GRE Physics Test

Graduate Record Examination (Physics Subject Test)

Type	Paper-based standardized test
Developer / administrator	Educational Testing Service
Knowledge / skills tested	Undergraduate level physics: Classical mechanics Electromagnetism Optics and wave phenomena Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics Quantum mechanics Atomic physics Special relativity Laboratory methods Specialized topics
Purpose	Admissions in graduate programs (e.g. M.S. and Ph.D.) in physics (mostly in universities in USA).
Year started	(?) ((?))
Duration	2 hours and 50 minutes
Score / grade range	200 to 990, in 10-point increments
Score / grade validity	5 years
Offered	3 times a year, in September, October and April.
Countries / regions	Worldwide
Languages	English
Annual no. of test takers	~5,000-6,000 yearly
Prerequisites / eligibility criteria	No official prerequisite. Intended for physics bachelor degree graduates or undergraduate students about to graduate. Fluency in English assumed.
Fee	US$ 150 (Limited offers of "Fee Reduction Program" for U.S. citizens or resident aliens who demonstrate financial need, and for national programs in USA that work with under-represented groups.)
Scores / grades used by	Physics departments offering graduate programs (mostly in universities in USA).
Website	www.ets.org/gre/subject/about/content/physics

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 standard United 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 100 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%)

• kinematics
• Newton's laws of motion
• work and energy
• rotational motion about a fixed axis
• dynamics of systems of particles
• central forces and celestial mechanics
• three-dimensional particle dynamics
• Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalism
• noninertial reference frames
• elementary topics in fluid dynamics

2. Electromagnetism (18%)

• electrostatics
• currents and DC circuits
• magnetic fields in free space
• Lorentz force
• electromagnetic waves (electromagnetic radiation)
• AC circuits
• magnetic and electric fields in matter

3. Optics and wave phenomena (9%)

• wave properties
• superposition
• interference
• diffraction
• geometrical optics
• light polarization
• Doppler effect

4. Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics (10%)

• laws of thermodynamics
• thermodynamic processes
• equations of state
• ideal gases
• Kinetic theory of gases
• ensembles
• statistical concepts and calculation of thermodynamic quantities
• thermal expansion and heat transfer

5. Quantum mechanics (12%)

• fundamental concepts
• solutions of the Schrödinger wave equation
• square wells (Particle in a box)
• harmonic oscillators
• hydrogenic atoms
• spin
• angular momentum
• wave function symmetry
• elementary perturbation theory

6. Atomic physics (10%)

• properties of electrons
• Bohr model
• energy quantization
• atomic structure
• atomic spectra
• selection rules
• black-body radiation
• x-rays
• atoms in electric and magnetic fields

7. Special relativity (6%)

• introductory concepts of special relativity
• time dilation
• length contraction
• simultaneity
• energy and momentum
• four-vectors and Lorentz transformation

8. Laboratory methods (6%)

• data and error analysis
• electronics
• instrumentation
• radiation detection
• counting statistics
• interaction of charged particles with matter
• lasers and optical interferometers
• dimensional analysis
• fundamental applications of probability and statistics

9. Specialized topics (9%)

• nuclear and particle physics
  • nuclear properties
  • radioactive decay
  • fission and fusion
  • reactions
  • fundamental properties of elementary particles
• condensed matter
  • crystal structure
  • x-ray diffraction
  • thermal properties
  • electron theory of metals
  • semiconductors
  • superconductors
• mathematical methods
  • single and multivariate calculus
  • coordinate systems (rectangular, cylindrical, spherical)
  • vector algebra and vector differential operators
  • Fourier series
  • partial differential equations
  • boundary value problems
  • matrices and determinants
  • functions of complex variables
• miscellaneous
  • astrophysics
  • computer applications

See also

• Graduate Record Examination
• GRE Biochemistry Test
• GRE Biology Test
• GRE Chemistry Test
• GRE Literature in English Test
• GRE Mathematics Test
• GRE Psychology Test
• Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
• Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)

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