Graduate Admissions Exams Get a Makeover

All of the graduate admissions tests – GRE, GMAT and LSAT – are for the purpose of testing reading and reasoning skills. The “Revised GRE” will be a big improvement over the current version.

Success on the current GRE verbal section is dependent on knowledge of vocabulary. The inclusion of less difficult vocabulary (on the Revised GRE) will contribute to making the GRE more of a “reasoning” test. At the present time, we have students coming to our GRE classes, who have been memorizing lists of words. An improved vocabulary is an asset it life. That said, a GRE score should not depend on what words one knows.

It is a mistake to remove the analogies from the verbal section of the current GRE. Analogies are a good test of reasoning skills. Analogies with less difficult vocabulary could and should be retained.

The new GMAT Integrated Reasoning section may have its roots in an old "Data Interpretation" section that was on the GMAT (and the LSAT) during the 1970s. During this era both tests included questions that were based on graphs and charts. The questions required one to integrate information from more than one chart. (But, let's see how GMAT Integrated Reasoning develops.)

Finally, let’s not forget what is really going on here. The GMAT and GRE now compete against each other to be used as part of the MBA admissions process. I suspect that some of these changes are designed to compete better in the marketplace. The 2011 changes are the third time that GRE has attempted to change the format of the GRE. Of course the first two times – GRE was not competing directly against GMAT. It’s amazing how competition encourages innovation.

The American Bar Association is currently reviewing whether the LSAT should continue to be mandatory for law school admission. Perhaps, the GRE could also be used as an alternative to the LSAT.

John Richardson – Richardson GMAT LSAT GRE Preparation Centre - Toronto, Canada

John Richardson 1:58PM May 03, 2011