Following a slew of format changes to the most common standardized tests, including the SAT I and II, the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) will undergo changes this fall when its analytical section is replaced with written essays. The GRE is an essential test for any college student seeking to attend graduate school for a subject other than law, medical, or business. But according to Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Robin Kanarek, the test is not the most important criterion for applicants.
"The GRE's are not used as much in graduate school admissions as, for example, the SATs are in undergraduate admissions," she said. "I don't think [the changes] are going to make a major difference in who's going to get accepted to graduate school at Tufts."
But in a letter to the academic community, Executive Director of the GRE program Thomas Rochon said that the new format comes in response to concerns expressed by graduate school administrators.
"Our interviews with graduate deans and others involved in the graduate school admissions process indicated a strong sense that the writing skills of applicants - particularly analytical writing ability - should be assessed in the admissions process," Rochon said.
Kanarek believes that too much emphasis has been placed on standardized testing in college and graduate school admissions.
"I think that while the SATs and the GREs are useful tests, I worry about what they've become," she said, alluding to the rising number of expensive test prep courses. "They've become something where you learn how to take the test." Kanarek added that the essay portion of the test would be harder to teach, and for some test takers, may be a more accurate reflection of their skills than the analytical section.
The new mandatory essay section, known as the Analytical Writing Measure (AWM), will replace the traditional analytical section that has been regarded as the most "coachable" section of the exam by test experts, including Kaplan. The writing section will include two essays of different lengths and topics. The first essay will last 45 minutes and is titled "Present Your Perspective on an Issue." The second, a 30-minute essay, is entitled "Analyze an Argument."
"I think it'll be a burden to some students," Kanarek said. "I think they're very difficult to evaluate."
Kanarek expressed some concern about the essay portion of the GRE. She foresees that students who speak English as a second language and students with learning disabilities may struggle with the new section.
"One of my best students ever at Tufts had severe dyslexia," she said. "I don't know how well she would've done on a written test like that." The student successfully took the GRE in its previous format, was admitted to graduate school, and is now a college professor.
But Rochon believes that the new section appeals to a wide variety of test takers.
"The Board is convinced that the new General Test is a more broadly based assessment that allows students from a wide range of backgrounds to demonstrate their abilities," he said in his letter.
In "Present Your Perspective on an Issue," test takers will be asked to construct their own arguments by taking a position on one of the two issues presented on the exam. The second essay asks that the test taker critique an argument. There is no choice for the second essay.
The new essays are intended to provide admissions officers with a greater depth of measurement in order to assess analytical and writing skills of applicants. According to the GRE association, the writing assessment was developed in response to interest expressed by the graduate community for a performance-based assessment of critical reasoning and analytical writing.
According to Kanarek, the evaluation of writing skills is important but is not the most important part of an application to graduate school at Tufts.
"One of the things that I tell [undergraduates] is try to get to know your professors here, because when it comes time to apply to grad school, your letters of recommendation are going to be very important," she said. Kanarek added that getting involved in research and internship opportunities and enrolling in small classes like writing workshops are effective ways of developing a good working relationship with professors.
Testing industry experts are calling the change the most significant alteration since the test became entirely electronically administered in the mid 1990s. The AWM will not use electronic scoring in the manner of the GMAT, but rather each essay will be read by two graders with the rare discrepancy being handled by a third reader, much in the way of the Writing SAT II essay portion.
