The institution of the GRE, established by the Carnegie Foundation in 1936, assesses the candidate’s readiness for entrance into graduate school. With time, the GRE has adapted and developed to changing educational needs into a standard benchmark measuring verbal, quantitative, and analytical skills. It is overwhelming for starters, as it includes topics ranging from quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, and analytical writing. Therefore, we have compiled this blog post to offer the best 10 GRE General Preparation Tips for Beginners that guide you to maximize your study time and improve your chances of achieving your GRE with a good score.
1. Understand the GRE Structure and Format
Structure and format are like the blueprints of a building and understanding them in-depth is key to your GRE success. Let’s talk about the three sections of the GRE below:
Verbal Reasoning: This section demands a score between a scale of 130 and 170 in 1-point increments. Your skills in reading comprehension, evaluating passages critically, and ability to complete sentences accurately with the right vocabulary are considered for evaluation.
Quantitative Reasoning: Your competence to understand, interpret, and analyze numerical data while applying fundamental mathematical concepts is examined. Mathematical questions such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis are asked to ensure you can recognize patterns, manipulate equations, and interpret graphs or tables. Questions emphasize fundamental understanding and strategic thinking rather than advanced mathematics. You can expect multiple-choice questions, quantitative comparison problems, and numeric entry questions in this section.
Analytical Writing: Your knack for thinking critically and articulating complex ideas in writing with two tasks including an Issue task and an Argument Task is examined in this section. You must construct an essay that presents and defends your position on a given topic and supports your argument with reasoning and examples in the Issue task. On the other hand, the Argument task demands your ability to criticize an argument by identifying logical flaws and providing a well-reasoned analysis. This section will test your writing skills, and ability to organize thoughts, use appropriate evidence, and communicate complex ideas.
2. Set a Realistic Study Plan
Setting a structured and realistic study plan can help ease your GRE preparation. If you are someone who is setting a toe to start the GRE journey, you may find it more challenging to digest the comprehensive material. Breaking down your preparation into digestible, manageable segments is key to conquering GRE. Therefore, calculate the time left before the exam and allocate your study time accordingly. Consider the following steps to move closer to your goal:
Daily Study Schedule: Consistent effort is key to maintaining focused study. Eliminate unnecessary distractions and set a few hours daily for your GRE to make your preparation manageable.
Weekly Milestones: Create weekly goals for each section by covering a specific number of verbal reasoning or quantitative reasoning questions.
Mock Tests: Practice mock tests to understand yourself better, especially the weak points that demand more effort. Stay realistic about your time and effort and adjust your preparation accordingly. A structured approach and unwavering dedication will give you a higher chance of performing well in your exam.
3. Use Official GRE Preparation Materials
In a world crowded with information, courses, and training, rely on authentic study materials. The preparation materials provided by ETS are the best resources as their resources are based on the actual exam. Below are the resources you can rely upon:
- The Official Guide to the GRE General Test
- PowerPrep II Software
- GRE Official Test Prep Questions
Practicing your GRE using the official material will give you clear insight into the question format, difficulty level, and exam structure. Familiarizing yourself with the computer-based test environment can give you a significant advantage.
4. Focus on Weak Areas Early
It is not strange for beginners to find the GRE challenging, therefore, prioritize focusing on the challenging sections. Your areas of improvement could be verbal, quantitative, or analytical writing. Identify areas that need improvement and dedicate more time and effort to them. Observe, identify, and utilize practice tests to improve your challenging areas.
For instance, if you find quantitative reasoning tricky, consider dedicating more time to revisiting basic math concepts like algebra, probability, and geometry. Similarly, if you find verbal reasoning to be your weakness, give extra time and practice expanding your vocabulary and practicing comprehension passages.
5. Build Your Vocabulary for the Verbal Section
Alleviate your challenges in the GRE verbal section by learning and improving your vocabulary throughout the preparation. Learn high-frequency GRE words and their meanings from authentic online resources including GRE-specific vocabulary flashcards.
Do not forget to learn the usage of context after learning vocabulary. Reading different articles and exposing yourself to various writing styles including newspaper editorials, academic journals, and books will build better vocabulary needed for your GRE verbal section. Listen to educational podcasts or videos that can enrich your vocabulary.
6. Master Quantitative Reasoning with Practice
Some test-takers, especially those who find math uncomfortable will find the reasoning section of the GRE challenging. Worry not, practice regularly because it will help you master the section. Review and understand the basic math concepts such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data interpretation to tackle your challenges.
Invest your time in practicing questions and improve your quantitative reasoning skills. With time, you’ll be able to understand the regular patterns in question types which is key to answering the questions accurately.
7. Improve Time Management Skills
The exam is timed, and effective time management is key to answering questions quickly and accurately. Your ability to pace effectively with the exam timing during the actual test can be greatly enhanced with timed practice tests simulating the actual exam conditions. Take advantage of the availability of practice tests and conquer the GRE effortlessly and confidently.
Here are some powerful tips to handle your time management:
Go through the questions and mark the difficult ones or questions you think will take time to solve to avoid wasting your time on questions you don’t know. Attempt them later if necessary.
Understand and track the time of each section sticking to the recommended time limits. Avoid getting stuck on one question if it takes too much time and move on to the next one.
8. Take Full-Length Practice Tests
Section-wise tests make sense when you combine and take a full-length practice test. You can build the real stamina of the real test as the full-length test simulates the actual exam environment. Your ability to pace with the actual test date can boost your exam confidence. Therefore, give due diligence and practice consistently for effective time management and high score. Moreover, full-length practice tests will help you identify your weak areas that require more effort so you can master all the exam sections. Because your ability to Identify areas of improvement is key to achieving your desired score.
Be wise enough to understand why you make certain mistakes and ways to improve them. Ensure you review your practice test results religiously and work on the wrong answers to improve. Understand the depth of reasoning and avoid memorizing to enjoy long-term retention of what you’ve learned.
9. Review Your Mistakes and Learn from Them
Do not be afraid to make mistakes while practicing, instead work on improving them by reviewing and practicing them thoroughly. This will allow you to understand why you chose the wrong answers so you can answer similar questions differently next time.
Record your errors by creating a “Mistake Log” and find out the reason behind your mistake. Your ability to find the errors will help you work on them with more enthusiasm and give error-free answers.
10. Stay Positive and Consistent
Understand that the GRE is a marathon, not a sprinter. During preparation, there will be times you will want to give up and feel discouraged, especially when progress seems slow. Remember, it is part of the journey, and we are human enough to feel that way, so don’t give up easily but continue to be persistent in the journey. Every success story has struggles, but they are successful now because they never give up when disappointment comes their way. Stay resilient, consistent, and positive to succeed. It is important to celebrate small wins on your journey of preparation, therefore, celebrate when you master a tough topic or when you improve your score on a practice test.
Breaks are as important as your hard work. Take breaks in between to relax and avoid burnout. Staying relaxed and confident will help you perform better on the test day.
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Besides these 10 GRE tips, you may also find a mentor and be part of the GRE network on social media. Do what works for you, however, the 10 GRE tips discussed above are powerful for self-study. Following these tips with due diligence will help set yourself up for success where you can prove your intellectual muscles to the admission committee. Remember, good things take time and so does the GRE. With a structured approach, the right resources, and consistent practice, you can achieve your target score and open doors to graduate studies.
Happy Certifying!