3. KNOW WHAT'S ON THE GRE

OK, now it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty: figuring out exactly what's on the test.

The GRE is supposed to show how advanced your critical thinking skills are. Because it doesn't examine any specific area of study (you can't predict exactly what'll be on it), you can't really study for it the way you could memorize dates for a history test. BUT knowing what to expect on the test will definitely make you feel more confident and cut down on the time you'd spend reading instructions.

The GRE tests your verbal, quantitative, and analytical skills. Huh? Think of these as language, math, and thinking skills. Just like the SAT, a question will be presented, and you'll have to pick the 1 correct answer out of the 5 choices (or in the quantitative section, 4 choices) presented. You will receive a score ranging between 200 and 800 for each section, and those scores are what will be sent to the graduate schools you apply to.

The verbal section
The mathematical section
The analytical section

The verbal section

The verbal section requires you to either read passages and synthesize information from them, or prove that you know the definition of tough words. You'll have 30 minutes to complete 30 questions. There are four different types of questions you'll encounter:

Reading comprehension: You'll read several paragraphs about exciting topics like the economics of the Guatemalan broccoli industry and answer questions about it.

Sentence completion: You'll be presented with a sentence with a missing word, and you pick which word best completes the sentence.

I am going to sit next to you on this bench and hold your hand because I _______ you.

a) hate
b) eat
c) shoot
d) humiliate
e) like

Analogies: You'll be presented with two words that have a relationship with each other, and you'll have to pick another pair of words that have the same type of relationship to each other.

HAPPY : SMILE ::

a) dog : cat
b) eat : food
c) oopsy : daisy
d) hello : goodbye
e) sad : frown

Antonyms (opposites): You'll be presented with a word, and you'll have to pick the word that is the most opposite.

UP :

a) eat
b) dog
c) throw
d) President Clinton
e) down

For the two of you out there truly having difficulty with these questions, the answer to all three are E. By the way, the verbal questions on the GRE will be a bit harder, but you get the general idea.

The mathematical section

The mathematical section tests your math skills. Duh. The good news is that the questions generally don't exceed the high school level, so drop that book on advanced imaginary number theory. Rather, the math questions test your ability to reason quantitatively and solve problems. But don't get too lazy . . . you WILL need to use basic algebra and geometry. You will have 45 minutes to complete 28 questions. There are two types of math questions:

Five-option questions: These are problems that ask a question and provide five options from which to select the correct answer. Sometimes the test will just ask a question (like below), and sometimes it will show a graph or table and you'll have to answer several questions about the information presented.

The greatest number of diagonals that can be drawn from one vertex of a six-sided polygon is . . .

a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
e) 7

Quantitative comparison: For these math problems, you will be provided with two quantities, and you have to decide which of the two is a bigger number, if the two are equal, or if you don't have enough information to say for sure. These questions can be intimidating because you're not used to the structure, but they're really not that tough.

Column AColumn B2 x 3²2³ x 3

a) The value in column A is greater
b) The value in column B is greater
c) Column A and column B are equal
d) Not enough information to answer the question

The answer is B. In Column B, two cubed (2 x 2 x 2) equals eight, and multiplied by three this equals twenty-four. In Column A, three squared (3 x 3) equals nine, and multiplied by two this equals eighteen. Get it? Oh, and the answer to the first math question is A. Draw a picture and see for yourself.

The analytical section

The analytical section, a 60-minute section of 35 questions, tests your ability to understand relationships and deduce information. That means you're going to have to think, and although that may be annoying, it's a pretty useful skill. Most of these questions are "brainteasers." For example:

Bob wants to eat one donut every day of the week. He only eats chocolate or sprinkled donuts, and he buys his donuts from Shop A or Shop B. His donut-buying habits conform to the following rules:

Bob always eats a chocolate donut on Monday.
Bob always eats a sprinkled donut on Wednesday.
When Bob goes to Shop B, he always goes at least two days in a row.
Bob eats at least four chocolate donuts every week.

You'd then answer questions such as, "Which of the 5 following scenarios is a possible donut-buying schedule?" or, "If the only type of donut Bob buys at Shop B is a chocolate donut, what's the greatest number of sprinkled donuts that Bob can eat in a week?"

So, all that adds up to two hours and fifteen minutes, right? Wrong. The test is actually FOUR HOURS long because there are three more things you'll have to contend with:

  1. A computer tutorial (to prevent you from trying to write on the screen with a pencil).

  2. An experimental section, which is sneakily disguised to look like all the others, but it is not scored. So it'll be an extra verbal, quantitative, or analytical section that you'll have to take, but you won't know which one is real and which one is fake. If you recognize the experimental section, you may take a nap, train a dog, or weave a basket during that time and it won't affect your score. However, if you guess wrong, well . . . ever hear the expression about the creek and the paddle? That will be you. So don't try to out-think the test writers, and just answer all the questions on the test to the best of your ability.

  3. A research section, which will also not be scored. However, unlike the experimental portion, it is optional. Therefore, you may be offered some type of reward (such as a sock puppet or garbanzo beans) for completing it, but it's ultimately your choice.