Welcome to the

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Welcome to the

• Donna E. Ekal, Ph.D.
• Associate Provost
• Office for Undergraduate Studies

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?

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why

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Who should take the GRE?

• Anyone who wants to go to most M.A./M.S./ Ph.D.
  graduate programs
• Other schools, other tests
• GMAT Business school
• MCAT Medical school
• LSAT Law school
• PSAT Pharmacy school
• OAT Optometry school
• DAT Dental school
• Each is different and requires specific
  preparation

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What is the GRE anyway?

• The GRE General Test measures
• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Critical Thinking
• Analytical Writing Skills
• that are not related to any specific field of
  study.
• www.gre.org

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Subject Tests

• Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Literature in English
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Psychology

Check with the school to which you are applying.
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• Components of the General Test

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Timing is everything
An unidentified verbal or quantitative pretest
section may be included and may appear in any
order. It is not counted as part of your
score. An identified research section that is
not scored may be included and it will always be
at the end of the test.
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I. Verbal

• The skills measured include the test taker's
  ability to
• analyze and evaluate written material and
  synthesize information obtained from it
• analyze relationships among component parts of
  sentences
• recognize relationships between words and
  concepts

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Kinds of Verbal Questions

• Antonyms
• Analogies
• Sentence Completion
• Critical Reading

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Antonyms

• Antonyms measure your
• vocabulary
• ability to reason from a given concept to its
  opposite

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So, what do you do?

• DIFFUSE
• (A) concentrate
• (B) contend
• (C) imply
• (D) pretend
• (E) rebel

This is where the strategy comes in. There are
two components to success on the GRE Strategy
and Content. Either one alone is not enough to
do well. You need BOTH.
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1. Understand the Directions

• Each question consists of a word printed in
  capital letters followed by five lettered words
  or phrases. Choose the lettered word or phrase
  that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the
  word in capital letters. Since some of the
  questions require you to distinguish fine shades
  of meaning, be sure to consider all the choices
  before deciding which one is best.

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2. Have a Strategy

• If you know what the word means
• Come up with a synonym word or phrase for the
  question word.
• Come up with the opposite of that.
• A B C D - E // No or Maybe?

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So, what do you do?

• DIFFUSE
• (A) concentrate No or Maybe?
• (B) contend No or Maybe?
• (C) imply No or Maybe?
• (D) pretend No or Maybe?
• (E) rebel No or Maybe?

Maybe
No
No
No
No

• What does diffuse mean?
• Whats the opposite of that?
• A B C D E

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• If you dont know what the word means
• Look for
• Prefixes, Suffixes, Roots
• Parts of Speech
• Secondary Meanings
• Look at the answer choices
• two words that mean the same thing probably
  arent correct
• words that dont have clear opposites probably
  arent correct

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So, what do you do?

• DIFFUSE
• (A) concentrate No or Maybe?
• (B) contend No or Maybe?
• (C) imply No or Maybe?
• (D) pretend No or Maybe?
• (E) rebel No or Maybe?
• Diffuse is what form of speech?
• Any general ideas about what it means? Good?
  Bad?
• Which answer choices dont have clear opposites?
• Take your best shot of the remaining answers.

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• So, lets try a few.
• Sample Questions Antonyms

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Analogies

• Analogies measure your ability to recognize
• relationships among words and concepts they
  represent
• parallel relationships

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What to do?

• COLOR SPECTRUM
• (A) tone scale
• (B) sound waves
• (C) verse poem
• (D) dimension space
• (E) cell organism

NO!
Color is to Spectrum as _____ is to _____.
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1. Understand the Directions

• In each of the following questions, a related
  pair of words or phrases is followed by five
  lettered pairs of words or phrases. Select the
  lettered pair that best expresses a relationship
  similar to that expressed in the original pair.

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2. Have a Strategy

• Its all about the relationship between the words
  not the words themselves
• Make a definitional sentence with the words
• Take that sentence down the answer choices until
  you find the one that fits
• A B C D E // No or Maybe?
• Think about secondary meanings, parts of speech,
  good or bad

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• Ready?
• Sample Questions Analogy Questions

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Sentence Completion

• Sentence completions measure your ability to
  recognize words or phrases that both logically
  and stylistically complete the meaning of a
  sentence.

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• Early ________ of hearing loss is ________ by the
  fact that the other senses are able to compensate
  for moderate amounts of loss, so that people
  frequently do not know that their hearing is
  imperfect.
• (A) discovery . . indicated
• (B) development . . prevented
• (C) detection . . complicated
• (D) treatment . . facilitated
• (E) incidence . . corrected

NO!
Just substitute the words in the answers until
one sounds right?
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1. Understand the Directions

• Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each
  blank indicating that something has been omitted.
  Beneath the sentence are five lettered words or
  sets of words. Choose the word or set of words
  for each blank that best fits the meaning of the
  sentence as a whole.

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2. Have a Strategy

• Cover the answer choices
• Pick a blank and come up with your own word
• Try it in the answer choices
• A B C D E // No or Maybe?
• Any answer choices left? Repeat with the other
  blank.
• Look for clues in key words and phrases and
  words such as
• and, but, therefore
• for example, instead, therefore
• ,

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• Your turn
• GRE Sample Questions

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Reading Comprehension

• The purpose of the reading comprehension
  questions is to measure the ability to read with
  understanding, insight, and discrimination.
• This type of question explores your ability to
  analyze a written passage from several
  perspectives, including the ability to recognize
  both explicitly stated elements in the passage
  and assumptions underlying statements or
  arguments in the passage as well as the
  implications of those statements or arguments

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1. Understand the Directions

• Directions The passage is followed by questions
  based on its content. After reading the passage,
  choose the best answer to each question. Answer
  all questions following the passage on the basis
  of what is stated or implied in the passage.

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2. Have a Strategy

• Read the passage quickly but carefully about 3
  minutes, getting the topic sentence from each
  paragraph as you read
• Put the topic sentences together into a main idea
• Read the first question
• If its a general question, answer it from the
  main idea
• If its a specific question, go back to the
  passage and find the answer
• A B C D E // No or Maybe

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• Handout
• Sample Questions Reading Comprehension

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II. Quantitative Reasoning

• Its eighth, ninth grade math
• But does require some practice

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Types of Math Involved

• About 1/3 each
• Arithmetic
• Algebra
• Geometry

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Arithmetic

• Integers
• Fractions
• Decimals
• Exponents and Square Roots
• Ordering and the Real Number Line
• Percent
• Ratio
• Absolute Value

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Algebra

• Translating Words into Algebraic Expressions
• Operations with Algebraic Expressions
• Rules of Exponents
• Solving Linear Equations
• Solving Quadratic Equations in One Variable
• Inequalities
• Applications
• Coordinate Geometry

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Geometry

• Lines and Angles
• Polygons
• Triangles
• Quadrilaterals
• Circles
• Three-Dimensional Figures

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Types of Questions

• Question types
• Problem Solving
• Qualitative Comparison
• Data Interpretation

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Problem Solving

• The problem solving questions are standard
  multiple-choice questions with five answer
  choices. To answer a question, select the best of
  the answer choices. Some problem solving
  questions are discrete while others occur in sets
  of two to five questions that share common
  information. For some of the questions, the
  solution requires only simple computations or
  manipulations for others, the solution requires
  multi-step problem solving.

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1. Understand the Directions

• Each of the problem solving questions has five
  answer choices. For each of these questions,
  select the best of the answer choices given.

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2. Have a Strategy

• Read the questions CAREFULLY
• Look at the answer choices to see what form the
  answer is in
• Work the answers carefully step by step, on
  paper, every single step
• Approximate to help confirm answer and/or
  eliminate wrong answer choices

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• Lets look at a few
• GRE Sample Questions

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Quantitative Comparison

• To solve a quantitative comparison problem, you
  must compare the quantities that are given in two
  columns, Column A and Column B, and decide
  whether one quantity is greater than the other,
  whether the two quantities are equal, or whether
  the relationship cannot be determined from the
  information given. Information about the two
  quantities is given in the columns themselves or
  may be centered above the columns.

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1. Understand the Directions

• Directions Each of the sample questions consists
  of two quantities, one in Column A and one in
  Column B. There may be additional information,
  centered above the two columns, that concerns one
  or both of the quantities. A symbol that appears
  in both columns represents the same thing in
  Column A as it does in Column B.
• You are to compare the quantity in Column A with
  the quantity in Column B and decide whether
• (A) The quantity in Column A is greater.(B) The
  quantity in Column B is greater.(C) The two
  quantities are equal.(D) The relationship cannot
  be determined from the information given.

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2. Have a Strategy

• If there are no variables in the columns, do the
  computations required remember, its not about
  solving, its about comparing.
• If there are one or more variables in the answer
  choices, you plug in a number
• Normal positive integer between one and ten
• Cross off whichever two dont work
• Then
• Zero, One, Fraction, Big/Little
• Plug it in again and cross off whichever doesnt
  work

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• These are odd so lets look at a few.
• Sample Questions Quantitative Comparison

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Data Interpretation

• Some problem solving questions involve data
  analysis. Many occur in sets of two to five
  questions that share common data in the form of
  tables, graphs, etc. In questions that involve
  data analysis, graphs are drawn as accurately as
  possible. Therefore, you can read or estimate
  data values from the graphs (whether or not there
  is a note that the graphs are drawn to scale).

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1. Understand the Directions

• Each of the data interpretation questions has
  five answer choices. For each of these questions,
  select the best of the answer choices given.

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2. Have a Strategy

• Look at the table/graph/chart to get a general
  idea of what the main idea is
• Estimate/Approximate to eliminate wrong answers
• Use only the data given
• Go back to the table/graph/chart to answer
  specific questions
• Remember that more than one question may be asked
  from the same data

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• Sample Questions Data Interpretation

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III. Analytical Writing

• Two Types
• Present Your Perspective of an Issue
• Analyze an Argument

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Present Your Perspective of an Issue

• 45 minutes
• You will be given a choice between two Issue
  topics. Each states an opinion on an issue of
  broad interest and asks you to discuss the issue
  from any perspective(s) you wish, so long as you
  provide relevant reasons and examples to explain
  and support your views.

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1. Understand the Directions

• Present your perspective on the issue below,
  using relevant reasons and/or examples to support
  your views.

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2. Have a Strategy

• Select which topic that you feel more prepared to
  discuss.
• Brainstorm for 10 or so minutes
• Points on each side of the issue
• Select which side you want to take
• Come up with an example
• Write for about 25 minutes
• Proof read for about 5 minutes

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Example

• Unfortunately, the media tend to highlight what
  is sensational at the moment. Society would be
  better served if the media reported or focused
  more fully on events and trends that will
  ultimately have the most long-term significance.

Whats the main idea? Agree with all or part?
Why? What are the assumptions? Are they
reasonable? What examples could I use to support
my position?
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• More examples and information
• The Pool of Issue Topics

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Analyze an Argument

• 30 minutes
• The Analyze an Argument task assesses your
  ability to understand, analyze, and evaluate
  arguments and to clearly convey your analysis in
  writing. The task consists of a brief passage in
  which the author makes a case for some course of
  action or interpretation of events by presenting
  claims backed by reasons and evidence. Your task
  is to discuss the logical soundness of the
  authors case by critically examining the line of
  reasoning and the use of evidence.

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1. Understand the Directions

• Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.

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2. Have a Strategy

• Read the argument carefully.
• Identify the premises, assumptions, and
  conclusions of the argument.
• Think of
• alternative explanations and counterexamples
• what additional evidence might weaken or support
  the argument
• what changes could be made in the argument to
  make it stronger
• Brainstorm 5 10 minutes, Write 10 15 minutes,
  Proof 5 minutes

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Example

• A ten-year study of a group of 552 men from
  Elysia showed that long-term consumption of
  caffeinated black tea was associated with a much
  lower risk of stroke. Of these men, those who
  drank more than 3 cups of black tea a day had a
  70 percent lower of risk of stroke than those who
  drank no tea. These results suggest that
  health-conscious people should consume at least
  three cups of black tea a day beginning early in
  life.

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• More information about Analyze and Argument
• The Pool of Argument Topics

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• Any questions about the content and importance of
  STRATEGY on the GRE?

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When?

• Should you take the test?
• Check with the graduate programs to which you
  wish to apply
• Usually fall of your senior year
• Should you study?
• About 6 8 weeks leading up to when you want to
  take the test

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Where?

• Do you register?
• www.gre.org
• Do you take the test?
• PROMETRIC TEST CENTER
• 5807 NORTH MESA ST CO-LOCATED W/ SYLVAN
  LEARNING CTR
• EL PASO, TX 79912

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Why?

• Should you take the test?
• To get into graduate school.
• Should you study?
• To get into graduate school.

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Why?

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How much?

• For the test?
• 140
• To prepare for the test?
• Anywhere from 15 for a book
• To hundreds of for a course

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• The GRE is a necessary obstacle on the road to
  Graduate School.
• Fortunately, it is studyable.
• A little money (for books), a little time (for
  practice), and a little effort (for more practice)

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Thank you.dekal_at_utep.edu