The GRE Demystified

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Table of Contents

Part I : Introduction

1. GRE Introduction

....4

2. GRE Test Dates and Registration

5

3. GRE Mindset and Timing strategies

6

4. The Pyramid of success on GRE

....7

5. Visualizing Success

8

Part-II : Format of the Exam

1. Analytical Writing Assessment

..10

2. Verbal Reasoning

..13

3. Quantitative Reasoning

..17

Part-III : Debunking some myths

...18

Part-IV: What happens on the Test Day

1. What to DO during/before the exam

....20

2. What to AVOID during/before the exam

. ...21

Part-V: Study Plan

The 3-month Study Plan

........22


Part-I: INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the journey to your dream graduate program! As you set your first step in the direction of your success, let us give you good news first - there are thousands of universities in the US which offer Masters Degrees in a variety of fields, so you have a plethora of options to choose from. However the bad news is that only a small fraction of these universities offer cutting edge education and consequently the competition to get through to these schools is fierce. Talk about any top 100 school and the common denominator youll see among all these schools is that they have low acceptance rates i.e. they admit only a small percentage of applicants. The admission committees at schools evaluate the candidates on primarily five different parameters- a) undergraduate GPA and institution b) the quality of research/project work c) Statement of Purposes/Essays d) Letters of recommendations e) the GRE score. Each candidates application is first evaluated holistically and then vis--vis the other applicants. The schools look for candidates who are competent enough to not only survive through the graduate program but who will also be able to perform consistently well. Obviously the GRE is one of the best ways for the schools to evaluate whether the candidate possesses the requisite aptitude. All of the top schools ask for a GRE score. In fact, if a particular school does not, then you have a good reason to doubt whether the program is worth attending. While the average GRE score which youd require for your target schools will vary depending on the program you apply for, what remains constant is that the higher a program is ranked, the higher will be the average GRE score for that program and the lower you come down the rankings, the lower would be the average GRE score. And it makes sense too, doesnt it ? Who doesnt dream about getting through to the Ivy League and other top universities? All the applicants do (even those who end up going to lower rung schools) and the most competitive candidates from across the world invariably apply to the top schools, making the competition fierce. Since these candidates are highly motivated to get through to the top schools, they ensure that they dont leave any stone unturned to do well on the GRE as well. This is not to say that a high GRE score will necessarily get a candidate admitted into a top school, for there are many other areas that we mentioned above, which taken as a whole determine ones chances of success, but the bottom line is that a majority of candidates in a particular program will have GRE scores around the average score at that program. Of course there will be a few candidates whose GRE scores will be significantly lower than the average GRE scores of the class, but these candidates would have compensated for their low GRE scores by displaying exceptional ability in other areas In the subsequent pages of this guide, well take you through a systematic journey to prepare for the GRE. Youll start from scratch and will learn all the preliminary details such as test registration, availability, what you need to do succeed on the GRE, the format of the exam and the strategies needed to ace the same. Well also debunk some popular myths and then at the end well give you an actionable 3-month study plan that you can use to start off with your preparation.

So lets get going!

Did you know ?

The GRE is taken by an

astounding 700,000 candidates

annually!


GRE TEST DATES and REGISTRATION

When do I take the GRE? What are the GRE Test Dates? The GRE can be taken at any time of the year. Unlike the SAT, in which everyone takes the exam at one time, the GRE can be taken at anytime. You sign up to take the exam INDIVIDUALLY, whenever you are free. Yes, thats right. The only thing to consider is whether the date on which you want to take the exam is available at the test centre of your choice. This is important for cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Beijing, New Delhi, etc. where the number of test takers is quite high and you may have to book a slot a month or two before your exam date. How do I register for the GRE? You can register for the GRE by logging on to www.ets.org/gre/ and then going to the registration page. Heres the complete link http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/register/ How much does the GRE cost? The fee for the GRE General test varies depending on whether youre testing in the US or outside it. For testing in the United States, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico youll have to pay $160. For all other locations, the registration fee is $190. When to take the GRE? And why is earlier usually better? Your GRE score is valid for 5 years so even if you plan to work for 1-2 years after college and then go to a graduate school, you may want to take the exam while youre still in college because once you start doing a full-time job, youll find it very difficult to manage your preparation given the fact that the time spent in commuting and in office will eat away around 10-12 hours, if not more, of your daily time and youll be hardly left with energy to sit and prepare for the exam. In college, the best time to prepare for the GRE is during the 5th or the 6th Semester (junior year) when the course load is not much. The senior year in college is a very time consuming period to be in internships and placements will eat away a lot of time and after that youll start your application process which in itself requires a lot of time. So you want to ensure that you dont overload your already packed schedule in the 7th semester by preparing for the GRE. Should I study first for the GRE and then book the date or vice-versa? Ideally, you should firstly study for the GRE for a couple of weeks and maybe then decide when to book your test date. A lot of candidates book their GRE appointments before starting their preparation, but then at a later stage when they realize that they are not sufficiently prepared, they end up rescheduling their dates, causing panic and leading to a waste of money. There are some others who think that theyll prepare first and then will book their date a week or two before the exam. The problem with this approach is that without having your exam looming over you, you might not be able to maintain the required discipline and motivation to do well on the test So what is the best time to book a GRE appointment? The best time to book your GRE date is when youre in the middle of your preparation. If you follow the 3-month plan given at the end of this guide, you should book your GRE date by the 6th week of your preparation.

Did you know ?

The top three countries in

terms of number of candidates

taking the GRE annually are

the US, China & India

GRE Psychology and Timing strategies

At first glance the GRE seems to be a test of academic content but if you delve deeper you realize that

the GRE is, in equal measure, a test of how you handle your emotions under pressure, how you

handle your time and, above all, how smartly you prepare. On Maths, the GRE tests you on concepts

such as distance-rate-time formula, triangles, exponents, etc. which you would have covered in high

school or earlier and on Verbal, it tests you on your ability to comprehend and analyze paragraphs and

answer questions based on your understanding of the same.

So theres nothing to be scared about on the GRE. The GRE is not a test of how well you understand

economics or aeronautics. It doesnt measure your IQ neither

can it predict your success in future. It just tests you on your

ability to make decisions on the basis of the information given

to you. Your job is to learn the concepts and the sneaky ways

in which the GRE test makers try to trick you on the exam. You

definitely need to think but you dont have to learn everything

from scratch; you already know most of the stuff.

Then why do people find the GRE tough?

Simply because preparing for the exam requires discipline, a quality which most people lack, and even if you are sufficiently prepared, what matters most is how you handle your emotions on the test day when the pressure is too high. Athletes who condition themselves for long marathons, intense tennis matches, or any activity that requires strong mental toughness know what were talking about. Every athlete knows what it takes to become the winner but how many of them actually do precisely what is needed to become a winner? Not many! Preparing for the GRE is no different; it is rigorous. Do you have the determination and discipline to stick to your study plan? Do you have the right attitude towards learning that will keep you motivated? Are you looking for new ways to make learning more interesting? Are you ready to work on your weaknesses? Lets face it: everyone knows what it takes to succeed-its the same old mix of hard work, determination and commitment, but how many of us are ready to tread this path to success? How many of us know how to prioritize things? Not many! As youll now glance through the 3-month Study plan recommended at the end of this document, most of you will think Whoa! This is something great. Im going to follow this schedule, but how many of you will actually stick to it? Very few. And no wonder these few candidates end up making to the top schools while the rest of the candidates fill the seats at the lower rung schools spread across the US. Why do people find managing time difficult on the GRE? As explained earlier, the GRE is as much a test of your test taking skills as it is of your command over the subject matter. The GRE will be a big day for you; after all that is the day for which you would have prepared for 3-4 months and that is the exam which will decide your future, to some extent. The realization of the importance of the exam is bound to make you anxious during the exam as those thoughts will invariably crop up in your mind. Youll think that since Ive prepared a lot, Ive to get every question correct and as a result youll end up clinging to questions i.e. instead of spending say a minute on a question, you might end up spending 3 minutes because your ego will not let you skip the question or get it wrong. Even if you get the answer to such a question correct, you would have done yourself a disservice because now you have less time available for the rest of the questions. The less the time available, the more the anxiety level, as a result, the more the time taken even in easy questions.

Fun fact #1

A growing number of

business schools ,including

HBS & Stanford GSB, have

started accepting the GRE


THE PYRAMID OF SUCCESS ON THE GRE

This is what we call The Pyramid of success on the GRE. To succeed on the GRE, you have to ensure that theres a good mix of all the four components above. Even if one component goes amiss, it will negatively affect the other components in the pyramid, making you fall short of your goal. For example, if you lack motivation, you wont be able to work hard and be consistent. Or if you lack consistency, then even if you work hard towards the end of your preparation, youll not be able to gain as much as you could have, had you been consistent. Did you notice an interesting building block of this pyramid-Relaxation. Taking breaks during your preparation is as important as studying. Since your childhood, you would have heard everyone, from your teachers to your parents, telling you to study more and more. On the GRE, even if they tell you to do so, just ignore their advice. For the GRE, studying in the old ways is not going to be of much help. You need to take time off from your preparation on a consistent basis and have to ensure that you do not overstudy. To see why, go to Debunking the Myths section in this document.

8


Visualizing Success-The key to stay motivated

One of the biggest problems youll face as you prepare for the GRE is to maintain your motivation level.

After all, who wants to study Maths and Verbal when there are much more interesting things to do in

life? As you saw in the Pyramid of Success, staying motivated is crucial to maintaining the momentum

of your preparation, and one of the very helpful ways to keep yourself pepped up is by visualizing

success. Keep daydreaming! Yes, you need to imagine yourself in Harvard, Stanford or any other school

of your choice. Wouldnt you feel great to be rubbing shoulders with the best students in the world?

Apart from that, wouldnt it feel great to leave people in awe of you when they see your social and

professional networking profiles updated with the name of your dream school?

Another interesting way to keep yourself focused is by surfing the internet to do your research on schools

and programs. The very thought of studying at say UC Berkley or Cornell is going to fire you up

and will rejuvenate you. Also try to imagine yourself at the GRE test centre with the GRE score flashing

on your computer screen? Which situation do you want to see yourself in - you want your heart to slump

when you the score or do you want it to jump with joy? Think about it-when you see a bad score, would

you still justify the reason why you couldnt score well?

So why land up in such a situation when you could avoid the same by getting real now. Start believing

that youre going to see a great GRE score flashing on your screen. After all, we all want to be happy and

happiness tastes all the more sweet when we have worked

hard for it. Imagine yourself coming out of the test centre-

floating in seventh heaven and telling your parents that you

have made them proud. Not to mention the kind of adoration

youll get from others around you. Theyll almost start

revering you for they know that you are already on your path

of distinguishing yourself from the rest of them. You would

know that you have the ability to overcome any difficult

situation and that you are made to win!

Bad thoughts:

1. I suck at Maths

2. I am a non-native speaker of English, so it seems like an impossible task for me to crack Verbal.

3. Im not fast enough and dont think that Id be able to do the questions within the stipulated time

Good thoughts

Yes, I accept that Maths is not my strong point but it isnt rocket science either. I havent studied Maths

for the last 4-5 years but I did study Maths in High school and thats the type of Maths which I will be

tested on and I sure can master it. Sure, I do get questions wrong in Maths but looking back at them, I

realize that they are actually easy. I just need to become familiar with the different ways in which the

GRE can test me on these relatively simple concepts in high school.

Im not an idiot that I wouldnt be able to understand anything; Im smart enough to learn from my

mistakes so that I dont repeat them . I just need to come up with the right thought process and get

enough practice so that I have the confidence to know when I am positively sure about a question.

By being super confident in answering a question in as little time as possible, I know that Ill be able to

Did you know ?

You can the retake the GRE only

after 31 calendar days of your

previous attempt

9


nail most of the questions within less than a minute because the more confident I am, the less the time I

spend in double checking the answers I have marked.

The attitude of a winner : Im going to kick ass on the GRE! Sure, I have done the college and failed

tons of exams but it is just high school material repackaged in fancy, awkward questions. My goal

is just to follow the study plan. Ill stick to it and prepare the right way!. My goal now is to learn from the

questions which I practice; then my goal will be to attempt those questions in as less time as possible.

Once Im done with that, Ill be brimming over with confidence. After that any question that the GRE

throws at me will be answered correctly and tossed away as I wait for the next one. Bring it on!

10


Part-II: FORMAT OF THE EXAM

GRE: an Overview

Scoring

Both the Verbal and the Quant sections on the GRE will be scored on a scale of 130-170 and the scores

will increase in measures of 1. The GRE is a multi-stage test (MST) and is sectionally adaptive .For

instance, the difficulty level of the second Quant section you get will be determined by your

performance on the first Quant section. Similarly, the difficulty level of the second Verbal section will be

determined by your performance on the first Verbal section. Since more difficult questions have more

weightage, youll be able to take your score higher even if you get a fewer number of questions correct

in a difficult section than by getting more number of questions of a relatively easy section correct. There

is also a percentile score corresponding to a scaled score. For more details regarding the scaled score to

percentile conversion for the Verbal and the Quant section, download The GRE scaled score Conversion

Matrix from the Free Resources section of our website

11


Analytical Writing Assessment

In the Analytical Writing Assessment section of the GRE, you are required to write a 30 minute

response to each of two separate writing tasks-Analysis of an Issue task and Analysis of an Argument

task.

Essay scores are based on several factors, some of which are given below:

Analytical reasoning: You should be logical and you should have the ability to develop your position

with relevant examples and reason.

Presentation of ideas: You should be able to appropriately organize ideas and structure your essays

well. An essay with an introduction, body paragraphs with clear main points, and a conclusion makes

reading it very easy.

Command of the English language: A strong command over grammar, spelling, punctuation, and

vocabulary are also some of the parameters on which you are judged. Remember that youll not be

penalized if you make occasional spelling mistakes or grammatical

mistakes but making frequent mistakes gives a bad impression

about your writing skills. Also remember that since for the Verbal

section, you need to learn vocabulary, youll have a propensity to

use the words which you would have learnt. However, refrain from

using tough vocabulary until and unless youre absolutely

confident about the usage of the word. If you simply know the

meaning of a word and have never used it earlier, its better not to

use the word.

Now lets see what exactly you have to do on these tasks

Analysis of an Issue

In analysis of an Issue, youll be provided with an opinion or issue of general interest in the form of a

quote. You will then be asked to take a stand and make a compelling case for your stand based on your

life experiences, opinions and knowledge. Youll be usually given a statement, followed by the question

prompt. For example, an issue essay might say:

Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student's

field of study.

In this essay, youre expected to establish a thesis, stating whether you agree or disagree with the topic

and then youre expected to give your specific points of view on the stand you have taken. These points

of view need to be supported with relevant examples. Youre expected to acknowledge the complexity

of the issue; there is no one position that is right. What youre being tested on is how effectively can

you support the stand you have taken and how persuasively you have written the essay.

Did you know ?

The AWA score is not very

important. The schools are

more bothered about your

Verbal and Quant scores than

about your AWA score

12


Analysis of an Argument

In Analysis of an argument, youre given an argument which has a set of premises and a conclusion.

Analysis of an Argument question stems will ask you to evaluate the logical soundness of the proffered

argument. Remember youre not being asked to provide your opinion about the subject being

discussed nor are you being asked to agree or disagree with the position stated. Your purpose is to

simply deconstruct the argument and bring forth the authors claims, underlying assumptions and

discuss the quality of the authors reasoning. Think of as many alternative explanations and

counterexamples as you can. You also have to think about what additional piece of information the

author could have provided to strengthen or weaken the conclusion.

Scoring

The AWA essays are scored on a scale of 0-6. Weve given below a table showing the characteristics of

the essays which get different grades

Position, Examples Organization Language(grammar,

usage, diction, syntactic

variety)

6 Clear, insightful Tightly knit, cogently

developed

Superior, few errors

5 Clear, well chosen Mostly strong Strong, few errors

4 Clear, relevant Satisfactorily develops ideas Adequate, few errors

3 Limited ,weak Poorly developed Occasional major or

frequent minor errors

2 Unclear, exhibits little

understanding of the

topic

Disorganized, illogical Errors in grammar, usage

or mechanics

1 No position or irrelevant

examples

Is extremely brief and

disorganized

Severe Errors in grammar,

usage or mechanics that

result in lack of coherence

13


Verbal Reasoning

The two Verbal sections on the GRE will have 20 questions each and youll get 30 minutes per section.

In other words, you will have an average of 1.5 minutes per question.

Since the GRE is a standardized test, the types of questions remain the same for all candidates. On

Verbal, youll be tested on three different types of questions- Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence,

and Reading Comprehension.

These different types of questions can appear in any order (though the questions associated with a

Reading Comprehension passage will always be grouped together). Out of the total of 40 questions across

two Verbal sections, you are likely to see 18-20 questions based on Reading Comprehension passages,

10-12 Text Completion questions, and 8-10 Sentence Equivalence questions.

In contrast to Quant, in which youll have a definite answer, on the Verbal section youre asked to find

the best possible answer. In other words, for Verbal questions, the right answer is better than each of the

other options. Because of this, process of elimination is crucial to a strong performance on the Verbal

section. The correct answer may not be what you would have

thought of on your own, but it will be better than the other

four choices.

Text Completion

Essentially, a text completion question is something like fill

in the blank type of questions you would have done in

school. However, the difference here is that the text

completion questions tested on the GRE are much more

complex and require you to apply your logical skill to answer

them correctly. You also need to have a good command over Vocabulary to be able to tackle these

questions effectively.

There are three types of text completion questions youll be tested on- One blank, two blank and three

blank text completion questions. For one blank text completion questions, youll get 5 options and for

two and three blank sentences, youll be provided three options for each blank and youll have to select

the best possible option for each blank

Sentence Equivalence

In sentence equivalence questions, youll get a sentence with one blank and six options for that blank.

Youll have to select two options which, when put in the sentence separately, will give sentences with

similar meaning.

Did you know?

Reading the editorials which

appear in newspapers is the

best way to get started for

the Verbal section.

14


Reading Comprehension

In reading comprehension, youre tested on your ability to comprehend a passage and then answer

questions based on the passage. Why does the GRE do that? Simply because in your graduate studies,

irrespective of the field you choose, youll have to read a lot of reports, papers, thesis, etc. and the GRE

test makers want to ensure that you can comprehend complex information and can logically answer

questions based on the same. Youll be presented with complicated and fairly dense paragraphs of

information about some topic and then youll have to answer one or more questions on the passage.

You do not need to know specific facts or information about any topic for the reading comprehension

portion of the test beyond the text in the passage.

The length of the passages can vary from one paragraph to five paragraphs. Accordingly, the

number of questions on a passage varies from 1 to 5.

When a passage appears on the left hand side of the computer screen, your first task is to read and

understand the passage. On the right hand side of the screen, the questions will appear one by one. Here

is a table which will give you an idea about what type of questions are tested on the GRE.

Type Description Example

Primary purpose/Main

Idea/Central theme

The general idea that the

author is trying to convey;

typically can be summarized

in one sentence

What is the primary purpose

of the passage?

Specific : Look up

Your task is to look for

specific details in the passage.

You do not have to go beyond

what is already written

According to the passage, why

is X better than Y?

Draw a conclusion

Youll be given some

information, usually a

paragraph. You have to find

an answer which MUST be

true based on the information.

Argument: John is a part of the

basketball team. The tennis

team competes during the same

season as the basketball team ,

and students are only permitted

to be on one team per season

Conclusion: John is not on the

tennis team

Strengthen the Argument

The correct answer will

consist of a new piece of

information that makes it at

least somewhat more likely

that the authors conclusion is

valid; the correct answer does

not need to make the

conclusion a certainty

Argument: In an attempt to

increase sales, company Y

implemented a new customer

service policy that required all

sales representatives to address

all prospective clients by name.

Within six months, sales had

risen 15%. The new policy was

therefore a success.

Strengthener: Company Y did

15


not initiate any other program

in the last 6 months which

might have increased the sales.

Weaken the Argument

The correct answer will

consist of a new piece of

information that makes it at

least somewhat less likely that

the authors conclusion is

valid; the correct answer does

not need to negate the

conclusion

Argument: In an attempt to

increase sales, Company Y

implemented a new customer

service policy that required all

sales representatives to address

all prospective clients by name.

Within six months, sales had

risen 15%. The new policy was

therefore a success.

Weakener: Company Y

doubled its advertising budget

in the last 6 years which

resulted in more customers

walking into the companys

stores

Find the Assumption

An assumption is something

the author assumes. In other

words, its something that the

author takes for granted,

something that MUST be true

in order to draw a certain

conclusion. Note that the

assumption does not need to

be true in the real world; it

merely needs to be something

that the author must believe in

drawing the given conclusion

Argument: John is less than six

feet tall. Therefore, he will not

be chosen for the basketball

team.

Assumption : One must be at

least six feet tall in order to be

chosen for the basketball team

Meaning of a word/sentence

Youll be asked for the

meaning of a particular

sentence or word in the

passage

Which of the following is the

closest in meaning to the word

critical used in the first

sentence of paragraph 2?

Bolded Statement

One or two sentences will be

highlighted and youll have to

determine what roles these

highlighted sentences play.

Some of these roles which a

sentence can play are:

conclusion, counter

conclusion, evidence

supporting conclusion,

What roles do the two bolded

statements play in the passage?

16


evidence supporting counter

conclusion, an underlying

principle, etc.

17


Quantitative Reasoning

On the GRE, questions in the Maths section will appear in four different formats

1. Multiple choice-Select One

2. Multiple Choice-Select one or more

3. Quantitative Comparison

4. Numeric Entry.

Here is a table highlighting all the topics tested on the

Maths section of the GRE.

Did you know?

The GRE tests you on high

school Maths concepts only

18


Part-III: Debunking Popular GRE Myths

#1 Taking the GRE more than once is going to hamper my admission chances

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Taking the GRE twice isnt going to have any negative effect on

your application. The Admission committees at graduate schools understand that you might not be well

prepared to take the GRE on your first attempt, that you might have taken the GRE hastily or because of

some other reason you could not do well, so they are not going to hold it against you that you have taken

it twice. In fact, they wont be much bothered even if you take it thrice. Beyond that, they will be

definitely concerned that why you had to take it so many times and may view multiple attempts

negatively unless you can provide a strong reason to justify your case.

#2 The schools give equal importance to both Quantitative and Verbal scores

Depending on the type of graduate program you wish to pursue, the schools usually give more weightage

to either Verbal or Quant score. This means that if you apply to

a program such as MS in Financial Engineering, your

performance on the Quant section is going to matter much more

than on the Verbal section. Similarly, if you want to go for your

graduate studies in any of the subjects in the liberal arts stream,

then Admission committees will be more concerned about your

Verbal score than your quant score. However, this doesnt mean

that the Admission committees will ignore your score on the

less important section. Your performance on the less important

section is also important, if not very important, and your overall

GRE score matters a lot to the schools

#3 If I get a great GRE score, then my admission to the top

schools is guaranteed.

This is the biggest myth floating around! The GRE is just one component of your application and isnt

the sole determiner of your admission chances. The other parts of your application, such as your

undergraduate GPA, SOP, LORs, the quality of research you have done in your undergraduate program,

etc. are important determiners of the success of your application. So it is entirely possible that a school

might take a candidate who has a low GRE score but has had a couple of research paper publications in

journal of international repute and may reject a candidate with a stellar GRE score but with an otherwise

below average profile

#4 I need to burn the midnight oil and study 8-10 hours per day to succeed on the GRE.

The good news is that the GRE is unlike the exams youve given in your college in which you wont be

able to write anything in the exam until and unless you dont study it. The GRE essentially tests you on

high school maths and on your ability to read, process, and comprehend professionally written English

at a rather fast pace. So even if you dont study anything for it, you may probably get a good score if

your maths skills are good and you are good at Verbal too. What is more important for the GRE is that

you prepare in a systematic way. Since your preparation will be spread over 2-3 months, you need to

ensure that you dont overstudy . The best study schedule is 2-3 hours on weekdays and 4-5 hours

on weekends over a 3 month period . Also remember that you set a day aside during the week in which

you would take a complete rest from your prep.

Fun fact#3

You dont need to burn the

midnight oil to do well on the GRE.

1-2 hours/day on the weekdays

and 4-5 hours on the weekends is

the way to go!

19


#5 I should be able to quote the likes of Shakespeare & Milton to do well on the Verbal section

Ever paid attention to the fact that the GRE has Verbal Reasoning and not English literature as the

name of the Verbal section? We bet, you would have! The name itself- verbal reasoning- makes it clear

what the GRE verbal section is about. Its not about silly grammatical rules. They will not ask you to

critique the works of poets and authors. They want to test your ability to think, to reason out. They want

to see whether you can do well when you are pressed for time. There are good chances that an English

Literature graduate will not get a perfect score on the Verbal section because the GRE Verbal section

tests you on reasoning, something which you are not taught much in English literature classes. Secondly,

one has to learn how to effectively tackle each type of question and employ techniques to be able to

eliminate options in the shortest possible time. These are attributes which you sharpen with practice.

#6 Reading comprehension cannot be improved because it is function of how well read you are and

it is impossible to improve within 2-3 months.

This is a common belief harboured by candidates from engineering backgrounds. While it does help if

you have been a voracious reader, but even if you havent you simply cant get away with the excuse that

since you are an engineering student, you wont be able to improve on reading comprehension. You can

improve by practising. However, you must do some preliminary work if you think that you havent read

many articles/books in the last couple of years. You should get into the habit of reading

magazines/newspapers with quality articles. Additionally, you can get your hands on some books with

high quality English. Doing all this before you actually start preparing for the GRE will go a long way in

reducing the burden on you during the 3 months of your preparation.

#7 I have a full-time job and think that it is difficult to manage time

Yes, it is difficult but people do manage to prepare for the GRE while doing a full time job. Its going to

be a little difficult juggling work, studies, household chores, and what not but in the end if you really

want to pursue a graduate program, youll have to do this! No excuses, because if you make excuses, you

should be happy doing your job. Graduate study is very taxing and hectic and thats why its better to

inculcate discipline now. In the end, its all about organizing yourself and your day better. If you plan

your schedule wisely without stressing yourself too much, you should be able to crack the exam

comfortably

#8 I know that I need to become better at Quant or Verbal, so is studying definitely going to help

me ?

Yes and no. Depends on how you study. There are people who study for more than 6 months and yet see

no improvement in their scores and there are people who improve substantially by studying for 2 months

only. So studying haphazardly isnt going to get you there; studying the right way will lead you to your

goal. Remember that the GRE test makers have an unlimited imagination while making questions and in

all probability the questions youre going to see on the GRE are going to be new to you even if you have

done 2000 practice questions. However, the GRE test makers have a finite number of concepts which

theyre going to test you on and those concepts will be tested in different questions. So you should be

able to identify the strategies required for different types of questions and use them effectively to ace the

test.

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PART-IV: What to do on Test Day ?

The GRE is very strict about following the rules and regulations on the test day. You can see a detailed

list of what not to bring to the exam and what not to do on the test day on the official GRE website.

Apart from these, here are some other things you should definitely keep in mind, lest you end up messing

up your exam!

5 THINGS YOU MUST DO BEFORE/DURING YOUR EXAM

What to DO Why

Mimic test conditions The more you mimic the test conditions during your practice tests, the

more confident youll feel about the exam. Shut out all the distractions-

switch off your mobile phone, do not take the practice tests in bits and

pieces, do not skip the AWA section .You should treat each practice

test as though youre taking the real GRE

Eat and sleep like an

athlete

In the days leading to the exam, ensure that you have a consistent sleep

schedule. Do not burn the midnight oil and study till the wee hours of

the morning. Remember that the GRE is NOT your college exam in

which you had to primarily memorize rules. Eat enough food before the

exam so that you do not feel hungry but not so much that that you end

up feeling sluggish

Get everything ready

the night before the

exam

To take the GRE you must have a valid ID proof (check the

requirements, depending on your country and citizenship status at

www.ets.org). Also remember to check out the route to your testing

centre. If you have scheduled your exam during the morning and

evening rush hours, check out with someone who has travelled on that

route for the approximate time to reach the test centre.

Take the breaks Although taking breaks during the exam is optional, we insist that you

must utilize these breaks. After leaving the testing room, stretch, eat,

drink or do whatever is necessary to lift up your mood and to relax

Arrive at the test

centre on time

Remember that the GRE proctors will not allow you to take the exam if

youre late for your scheduled slot. You do not want to mess up the

exam because of this, so make sure that you arrive at the test centre well

before time

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5 THINGS YOU MUST AVOID DURING/BEFORE YOUR GRE

Burning yourself out Dont over-train yourself in the days leading to the exam. This can

include: taking a practice test within three days of the exam; studying

for more than 2 hours on the day before the exam; reviewing your notes

for more than 30 minutes on the test day; studying for more than 4

hours in the last few days leading to the exam.

Telling everyone that

you are taking the

GRE

Dont go telling everyone you meet that you have your GRE coming

up! The more people you tell, the more pressure youll feel which will,

in effect, shoot up your anxiety level.

Changing your

schedule

Dont change your schedule. Sleep at the usual time you sleep and get

up at the usual time you do. The idea is to keep your body and mind as

much in your natural schedule as possible

Dwelling on past

problems

Focus on the problem on the screen in front of you; dont think about

the questions which have come and gone. Your mind will try to think

about past problems and whether you attempted the previous question

correctly. If you find yourself doing that, tell yourself I can think about

all that later when I review the questions; right now I have to focus on

the question on the screen.

Trying to figure out

your score

Dont even think about doing this! Trying to figure out your score is

going to increase your anxiety level about how youre performing and

this is going to put even more pressure on you. Remember, during the

exam, even a 99th percentile expert cannot guess his score so dont fret

about score.

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PART-V: The 3-month GRE Study Plan

If youre new to the GRE and are confused as to how you should proceed ahead, use this plan to give a structure to your preparation. You may tweak this plan here and there to suit your requirements / schedule or you may want to use this as a framework to develop your own study plan. PRELIMINARY STAGE: GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE TEST STEP 1: The first thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with the GRE. You need to understand the format of the exam, what it takes to excel on the exam, what problems you will face during your preparation, etc. If you have gone through this document thoroughly, then youre already done with this stage. Also browse through the official GRE website at www.ets.org/gre and remember to download the GRE PowerPrep software from there. This software has two full length practice tests made by the people who make the GRE and these tests are the closest you can get to the actual test. STEP 2: Take one practice test from the downloaded software. This test will give you two scores-Verbal and Quantitative scores. Write down these scores. Your scores on the sections will give you an estimate of your current competency level and how much you need to improve to reach your target score. Do a thorough analysis of this test to determine what your strong and weak areas are so that you can modify your study plan a bit and focus more on the areas which you have identified to be your weak areas. You may skip the AWA section in this test if you want. STEP3: Fill up your armoury: The book which you definitely need to have for your GRE Prep. The Official Guide for the Revised General GRE Test STEP4: Deciding on your Study Plan. Its time that you write down a study plan for yourself. A study plan will give structure to your preparation and will ensure that you are preparing the right way. MONTH 1: Target Quant As youd have read earlier in this document, the GRE tests you on high school Maths only. You will not be tested on advanced topics such as calculus, Trigonometry, etc. The GRE Maths maybe a little more intimidating for you if you have not studied Maths in high school. Though the engineering students may not find Maths tested on the GRE to be very challenging, they will see that they have forgotten quite a few concepts and that they may know how to solve a question but they may not know how best to solve a question

Start going through the Maths concepts from the Official Guide and simultaneously start with the Quant concepts and formulae document in our Free Resources section to get familiar with what you are up against.

Go through the topics one by one and do a sufficient number of questions from each topic so that you understand not only the concepts but also their application

Start taking maths tests in our online test centre and do a thorough analysis of the questions. Write down the learning or the takeaway from each question so that you can revise the takeaways easily

Refer to the error log and see if youre consistently getting the questions of a particular type wrong. Once youve identified the weak areas, patch up those areas by going through the topics again and spending sometime on them. By the end of one month, you should be prepared enough for Maths and you should be ready to move on to the next challenge-Verbal . However,

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if you think that you still dont feel confident that youre prepared enough to achieve your target Quant score, you may want to prepare for one more week.

Immerse yourself in the GRE Quant Forum. Not only will you learn from others but you will also learn when you try to explain something to others.

At the same time, start reading the editorials of English newspapers daily. You may want to subscribe to two newspapers, if possible, or you may start reading the newspapers online. You should spend around 45 minute to 1 hour doing so. Make a mini dictionary for yourself, label it Xs Dictionary where X is your name. Start writing down the words you come across in the newspaper or anywhere else in this dictionary

MONTH 2: Focus on Verbal

If you would have been reading editorials daily as suggested above, by the second month, your comprehension skills would have improved quite a lot and you should be able to read and understand complex passages. As you prepare for Verbal in the second month, remember that you do not stop studying Maths altogether. A good idea is to do 5 Maths questions everyday so that you feel that you are in touch with maths.

For Sentence Equivalence and Text Completion, youll have to primarily improve your Vocabulary, so in the first week, try learning root words. This will make learning words a much more logical process and will give you a good foundation to learn words. Use the Root Words Flashcards available in the Free Resources section of our website to do this.

Also finish learning the 200 High Frequency words which we have given. Doing this will ensure that you are on a solid ground to tackle more words. When you learn words, do not simply cram them up. The GRE is not going to ask you the meaning of these words. Youll be tested on the contextual meaning of the words, something which you wont be able to learn by cramming. Download the dictionary.com app on your smartphone so that you can utilize the time while youre travelling or waiting for someone.

Book your GRE date in the second week (overall the 6th week of your prep). Only if youre not confident should you postpone booking a slot for the first week of the third month.

In the second week, practice Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions from the Official Guide. If you have gone as per the suggested plan, you shouldnt face much difficulty in doing these questions. Do not freak out learning very difficult words. Thats one of the disadvantages of using certain books such as Kaplan Premier Program. It has too many over-the-top difficult words which will most likely never be tested on the GRE.

Start with the Reading Comprehension part in the third week of this month. Go through the Types of questions tested on the RC section in this document to get an idea of what all types of questions youre likely to see. Learn the strategies for tackling each type of question. For example, the strategy for tackling an inference question is different from that used for tackling detail questions. You need to know what these strategies are.

Get involved in the GRE Verbal forum. Seek help with questions you have difficulty in because at the end, what is going to matter is not whether you got a question right or wrong, but whether you did the question the right way and what was the learning from the question which you can apply to similar questions ahead.

MONTH 3: Practice and Review

This month should be spent taking full length tests, reviewing them, and addressing your test taking weaknesses. The GRE Official Guide contains two tests at the end of the book and you have two powerprep tests too so in all you have 4 full length practice tests. If you want more, you may use the Kaplan premier book that gives you access to full length tests.

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Take two full length tests in the first week of this month. Take these practice tests preferably at the same time of the day for which you have booked your slot. This will help your body get used to the timing.

In the first week, book your GRE date, if you havent already done so. In some testing centres, the GRE dates may not be easily available, all the more so during the peak test taking season so its best to book in the second month itself.

Take two full length tests in the second week including one PowerPrep MST. Spend the same amount of time in the analysis of a test which you spend in taking the test. Analysis is what will make you better

In the third week, take two more full length tests. Save one for the last week

In the last week, take only one test. Make sure that you take this test at least 3 days before the day of the actual test.

Sleep well during the last few days before the test. Do not study anything new in the last few days, rather focus on revising what you have done so far. Relax completely on the last day before the exam

Take the GRE and if you would have followed the study schedule above, its not difficult to guess that you would do well !

Documents

The GRE Demystified