and physics. The test was not multiple choice, but instead was evaluated based on essay responses as "excellent," "good," "doubtful," "poor," or "very poor." [15]
[edit] 1926 test
The first administration of the SAT occurred on June 23, 1926, when it was known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test.[16][17] This test had sections of definitions, arithmetic, classification, artificial language, antonyms, number series, analogies, logical inference, and paragraph reading. It was administered to over 8,000 students at over 300 test centers. Men composed 60% of the test-takers. Slightly over a quarter of males and females applied to Yale University and Smith College respectively. [17] The test was paced considerably quickly, with 315 questions asked in only a little over an hour and a half.[16]
[edit] 1928 and 1929 tests
In 1928 the number of verbal sections was reduced to 7, and the time limit was increased to slightly under two hours. In 1929 the number of sections was again reduced, this time to 6. These changes in part loosened time constraints on test-takers. Math was eliminated entirely for these tests, instead focusing only on verbal ability.[16]
[edit] 1930 test and 1936 changes
In 1930 the SAT was first split into the verbal and math sections, a structure that would continue through 2004. The verbal section of the 1930 test covered a more narrow range on content than its predecessors, examining only antonyms, double definitions (somewhat similar to sentence completions), and paragraph reading. In 1936, analogies were re-added. Between 1936 and 1946, students had between 80 and 115 minutes to answer 250 verbal questions (over a third of which were on antonyms). The mathematics test introduced in 1930 contained 100 free response questions to be answered in 80 minutes, and focused primarily on speed. From 1936 to 1941, like the 1928 and 1929 tests, the mathematics section was eliminated entirely. When the mathematics portion of the test was re-added in 1942, it consisted of multiple choice questions.[16]
[edit] 1946 test and associated changes
Paragraph reading was eliminated from the verbal portion of the SAT in 1946, and replaced with reading comprehension, and "double definition" questions were replaced with sentence completions. Between 1946 and 1957 students were given 90 to 100 minutes to complete 107 to 170 verbal questions. Starting in 1958 time limits became more stable, and for 17 years, until 1975, students had 75 minutes to answer 90 questions. In 1959 questions on data sufficiency were introduced to the mathematics section, and then replaced with quantitative comparisons in 1974. In 1974 both verbal and math sections were reduced from 75 minutes to 60 minutes each, with changes in test composition compensating for the decreased time.[16]
In the early 1990s, the SAT consisted of six sections: Two math sections (scored together on a 200–800 scale), two verbal sections (scored together on a 200–800 scale), the Test of Standard Written English (scored on a 20–60+ scale), and an equating section.
[edit] 1994 changes
In 1994 the verbal section received a dramatic change in focus. Among these changes were the removal of antonym questions, and an increased focus on passage reading. The mathematics section also saw a dramatic change in 1994, thanks in part to pressure from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. For the first time since 1935, the SAT asked some non-multiple choice questions, instead requiring students to supply the answers. 1994 also saw the introduction of calculators into the mathematics section for the first time in the test's history. The mathematics section introduced concepts of probability, slope, elementary statistics, counting problems, median and mode.[16]
The average score on the 1994 modification of the SAT I was usually around 1000 (500 on the verbal, 500 on the math). The most selective schools in the United States (for example, those in the Ivy League) typically had SAT averages exceeding 1400 on the old test.
[edit] 2005 changes
In 2005, the test was changed again, largely in response to criticism by the University of California system.[18] Because of issues concerning ambiguous questions, especially analogies, certain types of questions were eliminated (the analogies form the verbal and quantitative comparisons from the Math section). The test was made marginally harder, as a corrective to the rising number of perfect scores. A new writing section, with an essay, based on the former SAT II Writing Subject Test, was added, in part to increase the chances of closing the opening gap between the highest and midrange scores. Other factors included the desire to test the writing ability of each student in a personal manner; hence the essay. The New SAT (known as the SAT Reasoning Test) was first offered on March 12, 2005, after the last administration of the "old" SAT in January of 2005. The Mathematics section was expanded to cover three years of high school mathematics. The Verbal section's name was changed to the Critical reading section.
[edit] Name changes and recentered scores
In 1990, because of uncertainty about the SAT's ability to function as an intelligence test, the name was changed to Scholastic Assessment Test. Finally, in 1994, the name was changed to simply SAT (with the letters not standing for anything). Now the test is commonly referred to as the SAT Reasoning Test.
The test scoring was initially scaled to make 500 the mean score on each section with a standard deviation of 100.[19] As the test grew more popular and more students from less rigorous schools began taking the test, the average dropped to about 428 Verbal and 478 Math. The SAT was "recentered" in 1995, and the average "new" score became again close to 500. Scores awarded after 1994 and before October 2001 are officially reported with an "R" (e.g. 1260R) to reflect this change. Old scores may be recentered to compare to 1995 to present scores by using official College Board tables[20] , which in the middle ranges add about 70 points to Verbal and 20 or 30 points to Math. In other words, current students have a 70 and 30 point advantage over their parents.
[edit] Scoring problems of October 2005 tests
In March of 2006, it was announced that a small percentage of the SATs taken in October 2005 had been scored incorrectly due to the test papers being moist and not scanning properly, and that some students had received substantially erroneous scores. The College Board announced they would change the scores for the students who were given a lower score than they earned, but at this point many of those students had already applied to colleges using their original scores. The College Board decided not to change the scores for the students who were given a higher score than they earned. A lawsuit was filed in 2005 by about 4,400 students who received an incorrect low score on the SAT. The class-action suit was settled in August 2007 when The College Board and another company that administers the college-admissions test announced they would pay $2.85 million to over 4,000 students. Under the agreement each student can either elect to receive $275 or submit a claim for more money if he or she feels the damage was even greater.[21]
[edit] Criticism
[edit] Bias
A famous example of alleged bias in the SAT I is the oarsman-regatta analogy question.[22] The object of the question was to find the pair of terms that have the relationship most similar to the relationship between "runner" and "marathon". The correct answer was "oarsman" and "regatta".
The question relied upon students knowing the meaning of the two terms, referring to a sport popular with the wealthy. Fifty-three percent (53%) of white students correctly answered the question, and 22% of black students did.[23] Analogy questions have since been replaced by short reading passages. Gaps in scoring between black students and white students persist.[24]
[edit] Dropping SAT
A few liberal arts colleges have responded to this criticism by joining the SAT optional movement. These colleges do not require the SAT for admission.
In a 2001 speech to the American Council on Education, Richard C. Atkinson, then president of the University of California, urged dropping the SAT Reasoning Test as a college admissions requirement:
"Anyone involved in education should be concerned about how overemphasis on the SAT is distorting educational priorities and practices, how the test is perceived by many as unfair, and how it can have a devastating impact on the self-esteem and aspirations of young students. There is widespread agreement that overemphasis on the SAT harms American education."[25]
In response to threats by the University of California to drop the SAT as an admission requirement, the College Entrance Examination Board announced the restructuring of the SAT, to take effect in March 2005, as detailed above.
[edit] Essay
In 2005, MIT Writing Director Les Perelman plotted essay length versus essay score on the new SAT from released essays and found a high correlation between them. After studying 23 graded essays he found that the longer the essay was, the higher the score. He also discovered that several of these essays were full of factual errors. However, the official SAT guide for scorers state that the essays should be scored according to their quality of writing and not factual accuracy. The National Council of Teachers of English also criticize the 25-minute writing section of the test, arguing that the basic principles of writing encourage the revision of written material several times. They say that the amount of time allowed for the test pushes schools to develop a formulaic system of writing.[26]
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The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a non-profit organization in the United States,[1] and was once developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). ETS now administers the exam.
The current SAT Reasoning Test is administered in about 4 hours and costs $43 ($68 International),[2] excluding late fees. Since the SAT's introduction in 1901, its name and scoring has changed several times. In 2005, the test was renamed as "SAT Reasoning Test" with possible scores from 600 to 2400 combining test results from three 800-point sections (math, critical reading, and writing)[1], along with other subsections scored separately (see details below).
Function
The College Board states that the SAT measures critical thinking skills that are needed for academic success in college. They state that the SAT assesses how well the test takers analyze and solve problems—skills they learned in school that they will need in college. The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors.[3] Specifically, the College Board states that use of the SAT in combination with high school grade point average (GPA) provides a better indicator of success in college than high school grades alone, as measured by college freshman GPA. Various studies conducted over the lifetime of the SAT show a statistically significant increase in correlation of high school grades and freshman grades when the SAT is factored in.[4]
There are substantial differences in funding, curricula, grading, and difficulty among U.S. secondary schools due to American federalism, local control, and the prevalence of private, distance, and home schooled students. ACT/SAT scores are intended to supplement the secondary school record and help admission officers put local data—such as course work, grades, and class rank—in a national perspective.[5]
Historically, the SAT has been more popular among colleges in the coasts and the ACT more popular in the Midwest and South. There are some colleges that require the ACT to be taken for college course placement, and a few schools that do not accept the SAT at all. [6]
[edit] Structure
SAT consists of three major sections: Mathematics, Critical Reading, and Writing. Each section receives a score on the scale of 200–800. All scores are multiples of 10. Total scores are calculated by adding up scores of the three sections. Each major section is divided into three parts. There are 10 sub-sections, including an additional 25-minute experimental or "equating" section that may be in any of the three major sections. The experimental section is used to normalize questions for future administrations of the SAT and does not count toward the final score. The test contains 3 hours and 45 minutes of actual timed sections,[7] although most administrations, including orientation, distribution of materials, and completion of the biographical sections, run about 4 hours (10–25 minutes per sub-section) long.
Critical Reading
The Critical Reading, formerly verbal, section of the SAT is made up of three scored sections, two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section, with varying types of questions, including sentence completions and questions about short and long reading passages. Critical Reading sections normally begin with 5 to 8 sentence completion questions; the remainder of the questions are focused on the reading passages. Sentence completions generally test the student's vocabulary and understanding of sentence structure and organization by requiring the student to select one or two words that best complete a given sentence. The bulk of the Critical Reading questions is made up of questions regarding reading passages, in which students read short excerpts on social sciences, humanities, physical sciences, or personal narratives and answer questions based on the passage. Certain sections contain passages asking the student to compare two related passages; generally, these consist of short reading passages as well as longer passages. Since this is a timed test, the number of questions about each passage is proportional to the length of the passage.
[edit] Mathematics
The Mathematics sections of the SAT consists of three scored sections. There are two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section, as follows:
* One of the 25-minute sections is entirely multiple choice, with 20 questions.
* The other 25-minute section contains eight multiple choice questions and 10 grid-in questions.
* The shorter section is all multiple choice, with only 16 questions.
Notably, the SAT has done away with quantitative comparison questions on the math section, leaving only questions with straightforward symbolic or numerical answers. Since the quantitative comparison questions were well-known for their deceptive nature—often turning on the student's recognition of a single exception to a rule or pattern—this choice has been equated to a philosophical shift away from "trickery" and toward "straight math" on the SAT. Also, many test experts have attributed this change, like the addition of the new writing section, to an attempt to make the SAT more like the ACT. Indeed, there is a correlation between ACT scores and SAT scores.[8][9]
[edit] Writing
The writing section of the SAT, based on but not directly comparable to the old SAT II subject test in writing, includes multiple choice questions and a brief essay. The multiple choice questions include error identification questions, sentence improvement questions, and paragraph improvement questions. Error identification and sentence improvement questions test the student's knowledge of grammar, presenting an awkward or grammatically incorrect sentence; in the error identification section, the student must locate the word producing the source of the error or indicate that the sentence has no error, while the sentence improvement section requires the student to select an acceptable fix to the awkward sentence. The paragraph improvement questions test the student's understanding of logical organization of ideas, presenting a poorly written student essay and asking a series of questions as to what changes might be made to best improve it.
The essay section, which is always administered as the first section of the test, is 25 minutes long. All essays must be in response to a given prompt. The prompts are broad and often philosophical and are designed to be accessible to students regardless of their educational and social backgrounds. For instance, test takers may be asked to expound on such ideas as their opinion on the value of work in human life or whether technological change also carries negative consequences to those who benefit from it. No particular essay structure is required, and the College Board accepts examples "taken from [the student's] reading, studies, experience, or observations." Two trained readers assign each essay a score between 1 and 6, where a score of 0 is reserved for essays that are blank, off-topic, non-English, not written with a Number 2 pencil, or considered illegible after several attempts at reading. The scores are summed to produce a final score from 2 to 12 (or 0). If the two readers' scores differ by more than one point, then a senior third reader decides. The essay score accounts for roughly 30% of the writing score; the multiple choice component accounts for roughly 70%.
[edit] Questions
Most of the questions on the SAT are multiple choice; all multiple-choice questions have five answer choices, one of which is correct. The questions of each section of the same type are generally ordered by difficulty. However, an important exception exists: Questions that follow the long and short reading passages are organized chronologically, rather than by difficulty. Ten of the questions in one of the math sub-sections are not multiple choice. They instead require the test taker to bubble in a number in a four-column grid.
The questions are weighted equally. For each correct answer, one raw point is added. For each incorrect answer one-fourth of a point is deducted. No points are deducted for incorrect math grid-in questions. This ensures that a student's mathematically expected gain from guessing is zero. The final score is derived from the raw score; the precise conversion chart varies between test administrations.
The SAT therefore recommends only making educated guesses, that is, when the test taker can eliminate at least one answer he or she thinks is wrong. Without eliminating any answers one's probability of answering correctly is 20%. Eliminating one wrong answer increases this probability to 25%; two, a 33.3% probability; three, a 50% probability of choosing the correct answer and thus earning the full point for the question.
Section Average Score Time (Minutes) Content
Writing 497 60 Grammar, usage, and word choice
Mathematics 518 70 Number and operations; algebra and functions; geometry; statistics, probability, and data analysis
Critical Reading 503 70 Critical reading and sentence-level reading
[edit] Taking the test
The SAT is offered seven times a year in the United States, in October, November, December, January, March (or April, alternating), May, and June. The test is typically offered on the first Saturday of the month for the November, December, May, and June administrations. In other countries, the SAT is offered on the same dates as in the United States except for the first spring test date (i.e., March or April), which is not offered. In 2006, the test was taken 1,465,744 times.[10]
Candidates may either take the SAT Reasoning Test or up to three SAT Subject Tests on any given test date, except the first spring test date, when only the SAT Reasoning Test is offered. Candidates wishing to take the test may register online at the College Board's website, by mail, or by telephone, at least three weeks before the test date.
The SAT Subject Tests are all given in one large book on test day. Therefore, it is actually immaterial which tests, and how many, the student signs up for; with the possible exception of the language tests with listening, the student may change his or her mind and take any tests, regardless of his or her initial sign-ups.
The SAT Reasoning Test costs $43 ($68 International). For the Subject tests, students pay a $20 Basic Registration Fee and $8 per test (except for language tests with listening, which cost $20 each).[2] The College Board makes fee waivers available for low income students. Additional fees apply for late registration, standby testing, registration changes, scores by telephone, and extra score reports (beyond the four provided for free).
Candidates whose religious beliefs prevent them from taking the test on a Saturday may request to take the test on the following Sunday, except for the October test date in which the Sunday test date is eight days after the main test offering. Such requests must be made at the time of registration and are subject to denial.
Students with verifiable disabilities, including physical and learning disabilities, are eligible to take the SAT with accommodations. The standard time increase for students requiring additional time due to learning disabilities is 50%.
[edit] Raw scores, scaled scores, and percentiles
Students receive their online score report approximately three weeks after administration of the test (six weeks for mailed, paper scores), with each section graded on a scale of 200–800 and two sub scores for the writing section: the essay score and the multiple choice sub score. In addition to their score, students receive their percentile (the percentage of other test takers with lower scores). The raw score, or the number of points gained from correct answers and lost from incorrect answers (ranges from just under 50 to just under 60, depending upon the test), is also included.[11] Students may also receive, for an additional fee, the Question and Answer Service, which provides the student's answer, the correct answer to each question, and online resources explaining each question.
The corresponding percentile of each scaled score varies from test to test—for example, in 2003, a scaled score of 800 in both sections of the SAT Reasoning Test corresponded to a percentile of 99.9, while a scaled score of 800 in the SAT Physics Test corresponded to the 94th percentile. The differences in what scores mean with regard to percentiles are because of the content of the exam and the caliber of students choosing to take each exam. Subject Tests are subject to intensive study (often in the form of an AP, which is relatively more difficult), and only those who know they will perform well tend to take these tests, creating a skewed or non-linear distribution of scores.
The percentiles that various SAT scores for college-bound seniors correspond to are summarized in the following chart:[12][10]
Percentile Score, 1600 Scale
(official, 2006) Score, 2400 Scale
(official, 2006)
99.93/99.98* 1600 2400
99+ ≥1550 ≥2300
99 ≥1480 ≥2200
98 ≥1450 ≥2140
97 ≥1420 ≥2100
88 ≥1380 ≥1900
83 ≥1280 ≥1800
78 ≥1200 ≥1770
72 ≥1150 ≥1700
61 ≥1090 ≥1600
48 ≥1010 ≥1500
36 ≥950 ≥1400
15 ≥810 ≥1200
4 ≥670 ≥1010
1 ≥520 ≥790
* The percentile of the perfect score was 99.98 on the 2400 scale and 99.93 on the 1600 scale.
The older SAT (before 1995) had a very high ceiling. In any given year, only seven of the million test-takers scored above 1580. A score above 1580 was equivalent to the 99.9995 percentile. [13]
[edit] Historical development
Mean SAT Scores by year[14] Year of
exam Reading
/Verbal
Score Math
Score
1972 530 509
1973 523 506
1974 521 505
1975 512 498
1976 509 497
1977 507 496
1978 507 494
1979 505 493
1980 502 492
1981 502 492
1982 504 493
1983 503 494
1984 504 497
1985 509 500
1986 509 500
1987 507 501
1988 505 501
1989 504 502
1990 500 501
1991 499 500
1992 500 501
1993 500 503
1994 499 504
1995 504 506
1996 505 508
1997 505 511
1998 505 512
1999 505 511
2000 505 514
2001 506 514
2002 504 516
2003 507 519
2004 508 518
2005 508 520
2006 503 518
Originally used mainly by colleges and universities in the north-eastern United States, and developed by Carl Brigham, one of the psychologists who worked on the Army Alpha and Beta tests, the SAT was originally developed as a way to eliminate test bias between people from different socio-economic backgrounds.
[edit] 1901 test
The College Board began on June 17, 1901, when 973 students took its first test, across 67 locations in the United States, and two in Europe. Although those taking the test came from a variety of backgrounds, approximately one third were from New York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania. The majority of those taking the test were from private schools, academies, or endowed schools. About 60% of those taking the test applied to Columbia University. The test contained sections on English, French, German, Latin, Greek, history, mathematics, chemistry, and physics. The test was not multiple choice, but instead was evaluated based on essay responses as "excellent," "good," "doubtful," "poor," or "very poor." [15]
[edit] 1926 test
The first administration of the SAT occurred on June 23, 1926, when it was known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test.[16][17] This test had sections of definitions, arithmetic, classification, artificial language, antonyms, number series, analogies, logical inference, and paragraph reading. It was administered to over 8,000 students at over 300 test centers. Men composed 60% of the test-takers. Slightly over a quarter of males and females applied to Yale University and Smith College respectively. [17] The test was paced considerably quickly, with 315 questions asked in only a little over an hour and a half.[16]
[edit] 1928 and 1929 tests
In 1928 the number of verbal sections was reduced to 7, and the time limit was increased to slightly under two hours. In 1929 the number of sections was again reduced, this time to 6. These changes in part loosened time constraints on test-takers. Math was eliminated entirely for these tests, instead focusing only on verbal ability.[16]
[edit] 1930 test and 1936 changes
In 1930 the SAT was first split into the verbal and math sections, a structure that would continue through 2004. The verbal section of the 1930 test covered a more narrow range on content than its predecessors, examining only antonyms, double definitions (somewhat similar to sentence completions), and paragraph reading. In 1936, analogies were re-added. Between 1936 and 1946, students had between 80 and 115 minutes to answer 250 verbal questions (over a third of which were on antonyms). The mathematics test introduced in 1930 contained 100 free response questions to be answered in 80 minutes, and focused primarily on speed. From 1936 to 1941, like the 1928 and 1929 tests, the mathematics section was eliminated entirely. When the mathematics portion of the test was re-added in 1942, it consisted of multiple choice questions.[16]
[edit] 1946 test and associated changes
Paragraph reading was eliminated from the verbal portion of the SAT in 1946, and replaced with reading comprehension, and "double definition" questions were replaced with sentence completions. Between 1946 and 1957 students were given 90 to 100 minutes to complete 107 to 170 verbal questions. Starting in 1958 time limits became more stable, and for 17 years, until 1975, students had 75 minutes to answer 90 questions. In 1959 questions on data sufficiency were introduced to the mathematics section, and then replaced with quantitative comparisons in 1974. In 1974 both verbal and math sections were reduced from 75 minutes to 60 minutes each, with changes in test composition compensating for the decreased time.[16]
In the early 1990s, the SAT consisted of six sections: Two math sections (scored together on a 200–800 scale), two verbal sections (scored together on a 200–800 scale), the Test of Standard Written English (scored on a 20–60+ scale), and an equating section.
[edit] 1994 changes
In 1994 the verbal section received a dramatic change in focus. Among these changes were the removal of antonym questions, and an increased focus on passage reading. The mathematics section also saw a dramatic change in 1994, thanks in part to pressure from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. For the first time since 1935, the SAT asked some non-multiple choice questions, instead requiring students to supply the answers. 1994 also saw the introduction of calculators into the mathematics section for the first time in the test's history. The mathematics section introduced concepts of probability, slope, elementary statistics, counting problems, median and mode.[16]
The average score on the 1994 modification of the SAT I was usually around 1000 (500 on the verbal, 500 on the math). The most selective schools in the United States (for example, those in the Ivy League) typically had SAT averages exceeding 1400 on the old test.
[edit] 2005 changes
In 2005, the test was changed again, largely in response to criticism by the University of California system.[18] Because of issues concerning ambiguous questions, especially analogies, certain types of questions were eliminated (the analogies form the verbal and quantitative comparisons from the Math section). The test was made marginally harder, as a corrective to the rising number of perfect scores. A new writing section, with an essay, based on the former SAT II Writing Subject Test, was added, in part to increase the chances of closing the opening gap between the highest and midrange scores. Other factors included the desire to test the writing ability of each student in a personal manner; hence the essay. The New SAT (known as the SAT Reasoning Test) was first offered on March 12, 2005, after the last administration of the "old" SAT in January of 2005. The Mathematics section was expanded to cover three years of high school mathematics. The Verbal section's name was changed to the Critical reading section.
[edit] Name changes and recentered scores
In 1990, because of uncertainty about the SAT's ability to function as an intelligence test, the name was changed to Scholastic Assessment Test. Finally, in 1994, the name was changed to simply SAT (with the letters not standing for anything). Now the test is commonly referred to as the SAT Reasoning Test.
The test scoring was initially scaled to make 500 the mean score on each section with a standard deviation of 100.[19] As the test grew more popular and more students from less rigorous schools began taking the test, the average dropped to about 428 Verbal and 478 Math. The SAT was "recentered" in 1995, and the average "new" score became again close to 500. Scores awarded after 1994 and before October 2001 are officially reported with an "R" (e.g. 1260R) to reflect this change. Old scores may be recentered to compare to 1995 to present scores by using official College Board tables[20] , which in the middle ranges add about 70 points to Verbal and 20 or 30 points to Math. In other words, current students have a 70 and 30 point advantage over their parents.
[edit] Scoring problems of October 2005 tests
In March of 2006, it was announced that a small percentage of the SATs taken in October 2005 had been scored incorrectly due to the test papers being moist and not scanning properly, and that some students had received substantially erroneous scores. The College Board announced they would change the scores for the students who were given a lower score than they earned, but at this point many of those students had already applied to colleges using their original scores. The College Board decided not to change the scores for the students who were given a higher score than they earned. A lawsuit was filed in 2005 by about 4,400 students who received an incorrect low score on the SAT. The class-action suit was settled in August 2007 when The College Board and another company that administers the college-admissions test announced they would pay $2.85 million to over 4,000 students. Under the agreement each student can either elect to receive $275 or submit a claim for more money if he or she feels the damage was even greater.[21]
[edit] Criticism
[edit] Bias
A famous example of alleged bias in the SAT I is the oarsman-regatta analogy question.[22] The object of the question was to find the pair of terms that have the relationship most similar to the relationship between "runner" and "marathon". The correct answer was "oarsman" and "regatta".
The question relied upon students knowing the meaning of the two terms, referring to a sport popular with the wealthy. Fifty-three percent (53%) of white students correctly answered the question, and 22% of black students did.[23] Analogy questions have since been replaced by short reading passages. Gaps in scoring between black students and white students persist.[24]
[edit] Dropping SAT
A few liberal arts colleges have responded to this criticism by joining the SAT optional movement. These colleges do not require the SAT for admission.
In a 2001 speech to the American Council on Education, Richard C. Atkinson, then president of the University of California, urged dropping the SAT Reasoning Test as a college admissions requirement:
"Anyone involved in education should be concerned about how overemphasis on the SAT is distorting educational priorities and practices, how the test is perceived by many as unfair, and how it can have a devastating impact on the self-esteem and aspirations of young students. There is widespread agreement that overemphasis on the SAT harms American education."[25]
In response to threats by the University of California to drop the SAT as an admission requirement, the College Entrance Examination Board announced the restructuring of the SAT, to take effect in March 2005, as detailed above.
[edit] Essay
In 2005, MIT Writing Director Les Perelman plotted essay length versus essay score on the new SAT from released essays and found a high correlation between them. After studying 23 graded essays he found that the longer the essay was, the higher the score. He also discovered that several of these essays were full of factual errors. However, the official SAT guide for scorers state that the essays should be scored according to their quality of writing and not factual accuracy. The National Council of Teachers of English also criticize the 25-minute writing section of the test, arguing that the basic principles of writing encourage the revision of written material several times. They say that the amount of time allowed for the test pushes schools to develop a formulaic system of writing.[26]
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Graduate Management Admission Test
This article can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Management_Admission_Test
"The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT, pronounced G-mat) is a standardized test for measuring aptitude to succeed academically in graduate business studies. Business schools commonly use the test as one of many selection criteria for admission into an MBA program. It is given at various locations in the United States, Canada and around the world. Throughout North America and in many international locations, the GMAT is administered only via computer. In those international locations where an extensive network of computers has not yet been established, the GMAT is offered either at temporary computer-based testing centers on a limited schedule or as a paper-based test (given once or twice a year) at local testing centers. As of 2007, the fee to take the test is U.S. $250 worldwide.
The Test
The exam measures basic verbal, mathematical and analytical writing skills that the examinee has developed over a long period of time in his/her education and work. It does not measure specific knowledge of business, job skills, or subjective qualities such as motivation, creativity, and interpersonal skills. If a test taker's first language is not English, he or she may still perform well on the exam; however, the GMAT exam may not accurately reflect the abilities of someone whose first language is not English. Business Schools with a high proportion of non-native English speaking students tend to have a lower average GMAT score.
Scores are valid for five years (at most institutions) from the date the test taker sits for the exam until the date of matriculation (not until the date of application). The Stanford University Graduate School of Business website offers a "test results calculator" [2] useful for determining the expiration date of test scores.
Verbal Section
The verbal section consists of 41 multiple choice questions, which must be answered within 75 minutes. There are three types of questions: sentence correction, critical reasoning and reading comprehension. The verbal section is scored from 0 to 60 points with a current mean of 27.3/60.
* Sentence Correction
This tests grammar and expression. Sentence correction items consist of a sentence, all or part of which has been underlined, with five associated answer choices. The test taker must choose the best way of rendering the underlined part. This question type tests the ability to recognize standard Written English. The task is to evaluate the grammar, logic, and effectiveness of a given sentence and to choose the best of several suggested revisions. Choice (A) repeats the original; the other answer choices vary. It tests the ability to recognize correct and effective expression. It follows the requirements of Standard Written English: grammar, word choice and sentence construction. The goal is to choose the answer that results in the clearest, most exact sentence and does not change the meaning of the original sentence.
* Critical Reasoning
This tests logical thinking. Critical thinking items present an argument that the test taker is asked to analyze. Questions may require to draw a conclusion, to identify assumptions, or to recognize strengths or weaknesses in the argument. It presents brief statements or arguments and ask to evaluate the form or content of the statement or argument. Questions of this type ask the examinee to analyze and evaluate the reasoning in short paragraphs or passages. For some questions, all of the answer choices may conceivably be answers to the question asked. The examinee should select the best answer to the question, that is, an answer that does not require making assumptions that violate common sense standards by being implausible, redundant, irrelevant, or inconsistent.
* Reading Comprehension
This tests the ability to read critically. Reading comprehension questions relate to a passage that is provided for the examinee to read. The passage can be about almost anything, and the questions about it tests how well the examinee understands the passage and the information in it. As the name implies, it tests the ability of the examinee to understand the substance and logical structure of a written selection. The GMAT uses reading passages of approximately 200 to 350 words. Each passage has three or more questions based on its content. The questions ask about the main point of the passage, about what the author specifically states, about what can be logically inferred from the passage, and about the author's attitude or tone.
Quantitative Section
The quantitative section consists of 37 multiple choice questions, which must be answered within 75 minutes. There are two types of questions: problem solving and data sufficiency. The quantitative section is scored from 0 to 60 points and the current mean score is 35.0/60.
* Problem Solving
This tests the quantitative reasoning ability. Problem-solving questions present multiple-choice problems in arithmetic, basic algebra, and elementary geometry. The task is to solve the problems and choose the correct answer from among five answer choices. Some problems will be plain mathematical calculations; the rest will be presented as real life word problems that will require mathematical solutions.
Numbers: All numbers used are real numbers.
Figures: The diagrams and figures that accompany these questions are for the purpose of providing useful information in answering the questions. Unless it is stated that a specific figure is not drawn to scale, the diagrams and figures are drawn as accurately as possible. All figures are in a plane unless otherwise indicated.
* Data Sufficiency
This tests the quantitative reasoning ability using an unusual set of directions. The examinee is given a question with two associated statements that provide information that might be useful in answering the question. The examinee then must determine whether either statement alone is sufficient to answer the question; whether both are needed to answer the question; or whether there is not enough information given to answer the question.
Data sufficiency is a unique type of math question created especially for the GMAT. Each item consists of the questions itself followed by two numbered statements. The examinee must decide whether the statements — either individually or in combination — provide enough information to answer the question.
(A) If statement 1 alone is sufficient to answer the question, but statement 2 alone is not sufficient.
(B) If statement 2 alone is sufficient to answer the question, but statement 1 alone is not sufficient.
(C) If both statements together are needed to answer the question, but neither statement alone is sufficient.
(D) If either statement by itself is sufficient to answer the question.
(E) If not enough facts are given to answer the question.
Analytical Writing Assessment
The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the test consists of two essays. In the first, the student must analyze an argument and in the second the student must analyze an issue. Each essay must be written within 30 minutes and is scored on a scale of 0-6. The essay is read by two readers who each mark the essay with a grade from 0-6, in 0.5 point increments with a mean score of 4.1. If the two scores are within one point of each other, they are averaged. If there is more than one point difference, the essays are read by a third reader.[2]
The first reader is Intellimetric, a proprietary computer program developed by Vantage Learning, which analyzes creative writing and syntax of more than 50 linguistic and structural features.[3] The second and third readers are humans, who evaluate the quality of the examinee's ideas and his or her ability to organize, develop and express ideas with relevant support. While mastery of the conventions of written English factor into scoring, minor errors are expected, and evaluators are trained to be sensitive to examinees whose first language is not English.[2]
Most business schools don't weigh the AWA as heavily as the verbal and quantitative sections of the test. Some schools ignore the AWA altogether.
Each of the two essays in the Analytical Writing Part of the test is graded on a scale of 0 (the minimum) to 6 (the maximum):
* 0 An essay that is totally illegible or obviously not written on the assigned topic.
* 1 An essay that is fundamentally deficient.
* 2 An essay that is seriously flawed.
* 3 An essay that is seriously limited.
* 4 An essay that is merely adequate.
* 5 An essay that is strong.
* 6 An essay that is outstanding.
Total Score
The "Total Score", comprising the quantitative and verbal sections, is exclusive of the analytical writing assessment (AWA), and ranges from 200 to 800. About two-thirds of test takers score between 400 and 600. The score distribution resembles a bell curve with a standard deviation of approximately 100 points, meaning that the test is designed for 68% of examinees to score between 400 and 600, while the median score was originally designed to be near 500. The 2005/2006 mean score was 533.[4]
The quantitative and verbal sections comprise a computer-adaptive test. The first question may be difficult. The next few questions in each section may be around the 500 level. If the examinee answers correctly, the next questions are harder. If the examinee answers incorrectly, the next questions are easier. The questions are pulled from a large pool of questions and delivered depending on the student's running score. These questions are regularly updated to prevent them from being compromised by students recording questions.
The final score is not based solely on the last question the examinee answers (i.e. - the level of difficulty of questions reached through the computer-adaptive presentation of questions). The algorithm used to build a score is more complicated than that. The examinee can make a silly mistake and answer incorrectly and the computer will recognize that item as an anomaly. If the examinee misses the first question his score will not necessarily fall in the bottom half of the range. However the first 5 questions are important as a whole because they go a long way to determining the score potential.
Also, questions left blank (that is, those not reached) hurt the examinee more than questions answered incorrectly. This is a major contrast to the SAT, which has a wrong-answer penalty. Each test section also includes several experimental questions, which do not count toward the examinee's score, but are included to judge the appropriateness of the item for future administrations.
Verbal and Quantitative Sections
They range from 0 to 60. Verbal scores below 9 and above 44 and Quantitative scores below 7 and above 50 are rare. Verbal and Quantitative scores measure different skills and cannot be compared with one another.
Analytical Writing Assessment
They range from 0 to 6 and represent the average of the ratings from the two GMAT essays. Because the essays are scored so differently from the verbal and Quantitative sections, essay scores are not included in the total score.
Required Scores
Most schools do not publish a minimum acceptable score or detailed statistics about the scores achieved by applicants. However, schools do generally publish the average and median score of their latest intake, which can be used as a guide.
At nearly all of the top business schools that are commonly listed in popular magazines and ranking services, the scores will average in the upper 600s or low 700s. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, commonly regarded as one of the top business schools in the US,[5] reports an average score of 713;[6] Harvard Business School, a top tier U.S. business school, reports a 2006 average of 707. [7] INSEAD, Europe's leading business school with a highly multinational student body, reports a 2005 average of 705.[8]
It may be possible to overcome a low test score with impressive real world accomplishments, good undergraduate performance, outstanding references, or particularly strong application essays.
History of the Graduate Management Admission Test
In 1953, the organization now called the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) began as an association of nine business schools, whose goal was to develop a standardized test to help business schools select qualified applicants. In the first year it was offered, the assessment (now known as the Graduate Management Admission Test), was taken just over 2,000 times; in recent years, it has been taken more than 200,000 times annually. Initially used in admissions by 54 schools, the test is now used by more than 1,500 schools and 1,800 programs worldwide.
Until the end of 2005, Educational Testing Service (ETS) developed and administered the exam. On January 1, 2006, GMAC transitioned vendors to a combination of ACT Inc, which develops the test questions and CAT software, and Pearson Vue, which delivers the exam at testing centers worldwide.
Registration and preparation
The test taker can register in either of the following two ways:
* Online at mba.com test registration by credit card
* By calling one of the test centers listed on mba.com
To schedule a test, an appointment must be made at one of the designated test centers. While it is possible to make the appointment even just a few days before you would like to take the test, it is better to schedule a few weeks in advance to ensure an appointment that is convenient for the student.
Companies such as Kaplan Inc., Princeton Review, and Manhattan GMAT have different test preparation options available, which may include self-study using GMAT books, classroom GMAT preparation courses (live or online), online preparation courses, or private tutoring.
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"The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT, pronounced G-mat) is a standardized test for measuring aptitude to succeed academically in graduate business studies. Business schools commonly use the test as one of many selection criteria for admission into an MBA program. It is given at various locations in the United States, Canada and around the world. Throughout North America and in many international locations, the GMAT is administered only via computer. In those international locations where an extensive network of computers has not yet been established, the GMAT is offered either at temporary computer-based testing centers on a limited schedule or as a paper-based test (given once or twice a year) at local testing centers. As of 2007, the fee to take the test is U.S. $250 worldwide.
The Test
The exam measures basic verbal, mathematical and analytical writing skills that the examinee has developed over a long period of time in his/her education and work. It does not measure specific knowledge of business, job skills, or subjective qualities such as motivation, creativity, and interpersonal skills. If a test taker's first language is not English, he or she may still perform well on the exam; however, the GMAT exam may not accurately reflect the abilities of someone whose first language is not English. Business Schools with a high proportion of non-native English speaking students tend to have a lower average GMAT score.
Scores are valid for five years (at most institutions) from the date the test taker sits for the exam until the date of matriculation (not until the date of application). The Stanford University Graduate School of Business website offers a "test results calculator" [2] useful for determining the expiration date of test scores.
Verbal Section
The verbal section consists of 41 multiple choice questions, which must be answered within 75 minutes. There are three types of questions: sentence correction, critical reasoning and reading comprehension. The verbal section is scored from 0 to 60 points with a current mean of 27.3/60.
* Sentence Correction
This tests grammar and expression. Sentence correction items consist of a sentence, all or part of which has been underlined, with five associated answer choices. The test taker must choose the best way of rendering the underlined part. This question type tests the ability to recognize standard Written English. The task is to evaluate the grammar, logic, and effectiveness of a given sentence and to choose the best of several suggested revisions. Choice (A) repeats the original; the other answer choices vary. It tests the ability to recognize correct and effective expression. It follows the requirements of Standard Written English: grammar, word choice and sentence construction. The goal is to choose the answer that results in the clearest, most exact sentence and does not change the meaning of the original sentence.
* Critical Reasoning
This tests logical thinking. Critical thinking items present an argument that the test taker is asked to analyze. Questions may require to draw a conclusion, to identify assumptions, or to recognize strengths or weaknesses in the argument. It presents brief statements or arguments and ask to evaluate the form or content of the statement or argument. Questions of this type ask the examinee to analyze and evaluate the reasoning in short paragraphs or passages. For some questions, all of the answer choices may conceivably be answers to the question asked. The examinee should select the best answer to the question, that is, an answer that does not require making assumptions that violate common sense standards by being implausible, redundant, irrelevant, or inconsistent.
* Reading Comprehension
This tests the ability to read critically. Reading comprehension questions relate to a passage that is provided for the examinee to read. The passage can be about almost anything, and the questions about it tests how well the examinee understands the passage and the information in it. As the name implies, it tests the ability of the examinee to understand the substance and logical structure of a written selection. The GMAT uses reading passages of approximately 200 to 350 words. Each passage has three or more questions based on its content. The questions ask about the main point of the passage, about what the author specifically states, about what can be logically inferred from the passage, and about the author's attitude or tone.
Quantitative Section
The quantitative section consists of 37 multiple choice questions, which must be answered within 75 minutes. There are two types of questions: problem solving and data sufficiency. The quantitative section is scored from 0 to 60 points and the current mean score is 35.0/60.
* Problem Solving
This tests the quantitative reasoning ability. Problem-solving questions present multiple-choice problems in arithmetic, basic algebra, and elementary geometry. The task is to solve the problems and choose the correct answer from among five answer choices. Some problems will be plain mathematical calculations; the rest will be presented as real life word problems that will require mathematical solutions.
Numbers: All numbers used are real numbers.
Figures: The diagrams and figures that accompany these questions are for the purpose of providing useful information in answering the questions. Unless it is stated that a specific figure is not drawn to scale, the diagrams and figures are drawn as accurately as possible. All figures are in a plane unless otherwise indicated.
* Data Sufficiency
This tests the quantitative reasoning ability using an unusual set of directions. The examinee is given a question with two associated statements that provide information that might be useful in answering the question. The examinee then must determine whether either statement alone is sufficient to answer the question; whether both are needed to answer the question; or whether there is not enough information given to answer the question.
Data sufficiency is a unique type of math question created especially for the GMAT. Each item consists of the questions itself followed by two numbered statements. The examinee must decide whether the statements — either individually or in combination — provide enough information to answer the question.
(A) If statement 1 alone is sufficient to answer the question, but statement 2 alone is not sufficient.
(B) If statement 2 alone is sufficient to answer the question, but statement 1 alone is not sufficient.
(C) If both statements together are needed to answer the question, but neither statement alone is sufficient.
(D) If either statement by itself is sufficient to answer the question.
(E) If not enough facts are given to answer the question.
Analytical Writing Assessment
The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the test consists of two essays. In the first, the student must analyze an argument and in the second the student must analyze an issue. Each essay must be written within 30 minutes and is scored on a scale of 0-6. The essay is read by two readers who each mark the essay with a grade from 0-6, in 0.5 point increments with a mean score of 4.1. If the two scores are within one point of each other, they are averaged. If there is more than one point difference, the essays are read by a third reader.[2]
The first reader is Intellimetric, a proprietary computer program developed by Vantage Learning, which analyzes creative writing and syntax of more than 50 linguistic and structural features.[3] The second and third readers are humans, who evaluate the quality of the examinee's ideas and his or her ability to organize, develop and express ideas with relevant support. While mastery of the conventions of written English factor into scoring, minor errors are expected, and evaluators are trained to be sensitive to examinees whose first language is not English.[2]
Most business schools don't weigh the AWA as heavily as the verbal and quantitative sections of the test. Some schools ignore the AWA altogether.
Each of the two essays in the Analytical Writing Part of the test is graded on a scale of 0 (the minimum) to 6 (the maximum):
* 0 An essay that is totally illegible or obviously not written on the assigned topic.
* 1 An essay that is fundamentally deficient.
* 2 An essay that is seriously flawed.
* 3 An essay that is seriously limited.
* 4 An essay that is merely adequate.
* 5 An essay that is strong.
* 6 An essay that is outstanding.
Total Score
The "Total Score", comprising the quantitative and verbal sections, is exclusive of the analytical writing assessment (AWA), and ranges from 200 to 800. About two-thirds of test takers score between 400 and 600. The score distribution resembles a bell curve with a standard deviation of approximately 100 points, meaning that the test is designed for 68% of examinees to score between 400 and 600, while the median score was originally designed to be near 500. The 2005/2006 mean score was 533.[4]
The quantitative and verbal sections comprise a computer-adaptive test. The first question may be difficult. The next few questions in each section may be around the 500 level. If the examinee answers correctly, the next questions are harder. If the examinee answers incorrectly, the next questions are easier. The questions are pulled from a large pool of questions and delivered depending on the student's running score. These questions are regularly updated to prevent them from being compromised by students recording questions.
The final score is not based solely on the last question the examinee answers (i.e. - the level of difficulty of questions reached through the computer-adaptive presentation of questions). The algorithm used to build a score is more complicated than that. The examinee can make a silly mistake and answer incorrectly and the computer will recognize that item as an anomaly. If the examinee misses the first question his score will not necessarily fall in the bottom half of the range. However the first 5 questions are important as a whole because they go a long way to determining the score potential.
Also, questions left blank (that is, those not reached) hurt the examinee more than questions answered incorrectly. This is a major contrast to the SAT, which has a wrong-answer penalty. Each test section also includes several experimental questions, which do not count toward the examinee's score, but are included to judge the appropriateness of the item for future administrations.
Verbal and Quantitative Sections
They range from 0 to 60. Verbal scores below 9 and above 44 and Quantitative scores below 7 and above 50 are rare. Verbal and Quantitative scores measure different skills and cannot be compared with one another.
Analytical Writing Assessment
They range from 0 to 6 and represent the average of the ratings from the two GMAT essays. Because the essays are scored so differently from the verbal and Quantitative sections, essay scores are not included in the total score.
Required Scores
Most schools do not publish a minimum acceptable score or detailed statistics about the scores achieved by applicants. However, schools do generally publish the average and median score of their latest intake, which can be used as a guide.
At nearly all of the top business schools that are commonly listed in popular magazines and ranking services, the scores will average in the upper 600s or low 700s. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, commonly regarded as one of the top business schools in the US,[5] reports an average score of 713;[6] Harvard Business School, a top tier U.S. business school, reports a 2006 average of 707. [7] INSEAD, Europe's leading business school with a highly multinational student body, reports a 2005 average of 705.[8]
It may be possible to overcome a low test score with impressive real world accomplishments, good undergraduate performance, outstanding references, or particularly strong application essays.
History of the Graduate Management Admission Test
In 1953, the organization now called the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) began as an association of nine business schools, whose goal was to develop a standardized test to help business schools select qualified applicants. In the first year it was offered, the assessment (now known as the Graduate Management Admission Test), was taken just over 2,000 times; in recent years, it has been taken more than 200,000 times annually. Initially used in admissions by 54 schools, the test is now used by more than 1,500 schools and 1,800 programs worldwide.
Until the end of 2005, Educational Testing Service (ETS) developed and administered the exam. On January 1, 2006, GMAC transitioned vendors to a combination of ACT Inc, which develops the test questions and CAT software, and Pearson Vue, which delivers the exam at testing centers worldwide.
Registration and preparation
The test taker can register in either of the following two ways:
* Online at mba.com test registration by credit card
* By calling one of the test centers listed on mba.com
To schedule a test, an appointment must be made at one of the designated test centers. While it is possible to make the appointment even just a few days before you would like to take the test, it is better to schedule a few weeks in advance to ensure an appointment that is convenient for the student.
Companies such as Kaplan Inc., Princeton Review, and Manhattan GMAT have different test preparation options available, which may include self-study using GMAT books, classroom GMAT preparation courses (live or online), online preparation courses, or private tutoring.
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Graduate Record Examination
This article is found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Record_Examination
The Graduate Record Examination or GRE is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools principally in the United States, but also in other English speaking countries[citation needed]. Created and administered by the Educational Testing Service (or ETS), the exam is primarily focused on testing abstract thinking skills in the areas of math, vocabulary, and analytical writing. The GRE is typically a computer-based exam that is administered by select qualified testing centers; however, paper-based exams are offered in areas of the world that lack the technological requirements.
In the graduate school admissions process, the level of emphasis that is placed upon GRE scores varies widely between schools and even departments within schools. The importance of a GRE score can range from being the most important selection factor to being a mere admission formality[citation needed].
Critics of the GRE have argued that the exam format is so rigid that it effectively tests only how well a student can conform to a standardized test taking procedure.[1] ETS responded by announcing plans in 2006 to radically redesign the test structure starting in the fall of 2007; however, the company has since announced, "Plans for launching an entirely new test all at once were dropped, and ETS decided to introduce new question types and improvements gradually over time." The new questions will begin to be introduced in November of 2007.[2]
Structure
The following section refers to the typical computer-based test. The structure of a paper-based test or a test with special accommodations will differ. See www.gre.org for details.
The exam consists of three graded sections, plus a required experimental section that is not included in the reported score. The three graded sections are analytic writing, verbal, and quantitative. The analytic writing section will always appear first, while the verbal, quantitative, and experimental sections may appear in any order on the test. An additional non-scored and clearly-marked optional research section may also appear at end of the test. The entire test procedure takes about 3 hours.[3]
[edit] Analytic Writing Section
The analytic writing section consists of two different essays, an "issue task" and an "argument task". The writing section is graded on a scale of 0-6, in half-point increments. The essays are written on a computer using a word processing program specifically designed by ETS. The program allows only basic computer functions and does not contain a spell-checker or other advanced features. Each essay is scored by at least two readers on a six-point holistic scale. If the two scores are within one point, the average of the scores is taken. If the two scores differ by more than a point, a third reader examines the response.
[edit] Issue Task
The test taker will be able to choose between two topics upon which to write an essay. The time allowed for this essay is 45 minutes.[4]
[edit] Argument Task
The test taker will be given an "argument" and the test taker will be asked to write an essay that explains why one "side" of the argument is superior. Typically, the task requires that the taker identify and critique the logical fallacies of the argument. The time alloted for this essay is 30 minutes.[5]
[edit] Verbal Section
One graded multiple-choice section is always a verbal section, consisting of analogies, antonyms, sentence completions, and reading comprehension passages. Multiple-choice response sections are graded on a scale of 200-800, in 10 point increments. This section primarily tests vocabulary, and average scores in this section are substantially lower than those in the quantitative section.[6] This section consists of 30 questions, and 30 minutes are alloted to complete the section.[7]
[edit] Quantitative Section
The quantitative section, the other multiple-choice section, consists of problem solving and quantitative comparison questions that test high-school level math. Multiple-choice response sections are graded on a scale of 200-800, in 10 point increments. This section consists of 28 questions, and test takers are given 45 minutes to complete the section.[8]
[edit] Experimental Section
The experimental section will be either a verbal or a quantitative section that contains new questions that ETS is considering for future test editions. This section will not count toward the test-taker's score; however, the section will appear identical to either the "actual" verbal or quantitative section and will likewise be a multiple-choice test with the same amount of questions and the same time allotment as the "real" verbal or quantitative section. The test taker will have no way of knowing which section is experimental, so the test taker is forced to complete this section. [9]
[edit] Research Section
An additional research section may appear at the end of the test. Unlike the experimental section, this section will be clearly marked and will be completely optional. The test taker's participation or refusal to participate will not affect the reported score in any way.
[edit] Scoring
[edit] Computer-adaptive scoring
The multiple-choice portions of the exam currently use computer-adaptive scoring methods that automatically change the difficulty of questions as the test taker proceeds with the exam, depending on the number of correct or incorrect answers that are given. The test taker is not allowed to go back and change the answers to previous questions, and some type of answer must be given before the next question is presented.
The first question that is given in a multiple-choice section is considered to be an "average level" question that half of the GRE test takers will answer correctly. If the question is answered correctly, then subsequent questions become more difficult. If the question is answered incorrectly, then subsequent questions become easier, until a question is answered correctly.[10]
ETS claims that this method can effectively pinpoint a test taker's true score by offering questions that are just above and below the test taker's ability.
However, the score for getting each question correct is weighted by its level of difficulty, and the first five or so questions of the exam will determine the general range of the test taker's ability, while the subsequent questions will pinpoint that range in more exact terms. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the test taker to not only answer every question as correctly as possible, but to pay extra attention to the first five or so questions, as they will determine the general range of the final score.[11]
ETS has announced that they intend to move away from computer-adaptive scoring; however, plans for a brand new testing method have been postponed.[citation needed]
[edit] Scoring percentiles
The percentiles of the current test are as follows:[12]
Scaled score Verbal Reasoning % Quantitative Reasoning %
800 99 94
780 99 90
760 99 86
740 99 82
720 98 77
700 97 72
680 96 68
660 94 63
640 91 58
620 89 53
600 85 49
580 81 44
560 76 40
540 71 35
520 65 31
500 60 28
480 55 24
460 49 21
440 43 18
420 37 15
400 31 13
380 26 11
360 21 9
340 15 7
320 10 5
300 6 4
280 3 3
260 1 2
240 1 1
220 0 1
200 0 0
mean 465 584
Analytical Writing score Writing %
6 96
5.5 88
5 73
4.5 54
4 33
3.5 18
3 7
2.5 2
2 1
1.5 0
1 0
0.5 0
mean 4.1
Comparisons for "Intended Graduate Major" are "limited to those who earned their college degrees up to two years prior to the test date." ETS provides no score data for "non-traditional" students who have been out of school more than two years, although their own report "RR-99-16" indicated that 22% of all test takers in 1996 were over the age of 30.
[edit] Use in admissions
Many graduate schools in English-speaking countries (especially in the United States) require GRE test results as part of the admission procedure. The GRE test is a standardized test intended to measure the abilities of all graduates in tasks of general academic nature, regardless of their fields of specialization. The GRE is supposed to measure the extent to which undergraduate education has developed an individual's verbal and quantitative skills in abstract thinking.
Unlike other standardized admissions tests (such as the SAT, LSAT, and MCAT), the use and weight of GRE scores varies considerably not only from school to school, but from department to department, and from program to program too. Programs in liberal arts topics may only consider the applicant's verbal score to be of interest, while math and science programs may only consider quantitative ability; however, since most applicants to math, science, or engineering graduate programs all have high quantitative scores, the verbal score can become a deciding factor even in these programs. Some schools use the GRE in admissions decisions, but not in funding decisions; others use the GRE for the selection of scholarship and fellowship candidates, but not for admissions. In some cases, the GRE may be a general requirement for graduate admissions imposed by the university, while particular departments may not consider the scores at all. Graduate schools will provide information about how the GRE is considered in admissions and funding decisions, and the average scores of previously admitted students. The best way to find out how a particular school or program evaluates a GRE score in the admissions process is to contact the person in charge of graduate admissions for the specific program in question (and not the graduate school in general).
Programs that involve significant expository writing require the submission of a prepared writing sample that is considered more useful in determining writing ability than the analytical writing section; however, the writing scores of foreign students are sometimes given more scrutiny and are used as an indicator of overall comfort with and mastery of conversational English.
[edit] GRE Subject Tests
In addition to the General Test, there are also eight GRE Subject Tests testing knowledge in the specific areas of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Literature in English, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology. In the past, subject tests were also offered in the areas of Economics, Revised Education, Engineering, Geology, History, Music, Political Science, and Sociology. In April 1998, the Revised Education and Political Science exams were discontinued. In April 2000, the History and Sociology exams were discontinued, and the other four were discontinued in April 2001.[1][
[edit] Preparation
A variety of resources are available for those wishing to prepare for the GRE. Upon registration, ETS provides preparation software called PowerPrep, which contains two practice tests of retired questions, as well as further practice questions and review material. Since the software replicates both the test format and the questions used, it can be useful to predict the actual GRE scores. ETS does not license their past questions to any other company, making them the only source for official retired material. ETS used to publish the "BIG BOOK" which contained a number of actual GRE questions; however, this publishing was abandoned. Several companies provide courses, books and other unofficial preparation materials.
ETS has claimed that content of the GRE is "un-coachable"; however, many test preparation companies claim that the test format is so rigid that familiarizing oneself with the test's organization, timing, specific foci, and the use of process of elimination is the best way to increase a GRE score.[13]
[edit] Testing locations
While the general and subject tests are held at many undergraduate institutions, the computer-based general test is only held at test centers with appropriate technological accommodations. Students in major cities in the US, or those attending large US universities, will usually find a nearby test center, while those in more isolated areas may have to travel a few hours to an urban location. Many industrialized countries also have test centers, but at times test-takers must cross country borders (see GRE website for details).
[edit] Criticism
Test takers complain about the strict test center rules. For instance, test takers may not use pens or bring their own scratch paper. Paper and pencils are provided at the testing center. Food and drink are prohibited in the test centers, as are chewing gum, jackets and hats.
[edit] Bias
Critics have claimed that the computer-adaptive methodology may discourage some test takers, because the question difficulty changes with performance. For example, if the test-taker is presented with remarkably easy questions half way into the exam, they may infer that they are not performing well, which will influence their abilities as the exam continues, even though question difficulty is subjective.[citation needed]
Critics have also stated that the computer-adaptive method of placing more weight on the first several questions is biased against test takers that typically perform poorly at the beginning of a test due to stress or confusion before becoming more comfortable as the exam continues.[14]
The GRE has also been subjected to the same racial bias criticisms that have been lodged against other admissions tests. In 1998, the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education noted that the mean score for black test-takers in 1996 was 389 on the verbal section, 409 on the quantitative section, and 423 on the analytic, while white test-takers averaged 496, 538, and 564, respectively.[15]
There is also a bias towards those students who have the financial resources to take privately owned test taking classes. These classes do typically result in better scores; however, many such companies and tutors focus solely on how to use the test's format to one's advantage, and not how to actually learn the material on the exam. In the United States, the cost of the general test is $140 US as of July 4, 2007, although ETS will reduce the fee under certain circumstances.
[edit] Weak predictor of graduate school performance
The GREs are criticized for not being a true measure of a whether a student will be successful in graduate school. The ETS published a report ("What is the Value of the GRE?") that points out the GRE's shortcomings in attempting to predict a student's index of success at the graduate level. A PDF form of the report can be viewed here.
While the verbal section tests vocabulary and verbal reasoning, the vocabulary employed is not specifically relevant to any particular area of study, and (in the case of analogies and antonyms) is presented without context. The quantitative portion of the test covers topics that are far too elementary for any program in the fields of math or science, as well as being irrelevant for the study of most liberal arts topics. The Analytic Writing section (derived from ETS' unpopular Writing Assessment Test) may be less useful in assessing writing ability than a prepared writing sample (generally known as a 'Personal Statement' or 'Statement of purpose') relevant to the appropriate field (which is also required for admissions by many programs).
Dr. Robert Sternberg of Tufts University found that the GRE general test was weakly predictive of success in graduate studies in psychology. The weak predictability may be related to the mathematics portion of the GRE general test because a good foundation of mathematics is important in understanding advanced statistics. However, in some branches of psychology, the application of statistics is only a small part.
The mathematical portion of the GRE general test is the only area of the GRE general test that may have predictive ability in the natural sciences. The natural sciences require a strong foundation in mathematics for success in both core courses and in statistical analysis related to research. However, it is not clear whether the GRE accurately assesses mathematical skills required for success in graduate school.
Recent reports and questionnaires have shown that the GRE General Test is not as significant in determining graduate admissions as once believed and that some schools are moving away from placing an emphasis on high GRE scores.
A 2005 study concluded that "the combination of GRE scores and undergraduate grade point average strongly predicts cumulative graduate grade point average and faculty ratings. These results hold in each discipline and appear to hold in the small subgroups." [2]
[edit] Validity
A meta-analysis of the GRE's validity in predicting graduate school success found a correlation of .3 to .4 between the GRE and both first year and overall graduate GPA. The correlation between GRE score and graduate school completion rates ranged from .11 (for the now defunct analytical section) to .39 (for the GRE subject test).[3]
Currently the GRE Scores are valid for 5 years.
[edit] Plans for the revised GRE
In 2006, ETS announced plans to enact significant changes in the format of the GRE. Planned changes for the revised GRE included a longer testing time, a departure from computer-adaptive testing, a new grading scale, and an enhanced focus on reasoning skills and critical thinking for both the quantitative and qualitative sections.[16]
On April 2, 2007, ETS announced the decision to cancel plans for revising the GRE.[17] The announcement cited concerns over the ability to provide clear and equal access to the new test after the planned change as an explanation for the cancellation. They did state, however, that they do plan "to implement many of the planned test content improvements in the future", although exact details regarding those changes have not yet been announced.
Changes to the GRE will begin to take effect on November 1, 2007, as ETS will start to include new types of questions in the exam. The changes mostly center on "fill in the blank" type answers for both the math and vocabulary sections that require the test-taker to fill in the blank directly, without being able to choose from a multiple choice list of answers. ETS currently plans to introduce two of these new types of questions in each qualitative or vocabulary section, while the majority of questions will presented in the regular format. [18]
On January 2008, the the Reading Comprehension within the verbal sections has been reformatted, passages's "line numbers will be replaced with highlighting when necessary in order to focus the test taker on specific information in the passage" to "help students more easily find the pertinent information in reading passages."[19]
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The Graduate Record Examination or GRE is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools principally in the United States, but also in other English speaking countries[citation needed]. Created and administered by the Educational Testing Service (or ETS), the exam is primarily focused on testing abstract thinking skills in the areas of math, vocabulary, and analytical writing. The GRE is typically a computer-based exam that is administered by select qualified testing centers; however, paper-based exams are offered in areas of the world that lack the technological requirements.
In the graduate school admissions process, the level of emphasis that is placed upon GRE scores varies widely between schools and even departments within schools. The importance of a GRE score can range from being the most important selection factor to being a mere admission formality[citation needed].
Critics of the GRE have argued that the exam format is so rigid that it effectively tests only how well a student can conform to a standardized test taking procedure.[1] ETS responded by announcing plans in 2006 to radically redesign the test structure starting in the fall of 2007; however, the company has since announced, "Plans for launching an entirely new test all at once were dropped, and ETS decided to introduce new question types and improvements gradually over time." The new questions will begin to be introduced in November of 2007.[2]
Structure
The following section refers to the typical computer-based test. The structure of a paper-based test or a test with special accommodations will differ. See www.gre.org for details.
The exam consists of three graded sections, plus a required experimental section that is not included in the reported score. The three graded sections are analytic writing, verbal, and quantitative. The analytic writing section will always appear first, while the verbal, quantitative, and experimental sections may appear in any order on the test. An additional non-scored and clearly-marked optional research section may also appear at end of the test. The entire test procedure takes about 3 hours.[3]
[edit] Analytic Writing Section
The analytic writing section consists of two different essays, an "issue task" and an "argument task". The writing section is graded on a scale of 0-6, in half-point increments. The essays are written on a computer using a word processing program specifically designed by ETS. The program allows only basic computer functions and does not contain a spell-checker or other advanced features. Each essay is scored by at least two readers on a six-point holistic scale. If the two scores are within one point, the average of the scores is taken. If the two scores differ by more than a point, a third reader examines the response.
[edit] Issue Task
The test taker will be able to choose between two topics upon which to write an essay. The time allowed for this essay is 45 minutes.[4]
[edit] Argument Task
The test taker will be given an "argument" and the test taker will be asked to write an essay that explains why one "side" of the argument is superior. Typically, the task requires that the taker identify and critique the logical fallacies of the argument. The time alloted for this essay is 30 minutes.[5]
[edit] Verbal Section
One graded multiple-choice section is always a verbal section, consisting of analogies, antonyms, sentence completions, and reading comprehension passages. Multiple-choice response sections are graded on a scale of 200-800, in 10 point increments. This section primarily tests vocabulary, and average scores in this section are substantially lower than those in the quantitative section.[6] This section consists of 30 questions, and 30 minutes are alloted to complete the section.[7]
[edit] Quantitative Section
The quantitative section, the other multiple-choice section, consists of problem solving and quantitative comparison questions that test high-school level math. Multiple-choice response sections are graded on a scale of 200-800, in 10 point increments. This section consists of 28 questions, and test takers are given 45 minutes to complete the section.[8]
[edit] Experimental Section
The experimental section will be either a verbal or a quantitative section that contains new questions that ETS is considering for future test editions. This section will not count toward the test-taker's score; however, the section will appear identical to either the "actual" verbal or quantitative section and will likewise be a multiple-choice test with the same amount of questions and the same time allotment as the "real" verbal or quantitative section. The test taker will have no way of knowing which section is experimental, so the test taker is forced to complete this section. [9]
[edit] Research Section
An additional research section may appear at the end of the test. Unlike the experimental section, this section will be clearly marked and will be completely optional. The test taker's participation or refusal to participate will not affect the reported score in any way.
[edit] Scoring
[edit] Computer-adaptive scoring
The multiple-choice portions of the exam currently use computer-adaptive scoring methods that automatically change the difficulty of questions as the test taker proceeds with the exam, depending on the number of correct or incorrect answers that are given. The test taker is not allowed to go back and change the answers to previous questions, and some type of answer must be given before the next question is presented.
The first question that is given in a multiple-choice section is considered to be an "average level" question that half of the GRE test takers will answer correctly. If the question is answered correctly, then subsequent questions become more difficult. If the question is answered incorrectly, then subsequent questions become easier, until a question is answered correctly.[10]
ETS claims that this method can effectively pinpoint a test taker's true score by offering questions that are just above and below the test taker's ability.
However, the score for getting each question correct is weighted by its level of difficulty, and the first five or so questions of the exam will determine the general range of the test taker's ability, while the subsequent questions will pinpoint that range in more exact terms. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the test taker to not only answer every question as correctly as possible, but to pay extra attention to the first five or so questions, as they will determine the general range of the final score.[11]
ETS has announced that they intend to move away from computer-adaptive scoring; however, plans for a brand new testing method have been postponed.[citation needed]
[edit] Scoring percentiles
The percentiles of the current test are as follows:[12]
Scaled score Verbal Reasoning % Quantitative Reasoning %
800 99 94
780 99 90
760 99 86
740 99 82
720 98 77
700 97 72
680 96 68
660 94 63
640 91 58
620 89 53
600 85 49
580 81 44
560 76 40
540 71 35
520 65 31
500 60 28
480 55 24
460 49 21
440 43 18
420 37 15
400 31 13
380 26 11
360 21 9
340 15 7
320 10 5
300 6 4
280 3 3
260 1 2
240 1 1
220 0 1
200 0 0
mean 465 584
Analytical Writing score Writing %
6 96
5.5 88
5 73
4.5 54
4 33
3.5 18
3 7
2.5 2
2 1
1.5 0
1 0
0.5 0
mean 4.1
Comparisons for "Intended Graduate Major" are "limited to those who earned their college degrees up to two years prior to the test date." ETS provides no score data for "non-traditional" students who have been out of school more than two years, although their own report "RR-99-16" indicated that 22% of all test takers in 1996 were over the age of 30.
[edit] Use in admissions
Many graduate schools in English-speaking countries (especially in the United States) require GRE test results as part of the admission procedure. The GRE test is a standardized test intended to measure the abilities of all graduates in tasks of general academic nature, regardless of their fields of specialization. The GRE is supposed to measure the extent to which undergraduate education has developed an individual's verbal and quantitative skills in abstract thinking.
Unlike other standardized admissions tests (such as the SAT, LSAT, and MCAT), the use and weight of GRE scores varies considerably not only from school to school, but from department to department, and from program to program too. Programs in liberal arts topics may only consider the applicant's verbal score to be of interest, while math and science programs may only consider quantitative ability; however, since most applicants to math, science, or engineering graduate programs all have high quantitative scores, the verbal score can become a deciding factor even in these programs. Some schools use the GRE in admissions decisions, but not in funding decisions; others use the GRE for the selection of scholarship and fellowship candidates, but not for admissions. In some cases, the GRE may be a general requirement for graduate admissions imposed by the university, while particular departments may not consider the scores at all. Graduate schools will provide information about how the GRE is considered in admissions and funding decisions, and the average scores of previously admitted students. The best way to find out how a particular school or program evaluates a GRE score in the admissions process is to contact the person in charge of graduate admissions for the specific program in question (and not the graduate school in general).
Programs that involve significant expository writing require the submission of a prepared writing sample that is considered more useful in determining writing ability than the analytical writing section; however, the writing scores of foreign students are sometimes given more scrutiny and are used as an indicator of overall comfort with and mastery of conversational English.
[edit] GRE Subject Tests
In addition to the General Test, there are also eight GRE Subject Tests testing knowledge in the specific areas of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Literature in English, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology. In the past, subject tests were also offered in the areas of Economics, Revised Education, Engineering, Geology, History, Music, Political Science, and Sociology. In April 1998, the Revised Education and Political Science exams were discontinued. In April 2000, the History and Sociology exams were discontinued, and the other four were discontinued in April 2001.[1][
[edit] Preparation
A variety of resources are available for those wishing to prepare for the GRE. Upon registration, ETS provides preparation software called PowerPrep, which contains two practice tests of retired questions, as well as further practice questions and review material. Since the software replicates both the test format and the questions used, it can be useful to predict the actual GRE scores. ETS does not license their past questions to any other company, making them the only source for official retired material. ETS used to publish the "BIG BOOK" which contained a number of actual GRE questions; however, this publishing was abandoned. Several companies provide courses, books and other unofficial preparation materials.
ETS has claimed that content of the GRE is "un-coachable"; however, many test preparation companies claim that the test format is so rigid that familiarizing oneself with the test's organization, timing, specific foci, and the use of process of elimination is the best way to increase a GRE score.[13]
[edit] Testing locations
While the general and subject tests are held at many undergraduate institutions, the computer-based general test is only held at test centers with appropriate technological accommodations. Students in major cities in the US, or those attending large US universities, will usually find a nearby test center, while those in more isolated areas may have to travel a few hours to an urban location. Many industrialized countries also have test centers, but at times test-takers must cross country borders (see GRE website for details).
[edit] Criticism
Test takers complain about the strict test center rules. For instance, test takers may not use pens or bring their own scratch paper. Paper and pencils are provided at the testing center. Food and drink are prohibited in the test centers, as are chewing gum, jackets and hats.
[edit] Bias
Critics have claimed that the computer-adaptive methodology may discourage some test takers, because the question difficulty changes with performance. For example, if the test-taker is presented with remarkably easy questions half way into the exam, they may infer that they are not performing well, which will influence their abilities as the exam continues, even though question difficulty is subjective.[citation needed]
Critics have also stated that the computer-adaptive method of placing more weight on the first several questions is biased against test takers that typically perform poorly at the beginning of a test due to stress or confusion before becoming more comfortable as the exam continues.[14]
The GRE has also been subjected to the same racial bias criticisms that have been lodged against other admissions tests. In 1998, the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education noted that the mean score for black test-takers in 1996 was 389 on the verbal section, 409 on the quantitative section, and 423 on the analytic, while white test-takers averaged 496, 538, and 564, respectively.[15]
There is also a bias towards those students who have the financial resources to take privately owned test taking classes. These classes do typically result in better scores; however, many such companies and tutors focus solely on how to use the test's format to one's advantage, and not how to actually learn the material on the exam. In the United States, the cost of the general test is $140 US as of July 4, 2007, although ETS will reduce the fee under certain circumstances.
[edit] Weak predictor of graduate school performance
The GREs are criticized for not being a true measure of a whether a student will be successful in graduate school. The ETS published a report ("What is the Value of the GRE?") that points out the GRE's shortcomings in attempting to predict a student's index of success at the graduate level. A PDF form of the report can be viewed here.
While the verbal section tests vocabulary and verbal reasoning, the vocabulary employed is not specifically relevant to any particular area of study, and (in the case of analogies and antonyms) is presented without context. The quantitative portion of the test covers topics that are far too elementary for any program in the fields of math or science, as well as being irrelevant for the study of most liberal arts topics. The Analytic Writing section (derived from ETS' unpopular Writing Assessment Test) may be less useful in assessing writing ability than a prepared writing sample (generally known as a 'Personal Statement' or 'Statement of purpose') relevant to the appropriate field (which is also required for admissions by many programs).
Dr. Robert Sternberg of Tufts University found that the GRE general test was weakly predictive of success in graduate studies in psychology. The weak predictability may be related to the mathematics portion of the GRE general test because a good foundation of mathematics is important in understanding advanced statistics. However, in some branches of psychology, the application of statistics is only a small part.
The mathematical portion of the GRE general test is the only area of the GRE general test that may have predictive ability in the natural sciences. The natural sciences require a strong foundation in mathematics for success in both core courses and in statistical analysis related to research. However, it is not clear whether the GRE accurately assesses mathematical skills required for success in graduate school.
Recent reports and questionnaires have shown that the GRE General Test is not as significant in determining graduate admissions as once believed and that some schools are moving away from placing an emphasis on high GRE scores.
A 2005 study concluded that "the combination of GRE scores and undergraduate grade point average strongly predicts cumulative graduate grade point average and faculty ratings. These results hold in each discipline and appear to hold in the small subgroups." [2]
[edit] Validity
A meta-analysis of the GRE's validity in predicting graduate school success found a correlation of .3 to .4 between the GRE and both first year and overall graduate GPA. The correlation between GRE score and graduate school completion rates ranged from .11 (for the now defunct analytical section) to .39 (for the GRE subject test).[3]
Currently the GRE Scores are valid for 5 years.
[edit] Plans for the revised GRE
In 2006, ETS announced plans to enact significant changes in the format of the GRE. Planned changes for the revised GRE included a longer testing time, a departure from computer-adaptive testing, a new grading scale, and an enhanced focus on reasoning skills and critical thinking for both the quantitative and qualitative sections.[16]
On April 2, 2007, ETS announced the decision to cancel plans for revising the GRE.[17] The announcement cited concerns over the ability to provide clear and equal access to the new test after the planned change as an explanation for the cancellation. They did state, however, that they do plan "to implement many of the planned test content improvements in the future", although exact details regarding those changes have not yet been announced.
Changes to the GRE will begin to take effect on November 1, 2007, as ETS will start to include new types of questions in the exam. The changes mostly center on "fill in the blank" type answers for both the math and vocabulary sections that require the test-taker to fill in the blank directly, without being able to choose from a multiple choice list of answers. ETS currently plans to introduce two of these new types of questions in each qualitative or vocabulary section, while the majority of questions will presented in the regular format. [18]
On January 2008, the the Reading Comprehension within the verbal sections has been reformatted, passages's "line numbers will be replaced with highlighting when necessary in order to focus the test taker on specific information in the passage" to "help students more easily find the pertinent information in reading passages."[19]
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