Vocaboly.com

[octogenarian]

Published On Thursday, October 20, 2005 2:34 AM

By CLAIRE M. GUEHENNO

Contributing Writer

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In an effort to improve the quality of the Graduate Record Examination
(GRE), a test required when applying to many graduate programs, the
Educational Testing Service (ETS) is in the process of making major
revisions to the material and methods tested on the exam.

The ETS, which also made changes to the SAT and the TOEFL last year,
will redesign all three sections of the test: Verbal Reasoning,
Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. The company expects the
changes to go into effect in October 2006.

Overall, the revisions are an effort to try to make the test more
pertinent to the type of work that graduate school demands, according
to David G. Payne, the executive director for the GRE program.

"The new item types are more similar to the tasks that you think
you're going to be doing in your graduate career," said Payne.

For instance, the Verbal Reasoning section will seek to focus less on
vocabulary and more on reading comprehension and analytical skills,
both important in graduate work, according to Payne.

The ETS will also replace many geometry questions with more
"real-life"-type math problems on the Quantitative Reasoning
section and shorten the Analytical Writing section by 15 minutes,
according to the ETS website.

Payne said the changes are the product of recommendations made by the
GRE board, which is an external advisory board composed of deans of
graduate schools from across the country.

"The primary question that they pushed us on is, they wanted us to
see if we could improve the validity of the test," said Payne.

Many students agree that these kinds of changes will benefit the test.

"I think that anything that is more comprehension-based, especially
when you're going to graduate school, is more important," said
Caroline M. Whiting '06.

Eric D. Bennett, a fourth-year student at the Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences, also said that the GRE in its current form does not
always test for the right skills.

"Whether I know the word 'adscititious' doesn't change the
opinions I'm going to have about Moby Dick," Bennett said.

Beyond the material, the ETS is also revising the way the exam is
administered.

Currently the GRE is available nearly every day­-but only in
specifically enabled GRE testing locations. The new test will be
Internet-based and available almost anywhere on specific testing dates.


ETS will also provide admissions committees at graduate schools with
the essays the students complete on the test so that officials can see
applicants' writing abilities before they are edited and refined.

"Faculty are really looking forward to having the ability to see a
validated writing sample from their applicants," said Payne.

The GRE program is taking many measures to prepare for all these
changes. By the end of this month, sample questions will be available
online, and this spring, ETS will release a full practice test.

Some students remain skeptical despite the changes being made.

"I really take ETS' changes with a grain of salt," said Lulu Wang
'06.

"The things that they change, they may think is working out for the
best, but all in all I don't think it ever stops being just another
hoop that you jump through."

[amhicks]

Ijust recently took the GRE...and to say the least, I was not completely
satisfied with my score. However, I also had the chance to participate in
a GRE study last year. I am not sure if the new format will better. I
agree with the author, the GRE remains "just another
hoop that you jump through."

ahicks
www.collegepuruse.com