Old GRE vs New GRE - Advent of sectional adaptation approach

On the old GRE, the test was adapted within each section. The computer would assume that every test taker was equal and would start with a mid-range question. If the test taker answered a few questions correctly, the test would become progressively difficult. And if the test taker answered the questions incorrectly, the test would become easier.
The old GRE algorithm is slightly more nuanced than this, but really the details, at this point, are moot. We only care about the revised GRE.
The Revised GRE adapts between sections. A salient difference between the old and revised GRE is that the revised GRE has two sections for math and two sections for verbal. The old GRE had one section for each. That the revised GRE has two sections for each subject is significant – this allowed ETS to make the test adapt between sections.

The section adaptation is the only adaptation that happens on the new GRE. What this means is that the questions do not change depending on whether you answer them correctly. You can think of it this way – each section is static. Your performance in the first section will determine whether you get an easy section or a difficult section. The easy section is static and the difficult section is static. Again, this means the questions in the section do not change. You could miss the first ten and question 11 will still be question 11. You could work backward from the last question, nailing all of them, and question 11 is still question 11.


\(\Rightarrow\) One of the benefits of the 2011 GRE General Test scoring system revision is that it permits a better and more sophisticated distinction among top-level test takers.

According to manhattanreview




source: scholarden

Question Difficulty and weight-age

Even though a section is static it doesn’t mean that, theoretically, it couldn’t become progressively harder. After all, this is what the old old GRE, meaning the paper-based 1990 GRE was like. However, there is no order of difficulty on the Revised GRE. The first question can be the hardest and the last question the easiest. Most likely, the first and last questions will be medium ones.
Do not spend 5 minutes trying to answer the question in which four circles are wedged inside some octagon (actually, that would make an interesting question – but another time!). Each question is weighted the same. So the question that gives you the radius of a circle and asks for the area, which should take no more than 15 seconds, is worth the same as the one about the monstrous polygon.

The main idea of ETS is to have a mean score in the form of a bell curve.



The minimum score in GRE is 260 (130 in each of quant and verbal). So ETS makes sure your score is getting near 150. So in your first section, you do exceptionally well, your questions will be in such a way to pull your score down to 150. If you screw up, ETS gives you easy questions to make your score near 150.

From a mathematically standing point

Keep in mind that the sections that pop up in front of you, usually, do not have a systematic order: usually you first have the AWA, then the verbal section and then the quant section. However, this unfolding could be a variation.
However, at the end of the day the GRE exam always will have two AWA sections, two quant sections, and two verbal sections.

Now, considering the GRE test kicks off, regardless the section you do have in front of you the score is calculated as follow:

1) The first section is always on a medium level, no matter how or what. On average will be on 3-3.5 level on a scale from 1 (the easiest question) to 5 (the hardest).
2) In the second section (both quant and verbal) IF your correct answers in the first section were in that range 0-6 correct upon 20 questions the second section will be easy level.

Alike, if in the first section your correct answers were from 7-14 range, then your second section will be medium level.

More, if in the first section you pick 15-20 range questions correct, then your second section of the test will be HARD Level.

So, suppose the student:

• in the first section nails just 6 questions correct

He/She will end up getting an easy verbal section as the second portion of the test with 11 questions right (11 is just an example, could be even 20). That means the score should be the follow

First Verbal Section + Second Verbal section = \(6+11=17\)

The base score is \(130 + 17 = 147\)

However, HE/SHE will get only V 143.

147-143=4

This four is a fist in his mouth. This is the way the ETS algorithm works: if you get a medium or hard second section, in the end, ETS rewards you with 2 or 3 points of bonus plus your real score.



An important side note is that the GRE will not assign any penalty for a question answered incorrectly. As such, it is important that even if you do not know to solve a question, making an educated guess of it is also an important strategy to have. For instance, solving a problem solving - single answer choice - the probability to get it right is 0.20% (1/5). So, guys pick one answer and move on. you do not know. Maybe, you are lucky enough to get one more question correct

Takeaways

• The Revised GRE does not adapt within a section, only between sections
• Each question is weighted the same
• Difficult questions and easy questions are randomly mixed throughout the section