The GRE® revised General TestThe GRE general test is meant to measure your overall academic ability and is the standard exam for admission to non-business schools. However, an increasing number of business schools are accepting scores from the GRE exam. Also, not all graduate schools or programs require the GRE. Some schools and programs also require various subject tests, so check with your choice of schools to make sure which exam(s) you need to take. The GRE general exam does NOT test you on any specific facts or pieces of knowledge that you may have learned in any one class.

GRE ScoresFor the quantitative and verbal reasoning assessments of the GRE revised General test, the scores range from 130 to 170 points. For the analytic writing section, scores range from 0.0 to 6.0, in half-point increments. There are two verbal and two math sections on the GRE revised General test. The first of both sections is not computer adaptive, but the difficulty of questions that you'll be given for the second section is dependent on how well you did on the first section. The essay section of the GRE is composed on the computer, but both writing tasks are graded by trained readers.

GRE RegistrationRegistration for the GRE exam is straight-forward. Exam centers are located throughout the world, and most locations are open seven days a week. Registration for the GRE revised General Test is first-come, first-serve, so you want to register as soon as possible for your preferred date and venue.

GRE revised General Test FormatIn all cases the Analytical Writing section is the first section of the exam, followed by a 10 minute break. After the break, there are 6 sections: two verbal, two math, an unscored section, and a research section. The research section is always the last section, while the other sections can appear in any order. Therefore, you won’t be able to tell which section is unscored, so you must be sure to do your best on all sections:

Analytic Writing

2 essays, 30 minutes eachThe writing section of the GRE is meant to measure your analytical reasoning, organization, and analysis skills. The two essays include an issue essay and an argument essay. There are no right or wrong answers to the essay questions, and the essays will be read and scored by 2 (and possibly 3) readers. For more information about the essay section, and for writing tips, go to the essay tutorial section.

Break 10 minutesVerbal Reasoning

Two sections each with 20 questions, 30 minutes for each sectionEach section includes a mix of reading comprehension question, text completion, and sentence equivalence questions. Reading comprehension questions are either single answer, multiple answers, or select in passage, while text completion questions will have either one, two, or three blanks. For more information on each of these question types, please see that tutorial section.

Quantitative Reasoning

Two sections each with 20 questions, 35 minutes for each sectionEach quantitative reasoning section (also common called the "Math GRE sections") contains a mix of multiple choice, quantitative analysis, and user input questions. For more information about the quantitative reasoning questions, proceed to the appropriate tutorial.

Unscored Section*

An experimental section that will either be a math or a verbal section may also be included on the exam. You will know if you were given a math or verbal experimental section because you will have two of those sections during the test, but you won’t

know which of two identical sections will be experimental. The experimental section does not count toward your score, and is used by ETS to try out new questions for possible use in future exams.

*In the above example, the unscored section is the last section, but the order of the sections can be any of several combinations. For example, your exam may be math-verbal-math-verbal-unscored, or verbal-math-unscored-math-verbal, etc.

Review for the GRE revised General TestIt is crucial that you become familiar with the types of questions that appear on the GRE test. Select any of the sections on the left to learn more about that particular topic. Each tutorial explains clearly, and provides examples, of the types of questions that you can expect to see on the GRE exam.

The Math ConceptsThe Math Section of the tutorials at MyGRETutor reviews the major concepts that you should be familiar with: arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis. Even if you've been exposed to math in the last few months, you'll want to brush up on the basics. To attain a good score on the GRE math section, you need to be familiar with the types of questions and math concepts that appear on the exam. There are four types of math question: single-answer multiple choice, multiple choice with one or more answers, quantitative comparison, and numeric entry. Each of these types of questions is explained in detail in the tutorials.

The Verbal QuestionsThe verbal section of the GRE revised General exam consists of reading comprehension, text completion, and sentence equivalence questions. There are three types of reading comprehension questions, and three different varieties of text completion questions. Our tutorials introduce each question type, and suggest how to approach each type of problem.

The Analytic Writing Section of the GRE General TestFinally, the writing portion of the GRE test requires you to write two essays, an issue essay and an argument essay. These two essays are quite different. In one of the essays you need to analyze an issue, while in the other, the argument essay, you critique and comment on a statement that you are given.

GRE Essays - Issue and ArgumentFor the GRE General Test, you must write an issue and an argument essay. The two essays are quite different.

The Issue Writing Task: You are presented with a topic -- often a controversial one. You are asked to present your perspective on the issue, using examples to support your claim. You have 30 minutes to plan and compose a response.

The Argument Writing Task: You are given a single topic, which often includes a snippet of an argument or a snippet of an editorial. In writing the argument essay, your goal is not to agree or disagree, but instead you must critically analyze how well reasoned you find the provided statement. You have 30 minutes to plan and compose the argument essay.

To achieve a top score, you'll need to demonstrate that you can write clearly and effectively. To that extent you'll need to accomplish the following:

Clearly and effectively articulate complex ideas examine claims and discuss accompanying evidence provide examples to help support your claims sustain a well-focused discussion control the elements of standard written English.

Your score on the essay section of the GRE exam is used by graduate schools to evaluate your writing and analytical skills. Two separate trained readers will read your essays. They will score each essay based on many factors, and the scores will be combined and averaged. Scores are given on a range from zero to six, in half-point increments. The ETS provides the criteria that are used to score the issue and argument essays. Although in the essay section grammar and spelling are important, it is much more important that you concentrate on writing a coherent, complete, and persuasive essay.

GRE VocabularyThe single best way to improve your GRE verbal score is to increase your vocabulary. It is to your advantage to learn as many new words as possible before you take the test. However, learning new vocabulary words is not easy -- it takes time. Lots of it!

Improving Your VocabularyMyGRETutor keeps track of your progress by keeping a tally of which words you have seen and which words you have mastered. Learning vocabulary words for the GRE takes time, and myGRETutor simplifies the process by adjusting to your skill level and by giving you words of appropriate difficulty. From the thousands of words in our database, MyGRETutor selects those words whose difficulty most nearly matches your vocabulary skill level. Over time, as you improve your vocabulary, MyGRETutor will adjust to your skill level in an attempt to show you words that aren't too easy, nor too difficult.

Are you hungry for more vocabulary practice? Then visit www.vocabularycoach.comfor fun games and challenging activities to help you

learn new words even faster. Learn words using a new, refreshing format.

Sample Vocabulary Word QuestionThe below vocabulary question is one sample of the many vocabulary words that you might see if you create a MyGRETutor account. All of the vocabulary words and exercises in MyGRETutor are accompanied with hints and explanations, which include either the etymology of the word or a sample sentence which uses that word in context. Click the Give Me A Hint button to see a sample hint for the current word, or the Narrow the Choicesbutton and the vocabulary tutor will eliminate a few of the answer choices.

denigrate

To amaze; to astound; to shock; to render speechless; to incapacitate, most often for only a short moment.To pretend; to make believe.

To defame; to provide a negative opinion of.

To say again; to repeat; to redo, often over and over again.

To soften by soaking in liquid; to waste away or to grow thin.

Study Plans to Help Prepare You for the GREOur study plan philosophy is simple: we provide you with tutorials to help you become familiar with the format of the GRE test. Along the way, we urge you to practice using as many of our GRE practice questions as you can. Periodically, we suggest that you take several GRE practice tests, which is the absolutely best way to prepare for the GRE exam. And, we coach you to expand your vocabulary so that you can attain your highest possible GRE verbal score. Really. It's that simple. Not at all rocket science!

GRE Study AdviceAs a general rule, you want to allow yourself as much preparation time as possible. The GRE is not a test of memorization, and so to do well, you need to practice as much as you can over several weeks, preferably over several months. Our most popular study plan is the eight-week study plan. But, if you have only a single or two weeks to prepare, we have study plans for those study durations, too!

Verbal, Math, and Essay Test PrepEach of our study plans breaks down the test into its constituent parts. Each study plan provides suggestions on how to improve your math, verbal, vocabulary, and essay skills. Thus, if you are good in math but poor in verbal skills, then you can focus on the verbal section of your study plan. Depending on which plan you choose, the overview section of that plan will suggest approximately how many hours you should spend each day or week in preparing for the GRE test.

Preparing for the GRE - A Sample Study PlanEach study plan provides detailed instructions for each week of your preparation schedule. Take a look at one of the study plans on the right. Regardless of which study plan you choose to prepare for the GRE, each weekly plan is composed of the following:

A summary for the week A day-by-day guide of what you should focus on each day A breakdown of what you should do to prepare for the Verbal section of the GRE A breakdown of what you should do to prepare for the Math section of the GRE Suggestions on how to improve your writing skills to help prepare you for the essay section

of the GRE Suggestions on how you should acquire new vocabulary words so as to score well on the

verbal section of the GRE

A word of AdviceFinally, the best advice that we can give you is to be diligent. Preparing for the GRE is not an overnight process. It should take you weeks to thoroughly become familiar with the test format. Rushing through practice questions and practice tests is also not a good idea. You want to choose a plan, and STICK to it! Keep in mind that you may need to slightly adjust these study plans to meet your exact needs.