GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) Test Structure and Logistics Syllabus

Test Structure and Logistics syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Test Structure and Logistics in GRE (Graduate Record Examinations), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   GRE General Test Format

   4 topics

   • Section Breakdown and Order
     • One Analytical Writing section
     • Two Verbal and two Quantitative sections
   • Section-Level Adaptive Design
     • How second section difficulty adapts
   • Timing and Question Counts
     • Total testing time (shorter GRE)
     • Per-section time allotments
   • Navigation Tools
     • Mark and review feature
     • Editing answers within a section
2. 2

   Scoring and Score Reporting

   4 topics

   • Score Scales
     • Verbal and Quant 130 to 170 scale
     • Analytical Writing 0 to 6 scale
   • Percentile Rankings
     • Interpreting percentiles by measure
   • ScoreSelect Option
     • Choosing which scores to send
   • Score Validity and Reporting
     • Five-year score validity
     • Sending scores to programs
3. 3

   Registration and Test Delivery

   3 topics

   • Registration Through ETS
     • Creating an ETS account
     • Fees and fee reduction program
   • Test Center versus At-Home Testing
     • Equipment and environment requirements
     • Proctoring rules
   • Retake Policy
     • 21-day waiting period and yearly limit

Test Structure and Logistics flashcards for GRE (Graduate Record Examinations)

25 of 50 cards from the Test Structure and Logistics deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. How many measures (skill areas) does the GRE General Test contain, and what are they?

   Three measures: Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning.

2. Which section always appears first on the GRE General Test?

   The Analytical Writing measure (the 'Analyze an Issue' task) always comes first.

3. How many essay tasks are on the current (shortened) GRE Analytical Writing section?

   One task: a single 'Analyze an Issue' essay (the 'Analyze an Argument' task was removed).

4. How many scored Verbal Reasoning sections are on the GRE, and how many total questions?

   Two Verbal Reasoning sections with 27 questions total (a 12-question section and a 15-question section).

5. How many scored Quantitative Reasoning sections are on the GRE, and how many total questions?

   Two Quantitative Reasoning sections with 27 questions total (a 12-question section and a 15-question section).

6. What is the total number of scored multiple-choice/numeric questions on the GRE General Test?

   54 questions total (27 Verbal + 27 Quantitative), plus the one Analytical Writing essay.

7. What is the approximate total testing time for the current shortened GRE General Test?

   About 1 hour 58 minutes (roughly under 2 hours).

8. Does the current shortened GRE include an unscored experimental or research section?

   No. The shortened GRE removed the unidentified unscored section and the optional research section.

9. Does the shortened GRE include a scheduled 10-minute break?

   No. The scheduled break was eliminated when the test was shortened.

10. How much time is allotted for the GRE Analytical Writing 'Analyze an Issue' task?

    30 minutes.

11. How much total time is allotted for the two GRE Verbal Reasoning sections?

    41 minutes total (18 minutes for the 12-question section and 23 minutes for the 15-question section).

12. How much total time is allotted for the two GRE Quantitative Reasoning sections?

    47 minutes total (21 minutes for the 12-question section and 26 minutes for the 15-question section).

13. How much time is given for the first (12-question) Verbal Reasoning section?

    18 minutes.

14. How much time is given for the second (15-question) Verbal Reasoning section?

    23 minutes.

15. How much time is given for the first (12-question) Quantitative Reasoning section?

    21 minutes.

16. How much time is given for the second (15-question) Quantitative Reasoning section?

    26 minutes.

17. At what level is the computer-based GRE General Test adaptive?

    It is section-level adaptive (section-adaptive), not question-by-question adaptive.

18. On the section-adaptive GRE, what determines the difficulty of the second Verbal or Quantitative section?

    Your performance on the first section of that measure determines the difficulty level of the second section in the same measure.

19. Within a single GRE section, can a test taker skip questions and return to them later?

    Yes. Within a section you can skip, return to, review, and change answers before time expires.

20. Can a GRE test taker change answers to questions in a previous section after moving on?

    No. Once a section is completed and you move on, you cannot go back to it.

21. What navigation feature lets GRE test takers tag questions to revisit within a section?

    The 'Mark and Review' feature, which flags questions and provides a review screen showing answered/unanswered/marked items.

22. What calculator is available on the GRE, and for which section?

    An on-screen four-function calculator (with square root) is provided for the Quantitative Reasoning section only.

23. What is the score scale for the GRE Verbal Reasoning measure?

    130 to 170, reported in 1-point increments.

24. What is the score scale for the GRE Quantitative Reasoning measure?

    130 to 170, reported in 1-point increments.

25. What is the score scale for the GRE Analytical Writing measure?

    0 to 6, reported in half-point (0.5) increments.

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