The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required by virtually every graduate program in psychology. It consists of two separate three hour tests: (a) the General Test (composed of sections measuring verbal, quantitative, and analytical abilities) and (b) a Subject Test that measures understanding of basic psychological principles and facts. Most graduate programs require only the General Test, and the verbal and mathematical scores of the General Test are commonly viewed as most important. Consult APA's Graduate Study in Psychology and Associated Fields to determine the specific requirements of individual programs. The GRE is administered several times a year. Students should obtain a copy of the GRE Information Bulletin (that contains an application form and sample test questions) from the Student Development Center during their junior year. Registration deadlines are usually six weeks before each test. Click here to get more detailed information about the GRE.

Students often ask if it is possible to study for the GRE. The answer is YES! There are two major reasons for this emphatic response, one dealing with knowledge enhancement and the other with anxiety reduction. There are several published study guides for the GRE (the one published by Barrons is highly recommended). These guides contain sample tests and are designed primarily to prepare a student to take the quantitative and verbal sections of the General Test. Students who intend to go to graduate school should purchase a GRE study guide in their junior year and spend a number of serious hours studying it during the subsequent summer. Re-reading lecture notes from psychology classes and reviewing a copy of a recently published introductory psychology textbook are the best ways to prepare for the GRE Subject Test in psychology. Even if a student does not learn anything new while studying for the GRE (which is highly unlikely), the process of becoming familiar with the type of material to be tested and the format of the test itself will reduce test anxiety and increase test-taking speed. In their chapter from Is Psychology the Major for You?, Lunneborg and Wilson (1987) make the following points about the importance of the GRE and the attitude that students should develop toward it.

"How important is the GRE? Very important, but it is only one of several criteria evaluated. One's attitude toward the GRE should be acknowledging its importance, studying hard for it, doing as well as possible, and then following through with an application strategy consistent with one's test scores. Poorer-than-expected test scores may mean toning down one's list of prospective graduate programs. In addition, the GRE should be viewed as a one-time endeavor. Even though the test can be retaken, all scores are reported, and the first scores are generally considered as the most valid. There is a 50-50 chance for getting a poorer second score; most students we have known did not do significantly better on a second try" (p. 92).

Another test required by approximately 25% of graduate programs is the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) which consists of 100 analogies administered in 50 minutes. A free booklet describing the MAT can be obtained from the Psychological Corporation, 304 East 85th Street, New York, NY 10017.