GRE News – Changes Coming in 2011

A common theme I’ve heard amongst my friends of late is concern that going back to graduate school now might not be a good idea because in their words “everyone is going back to school.” Being a person that decided to return to school this past fall I no longer need to grapple with the pros and cons of such a decision.  For those who are still on the fence the ETS announced plan to change the GRE in 2011 may be something to consider. ETS (Educational Testing Service) is the official administrator of the GRE (akin to the GMAC for the GMAT). According to the official announcement a tthe annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools in San Francisco the 2011 changes are herladed as the “largest revisions” in the history of the GRE.

For more on the coming changes to the GRE in 2011 check out the article from Veritas Prep’s blog detailing the specific section by section revisions. It sounds like one of the best changes is the introduction of an online calculator as part of the quantitative section.  According to the Veritas Prep post the calculator will help even the playing field for test takers. Helping to:

“to shift the emphasis from how quickly someone can calculate a number to that person’s actual analytical and problem-solving abilities.”

Ultimately according to the Veritas Prep blog many of ETS’ changes can be viewed as an effort to make the GRE more competitive with the GMAT, and despite the GRE’s efforts Veritas Prep has yet to see the tests as being interchangeable saying:

“If you’re applying to business school and are wondering which test you should take, our advice remains the same: We agree with GMAC that the GMAT is still the most proven measure of the skills an MBA applicant needs to succeed in the classroom. If you’re thinking about grad degrees and general and are only somewhat interested in earning an MBA, then perhaps the GRE is the better place to start. If you’re sure that a top-tier MBA is what you want, however, the GMAT is still your best bet.

For more on deciding whether the GRE or GMAT is right for you see our post “Difference between the GMAT and GRE”.