GRE for Business School
103 flashcards by MentisLibrary
The GRE General Test for MBA applicants: section structure and scoring, vocabulary in context, text completion and sentence equivalence, reading, quantitative comparison, geometry and data analysis, the Issue essay, and how schools weigh it against the GMAT.
- What sections make up the current GRE General Test, and how long is it?
- One Analytical Writing task, two Verbal Reasoning sections and two Quantitative Reasoning sections. Total testing time is about 1 hour 58 minutes.
- How many questions are in each Verbal and Quantitative section?
- Each measure has two sections: the first with 12 questions and the second with 15. Verbal allows 18 and 23 minutes; Quant allows 21 and 26 minutes.
- How is the GRE adaptive?
- It adapts by section, not by question. Your performance on the first section of a measure determines the difficulty level of the second section of that measure.
- Can you skip questions and come back on the GRE?
- Yes. Within a section you may skip, mark questions for review, return to them and change answers freely until the section time expires.
- What is the GRE scoring scale?
- Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning are each scored from 130 to 170 in one point increments. Analytical Writing is scored from 0 to 6 in half point increments.
- What question types appear in GRE Verbal Reasoning?
- Reading Comprehension, Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence. Reading Comprehension includes standard multiple choice, select all that apply, select in passage, and short paragraph argument questions.
- What question types appear in GRE Quantitative Reasoning?
- Quantitative Comparison, multiple choice with one correct answer, multiple choice with one or more correct answers, and numeric entry, where you type the answer.
- What mathematics is tested on the GRE?
- Arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis, at roughly the level of a strong secondary school curriculum. There is no trigonometry, calculus or formal proof.
- Is a calculator available on the GRE?
- Yes. An on-screen four function calculator with a square root key is available throughout the Quantitative sections.
- How long are GRE scores valid, and how often may you retake?
- Scores are reportable for five years from the test date. You may take the test once every 21 days, up to five times in any rolling 12 month period.
- What is ScoreSelect?
- The option to choose which test administrations to send to schools: on test day you may send the most recent scores, and afterwards you may send scores from any administration in your reportable history.
- What do you see at the end of the GRE, and when do official scores arrive?
- Unofficial Verbal and Quantitative scores appear on screen immediately. The official report, including the Analytical Writing score, is available roughly ten days later.
- What is a Text Completion question?
- A passage of one to five sentences with one, two or three blanks. Single blank questions offer three choices; two and three blank questions offer five choices per blank, and you must get every blank right for credit.
- How do you attack a Text Completion question before looking at the choices?
- Read the whole passage, find the word or phrase that tells you what the blank must mean, and predict a simple word of your own. Then look for the choice closest to your prediction.
- Which signal words tell you a blank continues or reverses the sentence?
- Continuation words include and, moreover, indeed, since and because. Reversal words include but, however, although, yet, despite, nonetheless and paradoxically.
- What is a Sentence Equivalence question?
- A single sentence with one blank and six answer choices. You select the two choices that both fit the sentence and produce sentences with essentially the same meaning, and both must be correct for credit.
- Why can a perfect-sounding choice still be wrong on Sentence Equivalence?
- Because the question requires two choices producing equivalent sentences. If a word fits but has no near synonym among the other five, it is a distractor.
- How should you handle a Sentence Equivalence question when you do not know some words?
- Eliminate the words you do know that clearly do not fit, then look for a synonym pair among the remainder. Word roots and the word's usual connotation often narrow it further.
- How do secondary meanings of common words appear on the GRE?
- The test frequently uses a familiar word in a less common sense, so a word you think you know can be the correct answer in an unexpected meaning.
- What is the difference between a word's denotation and its connotation, and why does it matter here?
- Denotation is the dictionary meaning; connotation is the positive or negative charge it carries. Two words with similar definitions can be wrong and right depending on charge.
- laconic
- Using very few words; terse.
- garrulous
- Excessively talkative, especially about trivial matters.
- ephemeral
- Lasting a very short time.
- ubiquitous
- Present or found everywhere.
- intransigent
- Refusing to compromise or change a position.
- equivocate
- To use ambiguous language deliberately, in order to avoid committing to a position.
- venerate
- To regard with deep respect or reverence.
- capricious
- Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.
- ameliorate
- To make a bad situation better.
- tenuous
- Very weak or slight; having little substance.