Year started (?) ((?)) | Duration 2 hours and 50 minutes | |
Type Paper-based standardized test Developer / administrator Educational Testing Service Knowledge / skills tested Undergraduate level biology:
Cellular and molecular biology
Organismal biology
Ecology and evolution Purpose Admissions in graduate programs (e.g. M.S. and Ph.D.) in biology (mostly in universities in the United States). | ||
The GRE subject test in biology is a standardized test in the United States created by the Educational Testing Service, and is designed to assess a candidate's potential for graduate or post-graduate study in the field of biology. The test is comprehensive and covers—in equal proportions—molecular biology, organismal biology, and ecology and evolution.
Contents
- Content specification
- Cell and molecular biology 33 34
- Organismal biology 33 34
- Ecology and evolution 33 34
- References
This exam, like all the GRE subject tests, is paper-based, as opposed to the GRE general test which is usually computer-based. It contains 194 questions, which are to be answered within 2 hours and 50 minutes. Scores on this exam are required for entrance to some biology Ph.D. programs in the United States.
Scores are scaled and then reported as a number between 200 and 990; however, in recent versions of the test, the maximum and minimum reported scores have been 940 (corresponding to the 99 percentile) and 400 (1 percentile) respectively. The mean score for all test takers from July, 2009, to July, 2012, was 658 with a standard deviation of 123.
Tests generally take place three times per year, on one Saturday in each of September, October, and April. Students must register for the exam approximately five weeks before the administration.
Content specification
Since many students who apply to graduate programs in biology do so during the first half of their fourth year, the scope of most questions is largely that of the first three years of a standard American undergraduate biology curriculum. A sampling of test item content is given below: