Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

The GRE is required by most graduate school programs. (The GRE is usually not required for graduate programs in education and social work, particularly in the New York City area. Check with the programs to which you are applying.) You may be required to take the General Test, and/or the Subject Test. The scores are used as one indicator for success in graduate school. The General Test measures verbal, quantitative and analytical writing skills. The analytical writing section focuses on your critical thinking and analytical writing skills. The score range is from 200-800 for the verbal and quantitative of segments; the analytical writing range is 0-6. These separate scores allow graduate programs to look at your ability in specific areas.

There are courses you can take at Hunter that may prove helpful in improving your knowledge and skills in taking the General GRE: Classics110 for the Verbal Reasoning, Math 125-126 for the Quantitative Reasoning and Philosophy 103 for the Analytical Writing.

Students who receive financial aid may be eligible for a GRE fee waiver; read about it at the GRE web site then check with the Financial Aid Office.

The GRE General Test is available only as a computer-based test. The test is offered many days a month and the results can be available to the graduate schools within fifteen days. Be sure you read the GRE Information and Registration Bulletin. You can schedule an appointment and pay by credit card on-line or by phone (800-GRE-CALL). The Subject Test will continue to be offered in the paper-based format.

The GRE Search Service helps match students interested in graduate study with graduate schools seeking appropriate applicants. This is a free service open to anyone considering graduate education. Applications can be found in the GRE bulletin, or online at www.gre.org. A good time to take advantage of this resource is early in your junior year.

Further information or inquiries regarding the GRE should be addressed to:
Graduate Record Examination
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, N.J. 08541-6000
(609) 771-7670
www.gre.org
The fee is $140.00 for the General Test
$130.00 for the Subject Test

Other Entrance Exams

MCATs, LSATs, GMATs and LASTs are required examinations for the fields of medicine, law, business and education, respectively. (MCAT and LSAT bulletins are available in the Pre-Professional Office, Room 812 East.)

It is important to prepare for the GRE and other entrance exams by familiarizing yourself with the format of the test as a whole so that you recognize the kind of questions you have to answer instantly. Students can prepare themselves by using the GRE website, the GRE review books or by taking one of the preparation courses. ETS supplies free test preparation material for GRE test registrants. GRE POWERPREP for the General Test and a practice test for the Subject Test can be downloaded from the GRE web site.

Some of the better-known test preparation centers are: Kaplan, (www.kaplan.com) Princeton Review, (www.princetonreview.com), PrimePrep (www.primeprep.com). (Hunter College students receive a 10% discount from Princeton Review, (212) 925-6447. Attach a photocopy of your Hunter College I.D.to your application.) Hunter College’s Continuing Education program, (http://ce.hunter.cuny.edu) located in the Welcome Center, Room 100 North, offers discounted preparation courses for the GRE and LSAT. Check with the other test preparation centers to find out about any scholarships/discounts that they may offer to students based on academic merit or financial need.