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The Graduate Record 1. General Test The General

Examination (GRE) is
administered by the
Educational Testing Services
(ETS). GRE is a standardised
test that is required to be
taken by students seeking
admission in graduate
schools. The exam has been
developed to evaluate
the verbal, analytical and
mathematical skills of the
candidates. Individuals
applying to graduate schools
in order to pursue a Masters
in Arts (MA) or Masters in
Science (MS) are required
to take the GRE (Graduate
Record Examination). GRE is a
computer-based test and has
a user-friendly design.
Exam types
GRE is of two types:
Test takes into account verbal
reasoning, quantitative
ability, and analytical writing
skills. Most universities accept
the General test score and
usually majority of students
opt for this test. It takes place
round the year and you can ELIGIBILITY
choose your date according CRITERIA
to your convenience. A Bachelors degree is the
minimum requirement
2. Subject Test The Subject for seeking admission in
Test measures the candidates any masters program.
achievement in a particular Therefore, it is an essential
subject area. These tests qualification for taking GRE.
are in the following areas: Also, the candidate must be
Biochemistry, Cell and over 18 years of age.
Molecular Biology, Biology,
Chemistry, Computer
Science, Literature (English),
Physics and Psychology. It is
conducted on a fixed date
for everyone like an entrance
exam. This test is required for
specialised courses.
INSTITUTES

ACCEPTING GRE
More than 600 business schools around the world in US, UK,
Europe, Singapore and Australia accept GRE score. GRE is not only
for B-schools, as a lot of MS courses require students to take this
test. Various organisations consider GRE scores while granting
fellowships. To see the universities that accept GRE scores, click here.

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HOW TO REGISTER
Online Registration You will need
to have a GRE account for registering
online. Click here to create a new
account. Once the candidate has
logged on to the GRE official
website, s/he will have to fill in the
required basic information like
name, address etc. Payment can be
made by credit/debit card only. After
the completion of these steps, the
candidate can log in and select the
date and place to take the exam.
Note: Online registration is not
available for test takers with
disabilities or health-related issues.
Mail Registration Print and
complete this Form, and send it to
the following address along with the
appropriate fee
Prometric
2nd floor, DLF Infinity TowerA
Sector 25, Phase II,
DLF City, Gurgaon,
Haryana 122002
India
The form must be received at least
three weeks before your choice of
the earliest test date. A confirmation
number, reporting time and the test
centre address will be emailed, faxed
or mailed to you.
GRE FEE
The application fee for GRE is $195,
which would roughly translate to
Rs 11,000 to Rs 12,000 approximately.
Phone Registration Call the
Regional Registration Center
(RRC), which is Prometric located
in Gurgaon, Haryana. The phone
number is 91-124-4147700. The
call must be made at least two
business days before your preferred
test date. A confirmation number,
reporting time and the test centre
address will be given to you.
Fax Registration Print and
complete this Form, and send
it to 91-124-4147773 with the
appropriate fee. The form must be
received at least seven days before
your first choice of test date.
TEST CENTRES
The GRE exam is conducted at nine of the
following test centres in India:
1. Ahmedabad 6. Gurgaon
2. Allahabad 7. Hyderabad
3. Bangalore 8. Mumbai
4. Kolkata 9. New Delhi
5. Chennai 10. Trivandrum
ADMIT CARD
Candidate can download the admit card
from the official website. Candidate must
produce the admit card while appearing for
the exam. When you receive your admission
ticket, check it carefully to make sure your
identifying information, address and score
recipients are correct.
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 TEST PATTERN
GRE has three sections, namely, Analytical Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning.
The Analytical Writing section will always be the first, whereas, the Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative
Reasoning and unscored sections may appear in any order.

SKILLS MEASURED NUMBER OF QUESTIONS ALLOTTED TIME

Analytical Writing One "Analyze an Issue" task and 30 minutes per task
(One section with two separately one "Analyze an Argument" task
timed tasks)

Verbal Reasoning 20 questions per section 30 minutes per section

(Two sections)

Quantitative Reasoning 20 questions per section 35 minutes per section

(Two sections)

GRE SCORING
Here is how section-wise scoring is done.
Verbal Reasoning score: On a 130170 score
scale, in 1-point increments
Quantitative Reasoning score: On a 130170
score scale, in 1-point increments
Analytical Writing score - On a 06 score
scale, in half-point increments
Combined score On a 260340 score scale
GRE test scores are valid for five years after
the year in which you took the test.
Computer-based Test Across all sections,
all questions contribute equally to the final
score. At the end of the test, a raw score is
computed. The raw score is the number of
questions you answered correctly. Through
a process called equating, which takes into
account the difficulty of the questions,
the raw scores for both the sections are
converted into scaled scores on the 130170
scale. Both the Verbal and the Quantitative
portions of the test are section adaptive,
meaning that a students performance on
the first section of a type determines how
difficult the second section of that type will
be. The better a student performs on the
first section, the more difficult the second
section will be. Answering difficult questions
correctly increases the chances of a higher
score.
Paper-based Test - For the Verbal Reasoning
and Quantitative Reasoning sections of the
paper-based GRE, a raw score is computed.
The raw score is the number of questions
answered correctly. The raw score is then
converted into a scaled score through a
process known as equating; the scores are
converted on the scales of 130 170, in the
manner similar to computer-based test.

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 GRE RESULTS
Your official scores will be available in your
account on the GRE website. They will be
sent to the universities of your choice within
six weeks of your test date. You will receive
an email from ETS that your official scores
are available in your account.

GRE STATISTICS
For GRE, score averages differ for every subject. An engineering student will
need higher marks in the Quantitative section and an arts and humanities
student will need higher marks in the Verbal section. Before starting with
a preparation strategy, you need to identify what is a good GRE score for
your program. Here is a table which will give you a rough idea about subject
averages.
SUBJECT QUANTITATIVE SCORE VERBAL SCORE
Business 152 150
Education 148 151
Engineering 159 149
Arts & Humanities 150 157
Natural Sciences 154 151
Social Sciences 151 153

The total number of Indian students registered to take the GRE test for the year
2011-12 was 33,504. Similarly, Indian students scored the following average
scores across all sections:
Verbal: 144.7
Quant: 154.1
AWA: 3.1

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 GRE SYLLABUS
ANALYTICAL WRITING QUANTITATIVE
The analytical writing section aims to measure REASONING
the test takers ability to articulate complex The quantitative reasoning section aims to
ideas clearly and effectively, support ideas with measure the test takers ability to understand
relevant reasons and examples, examine claims quantitative information, interpret and
and accompanying evidence, sustain a well- analyse quantitative information, solve
focused, coherent discussion and control the problems using mathematical models, apply
elements of standard written English. basic mathematical skills and elementary
mathematical concepts of arithmetic, algebra,
VERBAL REASONING geometry, probability and statistics.
The verbal reasoning section aims to measure
the test takers ability to analyse and draw
conclusions from discourse, reason from
incomplete data, identify authors assumptions
and/or perspective, select important points,
distinguish major from minor or relevant
points, summarise text, understand the
structure of a text, understand the meanings
of words, sentences and entire texts and
understand relationships among words and
concepts.

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HOW TO PREPARE
There are two ways students prepare for
GRE: Self study and Coaching classes. Both
these options have unique benefits and no
one method of studying can be considered
better than the other. These two methods
cant be compared as they both serve different
audiences.
If money is a consideration, and its practice that
you need to be better prepared for the exam
then self study is the better option. You could
save money on tuitions and classes, but you
need to keep in mind other factors too. To be
able to study on your own affectively, you need
a good resource of books and study material,
along with motivation and self-discipline.
If time is a constraint and you need professional
guidance for focused preparation, then
coaching classes are the better option. You
will have access to a better resource of study
material, and will have a team of experts
guiding you. Your time will be better managed
as attending regular classes will become part
of your routine. Moreover, being around other
students will increase your motivation levels.
To choose the best method of study you
first need to look at your criteria and decide
accordingly.

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 SAMPLE
QUESTIONS
1. Verbal Reasoning

The Verbal Reasoning measure contains three types of questions.

Reading Comprehension
The passage addresses which of the following issues related to Glasss use of
popular elements in his classical compositions?
A. How it is regarded by listeners who prefer rock to the classics
B. How it has affected the commercial success of Glasss music
C. Whether it has contributed to a revival of interest among other composers in
using popular elements in their compositions
D. Whether it has had a detrimental effect on Glasss reputation as a composer of
classical music
E. Whether it has caused certain of Glasss works to be derivative in quality

Text Completion Questions

It is refreshing to read a book about our planet by an author who does not allow
facts to be(i)__________ by politics: well aware of the political disputes about
the effects of human activities on climate and biodiversity, this author does not
permit them to (ii)__________ his comprehensive description of what we know
about our biosphere. He emphasizes the enormous gaps in our knowledge, the
sparseness of our observations, and the(iii)__________, calling attention to the
many aspects of planetary evolution that must be better understood before we
can accurately diagnose the condition of our planet.
Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii)
(A) overshadowed (D) enhance (G) plausibility of our hypotheses
(B) invalidated (E) obscure (H) certainty of our entitlement
(C) illuminated (F) underscore (I) superficiality of our theories

Sentence Equivalence Questions

It was her view that the countrys problems had been _______ by foreign
technocrats, so that to ask for such assistance again would be counterproductive.
A. ameliorated C. diagnosed E. overlooked
B. ascertained D. exacerbated F. worsened

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 SAMPLE QUESTIONS
2. Quantitative Reasoning Question
Types
The Quantitative Reasoning measure has
four types of questions.
Quantitative Comparison Questions
Lionel is younger than Maria.
Quantity A Quantity B
Twice Lionels age Marias age
(A) Quantity A is greater.
(B) Quantity B is greater.
(C) The two quantities are equal.
(D) The relationship cannot be
determined from the information given.
Multiple-choice Questions Select One
Answer Choice
If what is the value of x?
(A)
(B)
(C) 4
(D) 7
(E) 12
Multiple-choice Questions Select One
or More Answer
Which two of the following numbers
have a product that is between 1 and 0?
Indicate both of the numbers.
(A) 20
(B) 10
(C) 2 4
(D) 3 2
Numeric Entry Questions
Working alone at its constant rate,
machine A produces k liters of a chemical
in 10 minutes. Working alone at its
constant rate, machine B produces k
liters of the chemical in 15 minutes. How
many minutes does it take machines A
and B, working simultaneously at their
respective constant rates, to produce k
liters of the chemical?
_______ Minutes
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 SAMPLE QUESTIONS

3. Analytical Writing river for water sports is therefore

sure to increase. The city government
The Analytical Writing measure consists should for that reason devote more
of two separately timed analytical money in this years budget to riverside
writing tasks. recreational facilities.
Issue Task Write a response in which you examine
As people rely more and more the stated and/or unstated assumptions
on technology to solve problems, of the argument. Be sure to explain
the ability of humans to think for how the argument depends on the
themselves will surely deteriorate. assumptions and what the implications
Discuss the extent to which you agree are if the assumptions prove
or disagree with the statement and unwarranted.
explain your reasoning for the position Source: www.ets.org/gre
you take. In developing and supporting
your position, you should consider ways
in which the statement might or might
not hold true and explain how these
considerations shape your position. Courses that require GRE
Argument Task MBA in US MS in US
In surveys Mason City residents rank MBA in UK MS in UK
water sports (swimming, boating MBA in Australia MS in Australia
and fishing) among their favorite MBA in Canada MS in Canada
recreational activities. The Mason River
Did you find this guide useful?
flowing through the city is rarely used
We would love to hear from you. Write to us at
for these pursuits, however, and the
studyabroad@shiksha.com
city park department devotes little
of its budget to maintaining riverside
recreational facilities. For years there
have been complaints from residents
about the quality of the rivers water
and the rivers smell. In response, the
state has recently announced plans
to clean up Mason River. Use of the

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