—More flexibility to skip questions and return to them later;
—A new set of math questions that requires numerical entries instead of picking from multiple choice;
—Use of an on-screen calculator; and
—A new scoring system for verbal and math results, now given on a scale of 130 to 170, instead of 200 to 800.
Officials say the new range will allow for more accurate score comparisons. A 10- or 20-point difference under the old system, which might look deceptively big, becomes only a one- or two-point difference in the new system.
Lee Weiss, director of graduate programs for Kaplan Test Prep, described the exam as “essentially changing in every way possible.” He stressed the need for mental stamina and cautioned students against using the new calculator as a crutch, saying “the GRE is a reasoning test, not a calculating test.”
“In many ways, this is a more challenging exam,” Weiss said. “There’s obviously some nervousness.”
Northeastern University law school student Deena Sharuk, who is looking into the GRE to apply to doctoral programs, said she first heard of the new test when she went to buy study materials and saw books labeled “Revised GRE.”
Though she hasn’t yet registered for the exam, Sharuk said she’s worried that early test-takers will be like “a group of guinea pigs.” She’s also disappointed with the loss of the antonyms and analogies section and is anxious about how the newly scaled results will be translated.
“Maybe a 160 is good, maybe a 150 is good — there’s no real way to understand it,” said Sharuk, 25, of Boston.
The revised scale will take some getting used to by admissions committees, too, said Ralph Rosen, associate dean for graduate education at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts & Sciences.
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