The GRE physics test is an examination administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The test attempts to determine the extent of the examinees' understanding of fundamental principles of physics and their ability to apply them to problem solving. Many graduate schools require applicants to take the exam and base admission decisions in part on the results.
The scope of the test is largely that of the first three years of a standardUnited States undergraduate physics curriculum, since many students who plan to continue to graduate school apply during the first half of the fourth year. It consists of 70 five-option multiple-choice questions covering subject areas including classical mechanics, electromagnetism, wave phenomena and optics, thermal physics, relativity, atomic and nuclear physics, quantum mechanics, laboratory techniques, and mathematical methods. The table below indicates the relative weights, as asserted by ETS, and detailed contents of the major topics.
Major content topics
1. Classical mechanics (20%)
2. Electromagnetism (18%)
3. Optics and wave phenomena (9%)
4. Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics (10%)
5. Quantum mechanics (12%)
6. Atomic physics (10%)
7. Special relativity (6%)
8. Laboratory methods (6%)
9. Specialized topics (9%)
See also
References
- ^ a b "GRE Subject Tests: Test Content and Structure". ets.org. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
- ^ "GRE Subject Tests: Physics". ets.org. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
- ^ a b "GRE Subject Tests: Scores". ets.org. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
- ^ "GRE Subject Tests: About the GRE Subject Tests". ets.org. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
- ^ "GRE Subject Tests: Fees". ets.org. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
- ^ "GRE Subject Tests: Fee Reduction Program". ets.org. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
External links
- Official Description of the GRE Physics Test
- Detailed Solutions to ETS released tests - The Missing Solutions Manual, free online, and User Comments and discussions on individual problems
- More solutions to the released tests - Includes solutions to the recently released 2008 exam
- GRE Prep Course at Ohio State University - Preparation course, with links to all 4 publicly released Physics GRE tests, as well as links to other Physics GRE resources
- GR0877 Solutions - Solutions to 2008 exam
- [1] - Physics GRE Review at Troy University