GRE (test)

GRE (test)
Name	GRE (test)
Type	Standardized test
Developer	Educational Testing Service
Purpose	Graduate admissions
Established	1936
Score range	Varies by section
Duration	Varies by form
Regions	Worldwide

GRE (test) is a standardized assessment developed to evaluate applicants for graduate and business schools, administered by Educational Testing Service. The examination influences admissions decisions at institutions including Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Oxford, and is connected with professional programs at Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and Princeton University.

History

The examination originated in the 1930s amid expansion of graduate education at institutions such as Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Yale University, and Stanford University, evolving through policy shifts influenced by bodies like the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and debates following reports from National Research Council, American Council on Education, Ford Foundation, and G.I. Bill implementation. Postwar reforms paralleled initiatives at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan, and Princeton University to standardize graduate selection, while later revisions responded to critiques from American Psychological Association, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Congress, National Education Association, and research at Stanford University and University of Chicago. Modern computerized delivery was adopted after pilot programs at centers associated with Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, Brown University, and Northwestern University, and subsequent international rollout coordinated with testing centers in cities like London, New York City, Beijing, Mumbai, and Sydney.

Test Format and Content

The examination comprises sections assessing quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, and analytical writing, with specific question types influenced by psychometric research from Princeton University, University of Michigan, University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard University, and Carnegie Mellon University. Verbal items feature text completion, sentence equivalence, and reading comprehension passages referencing literary sources from Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, and scientific passages akin to work published in Nature and Science, while quantitative items reflect algebra, geometry, and data analysis aligned with curricula from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, and University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. The analytical writing section requires essays similar in genre to prompts used in rhetoric studies at University of Oxford, Cambridge University, University of Chicago, and Columbia University. Computer-based testing platforms were developed with input from technical teams affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Princeton University.

Scoring and Interpretation

Scores are reported on scales that have been calibrated using psychometric methods endorsed by American Psychological Association, Educational Testing Service, National Council on Measurement in Education, Psychometric Society, and researchers at University of Michigan and Stanford University. Verbal and quantitative sections use scaled scores with percentiles published and referenced by admissions offices at Yale University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, and Duke University; analytical writing is evaluated by human raters trained with rubrics developed in consultation with American Educational Research Association and scholars from University of Chicago and University of Pennsylvania. Score-use guidelines are cited in policy statements from Council of Graduate Schools, Association of American Universities, National Science Foundation, Fulbright Program, and select departments at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Preparation and Test-Taking Strategies

Preparation resources include official materials from Educational Testing Service, commercial publishers used by students joining programs at Kaplan, Inc., Princeton Review, Manhattan Prep, Barron's Bookstore, and study groups at institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, and Columbia University. Effective strategies draw on curricula and pedagogy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Toronto, and London School of Economics: timed practice, review of common quantitative topics from California Institute of Technology and Georgia Institute of Technology, vocabulary acquisition informed by lexicographers at Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, and essay practice aligned with rhetoric instruction at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Test-takers often participate in workshops hosted by graduate offices at Princeton University, Brown University, Northwestern University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Use in Graduate Admissions and Programs

Admissions committees at programs in departments across Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University use scores alongside undergraduate records from University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Toronto, University of Chicago, and Yale University; letters of recommendation from faculty linked to Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University; and research experience at laboratories affiliated with National Institutes of Health, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Professional schools at Harvard Business School, Wharton School, Booth School of Business, Kellogg School of Management, and Columbia Business School incorporate the exam variably, alongside credentials such as the GMAT and program-specific assessments.

Criticisms, Validity, and Fairness

Scholars and policymakers at American Psychological Association, National Academy of Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Division (United States Department of Justice), and researchers from Stanford University and Harvard University have raised concerns about predictive validity, subgroup score differentials, and accessibility; critiques cite studies from University of Michigan, University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, Yale University, and Columbia University and reports by Council of Graduate Schools and National Science Foundation. Debates involve legal and policy frameworks such as rulings and guidance from U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Division (United States Department of Justice), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and analyses in journals commissioned by American Educational Research Association and Psychological Bulletin.

Administration and Costs

Administration is managed by Educational Testing Service in coordination with testing centers and vendors operating in cities including New York City, London, Beijing, Mumbai, and Sydney and with partnerships involving universities such as Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, University of California, Los Angeles, and New York University. Fees vary by region and service level and are subject to change according to policies influenced by institutions and funding sources including Fulbright Program, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of State, Institute of International Education, and scholarship administrators at Rhodes Trust and Marshall Scholarship programs. Fee-waiver and accommodation policies are coordinated through procedures developed with advocacy groups such as American Civil Liberties Union, National Association for College Admission Counseling, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and university disability services at Harvard University and Stanford University.

Category:Standardized tests