How to Prepare for The GRE Exam
Annually, around 700,000 people take the GRE or Graduate Record Exam. This exam is very similar to the SAT exam, but there are a few important differences that you might notice when you start looking into the GRE exams. First off, unlike the SAT's that are done by hand and include those little bubbles you have to fill in with your pencil the GRE is all done on a computer. Not only is it less annoying to not have to fill in those little bubbles, but you won't need to worry about erasers or eraser marks either. Also, the GRE exam bases your next 20 questions on the basis if you filled out the first 20 questions right or not. For example, say for the first 20 questions, you answer 19 right, the computer will then heighten the level of difficulty on the next 20 questions. On the other hand, if you only got about 5 right on the first 20 questions, the next 20 will not be as difficult, but it will go up in a certain degree of difficulty. Also, unlike the SAT, s the GRE exam is broken down into 3 main components and they are; quantitative reasoning, analytical writing and verbal reasoning. Verbal reasoning has 2 30 minute periods for this section and includes 2 sets of 20 questions. You will also have 2 sets of 20 questions for quantitative reasoning each with 35 minutes each. Then, for analytical writing you will be asked to write 2 essays and you get 30 minutes for each essay. It sounds a little confusing, but I promise once you get down to business it won’t be as confusing as it sounds. If you are getting ready for your GRE exams and you want to figure out how to prepare yourself here are a few tips:
Learn More Words for a Better Vocabulary
The verbal section of the GRE is intense when it comes to English. Make sure that in your free time you are not only reading advanced reading books, but do yourself a favor and get a dictionary out. Familiarize yourself with basic words and definitions as well as a few more complex words and definitions - and remember how to spell them too. If you were really clever you not only are doing this 2 weeks before your exam, but hopefully for the past few years in high school as well as college. You might be surprised at just how many words you can learn in a 4-6 year period!
Hire a Tutor or Take a Prep Course for GRE
If you have the money to do so, or you can get a loan from someone for a tutor in New York - do it! One of the basic laws of the GRE is critical thinking skills. Unfortunately, some people just have no idea how to be critical when it comes to thinking. Thankfully tutors and prep courses can teach and instill this skill into you. Depending on the tutor and or the prep course it could be anywhere from a few hundred dollars on up to a few thousand dollars. For example Kaplan has a course, but it costs close to $3500 which might seem like a lot but it might be worth it if you consider all the benefits you get from a tutor or prep course!
Practice Makes Almost Perfect
Of course I’m not going to say practice makes perfect, because it’s very rare for someone to get a perfect score on the GRE. Really, about 700,000 people annually take this exam, and only a few hundred have actually aced it or gotten a 99.8% or better. But, I digress. Practice makes almost perfect and if you want an almost perfect or you just want to test yourself and prepare for the time management issues you might have for the GRE, there are practice tests out there you can take. You can find these online and take them online you can also print them out and have someone else test you and even more you can find books that have quizzes inside them to familiarize you with how the test works and in which process it works. Either way, if you want to test the waters, the GRE practice exam is the way to go!
Learn More Words for a Better Vocabulary
The verbal section of the GRE is intense when it comes to English. Make sure that in your free time you are not only reading advanced reading books, but do yourself a favor and get a dictionary out. Familiarize yourself with basic words and definitions as well as a few more complex words and definitions - and remember how to spell them too. If you were really clever you not only are doing this 2 weeks before your exam, but hopefully for the past few years in high school as well as college. You might be surprised at just how many words you can learn in a 4-6 year period!
Hire a Tutor or Take a Prep Course for GRE
If you have the money to do so, or you can get a loan from someone for a tutor in New York - do it! One of the basic laws of the GRE is critical thinking skills. Unfortunately, some people just have no idea how to be critical when it comes to thinking. Thankfully tutors and prep courses can teach and instill this skill into you. Depending on the tutor and or the prep course it could be anywhere from a few hundred dollars on up to a few thousand dollars. For example Kaplan has a course, but it costs close to $3500 which might seem like a lot but it might be worth it if you consider all the benefits you get from a tutor or prep course!
Practice Makes Almost Perfect
Of course I’m not going to say practice makes perfect, because it’s very rare for someone to get a perfect score on the GRE. Really, about 700,000 people annually take this exam, and only a few hundred have actually aced it or gotten a 99.8% or better. But, I digress. Practice makes almost perfect and if you want an almost perfect or you just want to test yourself and prepare for the time management issues you might have for the GRE, there are practice tests out there you can take. You can find these online and take them online you can also print them out and have someone else test you and even more you can find books that have quizzes inside them to familiarize you with how the test works and in which process it works. Either way, if you want to test the waters, the GRE practice exam is the way to go!