GRE Test Preparation Workshop for Campus Educators Preparing for the Verbal Measure

GRE Test Preparation Workshop for Campus Educators

Preparing for the Verbal Measure

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Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS).

Overview of Presentation

• Introduction to the Verbal measure• General strategies• Practice test experience• Discussion of practice test• Recent changes to the test• Strategies revisited



The Verbal Measure

• Assesses the ability to see, understand, and analyze relationships among words, among groups of words, and within sentences.

• Assesses the ability to read and understand what is read.



Content of the Verbal Measure: Question Types

• 30 questions administered in 30 minutes• Four question types:

– Antonyms– Analogies– Sentence Completions– Reading Comprehension Sets



Content of the Verbal Measure: Subject Matter

• 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., History, Political Science,

Sociology, Psychology, Economics, and Anthropology)

– Humanities (e.g., Art, Sculpture, Architecture, Literature, Philosophy, Music, Dance, and Theater)

Note: No specific knowledge of a subject is required.



Antonyms

• Require the test taker to find the word or phrase that is most nearly opposite the word in the question.



Analogies

Require the test taker to • Identify the relationship between two words• Recognize a similar or parallel relationship in

the answer choices



Sentence Completions

• Require the test taker to grasp the meaning of the sentence and, by analyzing the relationships among its parts, to supply the most appropriate word or words to fill in one or two blanks of the sentence.



Reading Comprehension Sets

• Require the test taker to read and to understand what is read. – Recognizing purpose and main idea– Recognizing specific points made– Making inferences– Evaluating purpose and structure– Identifying style and tone

• Each reading passage contains all of the information needed to answer the questions that follow it.

Test Taking Strategies for the Verbal Measure



General Strategies

• Become familiar with formats and directions beforehand.

• Be aware of time.• Try to answer every question.• Use knowledge you have to figure out answers to

unfamiliar questions.• Make notes.• Read each question thoroughly.• Read all answer choices before answering.

– The Verbal measure involves fine shades of meaning.



Specific Strategies

• Strategies for each question type will be discussed with the Practice Test.

Practice Test Experience



Practice Test Experience

• The Practice Test will begin with question A1 on page 1 of the resource document.

• Take about 12 minutes to read the directions and answer questions A1 through A16. We will break to discuss.



Specific Strategies: How to Approach Antonyms (A1 – A5)

• Look for the answer choice that appears to be opposite to the given word.

• If you cannot find an answer choice that appears to be opposite, examine choices for possible second meanings.

• Look for the opposite of the related but different meaning.

• If not exactly sure of the meaning of the words, use your knowledge of and familiarity with word parts to help you figure out possible meanings.



How to Approach Antonyms (continued)

Common Word Parts• If you come across an unfamiliar word, one strategy

you might use is to break down the word into one or more parts that are familiar.

• Practicing this kind of word analysis is likely to increase your facility with language and help you gain the confidence to approach the words in the Verbal measure.

• See pages 11-12 in the resource document for some common prefixes and word roots.



Specific Strategies: How to Approach Analogies (A6 – A9)

• Before looking at the answer choices, identify the precise relationship between the two words in the question. Then, find that same relationship in one of the answer choices.

• Remember to compare the relationship between the pair of capitalized words to the relationship between the pair of words in each of the answer choices.



How to Approach Analogies (continued)

• Do not be misled by choices that merely suggest a vague association or that come from the same subject-matter field as the ones in the question.

• If necessary, refine your first definition of the relationship to eliminate close answer choices.

• See page 13 in the resource document for some common relationships in analogies.



Specific Strategies: How to Approach Sentence Completions (A10 – A12)

• Read each sentence to get to the overall meaning, mentally provide your own answer for the blank(s), and find the answer choice that comes closest to your answer.

• If there are two blanks, the correct answer must have the best answer for both blanks.



How to Approach Sentence Completions (continued)

• Remember that there is almost always a part of the sentence (words like “and,” “moreover,” “also,” “but,” “although,” “however,” “therefore”) that helps you figure out the relationships.

• You may find it helpful to remove “extra” words or phrases that do not contribute to the structure; this kind of reduction sometimes makes it easier to see how the parts of a sentence relate to each other.

• After making an answer choice, reread the whole sentence to be sure it makes sense.



Specific Strategies: How to Approach Reading Comprehension Sets (A13 – A16)

• Read each passage and get a sense of the overall meaning and purpose.

• Use your scratch paper to make notes.• Note key words and phrases and try to clarify

what is being expressed.• For many questions, you should be able to

specify the exact line or lines in the passage that supply the correct answer.



How to Approach Reading Comprehension Sets (continued)

• Types of reading comprehension questions include:– What is the purpose or main point?– What does the passage specifically say

about X?– What does the passage suggest or imply

about X?– What purpose is served by paragraph Y?– How would the author likely feel about Z?



How to Approach Reading Comprehension Sets (continued)

• All the necessary information to answer each question is in the passage. There is no need for subject-matter knowledge to answer the questions.

• When practicing to take the test, try to determine which method is best for you:– Whether to read the passage thoroughly first– Whether to skim the passage first– There is no “correct” method. Use what works best

for you.

• Before taking the test, practice scrolling.

Recent Changes to the Verbal Measure



New Verbal Question Type (Beginning in November 2007)

• Test takers may see ONE new Verbal question on the test they receive.

• Previous field trial results indicate questions are functioning as intended.

• Questions will count toward scores as soon as an adequate sample of data from the operational testing environment is available.

• See sample questions and other information at www.ets.org/gre/newquestiontypes.html.

http://www.ets.org/gre/newquestiontypes.html



Text Completions

• Consist of one or more sentences with two to three blanks.

• Answer choices consist of alternatives for filling the blanks.

• Answer choices are independent.• Require the test taker 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.



Text Completions: How They Work



Text Completions: How They Work (continued)



How to Approach Text Completions

• 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 your own words and

find answer choices that match.• Focus on whichever blank seems easiest to

complete.• After making your answer choices, reread the

whole passage to be sure it makes sense.



How to Approach Text Completions (continued)

When filling a blank, ask yourself• Should the word be similar to or contrasted

with a nearby word in the passage?• Should the word have a positive or negative

character?



Reformatted Reading Passages (Beginning in January 2008)

• Currently, reading passages accompanying Reading Comprehension questions contain line numbers that reference specific parts of passages.

• Those line numbers will be replaced with highlighting when necessary in order to focus the test takers on specific information in the passage.

• Reformatted questions will be introduced gradually over time. Test takers may encounter both formats in their tests.

• Questions will count toward scores as soon as an adequate sample of data from the operational testing environment is available.

• See sample questions at www.ets.org/gre/newquestiontypes.html.

http://www.ets.org/gre/newquestiontypes.html



Current Reading Passage and Reading Comprehension Question



Reformatted Reading Passage and Reading Comprehension Question



Review of General Strategies

• Become familiar with formats and directions beforehand.

• Be aware of time.• Try to answer every question.• Use knowledge you have to figure out answers to

unfamiliar questions.• Make notes.• Read each question thoroughly.• Read all answer choices before answering.

– The Verbal measure involves fine shades of meaning.



Some Final Thoughts on Preparing

• Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses.• You probably know more than you think you

know.• Set realistic goals.• Allow enough time for improvement to occur.

– Start early and work regularly.



Final Thoughts (continued)

• Use resources:– ETS Materials (e.g., PowerPrep, materials on GRE

website, Sample Tests)– College Faculty (e.g., English and Math Professors)– Study Groups– Magazines, newspapers, and other reading material

• Analyze what you read.• Look up unfamiliar words if you cannot figure out

their meanings.

Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo,

and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS.



Questions?

Documents

GRE Test Preparation Workshop for Campus Educators Preparing for the Verbal Measure