The GRE Revised Test

Introduction and Overview

The GRE Frequently asked questions*

Q: What is on the GRE?
A: The GRE consists of two subtests, one involving math skills and the other
involving verbal skills, plus an analytical writing assessment.
Q: How is the GRE scored?
A: The math and verbal subtests each receive a score from 130-170, in one-point
increments. The analytical writing assessment is given a separate score, on a scale of
0 to 6.

*For answers to many other important questions concerning the GRE, or to register for
the general test, visit www.GRE.org..

The GRE Frequently asked questions

Q: How is the GRE structured?
A: The analytical writing assessment comes first. It consists of two 30-minute
sections, each requiring you to respond to a given prompt.
Next comes the GRE proper - two verbal sections and two math sections. The verbal
sections each consist of 25 items, with 35 minutes to complete them. The math
sections also consist of 25 items, but you are given 40 minutes to complete each of
these sections.
The GRE is computer-based, but otherwise much like a paper-and-pencil exam you
may skip questions, leave questions blank, etc. The best way to become familiar with
the interface of the computer-based GRE is to practice with PowerPrep software,
which gives you the closest thing to the actual experience of taking the GRE.

The GRE Frequently asked questions

Q: what are the math skills tested on the GRE?
A: Virtually all of the math tested on the GRE was covered by most students by the
end of ninth grade. A few specialized topics, such as standard deviation, are more
advanced, but their mastery is not necessary for a high score. The GRE emphasizes
problem solving, not math knowledge. GRE math items are hard not because the
math skills themselves are difficult, but because the items that involve these skills
require the test taker to analyze complex problems and implement multi-step
solutions.

The GRE Frequently asked questions

Q: How important is learning new vocabulary words to improving my GRE score?
A: Not very. Clearly, the more English words one knows the better. But the revised
GRE is designed to test vocabulary in context only, and so the emphasis is not on
vocabulary per se but on critical reading skills such as recognizing the roles of key
words such as although and since, and understanding the importance of
surrounding words to determining the meaning of a missing word.
Most test takers who plan to take the GRE within two to three months are better
served by developing these critical reading skills than by trying to learn new
vocabulary words.

The GRE Frequently asked questions

Q: what kinds of questions are on the GRE?
A: Each of these two subtests contains test items of a variety of different formats,
some of which may be familiar from other tests (such as the ACT or SAT), but
some of which are found on no other test and which probably are entirely new to
you.

GRE Math: item formats

Quantitative comparison:
Four answer choices, select exactly one:

60

60
2

O is the center of the circle, and the perimeter of AOB is 6.

Quantity A
The circumference of the circle

Quantity B

A B C D

12

These Items require you to compare two expressions and determine the relation
between their values, if a determinate relation exists.

GRE Math: item formats

Multiple choice items
Five options, select exactly one

14.

If a is the smallest prime number greater than 21

and b is the largest prime number less than 16, then
ab =

a = 23
b = 13
ab = 299

299

323

330

345

351

These are the standard multiple choice items with which most test takers are familiar.

GRE Math: item formats

Multiple choice items
Three or more options, select more than one
11. In triangle ABC, the measure of angle A is 25 and
The measure of angle B is greater than 90. Which of
the following could be the measure of angle C ?
Indicate all such measures.
A

12

15

45

50

70

C
<65

25

>90

Some of these items require you to select exactly two answer choices; other instruct
you to select all that apply, from one answer choice up. The number of answer choices
available with these items ranges from three to more than five. Answer choices appear
in squares to distinguish these items from select only one items

GRE Math: item formats

Numeric entry:
Answer is keyed into provided space, or spaces (for fractions)

23. The average (arithmetic mean) of the 11 numbers in

a list is 14. If the average of 9 of the numbers in the
list is 9, what is the average of the other 2 numbers?

36.5

x x
1

... x11

11

14

81 x10 x11 14
11

x x
1

... x9
9

x1 x2 ... x9 81

81 x10 x11 154

x10 x11 73

10

x11
2

10

x11
2

36.5

Each space will accommodate a single numeral or decimal expression (only

numerals for fractions); negations are keyed as hyphens. Fractions need not be in
reduced form.

GRE Verbal: item formats

Reading comprehension:
Five answer choices, select exactly one

25. In the context in which it appears, accorded

(line 9) most nearly means
A

reconciled

revealed

granted

verified

maintained

GRE Verbal: item formats

Reading comprehension:
three answer choices, select all that apply
For the following question, consider each of the choices
separately and select all that apply.
21.Which of the following statements is supported by
the passage?
A

The pull theory is not universally

scientists.

The pull theory depends on one of

physical

The pull theory originated earlier than

push theory.

accepted by
waters
properties.
did the

A tall tree can transport a hundred gallons of water

a day from its roots deep underground to the treetop.
Is this movement propelled by pulling the water from
above or pushing it from below? The pull mechanism
has long been favored by most scientists. First
proposed in the late 1800s, the theory relies on a
property of water not commonly associated with
fluids: its tensile strength. Instead of making a clean
break, water evaporating from treetops tugs on the
remaining water molecules, with that tug extending
from molecule to molecule all the way down to the
roots. The tree itself does not actually push or pull; all
the energy for lifting water comes from the suns
evaporative power.

GRE Verbal: item formats

Reading comprehension:
Select-in-passage: highlight the sentence from the passage that best meets the
given description

10.

In which sentence of the passage does the author

provide examples that reinforce an argument
against a critical response cited earlier in the
passage?

In Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry does not

reject integration or the economic and moral promise
of the American dream; rather, she remains loyal to
this dream while looking, realistically, at its
incomplete realization. Once we recognize this dual
vision, we can accept the plays ironic nuances as
deliberate social commentaries by Hansberry rather
than as the unintentional irony that Bigsby
attributes to the work. Indeed, a curiously persistent
refusal to credit Hansberry with a capacity for
intentional irony has led some critics to interpret the
plays thematic conflicts as mere confusion,
contradiction, or eclecticism. Isaacs, for example,
cannot easily reconcile Hansberrys intense concern
for her race with her ideal of human reconciliation.
But the plays complex view of Black self-esteem and
human solidarity as compatible is no more
contradictory than Du Bois famous,
well-considered ideal of ethnic self-awareness
coexisting with human unity, or Fanons emphasis on
an ideal internationalism that also accommodates
national identities and roles.

GRE Verbal: item formats

Text completion:
One-to-three blanks per item, three answer choices per blank. Select exactly
one answer choice per blank.
similarity
6. To the untutored eye the tightly forested Ardennes hills around Sedan look quite (i)_____, (ii)_____ place
through which to advance a modern army; even with todays more numerous and better roads and bridges, the
woods and river Meuse form a significant (iii)_____. contrast
contrast
A

impenetrable

a makeshift

resource

inconsiderable

an unpropitious

impediment

uncultivated

an unremarkable

passage

GRE Verbal: item formats

Sentence equivalence:
One blank per item, six answer choices per blank. Select exactly two answer
choices per blank.
similarity
17.

The macromolecule RNA is common to all living

beings, and DNA, which is found in all organisms
except some bacteria, is almost as _____ .
A

comprehensive

fundamental

inclusive

universal

significant

ubiquitous

Quantitative comparison items nicely illustrate the importance of critical reasoning

to the math section of the GRE.
Most generally, the challenge is to recognize what makes comparing the values of
the two expressions difficult, and then to remove this obstacle by implementing the
relevant steps to simplify the problem.
The item itself will offer strong clues as to which steps should be taken to
accomplish this goal.
The following are examples of common tactics for simplifying quantitative
comparison problems.

Simplify one side or another:

Quantity A

Quantity B

64% of (50)(40)

1200

(.64)(2000)

A B C D

1280

A B C D

Add/subtract, multiply/divide* same thing on both sides:

Subtract 39x:

x + 39y

40y

Subtract 39y:

(930)(420) + 930
930

A B C D

(930)(420) + 420
420

A B C D

* Multiplying or dividing by positive numbers preserves relationship between expressions

Collect together occurrences of a variable found on one or both sides:

2x - 2

2x

3(6x-2)

2(3x+3)

18x-6
12x-6

6x+6
6

12x

12

A B C D

A B C D

Use any given information to solve for one side or the other:

(x - 5)(x + 1) = 0
x = 5; x = -1

A B C D

x + y+ z= 3y
x + z = 2y

A B C D

Quantitative Comparison Items

The Basic Approach to Quantitative Comparison Items:
First step - check to see if one, the other, or both expressions are indeterminate.
indeterminate answer choice could be D. (Simplify as above, pick numbers)
not indeterminate answer choice could not be D. (Simplify as above)

Q: What do we mean by indeterminate?

A: An expression is indeterminate if it can have more than one value.
Examples:
x, a prime factor of 15, and the base of a triangle with area 10 square
meters are all indeterminate expressions.
By contrast, 4, The average of 12 and 13, and the greatest prime factor of
15 are all determinate expressions.
Only if at least one of the two expressions is indeterminate can the relation
between the two expressions change, and thus can the correct answer be D.

Items with indeterminacy:

A B C D

A B C D

Items with indeterminacy:

A B C D

A B C D

Items without indeterminacy:

Quantity A

Quantity B

64% of (50)(40)

1200
A B C D

A B C D

Items without indeterminacy:

A B C D

A B C D

Once one finds indeterminacy in a quantitative comparison item, the next step is to
find out if the answer actually is D.
With many items, the best way to do this is to try out different values for the
indeterminate expressions, trying to make the relation between the expressions
change.
This technique, picking numbers, is the most important technique to master for
quantitative comparison items.

Example:

(pg. 148 #4)

A B C D

x 0:

-1

-1

y 1 :

y 0:
x 1 :

Example:

x 2:

y 1:

x 3:
y 2:

A B C D

Tips for picking numbers, Quantitative Comparison Items:

Try simple numbers first; 0 and 1 often work best.
Try the same number for more than one variable at a time, if possible.
After plugging in one set of numbers, think about which new numbers will
make the relation between expressions change.
Dont forget negative numbers, and numbers between 0 and 1 (especially if
exponents are involved).
Usually if the answer is not D, after plugging in a few sets of numbers you
will understand why the relation does not change.
If youve tried several numbers from all the important categories and the
relation still hasnt changed, it is probably safe to guess.

Case study:

x 1:

A B C D

y 1:

x 2:
y 2:

16

Case study:

x 3:
y 2:
z 1:

x 3:

y 2:
z 1 :

A B C D

-6

Case study:
Alices salary is greater than Bills salary. At the end
of the year they each receive a bonus of $4000 dollars.
Quantity A

Quantity B

Alices bonus, as a
percentage of her
salary

Bills bonus, as a
percentage of his
salary

A B C D