GRE Physics Test

The Graduate Record Examination (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 70 five-option multiple-choice questions covering subject areas including the first three years of undergraduate physics.

The International System of Units (SI Units) is used in the test. A table of information representing various physical constants and conversion factors is presented in the test book.

Major content topics

1. Classical mechanics (20%)

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

2. Electromagnetism (18%)

• electrostatics
• currents and DC circuits
• magnetic fields in free space
• Lorentz force
• induction
• Maxwell's equations and their applications
• electromagnetic waves
• AC circuits
• magnetic and electric fields in matter

3. Optics and wave phenomena (8%)

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

4. Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics (10%)

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

5. Quantum mechanics (13%)

• fundamental concepts
• solutions of the Schrödinger equation
• square wells
• 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
• time dilation
• length contraction
• simultaneity
• energy and momentum
• four-vectors and Lorentz transformation
• velocity addition

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
• miscellaneous
  • astrophysics
  • 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
  • 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
• [1] - Physics GRE Review at Troy University