GRE Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT)

The GRE is now strictly a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) except for in select regions. This means you will take the exam on a computer, and everyone will have a different set of questions.

How the GRE CAT Computes Your Score

You will begin a GRE section with an average score. The first question will be medium difficulty, which means about half of GRE test-takers will miss it. For each correct answer, the difficulty-level of the following question will increase. Your score will also improve. Incorrect answers will bring your score down and decrease the difficulty-level of following questions.

Eventually the computer will stay at a certain difficulty level, and by the end of the section you'll probably answer one correctly, the next incorrectly, and the correctly again, and so on. In other words, it's a good sign if you are answering only high difficulty questions by the end of a section.

Avoid Careless Mistakes

The only way you can begin answering difficult questions is by answering the easier ones at the beginning of the section. Taking this into consideration, it is especially important that you be extra careful on the first ten questions or so.