The GRE Board is mindful of the impact of its testing, information, research, and services on students, institutions, and graduate education, and it recognizes its obligation to ensure that its policies and activities serve the best interests of the entire graduate education community. The GRE Board strives to equalize higher education opportunities for all students, improve the practices, procedures, and quality of graduate education, and promote maximum utilization of human talents and financial resources. GRE test scores can be used by admissions or fellowship panels to supplement undergraduate records and other qualifications for graduate study. The scores provide common measures for comparing the qualifications of applicants and aid in the evaluation of grades and recommendations.

Any accredited graduate or professional school, or any department or division within a school, may require or recommend that its applicants take the General Test, a Subject Test, or both. An institution not accredited by a recognized agency can become a score recipient if approved by the GRE Board. The weight to be given to GRE scores can generally be established by relating what the tests measure to the orientation, curriculum, and aims of a department. Specifically, the content validity of the tests for a graduate department should be determined by reviewing each test carefully and then making subjective decisions as to the weight, if any, the scores on GRE tests should receive in relation to other admission factors.

General Test

Beginning October 1, 2002, the General Test will be composed of verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing sections. The verbal and quantitative sections will not change. The analytical writing section will be identical to the Writing Assessment that was introduced in October 1999; it will contain 2 tasks requiring written responses. The analytical section used in previous tests will no longer be a part of the General Test.

The General Test measures verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing abilities that have been acquired and developed over a long period of time. The verbal section tests the ability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it, to analyze relationships among component parts of sentences, and to recognize relationships between words and concepts. In each test edition, there is a balance among the passages across three different subject matter areas: humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

The quantitative section tests basic mathematical skills and understanding of elementary mathematical concepts, as well as the ability to reason quantitatively and to solve problems in a quantitative setting. There is a balance among the questions requiring arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. The analytical writing section tests critical thinking and analytical writing skills. It assesses the ability to articulate and support complex ideas, analyze an argument, and sustain a focused and coherent discussion. It does not assess specific knowledge, and there is no single best way to respond.

The analytical writing section consists of two tasks: a 45-minute "Present Your Perspective on an Issue" task and a 30-minute "Analyze an Argument" task. The Issue task states an opinion on an issue of general interest and asks test takers to address the issue from any perspective(s) they wish, so long as they provide relevant reasons and examples to explain and support their views. The Argument task presents a different challenge: it requires test takers to critique an argument by discussing how well reasoned they find it. Test takers are asked to consider the logical soundness of the argument rather than to agree or disagree with the position it presents. The two tasks are complementary in that one requires test takers to construct their own arguments by making claims and providing evidence sup-porting their positions on the issue, whereas the other requires examinees to critique someone else's argument by assessing its claims and evaluating the evidence it provides.

The range of scores for the verbal, quantitative, and analytical measures is 200 to 800, in 10-point increments. The range of scores for the analytical writing measure is 0 to 6, in half-point increments. If no answers are given for a measure, an NS (no score) will be reported for that measure.

The GRE General Test is offered on computer in the U.S., Canada, and many other countries. For the analytical writing section of the computer-based General Test, the tasks are delivered on the computer and test takers may choose to either word process or handwrite their responses. Paper-based GRE General Test administrations are offered in areas of the world where computer-based testing is not available. The GRE calendar on the back cover of this Guide shows paper-based test administrations and score reporting dates for the academic year.

1. the statistical characteristics of those questions already
2. answered (including the difficulty level),
   
3. the required variety of question types, and
   appropriate coverage of content.

Although the GRE analytical writing section contains two discrete analytical writing tasks, a single combined score is reported because it is more reliable than is a score for either task alone. The reported score, the average of the scores for the two tasks, ranges from 0 to 6, in half-point increments.

The statements below describe, for each score level, the overall quality of analytical writing demonstrated across both the Issue and Argument tasks. Because the test assesses "analytical writing," critical thinking skills (the ability to reason, assemble evidence to develop a position, and communicate complex ideas) weigh more heavily than the writer's control of fine points of grammar or the mechanics of writing (e.g., spelling).

SCORES 6 and 5.5 - Sustains insightful, in-depth analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with logically compelling reasons and/or highly persuasive examples; is well focused and well organized; skillfully uses sentence variety and precise vocabulary to convey meaning effectively; demonstrates superior facility with sentence structure and language usage but may have minor errors that do not interfere with meaning.

SCORES 5 and 4.5 - Provides generally thoughtful analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with logically sound reasons and/or well-chosen examples; is generally focused and well organized; uses appropriate sentence variety and vocabulary to convey meaning clearly; demonstrates good control of sentence structure and language usage but may have minor errors that do not interfere with meaning.

SCORES 4 and 3.5 - Provides competent analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with relevant reasons and/or examples; is adequately organized; conveys meaning with reasonable clarity; demonstrates satisfactory control of sentence structure and language usage but may have some errors that affect clarity.

SCORES 3 and 2.5 - Displays some competence in analytical writing, although the writing is flawed in at least one of the following ways: limited analysis or development; weak organization; weak control of sentence structure or language usage, with errors that often result in vagueness or lack of clarity.

SCORES 2 and 1.5 - Displays serious weaknesses in analytical writing. The writing is seriously flawed in at least one of the following ways: serious lack of analysis or development; lack of organization; serious and frequent problems in sentence structure or language usage, with errors that obscure meaning.

SCORES 1 and .5 - Displays fundamental deficiencies in analytical writing. The writing is fundamentally flawed in at least one of the following ways: content that is extremely confusing or mostly irrelevant to the assigned tasks; little or no development; severe and pervasive errors that result in incoherence.

SCORE 0 - The examinee's analytical writing skills cannot be evaluated because the responses do not address any part of the assigned tasks, are merely attempts to copy the assignments, are in a foreign language, or display only indecipherable text or no text whatsoever.

GRE test scores should be used to supplement the information provided in a person's application, such as undergraduate record and letters of recommendation. Officials responsible for admission at each institution must determine the significance of GRE scores for each applicant. Score recipients are advised to pay particular attention to the use of GRE scores for individuals described below.

Repeat Test Takers

Individuals are permitted to take GRE tests more than once. GRE score reports will contain scores earned within the past five-year period. Repeaters of the General Test and Subject Tests, on average, show a score gain of 20-30 points, but the possible significance of this finding is tempered by the fact that repeaters are typically a self-selected group who believe that repeating a test will increase their scores.

Score recipients are cautioned not to view an increase in scores necessarily as a reflection of academic gain, especially over a short time period. Differences in Subject Test scores over longer time periods, however, may be significant in terms of academic gain due to intervening learning experiences or of academic loss due to forgetting.

There are several ways in which graduate departments can judge multiple scores for an individual (e.g., use average of all scores, use most recent score, use highest score). Using the mean score may be the best technique because it is the most objective. Whatever approach is adopted, it should be used consistently with all applicants.

International Examinees

Various factors complicate the interpretation of GRE scores for international students. Obviously, an understanding of English is important since lack of fluency in English may affect test performance. Moreover, since the GRE tests are developed for students who have been educated in the United States, cultural and educational backgrounds must be considered along with linguistic factors.

ETS offers tests developed specifically for testing the English language proficiency of nonnative English speakers. The most widely used English language proficiency test is the Test of English as a Foreign Language, commonly known as the TOEFL test. The primary purpose of the TOEFL test is to measure the general English proficiency of people who are nonnative speakers of English and want to study at colleges and universities where English is the language of instruction. The TOEFL test measures English language proficiency in the areas of listening, structure and writing, and reading comprehension. A TOEFL-related test is the

Test of Spoken English (TSE ), which measures the ability of nonnative speakers of English to communicate orally in English. These English language proficiency tests are often required for admission to graduate as well as undergraduate institutions, and are designed to complement one another in the admissions process. An indicator of the general level of English proficiency of international students may be obtained by looking at the section scores as well as the total score on the TOEFL exam, along with the scores on the writing measure and the TSE. This information, in conjunction with the performance on the GRE test, should provide a better basis for determining the extent to which English proficiency may be a factor in the GRE scores earned by these students. Information regarding test scores and international examinees is available upon request.

Cut-offs and Composite Measure

A cutoff score based only on GRE scores should never be used as a sole criterion for denial of admission. The use of a cutoff score combining verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing is especially problematic because the scales for the measures differ greatly. Any department considering the use of a cutoff score should compile a rationale justifying the appropriateness of such a score for each measure:

1. evidence that the proposed cutoff score for the measure usefully distinguishes between individuals who are likely to succeed in graduate school and those who are not, and
   
2. the impact of the proposed cutoff score on the institution's goals related to diversity.
   

Small Score Differences

Small differences in GRE scores (as defined by the standard error of measurement) should not be used to make distinctions among examinees. Standard errors of measurement (SEMs) vary by test and are available in this publication for the verbal and quantitative sections. For this reason Interim SEM information for the analytical writing section (and the Writing Assessment) will be available in January 2003, and will be posted on the GRE Web site.

Appropriate Uses

Provided all applicable guidelines are adhered to, General Test, Subject Test, and Writing Assessment scores are suitable for the following uses:

1. selection of applicants for admission to graduate school
   
2. selection of graduate fellowship applicants for awards
   
3. selection of graduate teaching or research assistants
   
4. guidance and counseling for graduate study

For more and detailed information please visit GRE Web site at http://www.GRE.org.