GRE Revamps

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) - a standardised test required for admission to US universities has introduced major changes in its format. The new format allows the test taker to move back and forth, edit or change answers, and skip and return to questions within a section.

The revised test also include new questions that emphasise on real-world scenarios and lesser reliance on out of context vocabulary. The new Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning score scale will be from 130–170 in one-point increments - a better process of comparing candidates' scores. The new scoring system makes small differences to look minimal and bigger differences to stand out. The old version of the test included only two sections (quant and verbal), the new format has introduced an analytical writing section too, making the test an hour longer than earlier.

"The new format better meets the needs of today's candidates and admissions professionals, yet maintains our commitment to fair, valid and reliable assessments," said David Payne, vice president and chief operating officer of ETS's Higher Education Division - GRE's parent company while introducing the new test.

The GRE is accepted worldwide as a graduate admissions test and its scores are used by thousands of graduate and business school programs. More than 600 MBA programmes also accept GRE scores. Every year about 6.75 lakh students from 230 countries take the GRE.