“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” ~Bobby Unser
Seems like you have set your mind on GRE 2024! Considering that you aspire to get into a reputed international college/university, we have come up with a smart strategy for your GRE preparation.
Before starting their preparation, GRE aspirants are often faced with doubts like,“ How do I start GRE preparation?”, “ How many months should I invest for GRE preparation?”, “ Which is the best way to prepare?”, etc.
In this article, you will learn about the right way to study for GRE 2024.
GRE 2024
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) is administered by ETS (Educational Testing Service)for admission to MBA/MS and other master degree programmes worldwide. Its scores are accepted by thousands of grad schools (B-schools and law schools) in US, Canada, UK, Australia, and several other countries. Lakhs of aspirants appear for GRE every year. The exam is conducted in paper-based/computer-based mode at test centres and also, in remote-proctored online mode.
GRE evaluates the candidate’s skills in Analytical Writing, Quantitative Reasoning, and Verbal Reasoning.
GRE Preparation 2024: Step-by-Step Guide to crack GRE
GRE is perceived to have a high degree of difficulty, compared to other entrance tests. So, it is important that you follow a focused study schedule for GRE preparation. Our experts have devised a stepwise approach for helping you ace GRE with a good score.
1. Learn about the Test Pattern
Prior to beginning your preparation, you must get familiar with the expected questions, exam structure, and marking scheme of GRE. This marks the first step to planning your study schedule for different sections.
GRE is composed of six parts, and each part is separately timed. The total duration of the exam is 3 hours and 45 minutes. The following table shows a detailed breakup of GRE General Test, along with its marking criteria:
|
Sections
|
No. of Questions
|
Time Limit
|
Score Range
|
|
Analytical Writing
(Two sub-sections)
|
Section 1: Analyze the Issue
Section 2: Analyze the Argument
|
30 minutes per task/section
|
0-6 (half-point increments)
|
|
Verbal Reasoning
(Two sections)
|
20 questions per section
|
30 minutes per section
|
130-170 (1-point increments)
|
|
Quantitative Reasoning
(Two sections)
|
20 questions per section
|
35 minutes per section
|
130-170 (1-point increments)
|
|
Unscored section
|
Variable
|
Variable
|
-
|
|
Research-based section
|
Variable
|
Variable
|
-
|
NOTE: A 10-minute break is givenafter the third section.
There is no penalty for wrong answers in GRE, and scores of major sections are considered individually. GRE scorecard doesn’t display any overall/total scores. Further, the exam is based on a sectionally-adaptive system (Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning).
2. Learn about the Test Content
The next step is to be aware of key topics in different sections. Here is a brief description of various areas of GRE General Test:
Analytical Writing: As shown in the table above, this section consists of two parts: analysis of an issue and analysis of an argument. Generally, you will get a small passage or set of a few statements themed around an issue or event, followed by a series of instructions. You need to express your opinion and suggestions on the same.
Verbal Reasoning: In this portion, you are assessed for your reading skills and knowledge of grammar, and vocabulary. Verbal section is mainly dominated by RC (reading comprehension) passages from humanities, science, business and other fields. Other questions are in the form of paragraph completion and fill-in-the-blanks.
Quantitative Reasoning: This section has questions fromarithmetic, algebra,geometry, and data analysis. These are in the form ofNumeric Entry questions and Data Interpretation sets.
For GRE Subject tests, the syllabus and pattern vary as per the chosen subject. For more details, check the
official website.
Did You Know: Bill Gates scored 580 in the Quantitative section and 540 in the Verbal section of GRE.
3. Make a Study Plan
If you are serious about gaining a good score in GRE, you must develop a proper study schedule and set deadlines for different stages of your preparation. While some students need only 2-3 months to gear up for GRE, others require 4-6 months for the same. Depending upon your daily routine, you can plan your timeline for preparing different sections of GRE.
Ideally, you should proceed in the following way for GRE preparation:
- Strengthen your Basics
Though GRE questions are based on fundamental concepts, they are usually tricky and complex in nature. So, firstly, you must spend the initial 1-2 months building a strong foundation in the basic topics of English, reasoning, mathematics, and data interpretation. Alongside, you must boost your reading and analysis skills with the help of newspapers, books, and other sources of quality articles.
- Track your Progress
After learning the basic concepts, you should assess yourself with topic-wise tests, then proceed to section-wise tests, and finallytry the full-length mock tests. Simultaneously, practice writing on sample topics given on the official site. Remember to solve these tests within the required time limits.
- Reflect and Learn
As you check your progress through practice tests, you will learn about your strengths and weaknesses. While your starting scores may not be too good, it is crucial that you improve your scores with every next test you attempt. For this, you need to learn from your mistakes and work on your weak spots.
4. Strategise to Succeed
The advantage of practice tests is that you can use different strategies for different tests and finally, decide upon the one that proves most effective. Even though GRE has no negative marking and follows a section-wise adaptive format, you must take care of time management and aim to achieve accuracy in difficult questions in order to boost your score.
Lastly, you can utilise the official guides and practice tests availabl
e for GRE General and Subject tests.
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