GRE (Graduate Record Examinations)

The GRE is one of two standardized achievement examinations for business school admissions in the United States, as well as for various graduate studies programs. It was first administered in 1949 by Educational Testing Service (ETS). In 2011, the test was revamped and extended in length, with a new grading scale of 130 to 170 for each Verbal and Quantitative section. The Educational Testing Service (“ETS”), which administers the GRE, claims the changes are the “largest revisions” in the GRE history. Check with your graduate program or business school to find out whether you should take the GRE.

  •  The GRE test takes 3 hours and 45 minutes and can be taken at one of many test centers in the United States at any time and around the world 5 or 6 times a year.
  •  The GRE composite score ranges from 260 to 340 and is drawn from the Verbal and Quantitative sections. The writing section does not get factored into the composite score, but has its own, unrelated score from 0 to 6.
  •  The GRE is a computer-adaptive test, and leaving questions blank is very detrimental to your score.
  •  The GRE can be taken only once a month, and up to five times per twelve-month period.
  •  If you have taken the GRE multiple times, all scores will be evaluated by the admissions officers for your chosen programs. Some programs will put greater weight on the higher score and be more impressed by a significant increase in score than two similar scores. Other programs will choose to judge applicants by the highest scores in each section. Averaging scores is uncommon.

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Bill was extremely knowledgeable about all of the concepts and was able to effectively answer all of my questions. He went above and beyond to accommodate my needs as student and has honed my skills in preparation for my GMAT.

-Frank (This student did private tutoring in Boston)

Testimonial

I was accepted to Columbia Business School for Early Decision Sept. 2011. With Tom Kania's help, I was able to establish a strong message through my essays of why I belong at Columbia. Thank you so much for all your help.

-Derek Krouner (This student used our Elite School MBA admissions package)