The GRE isn’t a measure of intelligence; it’s a rigged obstacle course designed to humiliate you. It’s not a test; it’s a filter. A brutal, outdated gate that stands between you and your future, demanding that you “prove yourself” through things that have nothing to do with your actual field of study.
You want to study English? Literature? Language? Too bad. The GRE doesn’t care. You’ll still have to solve math problems. And not just basic math, you’ll be forced to study algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pie charts, bar graphs, number sequences, quadratic equations — topics you haven’t touched since high school. It’s not optional. It’s required, and if you can’t solve them, you’re seen as “not good enough”, even if you’ve read 500 books and written brilliant essays.
And if you’re from a Math or Engineering background, don’t think you’re safe either; you’ll be forced to study advanced English and Verbal Reasoning; you’ll be expected to master obscure, outdated vocabulary like obfuscate, recalcitrant, pulchritude, sesquipedalian, turpitude, ersatz, quixotic. Words nobody uses in real life – not in offices, not in classrooms, not even in novels. These words don’t show intelligence. They confuse first, fail you next.
One frustrated test-taker said it best: “I didn’t know 60% of the words in the ‘select a word’ section. One example was ‘ersatz’. I’ve never even heard of it.” And that’s the pointless torture.
The GRE tests you on vocabulary that’s dead to real-world speakers, even English professors. It’s not your fault. The test is rigged to make you doubt yourself.
Want the scholarship? The seat? The future? You must score 145 in both Verbal and Math. Score 320 — or get in line behind rejection.
The GRE doesn’t test your potential. It tests your patience. This system crushes the human spirit and only lets perfect robots pass. They torture everyone the same way, then say it’s fair play. It’s not fair. It’s not smart. It’s not right. And it merits being named for what it is – broken, biased and completely out of touch with the real world.
Yumna Zahid Ali
Karachi
