GRE Prep – Analysis of a CAT

Growing up good test taking skills were drilled into my brain. The one that stuck with me longest and served me best was the (formerly) conventional wisdom that on any multiple choice/standardized test if you don’t know an answer you should skip the question and come back to it. This skipping and coming back to tough questions system served me well on the SAT and I came out with a 1470 on my first try.  I never took any kind of prep class and I was confident that this was simply a hallmark of my intelligence. I was wrong.

My 1470 simply reflected my ability to take exams, an ability that hinged on the afore mentioned technique of abandoning and returning to difficult problems. Unfortunately when I took the GRE I didn’t opt to take the paper based exam. Instead I liked the scheduling flexibility afforded by the computer testing center exam.  It never occurred to me that the so called Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) would significantly impact my ability to be successful on the GRE. Again I was wrong.

The CAT doesn’t allow the test taker to skip a question and return. Each question must be answered in the order that it is given. Part of the reason for this is that each answer (correct or incorrect) determines the next question’s level of difficulty. Clearly, the inability to skip questions and return seriously impacted my test taking strategies and I’m sure my lower score was a reflection of this.

Now that paper based GREs are virtually extinct it is crucial for all test takers to understand how the CAT differs from a paper based exam and how these differences affect the test taking experience.

The CAT based GRE has become preferable to the paper based test because it’s is more closely tailored to each test takers specific performance level and as a result provides much more precise information about an individual’s abilities. At the beginning of the exam you will likely be presented a question of medium difficulty and depending on whether you answer correctly or incorrectly the following question will be either more difficult or easier.

The aggregate nature of the question difficulty level makes it very important to do well on the first few questions. Take your time and really think through your answers. Answering incorrectly early on can set the difficulty for the entire exam and once deeper into the test it is increasingly harder to raise the level of your questions.

Although the computer skills required are minimal some familiarity with computers will make your test taking experience more pleasant. Prior to beginning the exam the GRE offers you the option to walk through a tutorial of the CAT system. Taking the time to do this will enable you to be comfortable with the CAT system prior to beginning the timed exam.

Despite feelings that paper-based and CAT exams are not the same relative difficulty, research conducted by ETS shows that the CAT GRE test scores are comparable to scores from paper-based administration of the GRE. To ensure that this is true for you as well spend a little time developing a new set of test taking habits by practicing with both paper practice tests CAT based practice tests from the PowerPrep software provided by ETS.