www.testmasters.com CURRENT GRE
NEW GRE Verbal Reasoning 1 Section, 30 minutes 30 questions
2 Sections, 30 minutes each Approx. 20 questions per section
Analogies
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Given a related pair of words/phrases, you must choose the pair that most nearly expresses the same relationship as between the given pair. •
Five answer choices. •
Sometimes requires substantial knowledge of vocabulary out of context. Eliminated on new GRE. EXAMPLE 8.
ATHLETE : TROPHY :: (A) detective: badge (B) presenter : award (C) soldier : medal (D) bettor : stake (E) musician : instrument (C) is correct, expressing the relationship between a vocation and its characteristic prize. Antonyms
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You choose the word/phrase that is opposite in meaning to the one given. •
Five answer choices. •
Sometimes requires substantial knowledge of vocabulary out of context. Eliminated on new GRE EXAMPLE 29. STERILIZE: (A) uncover (B) irritate (C) contaminate (D) operate (E) agitate (C) is correct. Contaminate is opposite to sterilize; sterilization is meant to undo contamination. Text Completion
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Given a sentence or a short paragraph with 1 or 2 words missing, you must fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best completes the sentence/paragraph. ©2010 Test Masters Educational Services. All rights reserved.
≈30% of new GRE verbal •
Does count on the new GRE. •
Some paragraphs now have 3 blanks. •
Proportionally, almost double the questions www.testmasters.com •
Five answer choices. •
Context obviously is very important, but some knowledge of vocabulary is also required. •
Does not count for credit (true only for the old test). (taking place of antonyms and analogies). EXAMPLE 3.
The organization remained convinced that the adverse ruling of the state Supreme Court was only a temporary setback ‐‐ that their progress had merely been _____(i)_____ , not halted. The members released a statement criticizing the Court, saying that the reversal of its previous ruling on the issue compromised its reputation for _____(ii)_____. Blank (i) Blank (ii) superseded consistency amortized tradition interrupted aplomb Interrupted and consistency are correct. These 2 words make the most sense in context. Sentence Equivalence – NEW!
≈20% of new GRE verbal • Given a sentence with one blank, you must choose two of the answer choices which give the sentence the same meaning. •
Very similar to sentence completion questions but require a little more knowledge of vocabulary out of context. EXAMPLE 1. Given the existence of so many factions in the field, it was unrealistic of Anna Freud to expect any ‐‐‐‐‐‐ of opinion. (A) freedom (B) homogeneity (C) reassessment (D) uniformity (E) expression (F) formation (B) and (D) are correct. In context, they lend the same meaning to the sentence. Reading Comprehension Multiple Choice
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Traditional five‐answer multiple choice questions. ©2010 Test Masters Educational Services. All rights reserved.
≈35‐45% of new GRE verbal •
Even though 2 other types of reading comprehension questions were added, there are still proportionally more multiple choice www.testmasters.com reading comprehension questions on the new GRE. •
Can either be traditional reading comprehension or more critical‐reasoning‐
focused (see above). EXAMPLE 4.
The author regard the emphasis by island‐based writers on the cultural and political dimensions of assimilation as (A) ironic (B) dangerous (C) fitting but misdirected (D) illuminating but easily misunderstood (E) peculiar but benign Based on the passage, you would pick one the five choices. Reading Comprehension Multiple Answer – NEW!
≈5‐10% of new GRE verbal •
You are given 3 answer choices, 1 or more of which are correct. You must check ALL correct answers. EXAMPLE 5. Consider each of the three choices separately and select all that apply. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would agree with which of the following statements? (A) Over time, the impact of human culture on the natural world has been largely benign. (B) It is a mistake to think that the natural world contains many areas of pristine wilderness. (C) The only substantial effects that human agency has had on ecosystems have been inadvertent. One, two, or all three of these choices could be correct (depending on the passage). Sentence Highlighting – NEW!
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≈ 5% of new GRE verbal • You will be asked to find the sentence in the passage which performs a certain function/meets some criteria and then click on the sentence to select it. www.testmasters.com •
Also on the paper‐based test. EXAMPLE 6.
Select and indicate a sentence in the passage in which the author provides examples that reinforce an argument against a critical response cited earlier in the passage. You would have to find a sentence in the passage that fits these criteria. Quantitative Reasoning 1 section, 45 minutes 28 questions 2 sections, 35 minutes each Approx. 20 questions per section
Multiple Choice
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Classic multiple choice with 5 answer choices. •
Can be data analysis or word problems. ≈40‐50% of new GRE math Unchanged EXAMPLE 2.
If, (2x—1)2 = 0 then x = (A) − 14 (B) − 12 (C) 0 (D) 12 (E)
1
4
The correct answer is (D). Quantitative Comparisons
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•
You are given 2 quantities, A and B. You must choose whether: o
A is greater than B, o
B is greater than A, o
the two are equal, o
or there is not enough information to determine which is greater. ≈35‐40% of new GRE math Unchanged Can be word problems. EXAMPLE Column A 100 + 36 Column B 16 ©2010 Test Masters Educational Services. All rights reserved.
www.testmasters.com (A) if the quantity in Column A is greater (B) if the quantity in Column B is greater (C) if the two quantities are equal (D) if the relationship cannot be determined from the information given (B) is correct because 100 + 36 ≈ 11.7 Multiple Answer – NEW!
≈5‐10% of new GRE math •
Very similar to simple multiple choice. •
You are given 5 answer choices, 1 or more of which are correct. You must check ALL correct answers. EXAMPLE
7.
The lower two angles are congruent. Indicate all which correctly describe the triangle: (A) equilateral (B) obtuse (C) isosceles (D) scalene (E) acute (F) equiangular (C) and (E) are correct. Numeric Entry – NEW!
≈5‐15% of new GRE math • You must type your answer in the blank. •
For the paper‐based test, these will be “grid‐
in” questions (like on the SAT). EXAMPLE 8.
©2010 Test Masters Educational Services. All rights reserved.
If y = 2 , what is the value of ( y 3 )3
? y6
www.testmasters.com The correct response (to type in box) is 8.
Analytical Writing 2 prompts 45 minutes for “issue” task 30 minutes for “argument” task 2 prompts, 30 minutes each
Issue Essay
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Choose between 2 issues. •
Only given 1 issue; no choices. •
45 minutes to plan and write •
30 minutes to plan and write. •
The prompt reads, “Present you perspective on one of the issues below, using relevant reasons and/or examples to support your views.” Then the two issue choices are given. •
Different, more specific prompts: o
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They specify what sort of issue the prompt wants you to address: a claim, a statement, a recommendation/policy, a personal viewpoint, or the reasoning behind a claim. The prompts instruct you to address counter‐
arguments to the one you defend in your essay. Argument Essay
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Only 1 argument. •
Format unchanged: 30 minutes, 1 argument •
30 minutes to plan and write. •
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The prompt reads, “Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument;” below the prompt is the argument. The prompts are more specific: they instruct you to focus on 1 aspect of the argument and to then bring that aspect to bear on the argument’s overall effectiveness. They ask you either to: 1.
2.
3.
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Specify additional evidence needed to support the argument. Isolate questions that, in order to evaluate the argument, need to be answered about the argument’s recommendations, advice, or predictions. Give alternative explanations that use the same evidence to challenge the proposed explanation.