Throw out those number two pencils -- seniors applying to graduate schools will no longer be able to take the Graduate Record Exam general test in the traditional paper format after April 10. After that, the general test will only be offered in a computerized version at special testing sites.
The format change will not affect the GRE subject test, which will continue to be available in paper form.
Although both the electronic and paper versions cover the same material and use the same types of questions, the test structure is different, and testing can take up to half an hour longer on the new, computerized version.
The standard test format contains two verbal, quantitative and analytical sections, lasting 30 minutes each, while the computerized test contains one 30-minute verbal section, one 45-minute quantitative section, and one 60-minute analytical section.
The computer test format prohibits students from passing a question and returning to it later.
In addition, subsequent questions are based upon prior test performance. The computer evaluates responses and bases the level of difficulty of the following question on the previous answer.
Guadaloupe Watkins, a customer service representative for Educational Testing Services, which administers the test, told The Dartmouth ETS is switching to computerized General Tests because they allow more flexibility in choosing a test date and time.
Unlike the paper version of the test, given only on certain dates and at certain times, the computerized GRE is held year-round for the first three weeks of every month, except from October to February, when it is offered continuously every day, Watkins said.
Students can take the computer-based GRE up to once every calendar month.
In addition, scores from the computerized test are available to students much faster than those from the test's paper version, she said.
Directly after the test, unofficial scores appear on the screen, and official score reports can be mailed within 10 to 15 days, compared to four to six weeks for the paper format.
Fees for taking either GRE are the same, but if a student misses a computerized test, a partial refund is available, while fees for the paper test are completely nonrefundable.
Comparable tests?
While ETS claims scores from the paper format and the computerized are comparable, some people have concerns about aspects of the computerized exam such as the inability to skip and return to questions.
Assistant Director of Career Services Daryl Gehman said he regards that feature as a disadvantage.
Depending on the student's test-taking preferences, he said, once candidates answer more questions, they may often be able to return to and answer a question they omitted earlier.
Gehman said some students also prefer to read through the entire test first before answering any of the questions, which is not possible in the computerized procedure.
He also said a small clock ticking in the corner of the screen could be a distraction during the test, although it might prove helpful for some students in pacing themselves.
Another drawback of the computerized version is comparatively few testing locations across the country, which could pose a problem for people in rural areas.
The two testing centers closest to Hanover are in Concord, N.H., and Williston, Vt., both approximately an hour away.
Admissions Coordinator for the Thayer School of Engineering Candace Potter said the Thayer School requires the GRE general test, but allows it to be taken in either format.
She said she has not noticed any difference between the two forms in the scores submitted to the Thayer School.
Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies Dotty French also said it makes no difference to the College's Graduate Admissions Office whether students take the computerized or the paper GRE.
French said it is not possible to tell the different versions apart, as the score reports are the same for both tests, and she also said she has not noticed any difference in the scores submitted to Graduate Admissions.
Two schools of thought
Students taking the GRE this year must weigh the pros and cons of each format and decide whether to take the paper or computer version.
For Laura Poplawski '99, the considerable distance to the nearest testing center played a role in her decision to take the paper-based GRE.
"It's good to have [a paper location] in Hanover," she said, "Having to drive an hour before a test is not a pleasant thing to think about, especially if that test is at eight in the morning."
However, Poplawski said she considered taking the computerized test because of its flexible schedule, and because the computer evaluates wrong answers and then offers an easier question.
She said when she talked to Gehman he recommended she take the paper version of the test because its format is more like the tests to which most students are accustomed.
"It's more important for me to have something I'm already used to," Poplawski said.
Anthony Hatch '98 said he plans to take the computerized GRE twice before November upon the suggestion of a mentor.
He said he enjoys working on a computer, and did well taking practice tests of the computerized version. Students can order practice software from ETS, or download complete practice tests from the Internet, Hatch said.
He said using computers so frequently made him feel comfortable taking a test on the computer. The questions were fairly easy, as they are tailored to the student's responses, he said.
"You feel more confident as you go through," he said, and he said he does not mind not being able to go back to change responses or answer omitted questions on the test's computerized version.
"I like that -- when you're done, you're done," he said.
Driving for over an hour to take the computer-based test in Williston, Vt., is the only disadvantage, he said.
