Extending the measurement of graduate admission abilities beyond the verbal and quantitative domains

Abstract

Traditionally, major national admissions tests, such as the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Aptitude Test, have focused primarily on the measurement of broadly applicable verbal and quantitative abilities. The GRE Board recently sponsored an investigation of the possibility of extending the measurement of abilities beyond the verbal and quantitative domains in order to facilitate a broadened definition of talent. That effort resulted in a restructured GRE Aptitude Test, which includes a measure of analytical ability for which a separate score is reported. The present study provides a factor analytic description of the new restructured test. Results suggest that the restructured test continues to tap the verbal and quantitative skills measured by the original GRE Aptitude Test but that it also contains a distinct, identifiable analytical dimension that is highly correlated with the dimensions underlying performance on the verbal and quantitative sections of the test.