Unlocking the GRE

1. Unlocking the GRE Presentation to FLC Psychology Club November 2003 Beverly Chew

2. General C.A.T. format Tests verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing Required by most graduate programs Subject – Psychology Paper format Tests undergraduate knowledge in experimental, social, and ‘other’ areas Required by some graduate programs Types of GRE Tests

3. General GRE • Exam lasts between 2 hr. 45 min. & 3 hr. 15 min. • Three sections: - Verbal - Quantitative -Analytical Writing • C.A.T. format; questions & answers differ for each test taker • Offered 1st 3 weeks of each month in major cities • $115 cost; scores sent to 4 schools (about $15 per additional school) • Scores good for 5 years • May cancel score but all test dates show on record; may take multiple times

4. Scoring of General GRE • Hard questions count more than easy ones • You may not skip a question; you can’t return to previous questions • Raw score  Scaled score  Percentile score (percent of norm group receiving similar or lower scores) • Norm group is from last 3 years of test-takers

5. Scoring, continued • Verbal & Quantitative sections are scored from 200 – 800 • Because of norm referencing and large numbers of high quantitative scores, a perfect 800 on this scale cannot be higher than the 96th percentile! • Writing is scored holistically from 0 – 6 in half point intervals

6. How to Prepare for General GRE • Don’t avoid math and writing-intensive courses • Constantly work on your vocabulary and word use • Allow 4 to 6 months for GRE prep. • Learn the GRE format/directions for standard questions • Take a pre-test (strengths and weaknesses) • http://www.gre.org • Use Kaplan (or other) review book ($35 approx.) • Focus first on weak areas then add stronger ones while continuing to practice weak areas • Leave at least 2 weeks for final reviewing including at least two timed post-tests

7. Verbal – 30 min for 30 multiple choice questions • Analogies MAP : ATLAS :: word : dictionary • Sentence completion The winning argument was ____ but persuasive (cogent, flawed) • Antonyms (opposite meanings) • Reading comprehension (read a passage and answer several questions about its ideas and plausible inferences) • On-line examples: http://www.gre.org/practice_test/index.html

8. Quantitative – 45 min. for 28 multiple choice questions • Problem solving (includes algebra, geometry, central tendency, probability) If a sweater sells for $48 after a 25% markdown, what was its original price? (5 options to choose from) • Quantitative comparisons Column A Column B 2x 3x 4 options: Col A is greater; Col B is greater; the two are equal; cannot determine relationship • Graph problems (several questions about one or a set of graphs) • On-line examples: http://www.gre.org/practice_test/index.html

9. Analytical Writing – Two essays: 45 min. for Issue; 30 min. for Argument • Present your perspective on an issue The drawbacks to the use of nuclear power mean that it is not a long term solution to the problem of meeting ever-increasing energy needs. • Assess the logic presented in an argument The problem of poorly trained teachers that has plagued the state public school system is bound to become a good deal less serious in the future. The state has initiated comprehensive guidelines that oblige state teachers to complete anumber of required credits in education and educational psychology at the graduate level before being certified. • Scored: Outstanding (6), Strong (5), Adequate (4), Limited (3), Weak (2), Fundamentally Deficient(1), Unscorable (0) [½ pt intervals]

10. GRE General: Psychometrics

11. More Psychometrics… • Correlation between V & Q: r = 0.41 • Fixed reference group scoring: 1952 group set  = 500,  = 100 • Recently, V mean = 469 (119), Q mean = 591 (148) • So, today a score of 500 is at the 58th p for Verbal and the 27th p for Quantitative

12. GRE General Validity Studies • Correlations with Graduate 1st year GPA (all departments) Verbal = .30 Quant = .39 Analy = .28 • Correlations with College GPA : 0.37 • V & Q & A : 0.34 • V & Q & A & College GPA : 0.46 • Meta-analysis of 1,753 studies confirms this • GRE also related to comprehensive exam scores, publication counts, faculty ratings but Subject tests tend to be better predictors than VQA tests

13. Questions about the General GRE?

14. Subject GRE - Psychology • Exam lasts 2 hr. 50 min. • 215-220 multiple choice questions over vocabulary, names, theories: breadth not depth is important • Paper / scantron format; no test aids allowed • Offered 1 Sat. in April, Nov., Dec. at various sites • $130 cost; scores sent to 4 schools ($13 per additional school) • Scores good for 5 years • May cancel score; may take multiple times

15. Scoring of Psychology Subject Test • Raw score: # correct - ¼ (# wrong) (unanswered questions don’t affect score) • Scaled score: 200 – 900 • Percentile rank score (comparison to population of other test-takers) • Subtests scores for experimental/natural science and social/social sciences categories: 20 - 99

16. Scoring of Psychology Subject Test - Example Correct = 155 Incorrect = 20 Omits = 40 Raw score = 155 - ¼ (20) = 150 Scale score = 670 Percentile rank score = 84 …you scored as well or better than 84% of other test takers.

17. Content of Psychology Subject Test Experimental or Natural Science 40% Learning Memory Language Thinking Sensation Perception Physiological Ethology Comparative

18. Content of Psychology Subject Test Social or Social Science 43% Abnormal Social Clinical Developmental Personality

19. Content of Psychology Subject Test General 17% History Applied Measurement Research design Statistics

20. How to Prepare • T.A. for an Intro. Psychology class • Take a pre-test (strengths and weaknesses) • http://ftp.ets.org/pub/gre/Psychology.pdf • Kaplan (or other) review book ($15 approx.) • Review all 8 content areas • Focus first on weak areas then add stronger ones while continuing to practice weak areas • Leave at least 2 weeks for final reviewing including a timed post-test

21. Attitudes Affiliation Prosocial Behavior Antisocial and Aggressive Behavior Conformity and Compliance Self Perception Social Perception Groups Leadership Cooperation and Competition Topics: Social

22. Nature/Nurture Controversy Heredity Growth and Maturation Newborn Characteristics Cognitive Development Language Development Social / Emotional Development Temperament Attachment Moral Development Parenting Research Methods Topics: Developmental

23. Theories Psychodynamic Behaviorism Humanism Trait / Type Understanding Mental Disorders DSM IV major categories Diathesis-Stress Model Primary Prevention Labeling Topics: Personality & Abnormal

24. Central and Peripheral Nervous System Anatomy of the Brain Neurons and Glial Cells Neural Transmission Neurotransmitters Psychopharmacology Endocrine System Neuropsychology Sleep and Sleep Disorders Perception of Emotion Topics: Physiological

25. Psychophysics Sensory Information Processing Vision Visual Perception and Illusions Auditory System Other Senses Taste Smell Touch Motion Perception and Attention Topics: Sensation and Perception

26. Memory Problem Solving Decision Making Creativity Language Theories Language and Thought Gender Issues Intelligence Metacognition Topics: Cognitive

27. Research Design Hypotheses Types of Variables Sampling Confounds Experimenter Bias External Validity Demand Characteristics Statistics Levels of measurement Descriptive statistics Inferential statistics p-values Type I & II errors Tests & Measurement Reliability Validity Types of tests Topics: Research Design and Statistics

28. Psych Subject GRE: Psychometrics • Mean = 574 (100) on 300 – 800 scale • Reliability = .95 • Experimental = .90 • Social = .86 • SEM = 21 (E = 2.9, S = 3.4) • SE Diff = 30 (E = 4.1, S = 4.8) • Validity correlations w/ 1st year GGPA • Subject = .37 • Subject & College GPA = .46 • Subject & GRE General & College GPA = .50

29. Questions about the Psychology Subject Test?