Well, I chose a loaded question for this post didn't I In my role as the director of online tutoring at MyGuru, I have heard hundreds of variations of this very question over my nearly two decades as a GRE/GMAT tutor and content producer. After all, when will plane or coordinate geometry be a part of anyone's graduate program? And who cares if an MBA candidate knows the definition of abecedarian!?

I willingly grant that the content of the GRE can seem more arbitrary than just about any other standardized test out there. The math content can have some long content tails such as knowing the equation for graphing circles in the coordinate plane or the distribution curve for a normal distribution. Then for the verbal section, obviously the vocabulary seems random to many students, but so too do the passages. After all, how many people actually study the maternal foraging strategies of varying pinniped species!?

However, there are some very valid reasons that colleges, universities, and yes, even some employers out there still value the GRE in considering applicants for admissions and positions.

Demonstrating Applicant Commitment
An exceedingly small population can perform well on the GRE with absolutely no preparation, and even those who can must still invest more than three hours and $200 to take the official test in person or online. This represents a decent deterrent for frivolous graduate school applicants. Graduate school is a serious commitment, so anyone who is unwilling to commit this minimum amount of time and money will, fairly or unfairly, seem unlikely to realistically commit to the school or position to which they are applying. Regardless of the actual content relevancy of the exam, weeding out applicants who may not be entirely serious about grad school is a useful function that the GRE can perform for admissions officers.

Additionally, while the tacit expectation that students will spending money on test prep resources may seem unreasonably onerous, when compared to the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars that an average graduate degree costs, the hundreds or thousands of dollars spent on test prep can ultimately become a solid investment. Improving your GRE score can certainly improve the caliber of program you attend and possibly bring consideration for a positive return in the form of scholarship or grant funds!

Testing Universal Logic
Because the exam is primarily multiple choice and mathematics represents a truly global language, even those who do not know that much about advanced math concepts such as calculus or trigonometry will frequently be able to work through logical solutions to all but the most complex concepts on the quantitative section. Consider that quadratics, to highlight one such topic, as tested on the GRE requires only a mastery of basic arithmetic distributive properties related to addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Furthermore, even seemingly arbitrary topics such as English vocabulary can be addressed logically by understanding roots and affixes of the English language. Again, fairly or not, if your target program requires the GRE, your program is likely to be conducted in English, so showing an ability to derive the meaning of words from the roots and affixes upon which the language is built is a skill that would benefit anyone pursuing an advanced degree taught in English.

Illustrating an Ability to Learn
Yes, I am biased, but I truly believe that anyone who dedicates an hour a day to the GRE will improve over time, and so too do most admissions officers! If you are a poor test taker, once you have a basic understanding of the overall exam, consider attempting an official GRE before you are attaining your target score in practice exams. A student who scores 150 on both sections and then 158 on both sections two months later in 2021 will be able to tell a more compelling story about their test prep journey than an individual who took the exam only once in 2017 and got a 162 on each section without too much effort. Newsflash: Grad school will be hard! Showing that you tried to get the highest GRE score possible for yourself, will showcase your ability to learn a new (or old) set of skills, and the ability to learn new things will be invaluable as a graduate student.

Maintaining a Healthy GRE Perspective
Keep all of these facts in mind as you prep for this (at least sometimes) seemingly meaningless GRE exam. Know that when you can't focus, the exam is testing your ability to focus! Know that when you run out of time, the exam is testing your time management! Know that when you get are getting frustrated, the exam is testing your ability to overcome frustration! If you understand the test from this perspective and can at least partially respect its theoretical purpose, you'll ultimately perform much better than if you have presupposed that it's a silly and unnecessary part of the grad school application puzzle. It's a self-fulfilling prophesy, so instead convince yourself that the GRE is an opportunity rather than an obligation to maximize your motivation!