GRE Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Test
| Type | Paper-based standardized test |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Educational Testing Service |
| Skills tested | Undergraduate level biochemistry:
|
| Purpose | Admissions in graduate programs (e.g. M.S. and Ph.D.) in biochemistry (mostly in universities in the United States) |
| Duration | 2 hours and 50 minutes |
| Score range | 200 to 990, in 10-point increments |
| Score validity | 5 years |
| Offered | 3 times a year, in September, October and April |
| Regions | Worldwide |
| Languages | English |
| Annual number of test takers | ~1,500-2,000 yearly |
| Prerequisites | No official prerequisite. Intended for biochemistry 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 the USA that work with underrepresented groups.) |
| Used by | Biochemistry departments offering graduate programs (mostly in universities in the United States). |
| Website | www |
GRE Subject Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology was a standardized exam provided by ETS (Educational Testing Service) that was discontinued in December 2016. It is a paper-based exam and there are no computer-based versions of it. ETS places this exam three times per year: once in April, once in October and once in November. Some graduate programs in the United States recommend taking this exam, while others require this exam score as a part of the application to their graduate programs. ETS sends a bulletin with a sample practice test to each candidate after registration for the exam. There are 180 questions within the biochemistry subject test.
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 760 (corresponding to the 99 percentile) and 320 (1 percentile) respectively. The mean score for all test takers from July, 2009, to July, 2012, was 526 with a standard deviation of 95. After learning that test content from editions of the GRE® Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology (BCM) Test has been compromised in Israel, ETS made the decision not to administer this test worldwide in 2016–17.