How to ACE your GRE (Graduate Record Exam)

Graduate Record Exan

GRE: Graduate Record Exam

Well, are you preparing your admission prerequisites? Did you take your TOEFL- ibt exam? Did you take your GMAT or GRE? Okay here is a detailed step by step guide for your GRE or Graduate Record Exam revised General Test.

There are two types of the GRE revised General Test, a computer based and paper based test. Lots of prometric centers offer the computer based test however still limited number of countries only service the paper based one. Although the difference between them is clear, there are also minute timing differences for each of the three sections. I will go through the computer based test in regard of timings; however the structure and materials of both of the tests are similar.

Manage your time

Tip 1

Manage your time. Ask when do you want to take this test? Do you have four month, two month or only two weeks? After you make your mind and decide, directly go online and book for the test. That will save your effort especially when you are critical to an application deadline.

Get familiar with the GRE Sections

Tip 2

Get familiar with the test. According to ETS official website here are the various sections of the test. The overall testing time for the computer-based GRE® revised General Test is about three hours and 45 minutes. There are six sections with a 10-minute break following the third section.

Make a study plan

Tip 3

Make a study plan. Students vary in their preference by which part they should start. I think you only have to estimate your level taking a diagnostic test from any of your available sources. That will help you measure your strength and weakness points. Then you choose one of the study plans that fits your time and seriously stick to it. Just see if you are a full time or part time GRE student but when you put your plan, again stick to it.

How to make your own study plan?

1. Decide for how long you will give to GRE per day.


2. Decide what are your weakness and strength points, by taking a diagnostic test as mentioned before.


3. Try to have more than one source for the same section, to get exposed to different ideas.


4. Try get through part of the three sections daily, that will bring you closer to the test questions.

Prepare your sources

Tip 4

Prepare your sources. I went only through six different sources that truly structured my vocabulary and Mathematics basics. I was just done with Goethe Zertificat B2 Exam, a higher exam in German language.  And I have been making it all German so it was pretty hard to get back to my English vocabulary once again.

I have ordered this list based on my experience and recommendations from many other test takers.

1. The Official Guide to the GRE Revised General Test


2. Manhattan GRE Set of 8 Strategy Guides


3. Gruber’s Complete GRE Guide 2012


4. Princeton Cracking The GRE 2012 Edition


5. Barron’s GRE 19^th edition.


6. KAPLAN-GRE-2011-2012-Premier

Notes about the GRE sources

1. Start with the ETS official guide. It you will make you quite familiar with all the parts of the GRE test. The writing section in the book is well developed. It will expose you to the 6.0 score and the 1.0 score. This is important to see what clever test takers do.


2. You also never take a GRE test without going through Manhattan GRE set, especially the Word Problems, and Fractions Decimals and Percents sections.


3. Kaplan is a valuable source for the analytical writing. It will take you step by step to build and develop your ideas even if you are empty head. I highly recommend it for Analytical Writing section preparation


4. In the Quantitative section, Barron’s is the easiest one, then Gruber’s, Kaplan and Manhattan. I advise you to start with Barron’s then the ETS official guide. Then you will easily get the odd and ideas from Gruber’s, Kaplan and Manhattan


5. In the Verbal Reasoning, Gruber’s is amazing. Start with ETS official guide, and continue with Gruber’s book. I think here you will be able to take good steps in Kaplan and Manhattan Verbal Reasoning sections. Once you are done with one of the books, you will be familiar with the GRE vocabulary and you can build your own thesaurus.

Get through the model test

Tip 5

Get through the model test. You are now well prepared, just take an exam per day. Make it in the morning, and get away from disturbance during test time.

Personal Advice

My advice to you is to practice three main daily tasks. First get familiar with Writing section and start a daily writing task. Just never stop writing. That will make you well acquainted with analytical Writing section. Then add to your thesaurus 20 words per day, and make a daily revision on your past day ones.

Sources

• ETS.

 

How to ACE your GRE (Graduate Record Exam)