GRE subject tests are designed to test your knowledge of a
particular subject area to determine if you have a strong enough
foundation for graduate-level work. In order to perform well on a
subject test, you should have a considerable background in the
particular subject area—the background you would be expected to
have if you had majored in the subject.
The weight that a subject test carries in admissions decisions
varies considerably from school to school and program to program.
However, many schools use subject tests, along with the GRE and
GPA, as a means of winnowing out applicants. Failing to score
well on a subject test can damage your chances of being
considered for a spot, especially for a competitive
program.
Should you take
one?
Not every graduate school or program requires a subject test, so
check admissions requirements at those schools in which you're
interested. But even if it is not required, you should consider
taking a subject test if you are prepared and think you can do
well. This is especially true if you are applying to graduate
programs that are in a different field from your undergraduate
major or if there is some significant weakness elsewhere in your
application.
You can gauge your performance on a subject test by taking a
released one under test conditions. These are available from
ETS and in many
bookstores.
What are they like?
Except for the music test, subject tests consist exclusively of
multiple choice questions designed to assess knowledge of the
core areas included in the typical undergraduate curriculum. On
the tests, you'll earn 1 point for each multiple choice question
that you answer correctly; but lose 1/4 point for each
incorrectly answered question. Unanswered questions are not
counted in the scoring. Your raw score is the number of correctly
answered questions minus 1/4 of the incorrectly answered
questions. This score is then converted into a scaled score,
which can range from 200 to 900. The range varies from test to
test.
Some subject tests also contain subtests, which provide more
specific information about your strengths and weaknesses. The
same questions that contribute to your subtest scores also
contribute to your overall score. Subtest scores, which range
from 20 to 99, are reported along with the overall score. For
further information on scoring, you should consult the relevant
Subject Test Descriptive Booklet, available from ETS.
Since subject tests will continue to be given in the paper
& pencil format, your basic test-taking strategies for them
should be quite different than that used for the GRE CAT. For
instance, unlike the GRE CAT, you do not have to guess at a
question on the subject test in order to see the next
question.
In addition, since multiple choice questions on subject tests
have a wrong-answer penalty of 1/4 point, you should not
necessarily attempt to fill in an answer for every question. You
should guess only if you can eliminate one or more of the answer
choices.
When should you take a Subject
Test?
ETS has tentatively said that GRE Subject Tests will generally be
administered in December and April of each year. Check with
ETS to find out
specific test dates. It's recommended that you take the general
test and your subject test(s) on different days. Schedule them
when you have had enough time to prepare and still meet the
application deadlines.
