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Tips to prepare for GRE


Candidates who hold advanced degree can get numerous job opportunities. They must appear in GRE to enhance their career. Many graduate degree programs require that all candidates take the GRE. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for most graduate schools in the United States, It is a nearly four-hour test that assesses verbal, quantitative and analytical writing skills.

Major objective of GRE is to assess candidate’s verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking skills that have been attained over a long period of time. The GRE General Test is offered as a computer-based exam administered at Prometric testing centres.

The Graduate Record Examination is a 3.9 hour, multiple-choice, multi-stage test required by most graduate schools. It is conducted by the Educational Testing Service.

All-important cities of the world are locations for the GRE test. It is conducted everywhere around the globe and the students can apply at their nearest centre. In order to fix a date for taking the GRE test, Indian students can contact the Regional Registration Centre at Gurgaon.

Classification of GRE Test:

The GRE comprises of following sections:
  1. An Analytical Writing section that contains two essay questions. Analytical writing segment appraises the test-taker’s ability to critically examine complex issues and arguments and put forth his or her ideas clearly and logically.
  2. Two Verbal Ability (vocabulary and reading) sections that contain 20 multiple-choice questions. The verbal reasoning segment measures the test-taker’s capacity to read and understand written material of the kind that is commonly used in academia. Three types of questions have been devised: (i) Reading comprehension; (ii) Text completion; and (iii) Sentence equivalence. To be able to comprehend texts in graduate school, a student will be required to identify the relationships between parts of a sentence, and associations between words and concepts. The verbal reasoning segment tests whether the test-taker has the talent and ability necessary.

    3. Topics:

    • Basic Sentence structure: Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives
    • Verb Tense
    • Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions
    • Pronoun Agreement
    • Subject Verb Agreement
    • Modifiers
    • Parallelism
  3. Two Quantitative Ability (math) sections that contain 20 multiple-choice questions. The main objective of the GRE quantitative segment is to assess the test-taker’s grasping of the basic math concepts of algebra, arithmetic, geometry, and data analysis, and skills for solving problems based on these concepts. There are various topics under each of the main concepts.

Topics:

1. Maths Formulas List
2. Number properties
3. Order of operations
4. Percentage
5. Ratio and proportion
6. Profit and loss
7. Simple and compound interest
8. Speed, distance and time
9. Permutation & combination
10. Linear equations
11. Quadratic equations
12. Sets Theory

Statistics:

  • Average, Median, Mode, Range, Standard deviation
  • Powers and roots
  • Probability
  • Pipes, cisterns, work, time
  • Lines and angles
  • Triangles
  • Polygon
  • Quadrilateral
  • Circles
  • Co-ordinate geometry
  • Volume and surface area

Changes in GRE pattern:

The GRE revised Pattern was introduced in August, 2011.

Below are important changes in the new GRE pattern:

  • Besides the design and question type changes, the test now emphasizes on assessing a student’s critical and analytical thinking capability for admissions into premier graduate or business schools.
  • The GRE revised General Test is the only admissions test for graduate or business school that lets candidates skip questions within a section, go back and change answers, and have control to tackle the questions within a section they want to answer first.
  • The quality of the data used for the GRE Test is better in the new pattern. New GRE pattern is designed to measure those skills that are critical to graduate and Business programs.
  • In verbal section, there are lots of changes. There will be more complex reasoning. No antonyms and analogies. No vocabulary out of context. All new types of questions.
  • In Quantitative reasoning section, a calculator is included to avoid distractions in test caused my minor mistakes. They are interested in reasoning ability and not the arithmetic calculations. More emphasis on Data interpretation and real life scenarios.
  • There is New Test Score Scaling. The new scale will be 130 to 170 score scale with increments of 1 point instead of before 200 to 800 with 10 point increments. The analytical writing section will have same scale of 0 to 6 with 0.5 increments. The new test is designed to give good chance to demonstrate candidates reasoning skills regardless of their backgrounds.

GRE Subject Tests:

  • Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Literature in English
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychology

Below are some useful tips for thorough preparation of GRE:

  • Experts recommend that students wish to succeed in GRE must start early and study regularly.
  • Students must learn Vocabulary in Context. It has been seen that majority of students memorize dictionary definitions of words without really understanding those definitions or being able to comfortably use those words in sentences. Though vocabulary lists, flashcards are important, but some of the best vocabulary accrual occurs when you are reading difficult material.
  • Once students take a practice exam, they get information to start. Some students may realise that they need to improve their geometry skills, as well as review the definitions of various vocabulary words. Other students may know that they need to improve on their essay-writing skills. Students must look for key elements in a written passage that will assist them in choosing the correct answer option for verbal reasoning questions. Reasonably, students who are looking for the best way to prepare for the GRE must develop techniques that can simplify the most challenging questions on the exam.
  • For analytical writing section, effective way to prepare for the GRE is to practice writing issue and argument essays. Other tactic to prepare for this section of the exam is to read editorials in newspapers and magazines. Students are able to see the organization of a convincing essay, as well as observe how a writer uses vocabulary to convey his or her points. Additionally, students see how writers use supporting details to solidify their argument. They may also learn about various contentious topics that are in the news.
  • Students must complete online Practice Tests sincerely.
  • The GRE is mainly taken as a computer-adaptive test. On the computer-based test, the difficulty of the questions is based on the accuracy of answers to previous questions. The better candidates perform on the first sets of 20 verbal and quantitative reasoning questions, the harder the next sets of 20 questions will be.
  • For thorough preparation, candidates must take a GRE prep course.
  • It can be said that students appear in GRE exam to take admission in any foreign university for graduate programmes. Therefore, candidates must not take this exam lightly. Systematic studies and good time management can lead to success in this exam.