<p>Hi</p>
<p>I would like to know the differences and similarities between the two to help me better understand the GREs. Please compare and contrast them for me in terms of:</p>
<p>1.Difficulty
2.Content/Format
3.What would be considered a good score?</p>
<p>also
4. How many times did you take it? And what was your final score?
5. Is it like the SATs in that you can take it as many times as you like and the admissions would just take your highest score?</p>
<p>Thanks a bunch!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The GRE: math is easier, but critical reading is more difficult. To get into the 90th percentile in math, you have to score (usually) around 750. To get into the 90th percentile for reading, you need around 630.</p></li>
<li><p>Things are changing for the GRE. Go to the ETS site to see the format. Until recently (or maybe, for a little while longer), the reading portion had analogies, which the SAT did away with four or five years ago. The biggest difference is that the general GRE must be taken on the computer. You can’t go back, and your final score depends heavily on how well you do on the first 15 questions – but again, this may change.</p></li>
<li><p>See the end of answer #1.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>4 and 5. Most students take the GRE only once or twice. Some programs look down on those who take it more times than that.</p>
<p>The new GRE in 2011 is going to cost $160 to take the GRE test.
So it is pretty expensive to take multiple times. Look into pratice tests more to help better prepare, over than just putting in lots of money to take multiple times.</p>
<p>Oh, and you cannot choose (at least, you couldn’t) which scores the programs see. They get all of the General GRE scores.</p>
<p>
Ooooh, I wish. Minor point, but nowadays, 770 will likely not be 90th percentile or higher, and sometimes 780 isn’t even, either. (I think 750 would lie around 82nd or 83rd percentile.)</p>
<p>Ha, ha – you’re right, Kryptonsa. But most programs are okay with a 750 and above. Actually, 700 and above is fine for most fields, especially if the applicant has taken college math and done well. The biggest exception to this is engineering, where it is expected that an applicant will score 780-800.</p>