#GRE Test

Many graduate and professional schools require applicants to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test. In addition, competitive graduate scholarships and fellowships often require a GRE test in order to apply. The test is offered year round, and all over the country, and is generally taken on a computer.

There are three different portions of the GRE test, and three different scores. The essay portion is scored on a scale of 0 to 6, in half point increments. The verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning portions are scored on a scale of 200 to 800, in 10 point increments. There is no passing or failing cutoff, but the higher your score the better your chances of getting into the program you're considering. One nice feature of the GRE test that's highly unusual is the ability to cancel your score. If you take the test but feel like you didn't do well, or that you could do substantially better, you have the option, before you actually leave the facility, of canceling your score and it won't count. Of course, you take the risk that you're canceling a score that's possibly much better than you think it is, but if you're convinced you didn't do well, you have that option. If you don't cancel, you'll receive your scores in about two weeks.

The actual GRE test breaks down as follows. In the writing portion you'll write an essay showing your ability to grasp and communicate complex ideas in a logical, well written, and clear manner, and present solid arguments to back them up. The verbal reasoning portion will test your skills at reading comprehension and interpretation, and to recognize relationships between words and ideas. The quantitative reasoning is the math section of the test, and will demonstrate your grasp of basic math, algebra, geometry and data analysis, and your ability at reasoning with numbers. The two reasoning portions are multiple choice. The GRE test is extremely challenging, and should not be taken lightly, considering the impact it can have on both your academic and employment career.

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