New questions added to GRE

Starting in November, students hoping to attend graduate school will be administered a new, more challenging Graduate Record Examination.\nThe GRE will now feature two new types of questions, one in the verbal portion and one in the math portion of the test.\nThe new verbal question is called text completion, sim-\nilar to a fill-in-the-blank test question.\nIn the past, the verbal portion of the test consisted of five separate answers to fill five blanks in a paragraph. Test-takers now choose from multiple groups of different answers. The test will be more challenging because there are more options per blank, said Jennifer Kedrowski, GRE program manager for Kaplan in New \nYork City.\n“It will still be testing vocabulary and still be fill-in-the blank,” Kedrowski said. “Statistically, though, it is more challenging and harder to guess. Also, there is no partial credit, so if you miss one blank in the question, you miss all of it.”\nA new type of math question called numeric entry, where test-takers fill in a number on their own rather than choosing from several options, will also appear on some tests.\n“This one you have to (fill) in the answer blank,” Kedrowski said. “So, either you know the answer or you don’t.”\nEducational Testing Services, the administrator of the GRE, announced plans in September 2006 to change the exam entirely, Kedrowski said. This decision was altered, however, in April 2007 when ETS announced it would modify the test year by year to steadily change the format.\n“Instead of a major overhaul, the change is going to be gradually over time,” Kedrowski said. “(Test-takers) will potentially see one new verbal type of question, or one new math, or neither. So there is still a chance they will not see the changes.”\nKaplan, which provides practice testing and study courses, recommends students begin preparing for the test earlier due to the challenges that will be added in the coming years, Kedrowski said. \nTest scores are valid for five years after the test is taken, providing undergraduates the opportunity to test now and avoid the new changes altogether. \n“We actually tell students to take it before November if they are ready. It’s better to take the exam now before the new challenges roll out,” Kedrowski said. “We encourage students to start thinking about it now.”\nFreshman Chris Martens, a business major, said he has always planned on attending graduate school and is beginning to think about taking the GRE soon.\n“I would like to take it before it gets harder,” Martens said. “But I don’t know if I have the time. I really don’t have the time to study or prepare.”\nAfter taking the GRE, test-takers are given their scores from the verbal and math portions immediately, though they must wait to receive their essay scores. If they wish to retake the exam, they must wait one month.\nMartens said he would prefer to tackle the GRE as he did the SAT, by testing, taking a study course and then retesting a month or so later in order to raise his score.\nAmanda Fleming, a graduate student working on her doctorate, said she remembers hurrying to take the exam before ETS changed it in 2002. She said it’s pointless for changes to continue being made because it only makes it more difficult for students who want to continue their education.\n“When I took it on April 1 in 2002, I made sure I took it before the writing component was added,” Fleming said. “I’m getting my Ph.D., so I’m not stupid, but I clearly should have taken it again. The thing is ... that it is expensive and exhausting. I don’t even know why some schools make you take it because I think it just tests how well you take standardized tests.”\nStudents can visit the Bloomington Kaplan Center at 421 E. Third St. for help in preparing for the test. Kaplan will offer a free full-length practice test at 2 p.m. Wednesday.Test-takers can also visit http://kaptest.com/newGRE to get sample test questions.