GRE Program & Future of Graduate Education Update

(Speaker Thomas Van Essen, PhD, Director of External Research at the Educational Testing Service - tvanessen@ets.org)

• GRE revised General Test

The GRE General Test is going to be revised in response to feedback from the graduate community; content will more accurately reflect the skills that candidates need to succeed in the 21st century. Verbal Reasoning will have greater emphasis on complex reasoning skills, will be more text-based/about reading, will be less dependent on vocabulary knowledge, and no longer have antonyms and analogies. The emphasis is switching to reasoning about texts. Quantitative Reasoning is going to be covering the same content but with more real-life scenarios instead of abstracts; there will also be fewer multiple choice questions and new computer-enabled questions. Analytical Writing measure will not change other than having questions more sharply focused (aimed to prevent test takes memorizing general essays prior to test). Test takers can navigate freely within a timed section and can access a test preview/review tool; a calculator will be provided on the Quantitative Reasoning measure. Exam is still adaptive but will be so by section (i.e., done by section, not by question).

Score scale is also changing "professional standards (AERA, APA, NCME) require us to change the scale" because the test is changing so much.

July 2010 - free test preparation will be available to test takers; August 2011 - first day of testing for the revised test; Nov. 2011 - score reporting for the revised test begins. Test takers who need their scores before Nov. 2011 must take the GRE General test before August 2011.

Paper exams will still be available in some areas where technology is not available for new test format.

Sign up to receive information at http://www.ets.org/gre/updates

• ETS Personal Potential Index (ETS PPI)

"A more complete picture of graduate applicants" -- how do you measure the things that are most important for success?

The PPI measures the following personal attributes: Knowledge & Creativity, Communication Skills, Teamwork, Resilience, Planning & Organization, Ethics & Integrity. These are difficult to test, however, because they are often "fakeable" on an exam. (Original format of this was called a standardized letter of recommendation.) The PPI now sends people (professors, etc., who are selected by the applicant) a link to an electronic form, where results go back to ETS.

These results are tabulated and prepared between the different reviewers of a candidate. Results are also put on scale where they are compared to all other candidates. (Results can also adjust for, for example, a professor who always gives high ratings.) Reports are sent to institutions, with graphic charts that present both quantitative information and qualitative comments.

• "The Path Forward: The Future of Graduate Education in the United States" (by Commission on the Future of Graduate Education in the United States)

(Short video; actual report is available online: http://www.fgereport.org)

Looking at the skill set of today's workforce. Much attention has been paid to K-12, but if the skills of graduate students are in trouble, the country is in trouble. What's happening to graduate schools is a real big issue. Outstanding graduate education provides leadership in the global community; America needs to remain the leader of graduate education. Key currency now is ideas, economy is dependent on innovation. Only 26% of college graduates complete a graduate degree in 10 years. Graduate education has gone global and America's model of graduate education has been adopted on a global level. It's a good thing that other countries are catching up, but what does that mean for the American system? U.S. graduate education needs to reflect these global changes. How do we better support people in graduate programs? How do we make graduate programs affordable for the best and the brightest who cannot afford a graduate education?

Changes need to be made at universities, employers, and government. A partnership across these domains yields the best solutions.

Posted by Kelci Lynn Lucier, Guide to College Life on About.com
(http://collegelife.about.com)