ETS Revamps Test for Grad School Admission: How Will It Affect You?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the recent changes to the GRE test by ETS and how these changes may impact students' preparation and performance for graduate school admissions. Participants share their thoughts on the emphasis of the new test on analytical thinking versus memorization, and the availability of preparation materials.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses optimism that the new GRE will favor analytical thinking over memorization, but is concerned about the availability of preparation materials.
  • Another participant questions the age of the original poster, leading to clarification that they are a 3rd year undergraduate student.
  • Some participants argue that the GRE should not be ignored and that familiarity with the test format can improve performance, even if the content knowledge is strong.
  • There are differing opinions on the relevance of the GRE Physics Subject test, with some stating it focuses on knowledge of physics rather than test-taking strategies.
  • A participant shares a personal experience of struggling with the GRE despite strong academic performance, suggesting that the test may not accurately reflect a student's capabilities.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential changes in question types with the new GRE and whether preparation for the old test will suffice.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on the effectiveness and relevance of the GRE, with no clear consensus on whether the changes will benefit students or how to best prepare for the test.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that the GRE includes a variety of question types, and there is uncertainty about how the new format will affect performance, particularly for those who have prepared using older materials.

babua
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ETS is going to http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.c988ba0e5dd572bada20bc47c3921509/?vgnextoid=6793cb8a55e76010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=53e65da22af66010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD" with a revised version this September. Their claim is that the new test will better evaluate a student's suitability for grad. study.
After reading the planned changes, my personal opinion is that it will be better for me in that it reduces the importance of memorization and emphasizes analytical thinking more, which I trust myself in. However, my worry is that there won't be enough preparation material by the time I take the new test. (I'm a 3rd grader btw, so I can prepare and take the test this summer or can wait a few more months and take the new test just in time for scholarship applications)
So my question is, how much do you think the availability of training material for the new test would affect my (and everyone else's =) ) success?
 
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A 3rd Grader?? Where I'm from that means that you are 8 or 9 years old. Is there another meaning for third grader than I am not aware of?
 
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3rd year undergrad...
 
O i feel like a complete moron...sigh:rolleyes:
 
actually I could be an 8 year old kid, and still worry about the GRE (remember the 8 year old kid from Taiwan who got into undergrad physics after he demonstrated he can prove Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle?).
But leaving that aside, I never could memorize all that "sophomore", "senior" stuff. Numbers are simpler =)
 
ignore the GRE. learn something worthwhile.

the point of the GRE, if it works, is to measure what you know about physics, not what you know about the test itself.
 
mathwonk said:
ignore the GRE. learn something worthwhile.

the point of the GRE, if it works, is to measure what you know about physics, not what you know about the test itself.
What if it doesn't work?
 
mathwonk said:
ignore the GRE. learn something worthwhile.

the point of the GRE, if it works, is to measure what you know about physics, not what you know about the test itself.

GRE includes a lot of elementary math questions that basically has nothing to do with what I study. Learning the techniques can help one score higher, so in my opinion it is useful not to ignore the test completely. I'll go ahead and interpret your suggestion as "as long as you have core knowledge, any changes in the system will not affect you". Am I correct in doing so?
 
Depends on if you're talking about the GRE Physics Subject test, which is solely about knowledge in physics and has pretty much no predictable memorization.
 
  • #10
Healey01 said:
Depends on if you're talking about the GRE Physics Subject test, which is solely about knowledge in physics and has pretty much no predictable memorization.

From what I remember, the GRE physics test was all about how many simple little questions on sophomore-level material you could answer within the given time. Although I haven't ever looked at the math subject test, it sounds similar from mathwonk's description.

I don't think the GRE should be completely ignored. I know if I showed up without ever looking at a practice exam, I wouldn't have been able to finish quickly enough. Doing similar problems before freshens up all the tricks in your mind. It's not that the problems are hard to solve. You just have to be able to do them all without thinking, which doesn't work if you haven't solved anything like that in years.
 
  • #11
Stingray said:
It's not that the problems are hard to solve. You just have to be able to do them all without thinking, which doesn't work if you haven't solved anything like that in years.
My point exactly. So now my question is:

"Does anyone have any idea as to whether the type of questions will change significantly enough to lower my performance if I'd prepared for the new GRE using the material for the old GRE?"
 
  • #12
meh the GRE physics test is complete bull***, I had a friend at my CC that got in the 87th percentile without even taking a QM course (he was smart, but not a genius).
 
  • #13
Man how did I have such a tough time then? I've taken it twice and the best i could do was 63rd percentile. I've taken every class on the test but a nuclear/particle physics class. I got 90's + in every advanced physics course and I remember most of it. I studied for 3 months. Even when I took it, I felt like it was easy, and I tried to only answer the ones I was sure of. When I got the results half of what I answered was wrong (nearly).
I really think that low score was what has kept me from getting into a decent grad school. (UCSD, UofM) so far. I just don't want to go to a lower rated school.And I think only about a third of the problems were sophomore level. I didn't know quantum, theo mech, statistical mech/thermo then and there's quite a few questions on it.
 
  • #14
this thread is about the GRE general test, yo.
 

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