Some GRE subject exams being phased out?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by ddcameron, Jan 18, 2002.

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  1. ddcameron

    ddcameron New Member

    Talking to an admissions person at Charter Oak. She said something about some of the GRE subject exams being phased out. Anyone know anything about this? She said something about them being written exams, so may have been talking about conversion to computer...but I got the idea that she meant "out" as in "no more."

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    David Cameron
    Communicating Execellence
    Consulting, seminars, freelance author: Business, marketing and sales, career planning.
     
  2. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    I just took the GRE last December. There was a big hullabaloo about the fact that it was no longer a ”written” test. It has become completely computerized. The written GRE is no longer offered in my area.

    Maybe that’s what they were talking about? [​IMG]

    P.S. -- The GRE is a scam.
     
  3. Subject tests in sociology and history were discontinued in April 2000. Subject tests in engineering, geology, economics and music were discontinued in April 2001. The other eight remain: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, comp sci, literature en anglais, math, physics, psych.
     
  4. Tom Head

    Tom Head New Member

    Sorry to hear about the sociology GRE; my mother took it circa 1997, and used it to get her Regents BS.

    I don't see the education GRE listed--is it still around...?


    Cheers,

    ------------------
    Tom Head
    www.tomhead.net

    co-author, Bears' Guide to the Best Education Degrees by Distance Learning (Ten Speed Press)
    co-author, Get Your IT Degree and Get Ahead (Osborne/McGraw-Hill)
     
  5. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

     
  6. Political Science and Education exams were also discontinued (don't remember when).
     
  7. Just to be clear, "Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology" is one exam. So there are current 8 subject exams.
     
  8. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator



    Thanks Gert, I didn't make that clear the way I wrote it.


    Bruce
     
  9. ddcameron

    ddcameron New Member

    How so?
     
  10. I'm not sure what me again had in mind. But for a critique of Educational Testing Service (ETS) see David Owen's book "None of the Above: Behind the Myth of Scholastic Aptitude." (As title suggests, primarily focused on SAT.)
     
  11. Lawrie Miller

    Lawrie Miller New Member


    Interesting. So far as I know, the subject GREs (the focus of this thread) are *only* available in paper and pencil form. I could find no indication on the ETS web site that these exams had moved to CBT. Of course, the GRE *general* exam has been CBT only, for some considerable period. (CBT = Computer Based Testing)

    I wonder could you detail the particular GRE subject exam you sat?

    Note that the GRE subject exam is nothing like the GRE general exam. I sat two GRE subject exams, and would characterize neither as trivial. For those using the GRE subject to earn credit at COSC, the threshold score is above the 40th percentile, and this can be achieved with a fair degree of comfort.

    For those using the subject GRE at Excelsior, the threshold score is above the 80th percentile, and it is prudent to aim for a score above the 90th percentile to give one's self some insurance. My experience suggests a score above the 90th percentile is not achieved without effort. Significant demonstrable knowledge of the subject examined is required.

    I just had a look and a try at another two GRE subject exams where, because of my background, if they were scams, I should have no difficulty acing either or both. It is clear to me I could pass neither without intense revision.

    Again, the GRE subject exams are not the general exams and I see no evidence that would justify labeling them scams.

    There are links to practice exams for the available GRE subject tests at my web site for those who'd like a try. Suggest a go at the Mathematics and at the Computer Science exams - try scoring above the 90th percentile. There is also a link to the ETS subject exam info page, for those who would like to check the exam format**. Links here -
    http://www.geocities.com/ba_in_4_weeks/mainmenu.html


    *From the ETS instruction page on GRE subject exams

    "What to take to the test center:
    your admission ticket
    three or four sharpened soft-lead (No. 2 or HB) or mechanical pencils and a good eraser
    acceptable identification "


    ** ETS intructions page indicating NON computer based testing

    "Test-Taking Strategies
    When you take the test, you will mark your answers on a separate machine-scorable answer sheet. Total testing time is 2 hours and 50 minutes; there are no separately timed sections. The following are some general test-taking strategies you may want to consider."
     
  12. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    All we needed to take was the English and the math. We didn’t need the analytical.

    Why is it a scam?
    1. Not all schools require a GRE.
    2. My school required it, but said that even if we fail, we will be given a provisional acceptance into the masters program (contingent upon our maintenance of an acceptable GPA).

    So why do some masters programs require the GRE while others do not?

    [​IMG]
     
  13. ddcameron

    ddcameron New Member

    That sounds like the general then. Since most grad schools need to demonstrate some effort at screening (for accreditation) some type of program is no doubt a necessary evil.

    David
     
  14. ddcameron

    ddcameron New Member

    Let me thank you (again) for your work on that site. What a lot of effort! What an encouragement!

    Didn't see you answer another post ...is that your picture...seemed likely to me. But now I'm curious. [​IMG]

    Best wishes!
     
  15. BruceP

    BruceP Member

    Me again:

    There are two different types of GRE exams... the most common is the one that you took, the general examination... there are also subject specific exams in the subject areas listed previously.

    Now onto your question. This could become a real long response to your question, but I will try to keep it brief.

    Many (perhaps most) schools are "hooked" on using a test to use as a predictor of graduate student success... some schools susbstitute the MAT (Miller Analogies Test)... the end result is really the same though... research that I have seen does not support the use of these tests as accurate predictors of graduate student success. I would imagine that the schools who don't require one of these exams do not allow peer pressure to influence their business of providing education.

    I have heard of the GRE described as a "rite of passage"... something that makes no pedagogical sense... but is required "just because!"

    BruceP in Colo Springs
     
  16. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    Thx Bruce,

    Conversely, are there any examinations (similar to the GRE) that are administered to determine whether a student will be accepted into doctoral studies?

    [​IMG]
     
  17. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I haven't done much research in that regard, but I imagine that some would accept the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) in lieu of the GRE. Of course, there are some that don't require either.

    I could have taken either the GRE or the MAT for my Master's program, and I decided on the GRE because the testing center was more convenient. I went in "cold" (no preparation whatever), and while I didn't set the world on fire, I did manage respectable scores that got me admitted. I talked with a fellow student who took both, and was very adamant that the MAT was "easier".

    The doctoral program to which I'm applying requires the GRE, and I had planned to take them over again after I took a Kaplan prep course. However, I spoke with the program director, and he told me that requiring the GRE was more of a procedural thing than a strict requirement. He was much more interested in references and the writing sample than the GRE scores.


    Bruce
     
  18. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    Good point. That’s sort of how I expected it to be.
     

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