The 59-year-old GRE will get a face-lift come Fall 2011. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has announced its new “better by design” plans for the revised GRE.

Here are some noteworthy revisions:

• Scoring: For more accuracy during evaluations, the scoring will now cover a much smaller range, from 130-170 points instead of 200-800.
• Verbal-Reasoning: Eliminate the “verbal” part…and the “reasoning” part.  Antonyms and analogies will be replaced by reading comprehension.
• Pass Button: Don’t know the answer? Mark it. Skip it. Let it sit awhile. You can guess later.

The GRE’s just aren’t quite long enough.  The test proposed for 2011 is scheduled to take 30 minutes longer than the current one. Total runtime: 4 hours. If it’s any consolation, the ETS will offer a free GRE Test Prep to prepare test-takers for the differences. Those who plan to take this new version should definitely take the practice test.

For all the changes plus some excellent orchestral music, watch this.

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Chris