本文包括三部分：GRE機(jī)考介紹、考場實(shí)戰(zhàn)報(bào)告和寫作。
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a group of standardized, multiple-choice tests used by many graduate schools as part of the admissions process. The most important part of the GRE is the General Test, which is offered only in the Computer Adaptive format.
The test is scored on a 200-800 scale for each of the GRE's three categories: Verbal, Quantitative (math), and Analytical.
The experimental section is not scored. It can be verbal, quantitative, or analytical, and you may not be able to determine which section it is. The purpose of the experimental section is to help ETS, the company that writes the test, conduct research.
The Structure of the GRE CAT
The structure of the computerized GRE, also called the GRE CAT, is the following:
1 Verbal section 30 questions 30 minutes
1 Quantitative section 28 questions 45 minutes
1 Analytical section 35 questions 60 minutes
1 Experimental section ??? questions ??? minutes
1 Research section ??? questions ??? minutes
The verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections are all scored, while the experimental and research sections are both unscored. The experimental section will be a Verbal, Quantitative, or Analytical section, and you will not be able to determine which section it is. The research section will be a verbal, quantitative, or analytical section, and it will be identified as an unscored section. If it is included in your test, the research section will show up as the last section on the exam.
You will always have 3 scored sections on a GRE CAT and 1 or 2 unscored sections.
The Princeton Review Report on the April 1999 GRE
If your test form was 3VGR1, your experimental section was 4. If your test form was S5-3VGR1, your experimental section was 7.
The test contained little that was unexpected. The Verbal section was awash in Hit Parade words. On the Analogies, making a sentence reigned supreme, and recycled relationships made your job much easier. The majority of the Sentence Completions had two blanks, giving you extra chances to eliminate wrong answers. The answer choices to the Reading Comprehension questions were somewhat convoluted at times, but the questions contained plenty of specific information to help you dig the answers out of the passage. The Antonyms contained more Hit Parade words than did any of the other sections, so if you studied vocabulary you undoubtedly faired well.
You probably saw much that was familiar on the Quantitative sections. There was no shortage of plugging in to do on regular problems and on Quantitative Comparison. Factoring questions may have presented some challenges, if only because there were so many of them, along with average problems, and geometry questions, especially ones involving coordinate geometry. The chart asked some typical questions on some relatively straightforward charts and graphs.
On the Analytic sections, there were seven games, six of which were regular assignment games. Although some of the clues may have been a little tricky, if you drew your set-up, symbolized your clues, and made deductions, you probably came through these games with no major problems. The other game required you to draw a map of the tubes connecting several elements. Once you made your map, the questions responded best to process of elimination. Of the arguments, most were weaken/strengthen or assumption, and the rest also fell into familiar categories.
GRE Writing Assessment Test
by Magda Pecsenye
Beginning in October 1999, ETS will add another test to its GRE series. The GRE Writing Assessment Test will be a separate exam administered by computer in which test-takers will be required to write two essays. One essay, called "Present Your Perspective on an Issue", will give you 45 minutes to write an essay on one of two topics. The other essay, called "Analyze an Argument", will give you 30 minutes to write on one topic. You will receive one score for the two essays; each essay will be graded by two human graders, and these scores will be averaged together to reach the final score. Your final score will range from 0 to 6 in half-point increments.
You must sign up for this test separately from the GRE General Test. The test will cost $50 for people taking the test in the U.S., U.S. Territories and Puerto Rico, and $60 for people taking it anywhere else. You will be required to type your essays using a word-processing program. Special accommodations are available for test-takers who need to hand-write the essays; however, the hand-writing option will only be offered three times a year at the pencil-and-paper administrations of the GRE Subject Tests.
Do I Have to Take the Test?
Maybe, maybe not. ETS says that schools will decide whether to "require" or "recommend" the new Writing Assessment Test, but most schools haven't made that decision yet. They may or may not "require" or "recommend" the test within the next few years. So, CHECK WITH THE PROGRAMS TO WHICH YOU'RE APPLYING before you spend your money to register for the Writing Assessment Test.
If you have to take the Writing Assessment test, you'll want to keep the following tips in mind as you prepare:
Tips for Writing Great Essays
Be organized. Put yourself in the grader's place. If you had to grade a bunch of essays, and some of them were well-organized and others were not, which ones would you give the higher scores to? By separating your essay into paragraphs, using transition words, and using clear, direct language, you'll come out ahead.
Use examples. An unsupported argument is just that - unsupported. Your argument will be much more convincing to the graders if you use well-thought-out examples and present them clearly and directly in your essay. Each grader doesn't get much time to spend reading your essays, so humor and rhetorical questions won't help you; clear examples will.
Proofread. One minor error won't affect your score negatively, but several misspellings or grammar mistakes can ruin an otherwise well-written essay. Time yourself so that you have 3 or 4 minutes left at the end of the section to proofread.
Check out the essay topics ahead of time. ETS will publish all the essay topics before the test is available in October. They reason that test-takers will be more prepared if they can see all the topics first. While you probably don't want to take the time to write an actual essay for each topic given (ETS says there will be at least 100 different topics for each of the two essays), you should spend some time familiarizing yourself with the format and common features of the topics. That way you won't be surprised when you take the test.
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a group of standardized, multiple-choice tests used by many graduate schools as part of the admissions process. The most important part of the GRE is the General Test, which is offered only in the Computer Adaptive format.
The test is scored on a 200-800 scale for each of the GRE's three categories: Verbal, Quantitative (math), and Analytical.
The experimental section is not scored. It can be verbal, quantitative, or analytical, and you may not be able to determine which section it is. The purpose of the experimental section is to help ETS, the company that writes the test, conduct research.
The Structure of the GRE CAT
The structure of the computerized GRE, also called the GRE CAT, is the following:
1 Verbal section 30 questions 30 minutes
1 Quantitative section 28 questions 45 minutes
1 Analytical section 35 questions 60 minutes
1 Experimental section ??? questions ??? minutes
1 Research section ??? questions ??? minutes
The verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections are all scored, while the experimental and research sections are both unscored. The experimental section will be a Verbal, Quantitative, or Analytical section, and you will not be able to determine which section it is. The research section will be a verbal, quantitative, or analytical section, and it will be identified as an unscored section. If it is included in your test, the research section will show up as the last section on the exam.
You will always have 3 scored sections on a GRE CAT and 1 or 2 unscored sections.
The Princeton Review Report on the April 1999 GRE
If your test form was 3VGR1, your experimental section was 4. If your test form was S5-3VGR1, your experimental section was 7.
The test contained little that was unexpected. The Verbal section was awash in Hit Parade words. On the Analogies, making a sentence reigned supreme, and recycled relationships made your job much easier. The majority of the Sentence Completions had two blanks, giving you extra chances to eliminate wrong answers. The answer choices to the Reading Comprehension questions were somewhat convoluted at times, but the questions contained plenty of specific information to help you dig the answers out of the passage. The Antonyms contained more Hit Parade words than did any of the other sections, so if you studied vocabulary you undoubtedly faired well.
You probably saw much that was familiar on the Quantitative sections. There was no shortage of plugging in to do on regular problems and on Quantitative Comparison. Factoring questions may have presented some challenges, if only because there were so many of them, along with average problems, and geometry questions, especially ones involving coordinate geometry. The chart asked some typical questions on some relatively straightforward charts and graphs.
On the Analytic sections, there were seven games, six of which were regular assignment games. Although some of the clues may have been a little tricky, if you drew your set-up, symbolized your clues, and made deductions, you probably came through these games with no major problems. The other game required you to draw a map of the tubes connecting several elements. Once you made your map, the questions responded best to process of elimination. Of the arguments, most were weaken/strengthen or assumption, and the rest also fell into familiar categories.
GRE Writing Assessment Test
by Magda Pecsenye
Beginning in October 1999, ETS will add another test to its GRE series. The GRE Writing Assessment Test will be a separate exam administered by computer in which test-takers will be required to write two essays. One essay, called "Present Your Perspective on an Issue", will give you 45 minutes to write an essay on one of two topics. The other essay, called "Analyze an Argument", will give you 30 minutes to write on one topic. You will receive one score for the two essays; each essay will be graded by two human graders, and these scores will be averaged together to reach the final score. Your final score will range from 0 to 6 in half-point increments.
You must sign up for this test separately from the GRE General Test. The test will cost $50 for people taking the test in the U.S., U.S. Territories and Puerto Rico, and $60 for people taking it anywhere else. You will be required to type your essays using a word-processing program. Special accommodations are available for test-takers who need to hand-write the essays; however, the hand-writing option will only be offered three times a year at the pencil-and-paper administrations of the GRE Subject Tests.
Do I Have to Take the Test?
Maybe, maybe not. ETS says that schools will decide whether to "require" or "recommend" the new Writing Assessment Test, but most schools haven't made that decision yet. They may or may not "require" or "recommend" the test within the next few years. So, CHECK WITH THE PROGRAMS TO WHICH YOU'RE APPLYING before you spend your money to register for the Writing Assessment Test.
If you have to take the Writing Assessment test, you'll want to keep the following tips in mind as you prepare:
Tips for Writing Great Essays
Be organized. Put yourself in the grader's place. If you had to grade a bunch of essays, and some of them were well-organized and others were not, which ones would you give the higher scores to? By separating your essay into paragraphs, using transition words, and using clear, direct language, you'll come out ahead.
Use examples. An unsupported argument is just that - unsupported. Your argument will be much more convincing to the graders if you use well-thought-out examples and present them clearly and directly in your essay. Each grader doesn't get much time to spend reading your essays, so humor and rhetorical questions won't help you; clear examples will.
Proofread. One minor error won't affect your score negatively, but several misspellings or grammar mistakes can ruin an otherwise well-written essay. Time yourself so that you have 3 or 4 minutes left at the end of the section to proofread.
Check out the essay topics ahead of time. ETS will publish all the essay topics before the test is available in October. They reason that test-takers will be more prepared if they can see all the topics first. While you probably don't want to take the time to write an actual essay for each topic given (ETS says there will be at least 100 different topics for each of the two essays), you should spend some time familiarizing yourself with the format and common features of the topics. That way you won't be surprised when you take the test.