Ye Wei is a lecturer in GRE writing, TOEFL writing and LSAT writing in the foreign examination department of Shanghai New Oriental School. I got high marks in many overseas exams, especially my own unique understanding of writing. I have infected every student in the class with my concentration and passion, and I also have rich experience in writing documents for studying abroad.
He believes that a successful life is to face and enjoy the uncertainty of life without getting lost.
Exercise logical thinking and take GRE.
Q: What is the number of GRE applicants in New Oriental now? Are there many people going abroad for graduate studies?
Zhang: There are more and more people, especially during the winter vacation. Mainly because the visa situation is very good recently, which is very beneficial to students who plan to study in North America, so the number of people who plan to take GRE in the near future has increased. In addition, after the news of GRE test reform came out, everyone hoped to take the current GRE test as soon as possible.
Q: Is the old GRE better?
Zhang: That's not true. The main reason why people want to take the current exam as much as possible is that the new exam situation will introduce some changes, which will increase the uncertainty of candidates' exams.
Ye: And for the old GRE test, New Oriental has accumulated more than ten years' experience and studied it thoroughly. Candidates will have greater confidence in taking the exam after attending the New Oriental Training Course. Of course, New Oriental will also have a series of full preparations for the new GRE exam.
Q: Has New Oriental done a good job in preparing for the GRE online exam?
Zhang: Yes. After the news of reform and the publication of sample questions by ETS, New Oriental began to develop the training course of GRE online examination. The group convened GRE teaching experts from all branches of the country to hold seminars to study the textbook organization and curriculum arrangement of online examinations.
Q: When did New Oriental start the training course of the new GRE online exam?
Zhang: Not sure yet. The new GRE training course was originally scheduled to start this spring, but because ETS announced some time ago that the implementation time of the new GRE online exam was postponed from June 65438+ 10 to autumn 2007, the new course was postponed accordingly. Now Shanghai New Oriental has launched a new GRE and GMAT basic class, which is more suitable for students who want to take the new GRE online exam but have a weak foundation, and can lay a solid foundation.
Q: It will be postponed until next autumn, right?
Zhang: The new GRE online exam training course will be launched in due course according to the latest exam time announced by ETS, which will certainly provide enough preparation time for students who are about to take the first new GRE online exam. However, because the implementation of the new TOEFL test has been postponed repeatedly, it is still too early to talk about when the new GRE test will be implemented. Candidates can pay attention to the information on the website and enrollment brochure of Shanghai New Oriental.
Q: Some people don't want to go abroad, but want to find job preparation, because they think some companies will refer to GRE scores. Do you think it is necessary to take the GRE exam in order to be competitive in the job market?
Ye: If you don't need to take GRE just for employment, you can take TOEFL and TOEFL, or take exams in other departments of New Oriental, which may be more suitable. Because GRE is mainly aimed at graduate students who go to the United States, in fact, the main test is a kind of ability, not only English, but also ability. From this perspective, it may be more appropriate to simply take the English proficiency test, such as the new TOEFL. The company may refer to the results, but it is not decisive. Because the company has its own written test and interview in the admission process.
Zhang: That's true. The main purpose of taking an exam like GRE is to apply for studying abroad. However, taking such an examination is very helpful for China students to improve their logical thinking ability, and it will be quite helpful for interviews and the like.
Q: Will New Oriental conduct a mock GRE online exam in the near future? Just like advanced interpretation.
Zhang: At present, we don't have this plan. The main reason is that there is still a long way to go before the implementation of the new GRE test, and there is little information released by ETS officially. So far, there is only one set of official sample questions. Without further information, such an exam will not appear in the near future.
Q: With the implementation of the new GRE online test, is the composition part and the written test part taken together?
Ye: As far as the information released now is concerned, it is very likely that they will take the test together, all of which are one-time tests like TOEFL, and all of them are computer tests. However, the final test form has not been announced yet, just a guess.
Q: Did you finish the exam in one day?
Ye: Yes, according to the examination time, it should be about one hour before the composition and about two hours after the written examination. If the exam is combined, it will take about four hours, so it is a great test for the physical and mental strength of the candidates.
Q: Is there a break in between?
Ye: There should be a rest after the composition exam, but the rest time will certainly not be long, such as about ten minutes.
Q: Is there any break between the linguistic reasoning part and the quantitative reasoning part?
Zhang: There should be. If you want to know about this kind of exam, candidates can refer to GMAT exam, which is now a three-part continuous computerized exam. Similarly, the new GRE test will probably take the form of writing first, then math and Chinese, with two breaks in between. The rest time is optional, that is, a five-minute rest time. If candidates don't need it, they can skip and continue to do the questions. Of course, it does not rule out compulsory rest time like the new TOEFL test.
What is the difficulty of GRE online exam?
Q: In the part of language reasoning, the proportion of vocabulary will decrease, and the investigation of filling in the blanks and reading will increase. Can you tell me about the specific changes?
Zhang: Formally speaking, the new GRE test cancels the analogy and antonym in the current GRE test. For students who take the current GRE exam, most of their time and energy will be spent on memorizing words. The answers to analogy and antonym questions must be based on a large number of words. Even candidates from English-speaking countries need to memorize words specially, which is the biggest challenge for China students.
After the reform, candidates don't have to memorize those very obscure professional words. From this point of view, it can be said that the threshold for taking the GRE test has been lowered a lot, which may allow more candidates to take the GRE test. However, this change does not mean that vocabulary is no longer examined. Vocabulary will still be tested in reading and filling in the blanks, and the way of examining vocabulary will also change. Vocabulary in reading and filling in the blanks is examined in the context. Generally speaking, a solid vocabulary foundation is an important guarantee for GRE and other graduate entrance examinations to achieve ideal results.
Q: Is there a vocabulary book for the reformed GRE online exam?
Zhang: At present, there is no vocabulary book for online exams. I believe that the little red book will continue to be used and there will be corresponding versions.
Q: Will it be more difficult to fill in the blanks?
Zhang: The increase in the difficulty of filling in the blanks is very obvious. On the one hand, from the point of view of the number of questions, there are 38 questions in each subject in the Chinese part of the current exam, and the fill-in-the-blank questions account for 7 questions. After the reform, the total number of questions is 28, with 14 empty. That means it accounts for 50%. On the other hand, from the formal point of view, the form of the seven questions is the same, that is, one or two spaces appear in one sentence, and the only correct option is selected from the five options. And the new topic may have one empty, two empty and three empty. And judging from the sentence length, the previous fill-in-the-blank questions have about 27 words, which is the statistics we have done in the past 20 years, and the sentence length is very stable. However, the average length of the sample sentence in the new exam is about 42 words, which means that the reading of the sentence itself has increased, and the number of options will also change, that is, one out of five, and now it may be two out of six or one out of three.
Q: Have you decided to choose one out of five or two out of six?
Zhang: Yes, it has become a variety of questions, some are two out of six, and some are empty, but its options have been reduced a little, and it has become one out of three. There is no necessary correlation between the options, that is, if you fill in the first blank, you will have three ABC options, and you have to choose the second blank, so there may be several answers to a question.
Ye: That is to say, multiple spaces in a question can be divided into multiple questions to examine.
Q: In reading, the length of reading has increased. Can you elaborate on it?
Ye: Old reading is a long article and a short article. There are always two of them. After the reform, long articles were abolished. Judging from the sample paper, there should be seven short essays, and the number of questions behind each essay is greatly reduced, with three more and one less. We have done a statistic, and the amount of reading in the specified time includes not only the article itself, but also the stem and options. The requirement for the reading speed of candidates is similar, with little change, and it is maintained at about 1 10 words per minute. But from the topic itself, it should be said that the difficulty has increased to a certain extent, because it has changed considerably in form. As teacher Zhang said just now, there will be indefinite multiple-choice questions, and some students are afraid of indefinite multiple-choice questions. Moreover, a kind of question type is added in reading, that is, vocabulary questions. Isn't the original analogy antonym problem cancelled? In fact, it adds vocabulary to reading, and vocabulary is also indefinite, which means that not only one answer is correct, but two or three answers may be correct, so the difficulty may increase slightly. Furthermore, in the sample paper, the past logical single questions appeared again, and there were also some questions that used computer characteristics to answer questions, but from the perspective of the genre, form and questioning method of questions, there was not much change in general.
Q: After the reform, the reading materials are wider, right?
Ye: There is a saying that the explanation given by ETS is that the reading articles in the new network exam will be wider, and a word called "wider" is used to choose wider reading paragraphs. But how extensive it is, judging from the sample papers given, has not changed much. Even some paragraphs are intercepted from the reading articles in the old GRE test paper, and the words have not been modified.
Q: It takes many online exams to sum up the breadth of the materials.
Zhang: Because the information you get is still very limited, ETS will generally release the official guide in advance before the exam really starts, providing important reference for candidates.
Q: Has this official guide not been published yet?
Zhang: No.
Q: How does mathematical reasoning change?
Zhang: The math part should be more difficult, but even so, it is relatively easy for China people. ETS official news said that some subjective questions should be added, but we didn't see the specific questions in the sample paper. As for how to test the subjective questions, it is still uncertain. However, some changes are obvious. There are fewer math and geometry questions, but now there are more application questions, which may be an obstacle for China candidates, because if they are closely combined with reality, it means that the reading volume will increase. Another change is that you can take a complicated calculation problem that didn't often appear before, such as the calculation involving standard deviation. There are all the test sites now, but they are rarely taken, because prescriptions are needed, and calculators are not provided in the old exams. However, the new exam will be conducted on the computer, which will provide a calculator with four functions, including prescription, so it will not stop because of the complexity of numerical calculation, and the proportion of test sites to be calculated will increase.
Q: Is there any review material in the math section?
Zhang: For China students, the review materials of mathematics are mainly the real questions that have been tested in the past. You can also take remedial classes, and the teacher will sum up what kind of test sites to take and list them. Review is more targeted and more efficient. In fact, most of the exam contents have been learned by our students in China in middle school, mainly to master them skillfully and avoid common mistakes.
Q: Only in English?
Ye: Right. As long as you can understand the topic and understand its meaning, generally speaking, you can do it right. Most topics are almost the same as long as you have a junior high school graduation level.
Zhang: On the one hand, it is to overcome the obstacles of English; on the other hand, there is indeed the problem of knowledge points. Some have been forgotten for too long, and some are really simple, but students with Chinese mainland education background have never been exposed to them. For example, in the United States, students in grades 1 1 learn them, while in middle schools in China, they have never been exposed to them, so they need to make a special summary and spend an hour talking about it before they can understand them.
Q: Is there any change in analytical writing?
Ye: Actually, the writing hasn't changed much. Judging from the current sample paper analysis, the biggest change is that time has changed. GRE writing is now divided into two parts, one is ISSUE45 minutes, the other is argument30 minutes, and after ISSUE reform, it is 30 minutes, that is, both parts are 30 minutes. The debate should not change much. Shortening the issuance time should be said to be both an opportunity and a challenge. In terms of opportunity, because the time is shortened, it means that the number of words needed for writing is reduced. The number of words needed will be from, for example, 550-600, or even more than 600, and it may be reduced to about 400. This should be good news for the vast majority of China students, many of whom are now. If I write 400 words, I can write it. If you ask me to write 600 words, I have nothing to write, so it's good news from this perspective. But as time goes by, the proportion of your thoughts in time increases relatively. For example, if this question is given to you, it will take you 10 minutes to review, and it will take you 10 minutes for 45 minutes, which is ok; It is definitely not possible to spend 30 minutes 10 minutes, so you must respond quickly to a topic, so it is crucial to master the topic analysis method skillfully. However, it is not known whether there is a question bank in the new GRE composition test, and it has not been officially announced yet. However, judging from the direction and purpose of the reform, it is very likely to cancel the question bank. If the question bank is cancelled, all its questions now may not appear in the questions in the future, and the questions it gives each time are independent and different. ETS said that the requirements for some memory things will be much lower, that is, you will not be required to prepare in advance and recite a lot of materials. For example, writing problems, memorizing a lot of materials, some useful arguments, and even some people recite new concept texts, recite some paragraphs from magazines and so on. But after the reform, what you recite is likely to be useless. You must have faster analysis and thinking ability, which is actually the main ability of GRE inspection.
Q: So what questions does Teacher Ye suggest candidates should pay attention to when taking the composition test?
Ye: It should be said that composition is what most students fear most, even more than oral English. Because composition is a subjective topic after all, every word must be written by itself, so it is a rather painful process. In fact, writing requires a certain level of English, not just skills. Some students just set up some templates and memorized some ready-made sentences and paragraphs, which are likely to be judged as the same in GRE. If it is judged to be the same, the result is invalid. Therefore, every composition you write should reflect a relatively independent thinking process, and don't obviously set other people's sentences. For example, like the current question, in the usual thinking process, everyone should learn to do some analysis first, and don't go online to read the outline and read other people's model essays when you get the question. Of course, our teacher will also talk about these problems in class, and there will be some routines to think about and some patterned routines, but these patterned routines are just a last resort. I really don't have any thoughts on this issue, so I will write them with some patterned routines. But issue pays more attention to everyone's ability to think independently. Everyone should have their own starting point and their own perspective, and think deeply about a topic, as it has always been emphasized in the scoring standard. If you write something that everyone will think of, even the thinking logic of some primary school students, your score will not be high. When you reach a certain depth of thinking, you should also exercise your language. Its language also has certain requirements, so there are many ways to exercise your language. For example, many teachers now emphasize that you should recite some new concepts, recite some books and teaching materials that you think are better, and read more books, which will help improve your writing and fundamentally improve your writing level.
Expert reminder: GRE test, there is a mystery in filling in the answer!
Q: Has the new grading standard come out now?
Ye: I haven't given it yet. The score will probably change. Now that the new TOEFL scoring standard has changed, it is very likely that the GRE will also change.
Q: When will the GRE scoring standard be announced?
Ye: I don't know yet. Maybe next year. According to experience, there will be some more detailed things after half a year's implementation, and we don't have any information on this now.
Q: Is there an exam section in GRE, which is not included in the candidates' scores?
Zhang: Right.
Q: Is there a test part in the reformed exam?
Zhang: Yes. Now the GRE exam is like this, and candidates may encounter such a paragraph, which is the part that is not counted. Now the written test is divided into four parts, that is, two in Chinese and two in mathematics. However, candidates may encounter five parts in the examination room, plus one language or one math, which means that candidates can do three math, two languages, or three languages and two math, but one part does not count. The key is that candidates don't know which part of the exam is not counted, and candidates should do what they can when answering questions.
Q: Can candidates revise their answers in the new GRE online exam?
Zhang: This is not mentioned in the current examination rules. As we all know, in the previous exams, computerized exams, including the current GMAT exam, used adaptive, adaptive computerized exams, which means that the difficulty of the questions encountered by the candidates behind depends on whether the candidates in front do the questions correctly or not. If the examinee does the previous question correctly, the latter question will be more difficult, and vice versa. Candidates can't revise their answers in such an exam. The obvious reason is that if the results of the previous questions are modified, the following questions will change, and the questions and answers are related. However, the new GRE test is not adaptable, that is, everyone faces the same questions in the test, and the questions are certain. In this case, I think it is very likely that the answer can be revised. Candidates should be able to understand the first and last questions as soon as they get the paper, because the questions have nothing to do with whether the candidates have done it right or not. Of course, this is just a guess.
Q: The new TOEFL online test can be like this. When the mouse clicks on a word, it will show its meaning. I wonder if GRE will do this?
Ye: It is also possible. Now it says that we should make full use of some conveniences of computerized examinations. For example, like reading questions, it has some detailed positioning questions, which will be directly marked in some questions. But it's hard to say what it is now.
Q: After the reform, will the whole world take exams at the same time?
Zhang: Logically speaking, it can be divided into different time periods. The new GRE online exam is 29 times a year, and the actual exam should be announced in advance. This is the same as now. For example, in Chinese mainland, the written test is in June, 10, which is a fixed time.
Q: TOEFL candidates report that they will encounter the same problem.
Zhang: That's because the TOEFL test is still in the form of a question bank, and the questions in the new GRE online test will not be reused.
Q: What items can I take with me when I take the online exam? May I bring paper and pen?
Zhang: At present, the specific examination rules have not come out, but according to the previous examinations, what can be brought in is generally limited, and the examiner will issue draft paper and pens. The examination process is also completed under supervision. Of course, you can't take out the draft paper.
Q: I read on the Internet that some countries with network connection problems will have written tests, right?
Ye: There can't be such a problem in China. China's network should be said to be second only to the United States, so there should be no problem. But this means that its test center must be located in some big cities, such as Shanghai and Beijing, where the network is very developed.
Q: Are there many GRE test sites now?
Zhang: Yes, more. Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Jinan, Wuhan and so on.
Ye: There are TOEFL test sites. There are generally GRE test sites.
Q: Will there be more test sites after the reform?
Zhang: After the online examination, the scale of the test center should increase. Because the present composition test is a computer test, candidates can take it every day. The examination room is small, but the frequency is high, and the examination room is enough. If the new exam is centralized, I think there should be more examination rooms. However, the requirements are not very high, because now it is twice a year, so there will be many people taking the written test, but if it is 29 times a year, there will be fewer people taking the test every time.
Q: For example, what if the examinee's computer breaks down during the exam?
Zhang: This kind of problem is rare, but it does exist. Some candidates said that their power supply was suddenly cut off in the examination room. This situation also happens, but it will not cause any problems for candidates. This question should not be the responsibility of the candidates. Candidates should be very careful in the computer examination room, and Americans are more rigorous. I once met a classmate with a cold. In the examination room of the computer exam, he took the paper towel, wiped his nose and threw it on the table. This matter will be recorded, regardless of whether there is handwriting on the paper, it should be recorded objectively. This shows that the examination room is very strict.
Ye: Now the GRE composition test is much stricter than the TOEFL test. You can hardly take anything with you except the clothes you wear. Before entering the examination room, you will be asked to put everything in the safe and give you a key to the safe. You can't have anything on you except this key and clothes.
GRE frequently asked questions, one by one analysis.
Q: Some people plan to study in the United States in 2007 or 2008, so they don't know whether to take the GRE or TOEFL first. Some people suggest taking GRE first, because the validity of GRE is longer and more difficult than TOEFL. After taking the GRE, TOEFL will be very simple. Is this correct?
Zhang: It varies from person to person. Studying in North America, no matter what major you study, you will face two exams, one is the language exam, the other is the TOEFL exam, and the other is the ability exam. If you apply for law school, it is LSAT; if you apply for business, it is GMAT; if you apply for science or arts, it is GRE. It is inconclusive which to take first. Generally speaking, there are two factors that contribute to a candidate's decision. One is my own English level. If my English level is very high, I might as well take the GRE before taking the TOEFL, because after studying and taking the GRE, part of the TOEFL content will be covered, TOEFL composition and reading will be relatively simple, and the rest will be mainly for practicing listening and speaking. For every applicant, standardized examination is only one step of the whole application, and paying the corresponding cost is enough to get a satisfactory score. If the candidate's English level is not particularly good, it may be better to study step by step. Take TOEFL first and then GRE. Another factor is the candidates' study abroad planning and schedule, when to apply and when to prepare for studying abroad. As for the exam, the first paragraph of this plan is mainly limited by the time of GRE exam, because the GRE exam is only twice a year, in June and 10. For undergraduates, June is often the final exam of their major, and such factors often affect the time arrangement of candidates. Of course, for students who are not in a hurry to apply, if they take the exam early, they should pay attention to the validity period of GRE test for 5 years and TOEFL for 2 years.
Q: There are still some candidates who have applied for GRE, but they are not ready. Is it better to reschedule or cancel?
Ye: As far as the present situation is concerned, it is also difficult to reschedule. The rescheduling can only be changed within one year. For example, this year 10 and next June belong to the same year. If you want to change this June to this year 10, you can't change it. Then you must cancel. You paid 1000 yuan for nothing. Actually, if that's the case, I personally suggest that you don't cancel it in a hurry. You can think of this exam as a writing exercise. For example, you should first determine the time of the computer exam. You can take the written test in June after the exam. After the written test, you feel that you can't do it and your grades are very poor. In the final written test, it will give you a choice whether to give up this score. If you take risks, you still submit your results. For example, your grades are not good this time. When you send out your grades, all your test results will appear on your report card, which may have a certain impact on your application, mainly because of this problem.
Q: Some people take the exam twice. If they don't do well in the exam the first time, they can take it again.
Ye: Yes, this is the last resort. That means you really didn't do well in the exam the first time. I have no way out. I have to take the exam again. However, you have entered twice. For example, you got 500 points in the first verbal500 exam and 700 points in the second exam. If this happens, you may face a problem and need to explain why your scores are so different. When foreigners see this situation, their first reaction is that you cheated. This is a bad thing, because it is an ability test.
Zhang: This situation is quite common now. Try to pass the exam once, because it is unreasonable to repeat the exam in a short time in principle, but because there are too many applicants in China and many people take the exam more than once, Americans are familiar with this phenomenon, so they won't worry too much.
Ye: Yes, you didn't do well in the exam. Of course, you have to take the exam again. You didn't reveal it, but you did well in the exam. There is no need to pursue the limit. For example, if you take more than 600 exams, and you have to take more than 700 exams, it will be meaningless.
Q: For the current GRE test, someone has finished the composition test. They think the written test is not good. Can they take the written test again?
Zhang: No, the composition should be left for next time, and the composition score can't be left for the next written test.
Personality life of GRE experts
Q: Teacher Zhang, you are a versatile person. I heard that you have been a host, singer and tennis referee?
Zhang: These are all hobbies. Let's just say it's a hobby
Q: The level of referees is still national.
Zhang: Indeed, I have such proof.
Q: So you must be good at tennis?
Zhang: It's a hobby. Of course, there is still a big difference between referees and players.
Q: Are you majoring in English?
Zhang: My major is electronic information engineering.
Q: How did you come to New Oriental as a teacher?
Zhang: It is also a very accidental opportunity. Of course, I have gone through these exams before, and then I have the opportunity to join New Oriental. This is a passionate stage, where I can make many friends.
Q: Teacher Ye, what's your major?
Ye: My major is not English either, but computer. A relatively accidental opportunity entered New Oriental. After coming in, I feel that the environment in New Oriental is actually quite good, which is a very challenging job for me. Teaching on the podium has a sense of sacredness. Teaching students what you know, as well as some outlook on life, values and views on some things, will have a subtle influence on some students. In fact, for a teacher, the greatest sense of accomplishment should be here.
Q: Will you go back to China to be a teacher?
Ye: No, I applied and got an OFFER, but I chose to stay in China in the end. Experienced the whole process of going abroad for exams.
Q: How did this attract New Oriental?
Ye: I'm not attracted by New Oriental either. Teacher Chen (Rola Chen) recommended it to me at that time.
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