When it comes to planning your path to a master’s or graduate degree abroad, one name stands out as the crucial first step – the Graduate Record Examinations, more commonly known as the “GRE” conducted by ETS. This standardized test is not merely a key to unlocking the doors of graduate education; it also acts as a bridge to opportunities in MBA and certain law courses abroad. As of September 22, 2023, the GRE landscape has undergone significant transformations with the introduction of a shorter format. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve deep into this new format, comprehending the changes, and what remains the same, conducting an in-depth analysis of question types within this format, and demystifying how the GRE is scored. Whether you are a determined future graduate student or an ambitious MBA or law school applicant, join us as we explore the GRE’s paramount significance in planning your academic journey and equip you with the knowledge and strategies to ensure your success.
Part 1 : Changes in New Format
In the inaugural segment of this blog, let us dive headfirst into the all-new GRE format introduced on September 22, 2023. The GRE has undergone a remarkable transformation, and understanding these changes is pivotal for test-takers. Here is a comprehensive breakdown of what’s different:
1. Test Duration:
The GRE General Test has undergone a dramatic makeover, shedding its former 3-hour and 45-minute runtime. It now briskly clocks in at just 1 hour and 58 minutes, nearly halving the time compared to its predecessor.
2. Number of Questions:
The changes in test duration are mirrored by a significant reduction in the total number of questions. While you will still encounter the familiar Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections, the total questions have been trimmed down from 80 to 54 in this shorter GRE.
For Quantitative wizards, prepare to tackle 27 questions instead of the previous 40. You now have 47 minutes (down from 70 minutes) to crack this section.
Verbal aficionados, you will also face 27 questions compared to the previous 40, with a time limit of 41 minutes, down from 60 minutes in the older format.
3. Farewell to Argument Essay:
One major change is that the older format had two writing tasks – Issue and Argument and you were given an hour to tackle these two tasks. The Argument essay bid farewell in the revamped GRE, leaving you with one 30-minute essay to tackle.
4. Experiment No More:
The perplexing experimental section that had 20 questions, notorious for adding complexity and time, has been erased from the GRE canvas in the newer version.
5. Swift Score Delivery:
In the older format, your score was delivered after taking the GRE after 10-15 calendar days. But in the newer version, the official score will be delivered faster, within 8 to 10 calendar days.
6. Each Question Counts More:
With fewer questions in each section, every single one carries more weight in your final score. Precision and mastery of concepts are your new best friends to help you get a good score in the new format.
7. Break Time, No More:
Bid farewell to the scheduled 10-minute break in this new format, which means the GRE now demands unwavering focus for 2 hours at one go.
| OLD FORMAT OF GRE | NEW FORMAT OF GRE | |||
| No. of Tasks/Questions | Total Time | No. of Tasks/Questions | Total Time | |
| Analytical Writing | 2 Essay | 60 minutes | 1 Essay | 30 minutes |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 40 Questions | 70 minutes | 27 Questions | 47 minutes |
| Verbal Reasoning | 40 Questions | 60 minutes | 27 Questions | 41 minutes |
| Experimental Section | 20 Questions | Varies | X | X |
| Scheduled Break | 10 minutes | X | X | |
| Total Time | 3 hours 45 mins | 1 hour 58 minutes | ||
Part 2 : What has stayed constant?
As the GRE undergoes a transformation, some essential aspects remain unaltered. These steadfast elements are crucial to your preparation and approach:
1. Core Content:
The new GRE format will continue to assess your quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, critical reasoning, and analytical writing skills. These fundamental areas remain the bedrock of GRE evaluation.
2. Curriculum:
In terms of curriculum, the newer GRE version introduces no changes. The quantitative section will continue to encompass all major aspects of Quantitative Reasoning, including Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Data Analysis. Likewise, the Verbal Reasoning section will test the same topics, including sentence equivalence, reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and text completion.
3. Average Time per Question:
The average time spent on each question will remain consistent. On average, you can allocate 1.7 minutes for Math questions and 1.5 minutes for verbal questions, ensuring a balanced approach to tackling the test.
4. Section-Adaptive Nature:
GRE is inherently a section-adaptive test, featuring two sections for quant and verbal. The performance in the first section still dictates the difficulty level of the second section in the shorter version. This adaptive nature remains a fundamental aspect of the GRE experience.
Part 3 : Navigating the New Shorter GRE: Section by Section
With the GRE test undergoing a seismic transformation, ushering in the era of the shorter GRE, it is crucial to grasp the changes in question types, section analysis, and curriculum. In this section, we will take a comprehensive dive into the recent alterations in the GRE landscape.
Verbal Reasoning
The Verbal Reasoning section in the shorter GRE is an intricate web of 27 questions divided into two sub-sections. Section 1 contains 12 questions, while Section 2 escalates the challenge with 15 more, allowing a total of 27 verbal questions. You will have a limited window of 41 minutes to navigate this section, covering four primary question types as explained below:
Section 1:
Text Completion (3 Questions): This has three types of questions
- 1 Blank: Fill a single blank in a sentence with the appropriate word.
- 2 Blanks: Insert two correct words into a sentence’s blanks to ensure coherence.
- 3 Blanks: Select words for three blanks, crafting a logical and complete sentence.
Sentence Equivalence (4 Questions): This has four variations
- Pair two words that create sentences with similar meanings in a blank sentence.
- Sentence Equivalence (2 Blanks): pick two words ensuring similar meanings in a sentence with two blanks.
- Sentence Equivalence (2 Blanks): opt for two words maintaining similar meanings in a sentence with one blank.
- Sentence Equivalence: choose two words to fill a blank, achieving sentence equivalence.
Critical Reasoning (2 Questions): This typically consists of either weakening an argument or strengthening an argument-type question.
Reading Comprehension (3 Questions): This part will have short passages in the new format and followed by questions regarding the main ideas, details, and author’s tone. RC mainly focuses on vocabulary inferences, content understanding, and text nuances.
Section 2:
Text Completion (4 Questions)
Sentence Equivalence (3 Questions)
Critical Reasoning (4 Questions)
Reading Comprehension (4 Questions)
| Section 1 | Section 2 | |
| No. of Question | No. of Question | |
| Text Completion | 3 | 4 |
| Sentence Equivalence | 4 | 3 |
| Critical Reasoning | 2 | 4 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3 | 4 |
| Total Questions | 12 | 15 |
| Total Time | 18 minutes | 23 minutes |
Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative Reasoning section, a crucible of mathematical prowess and problem-solving, assesses your quantitative understanding and math application. In this section, you’ll encounter a total of 27 Quantitative questions, divided into two parts just like the verbal section. You have a mere 47 minutes to demonstrate your mathematical prowess. The question types are as explained below :
Section 1
Quantitative Comparison (4 Questions): Quantitative Comparison tasks put your analytical skills to the test as you evaluate and compare two quantities to discern their numerical significance or equality.
Multiple Choice Question – 1 Choice (5 Questions): The Multiple-Choice Question with only one correct answer of the given choices is your classic math challenge.
Numeric Entry (2 Questions): Numeric Entry tasks demand precision as you provide a numerical solution to a question without any option.
Multiple Choice Question – 1+ Choices (1 Question): The Multiple-Choice Question with one or more choices presents an intriguing twist. You might have to identify not just one but multiple correct answer choices, putting your problem-solving skills to the test at its best.
Section 2
Quantitative Comparison (5 Questions)
Multiple Choice Question – 1 Choice (7 Questions)
Numeric Entry (1 Question)
Multiple Choice Question – 1+ Choices (2 Questions)
| Section 1 | Section 2 | |
| No. of Question | No. of Question | |
| Quantitative Comparison | 4 | 5 |
| MCQ – 1 Choice | 5 | 7 |
| Numeric Entry | 2 | 1 |
| MCQ – 1+ Choices | 1 | 2 |
| Total Questions | 12 | 15 |
| Total Time | 21 minutes | 26 minutes |
Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
AWA delves deep into your critical thinking abilities, your knack for dissecting intricate matters, your linguistic finesse, and your power to craft compelling arguments. This section focuses exclusively on one type of essay: Analysing an Issue and you will be given 30 minutes to complete the task.
Part 4 : Deciphering the GRE Scoring Enigma
Navigating GRE scores can be akin to deciphering a cryptic code. The GRE exam employs a scale spanning from 130 to 170 for both the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections, with scores progressing in 1-point increments leading to a total score of 340. A general misconception among students is since the score range is 40 points and there are 27 questions in quant, each question carries a rough weightage of 1.48 points. However, this is not true and we will understand the scoring below.
In the Analytical Writing section, the scoring is more straightforward. Here, you are rated on a scale from 0 to 6, with half-point increments. Your ability to construct and present compelling arguments, all while showcasing your command of the language, takes center stage.
Although there are 54 graded questions on the GRE test—27 in verbal and 27 in quant—each question is not created equal.
Questions are meticulously categorized into difficulty levels, ranging from 1 to 5:
Difficulty Level 1: Very Easy
Difficulty Level 2: Easy
Difficulty Level 3: Medium
Difficulty Level 4: Hard
Difficulty Level 5: Very Hard
In addition to individual question difficulty levels, each GRE section is further categorized into the following tiers:
Easy Section
Medium Section
Hard Section
The ETS’s algorithm for scoring in GRE is renowned for its section-adaptive nature, where your performance in the first section influences the difficulty of the second. Excelling in the first section rewards you with a challenging second section, potentially earning you bonus points. Conversely, if you encounter an easier section initially, your scores may incur a penalty.
Let me introduce you to statistics first to understand the GRE scoring algorithm:
The minimum score in GRE is 260 (130 in each of quant and verbal). So ETS makes sure your score is getting near 150/170. So in your first section, you do exceptionally well, your questions will be in such a way as to pull your score down to 150. If you screw up, ETS gives you easy questions to make your score near 150.
Drawing insights from numerous scenarios, we can make estimated predictions about how sections adapt based on test-taker proficiency:
Scoring 8 to 12 correct answers on the first section will lead to the next section being set at a challenging level.
Achieving 7 or 4 correct answers on the first section will result in the next section falling into the medium difficulty range.
Scoring 0 to 3 correct answers on the first section will prompt the next section to be categorized as easy in terms of difficulty.
Understanding Difficulty Level of Sections:
Scenario 1
A student answers 8 or more on 12 questions correct in first section which is of medium level.
| Section 1 | Section 2 | |
| No. of Question | No. of Question | |
| DL 1 ( Very Easy) | 2 | 0 |
| DL 2 ( Easy) | 4 | 4 |
| DL 3 ( Medium ) | 5 | 6 |
| DL 4 ( Hard) | 1 | 4 |
| DL 5 ( Very Hard) | 0 | 1 |
The advantage of scoring well in the first section is that this student can get bonus +3 than someone who got a Medium or +5 than someone who get an Easy level in Section 2.
Scenario 2
A student answers 7 questions correctly in section 1 which is of medium level. His second section will also be of medium difficulty level and let’s assume he answers all questions correctly in second section still he will be able to reach a maximum score of 158.
Scenario 3
A student answers 3 correct in section 1 which is of medium level. His second section will be of easy level and break up will be somewhat like this :
| Section 1 | Section 2 | |
| No. of Question | No. of Question | |
| DL 1 ( Very Easy) | 2 | 3 |
| DL 2 ( Easy) | 4 | 6 |
| DL 3 ( Medium ) | 5 | 6 |
| DL 4 ( Hard) | 1 | 0 |
| DL 5 ( Very Hard) | 0 | 0 |
Even if the student answers all correctly in second section he can attain a maximum score of 151.
Keep in mind that tackling more challenging questions in the first section can lead to a higher overall GRE score.
For instance, if one student answers 18 questions correctly in both the Medium (first) and Hard (second) sections, their score reaches 155.
In contrast, another student who responds to 18 questions correctly in both the Medium (first) and Medium (second) sections will score slightly lower at 152, experiencing a 3-point deduction.
Lastly, a different student achieving 18 correct answers in the Medium (first) section but facing the Easy (second) section will score 150, with a 5-point deduction.
This highlights how a test-taker’s performance across various sections can significantly impact their ultimate GRE score.
Furthermore, it’s worth noting that easy sections contribute less weight to the final score, while highly challenging sections carry a more substantial influence.
Analytical Writing Scoring Process
The Analytical Writing essay undergoes a multi-step scoring process. Initially, a trained human grader assesses the essay and assigns it a score ranging from 0 to 6. Subsequently, the essay is evaluated by an e-reader, a computer program developed by ETS designed to evaluate writing skills across various dimensions.
If the scores assigned by the human grader and the e-reader differ by no more than one point, the average of these two scores becomes the definitive essay score. However, in cases of disagreement between the human grader and the e-reader, a second human grader is brought in to evaluate the essay. The final essay score is then determined as the average of the two human grader scores.
In conclusion, the GRE is not just an exam; it’s a journey toward your academic dreams. The changes in the GRE format, as of September 22, 2023, bring both challenges and opportunities. But remember, with the right guidance and preparation, you can conquer this test and open doors to the future you have envisioned.
At SmartCareerify and Logic Academy, we understand the intricacies of the GRE like no one else. Our team of experienced educators is dedicated to helping you navigate through these changes and excel in every section of the GRE. Whether it is mastering the nuances of the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections or crafting impeccable essays in Analytical Writing, we have you covered.
We offer comprehensive GRE preparation courses tailored to your needs. Our expert tutors will guide you through the new GRE format, providing valuable insights, strategies, and practice materials. With our support, you’ll not only understand the GRE scoring system but also learn how to maximize your score. Your future begins with the right preparation, and we are here to help you achieve your academic goals.