1. Preparing for the Verbal Reasoning Measure

2. Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Overview
Introduction to the Verbal Reasoning Measure
Question Types and Strategies for Answering
General Strategies 2
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3. Skills Assessed on the Verbal Reasoning Measure
Assesses ability to:
Analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it
Analyze relationships among component parts of sentences
Recognize relationships among words and concepts 3

4. Content of the Verbal Reasoning Measure
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Content of the Verbal Reasoning Measure
The computer-delivered test contains two 30-minute sections, with 20 questions in each section
Contains three question types:
Reading Comprehension Sets
Text Completion Questions
Sentence Equivalence Questions 4
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5. Content of the Verbal Reasoning Measure (continued)
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Content of the Verbal Reasoning Measure (continued)
To accommodate different interests and backgrounds, there is a balance of questions in:
Natural Sciences (e.g., Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences)
Social Sciences (e.g., Business, History, Political Science, Sociology, Psychology, Economics and Anthropology)
Humanities (e.g., Literature, Philosophy, Art, Sculpture, Architecture, Music, Dance and Theater)
No specific knowledge of any subject is required 5
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

6. How the Verbal Reasoning Measure of the Computer-delivered Test is Scored
The Verbal Reasoning measure of the computer-delivered test is section-level adaptive
The computer selects the second section of the measure based on the test-taker’s performance on the first section
Within each section, all questions contribute equally to the final score
Both sections are important, since the final score on the measure is based on the total number of correct answers and the level of difficulty of the questions 6

7. Scoring the Verbal Reasoning Section
A test taker’s score on the Verbal Reasoning measure is based on both sections of the measure and considers the number of right answers as well as the level of difficulty of the questions.
First, a raw score is computed. The raw score is the number of questions answered correctly.
The raw score is converted to a scaled score through a process known as equating.
The equating process accounts for minor variations in difficulty among the different test editions as well as differences in difficulty among individuals’ tests introduced by the section-level adaptation.
A given scaled score reflects the same level of performance regardless of which section was selected and when the test was taken. 7

8. Question Types and Strategies for Answering8

9. Verbal Reasoning Question Types
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Verbal Reasoning Question Types
Reading Comprehension Sets
Text Completion Questions
Sentence Equivalence Questions 9
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS. 9

10. Reading Comprehension Sets
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Reading Comprehension Sets
Consist of a passage and one or more associated questions
Require you to read and to understand what is read
Recognizing purpose and main idea
Recognizing specific points made
Recognizing assumptions
Making inferences
Evaluating purpose and structure
Each reading passage contains all of the information needed to answer the questions that follow it 10
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

11. Reading Comprehension Question Formats
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Reading Comprehension Question Formats
Multiple Choice — Select One Answer Choice
Five answer choices, choose correct one
Multiple Choice — Select One or More Answer Choices
Three answer choices, choose all that apply
Select in Passage
Choose the sentence in the passage that fits a given description 11
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

12. Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice — Select One Answer Choice
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice — Select One Answer Choice 12
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

13. Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice — Select One Answer Choice
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice — Select One Answer Choice 13
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS. 13

14. Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice — Select One or More Answer Choices 14
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

15. Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice — Select One or More Answer Choices 15
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS. 15

16. Reading Comprehension: Select in Passage
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Reading Comprehension: Select in Passage 16
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

17. Reading Comprehension: Select in Passage
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Reading Comprehension: Select in Passage 17
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS. 17

18. Strategies for Reading Comprehension Sets — Reading the Passage
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Strategies for Reading Comprehension Sets — Reading the Passage
Test takers should:
Read the passage and get a sense of its overall meaning and purpose.
Use scratch paper to make notes.
Note key words and phrases and try to clarify what is being expressed.
Note which claims the author makes and which are made by others and merely described by the author.
Similarly, note whether the author is hypothesizing something or maintaining it with some certainty. 18
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

19. Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Strategies for Reading Comprehension Sets —Reading the Passage (continued)
Test takers should remember that all the necessary information to answer each question is in the passage
Subject-matter knowledge is not needed to answer the questions
Even with unfamiliar material, with a little work the questions can be answered
When practicing to take the test, test takers should try to determine which method is best for them:
Whether to read the passage thoroughly first
Whether to skim the passage first
Whether to look at each question before reading the passage 19
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

20. Strategies for Reading Comprehension Sets —Answering the Questions
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Strategies for Reading Comprehension Sets —Answering the Questions
When answering reading comprehension questions test takers should
Make sure to understand what the question is asking
Answer strictly on the basis of what the passage says — they should not rely on outside knowledge
Not select an answer simply because it is a true statement
Not select an answer that is only partially correct 20
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

21. Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Strategies for Reading Comprehension Sets — Answering the Questions (continued)
When answering main idea questions
Make sure that the selected answer picks the main idea rather than a subsidiary one
When identifying what the passage says explicitly
Test takers should be able to pick out specific portions of the passage that make the relevant statement
When identifying what the passage says implicitly, test takers
Should not be limited by what is stated explicitly
Should not substitute their own ideas or interpretations; stick to what the author is committed to 21
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

22. Text Completion Questions
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Text Completion Questions
Consist of one or more sentences with one to three blanks.
Answer choices consist of alternatives for filling the blanks.
Answer choices are independent.
Require test takers to grasp the meaning of the sentences and, by analyzing the relationships among their parts, to select the most appropriate word or words to fill in the blanks. 22
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

23. Text Completion Questions How They Work
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Text Completion Questions How They Work 23
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

24. Text Completion Questions How They Work
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Text Completion Questions How They Work 24
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS. 24

25. Strategies for Text Completion Questions
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Strategies for Text Completion Questions
Test takers should:
Read the passage to get an overall sense of it.
Identify words or phrases that seem particularly significant.
Try to fill in the blanks with their own words and find answer choices that match.
Focus on whichever blank seems easiest to complete.
After making their answer choices, reread the whole passage to be sure it makes sense. 25
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

26. Strategies for Text Completion Questions (continued)
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Strategies for Text Completion Questions (continued)
When filling a blank, test takers should ask themselves
Should the word be similar to or contrasted with a nearby word in the passage?
Should the word have a positive or negative character? 26
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

27. Sentence Equivalence Questions
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Sentence Equivalence Questions
Consist of a single sentence with one blank and six answer choices.
Require test takers to find the two answer choices that complete the sentence coherently and also produce sentences alike in meaning. 27
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

28. Sentence Equivalence Questions How They Work28

29. Sentence Equivalence Questions How They Work29

30. Strategies for Sentence Equivalence Questions
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Strategies for Sentence Equivalence Questions
Test takers should:
Read the sentence to get an overall sense of it.
Identify words or phrases that seem particularly significant.
Try to fill in the blank with their own words and find answer choices that match.
After making their answer choices, reread the two completed sentences to be sure they both make sense and say the same thing. 30
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

31. Strategies for Sentence Equivalence Questions (continued)
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Strategies for Sentence Equivalence Questions (continued)
Test takers should not assume that if two of the answer choices have the same meaning, they are the correct answer.
The answer choices will often contain words that do not fit the sentence.
The two correct choices do not themselves have to have the same meaning.
When filling a blank, test takers should ask themselves
Should the word be similar to or contrasted with a nearby word in the passage?
Should the word have a positive or negative character? 31
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

32. General Strategies 32

33. Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
General Strategies
Test takers should:
Become familiar with formats and directions beforehand.
Try to answer every question.
Read each question thoroughly.
Make notes.
Read all answer choices before answering.
Use knowledge they have to figure out answers to unfamiliar questions.
Be aware of time.
Use the Review screen wisely. 33
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

34. Other Points to Remember
Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Other Points to Remember
Test takers should:
Be aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
Set realistic goals.
Allow enough time for improvement to occur.
Start early and work regularly.
Take courses that include complex reading material. 34
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

35. Preparing for the Revised Verbal Measure
Resources
ETS materials (e.g., materials on GRE® website, sample tests)
University faculty (e.g., English and Math Professors)
Study groups
Magazines, newspapers and other reading material
Test takers should analyze what they read. 35
Copyright © 2007 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.

36. Questions? 36