Search the Community

The new, revised GRE® test is here! It has been redesigned to be more user-friendly in many ways. That’s good news, but what if you have already taken the test? Would you get a better score if you took it again now? When I asked myself that question, my first reaction was, “Are you kidding me?” But after reflecting on the question a bit more, I could easily see that there actually are a couple factors that one should consider before ruling out taking the GRE® exam again. Content Strong considerations in the redesign of the GRE® revised General Test were the application of concepts and utilization of critical thinking. Real-life scenarios are provided that better align with experience and education. The revised questions no longer require the test taker to identify vocabulary out of context. Questioning is focused to better demonstrate analyzing and reasoning abilities. And with the addition of an online calculator, the Analytical Section of the GRE® revised General Test is now more about your ability to process information correctly while easing the extraneous cognitive demand previously caused by manual computation. In short, the revised GRE® better reflects how you think with what you know as it applies to your potential success in a graduate or business school program. Should I retake it? Did the design of the content questioning in the previous GRE® test seemed not relatable or practical or was the by-hand paper calculation an impediment to you? If you think these considerations may have had an impact on your resulting score, then you might want to consider taking the GRE® revised General Test. Functionality The functionality of the test has been updated and improved to enhance the test taker’s experience. There is more flexibility in navigation by being able to edit and change answers with the ability to skip questions within a section and come back to them within the designated time period. The GRE® revised General Test uses today’s technology allowing for highlighting and numeric entry for question answers. These may seem like small changes, but they go a long way in empowering the user with more control which leads to a more confident, comfortable testing environment. Should I retake it? In your previous GRE ® testing experience, did the restrictions of the functionality cause you undue stress or seem to impact your ability to do your best to demonstrate your knowledge and skills? If you think these considerations may have had an impact on your resulting score, then you might want to consider taking the GRE® revised General Test. Scoring Scoring is reported differently with the GRE® revised General Test. Instead of 10-point increments, scores are reported in 1-point increments. What does this mean? Previously one or two points one way or the other threw you into a different 10-point range. This was not a good thing if you were one or two points off on the wrong side of the range. Now the reported score is an actual reflection of the points received on the test. One or two points missed are now actually one or two points difference in the score and not 10 points. Should I retake it? If you think you were on the tipping point on the wrong side of a scoring range, then you might want to consider taking the GRE® revised General Test. And Finally If you answered “yes” to any of the previous sections’ questions of “Should I retake it” but the cost of the test is prohibitive to you, consider this: There is a Special 50% Savings during August 2011 and September 2011 on the cost of the GRE® revised General Test. If you need time to study, the last possible date to take the revised GRE ® with the 50% savings is September 30, 2011. Register quickly for this savings. Good luck with all your testing efforts!