The GRE Subject Tests are designed to help graduate
school admission committees and fellowship sponsors
assess the qualifications of applicants in specific fields
of study. The tests also provide you with an assessment
of your own qualifications.
Scores on the tests are intended to indicate
knowledge of the subject matter emphasized in many
undergraduate programs as preparation for graduate
study. Because past achievement is usually a good
indicator of future performance, the scores are helpful
in predicting success in graduate study. Because
the tests are standardized, the test scores permit
comparison of students from different institutions with
different undergraduate programs. For some Subject
Tests, subscores are provided in addition to the total
score; these subscores indicate the strengths and
weaknesses of your preparation, and they may help you
plan future studies.
The GRE Board recommends that scores on the
Subject Tests be considered in conjunction with
other relevant information about applicants. Because
numerous factors influence success in graduate school,
reliance on a single measure to predict success is not
advisable. Other indicators of competence typically
include undergraduate transcripts showing courses
taken and grades earned, letters of recommendation,
and GRE General Test scores. For information
about the appropriate use of GRE scores, see the Each new edition of a Subject Test is developed by
a committee of examiners composed of professors in
the subject who are on undergraduate and graduate
faculties in different types of institutions and in
different regions of the United States and Canada.
In selecting members for each committee, the GRE
Program seeks the advice of appropriate professional
associations in the subject.
The content and scope of each test are specified
and reviewed periodically by the committee of
examiners. Test questions are written by committee
members and by other university faculty members
who are subject-matter specialists. All questions
proposed for the test are reviewed and revised by the
committee and subject-matter specialists at ETS. The
tests are assembled in accordance with the content
specifications developed by the committee to ensure
adequate coverage of the various aspects of the field
and, at the same time, to prevent overemphasis on
any single topic. The entire test is then reviewed and
approved by the committee.
Subject-matter and measurement specialists on the
ETS staff assist the committee, providing information
and advice about methods of test construction and
helping to prepare the questions and assemble the test.
In addition, each test question is reviewed to eliminate
language, symbols, or content considered potentially
offensive, inappropriate for major subgroups of the testtaking
population, or likely to perpetuate any negative
attitude that may be conveyed to these subgroups.
Because of the diversity of undergraduate curricula,
it is not possible for a single test to cover all the
material you may have studied. The examiners,
therefore, select questions that test the basic
knowledge and skills most important for successful
graduate study in the particular field. The committee
keeps the test up-to-date by regularly developing new
editions and revising existing editions. In this way, the
test content remains current. In addition, curriculum
surveys are conducted periodically to ensure that the
content of a test reflects what is currently being taught
in the undergraduate curriculum.
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