Editing Graduate Record Examinations (section)

==History==

The Graduate Record Examinations was "initiated in 1936 as a joint experiment in higher education by the graduate school deans of four [[Ivy League]] universities and the [[Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching]]."<ref name="wilkesbarremisericordiasophomores">{{cite news|title=Misericordia Sophomores Take Graduate Record Tests|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/396100933/?terms=%22Graduate%2BRecord%2BExaminations%22|access-date=May 29, 2018|work=Wilkes-Barre Times Leader|location=Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|date=March 25, 1949|page=10|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=registration |quote=Graduate Record Examination project was initiated in 1936 as a joint experiment in higher education by the graduate school deans of four eastern universities and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. [...] Until the Educational Testing Service was established in January, 1948, the Graduate Record Examination remained a project of the Carnegie Foundation.}}</ref>

The first universities to experiment with the test on their students were [[Harvard University]], [[Yale University]], [[Princeton University]] and [[Columbia University]].<ref name="iowacityrecordsare"/> The [[University of Wisconsin]] was the first public university to ask their students to take the test in 1938.<ref name="wisconsinstateuwdistinguished">{{cite news|title=U.W. Distinguished By Selection For Requirement|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/397344363/?terms=%22graduate%2Brecord%2Bexamination%22|access-date=May 29, 2018|work=Wisconsin State Journal|location=Madison, Wisconsin|date=November 19, 1938|page=9|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=registration }}</ref> It was first given to students at the [[University of Iowa]] in 1940, where it was analyzed by psychologist [[Dewey Stuit]].<ref name="iowacityrecordsare">{{cite news|title=Records Are Being Made. Examinations Are Being Given to Graduates of University.|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/364145766/?terms=%22graduate%2Brecord%2Bexamination%22|access-date=May 29, 2018|work=Iowa City Press-Citizens|date=January 8, 1941}}</ref> It was first taken by students at [[Texas Tech University]] in 1942.<ref name="lubbockrepresentatives">{{cite news|title=Representatives of Carnegie Foundation Visits Texas Tech|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/8531839/?terms=%22graduate%2Brecord%2Bexamination%22|access-date=May 29, 2018|work=Lubbock Morning Avalanche|location=Lubbock, Texas|date=February 20, 1942|page=8|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=registration }}</ref> In 1943, it was taken by students at [[Michigan State University]], where it was analyzed by [[Paul Dressel]].<ref name="lansingstudentstaking">{{cite news|title=Students Taking Tests For Degrees. College Seniors, Facing Immediate Induction Into Armed Services Qualify.|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/206722035/?terms=%22graduate%2Brecord%2Bexamination%22|access-date=May 29, 2018|work=Lansing State Journal|location=Lansing, Michigan|date=April 11, 1943|page=5|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=registration }}</ref> It was taken by over 45,000 students applying to 500 colleges in 1948.<ref name="wilkesbarremisericordiasophomores"/>

"Until the [[Educational Testing Service]] was established in January, 1948, the Graduate Record Examination remained a project of the Carnegie Foundation."<ref name="wilkesbarremisericordiasophomores"/>

=== 2011 revision ===
In 2006, ETS announced plans to make significant changes in the format of the GRE. Planned changes for the revised GRE included a longer testing time, a departure from computer-adaptive testing, a new grading scale, and an enhanced focus on reasoning skills and critical thinking for both the quantitative and qualitative sections.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.princetonreview.com/grad/testprep/testprep.asp?TPRPAGE=880&TYPE=GRE|title=Comparison Chart of GRE Changes|website=Princetonreview.com|access-date=May 29, 2018|archive-date=June 18, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618012728/http://www.princetonreview.com/grad/testprep/testprep.asp?TPRPAGE=880&TYPE=GRE|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On April 2, 2007, ETS announced the decision to cancel plans for revising the GRE.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.c988ba0e5dd572bada20bc47c3921509/?vgnextoid=e9e8b524b40b1110VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=dd2d253b164f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD|title=ETS Home|website=Ets.org|access-date=April 2, 2007|archive-date=September 23, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923032608/http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.c988ba0e5dd572bada20bc47c3921509/?vgnextoid=e9e8b524b40b1110VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=dd2d253b164f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD|url-status=dead}}</ref> The announcement cited concerns over the ability to provide clear and equal access to the new test after the planned changes as an explanation for the cancellation. The ETS stated, however, that they did plan "to implement many of the planned test content improvements in the future", although specific details regarding those changes were not initially announced.

Changes to the GRE took effect on November 1, 2007, as ETS started to include new types of questions in the exam. The changes mostly centered on "fill in the blank" type answers for the mathematics section that requires the test-taker to fill in the blank directly, without being able to choose from a multiple choice list of answers. ETS announced  plans to introduce two of these new types of questions in each quantitative section, while the majority of questions would be presented in the regular format.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.c988ba0e5dd572bada20bc47c3921509/?vgnextoid=8fc9a1d64ffd3110VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=bf8146f1674f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD|title=ETS Home|website=Ets.org|access-date=September 19, 2007|archive-date=July 23, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090723212717/http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.c988ba0e5dd572bada20bc47c3921509/?vgnextoid=8fc9a1d64ffd3110VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=bf8146f1674f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Since January 2008, the Reading Comprehension within the verbal sections has been reformatted, passages' "line numbers will be replaced with highlighting when necessary in order to focus the test taker on specific information in the passage" to "help students more easily find the pertinent information in reading passages."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.c988ba0e5dd572bada20bc47c3921509/?vgnextoid=fbf8d69b413f6110VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=bf8146f1674f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD |title=Revisions to the Computer-based GRE General Test in 2008 |access-date=2008-01-18 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822044424/http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.c988ba0e5dd572bada20bc47c3921509/?vgnextoid=fbf8d69b413f6110VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=bf8146f1674f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD |archive-date=August 22, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In December 2009, ETS announced plans to move forward with significant revisions to the GRE in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/education/06gre.html|title=A New Look for Graduate Entrance Test|date=December 6, 2009|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Changes include a new 130–170 scoring scale, the elimination of certain question types such as antonyms and analogies, the addition of an online calculator, and the elimination of the CAT format of question-by-question adjustment, in favor of a section by section adjustment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general_institutions/|title=GRE Revised General Test: For Institutions|website=Ets.org|access-date=December 15, 2009|archive-date=October 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026135008/https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general_institutions|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On August 1, 2011, the Revised GRE General test replaced General GRE test. The revised GRE is said to be better by design and provides a better test taking experience. The new types of questions in the revised format are intended to test the skills needed in graduate and business schools programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/faq/|title=GRE Revised General Test: Frequently Asked Questions|website=Ets.org}}</ref> From July 2012 onwards GRE announced an option for users to customize their scores called ScoreSelect.<ref>{{cite web|title=GRE Score Select |url=http://gre.learnhub.com/lesson/21133-gre-announces-scoreselect-option-july-2012-onwards |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525092734/http://gre.learnhub.com/lesson/21133-gre-announces-scoreselect-option-july-2012-onwards |archive-date=May 25, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

===Before October 2002===

The earliest versions of the GRE tested only for verbal and quantitative ability. For a number of years before October 2002, the GRE had a separate Analytical Ability section which tested candidates on logical and analytical reasoning abilities. This section was replaced by the Analytical Writing Assessment.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2002-03-26|title=Essay now an option on GRE's|url=http://www.michigandaily.com/uncategorized/essay-now-option-gres/|access-date=2021-11-25|website=The Michigan Daily|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=E. Powers|first=Donald|url=https://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/RR-86-40-Powers.pdf|title=TEST PREPARATION FOR THE GRE ANALYTICAL ABILITY MEASURE: DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS FOR SUBGROUPS OF GRE TEST TAKERS|publisher=Educational Testing Service|date=November 1986}}</ref>