Every year thousands of students appear for different competitive exams with the hope of pursuing a Master’s degree in a renowned university. One such exam amongst the many is Graduate Record Examination, popularly known as GRE. The exam works wonders in helping the students get admissions to leading universities. Some of the top universities students eye in with a GRE are Harvard, Ivy League, Wharton, etc.

 

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) conducts the examination. The exam mainly finds its appearance by English speaking country students. It assesses verbal, writing, and quantitative skills. Aspirations with interests in a Master’s degree- MEME, MS, MBA, or a doctoral degree sit for GRE. The exam is 3 hours 40 minutes in duration with a 10-minute break in between. The experts recommend knowing the exam pattern as the foremost vital step towards exam cracking. So how do you prepare for GRE? Well, we’ve mentioned some studying methods and killer tips to pave a path towards high scores. Let’s get going with knowing what these are:

 

• Right Study Materials:

 

Students generally opt for one book and continue sticking to it. However, there are great books available in the market with top-notch study material. The experts suggest starting with one book and supplementing the syllabi from other resources. With this step, you’ll be in a wise position of mastering for the exam. The other problem that students face is the abundance of study material-all thanks to the smartphone and web. Students tend to lose themselves while doing everything. Thus, choosing the material and preparing for the exam are the wisest steps.

 

Just start simple and obtain conceptual clarities. Now that you have a hang of the basics, jump onto the advanced material. Don’t try to do everything- all at once. Start with the official ETS GRE guide in the beginning. Also, ensure making use of useful practice tests when it comes to practice exam material. Opt for the official ones. The unofficial, random ones do not provide you with accurate results and let you mess up with analyzing where you stand.

 

 

• Plan your Schedule:

 

Dwell into the exam process and format well in advance. Now that you have an ideal score in mind, a plan of action is the best thing you can do. Yes, taking the gre becomes easiest when you have a proper schedule, define the number of hours you can devote, and work towards the achievement of the same with dedication. Set up a goal for a day/week and try to achieve at least 80%, if not more. Schedule your study time, mark your calendar for the practice tests, and keep your appointments with yourself.

 

• Know the areas you need to focus on:

 

Odds are, one section may hold more vitality for the admissions than the other. You have to have an excellent Quant score if you’re going to a course that’s science or math-focused. On the other hand, a verbal score is more vital if you’re going into a humanities course. Ideally, it would help if you didn’t neglect the other section altogether. It is always wise to determine the one that’s more important than the others and put your energies to the best.

 

• Build your Mental Stamina:

 

The GRE is 3 hours and 40 minutes in duration. There is a minute in-between the sections and a 10-minutes break in-between the sections. It is very likely for you to lose your attention amid this extended test. The one minute barely allows you to catch your breath. So, it is essential to work on your endurance with good practice at the beginning of the test.

 

You have a block of questions belonging to the same category, and it becomes easy to get caught up in between. However, mastering the concept is already half the battle won. Once you achieve a comfort level with individual sections, consider taking the entire practice test at once. Schedule your practice exams regularly over two weeks before the exam and identify your weak areas. Monitor the time spent and work on speed improvements.

 

• Work towards Score Improvement:

 

What is the essential thing that you need to work upon for improving your GRE score? Well, the time it is. If you aren’t devoting sufficient time, you’re less likely to see a score jump. Now that you know the best study way, you know the exact amount of time you need for improving your score.

 

The experts emphasize upon taking note of the time for increasing your points. The points they suggest are total points and not the per section increases. Committing 40 hours can give up a hike of 5 points, 80 hours, a 10 points increase, and so on. Keep these points in mind and decipher your ideal score. Know that these depend upon your learning process, your absorbing power, and your comfort level with the underlying material.

 

• Practice Makes Perfect:

 

Practicing makes you attain perfection in everything you do. For the GRE, you both need to put in extra time while practicing the skills you’re struggling with-both at the same time. If geometry questions take a dig at you every time you solve a practice test, keep doing those until you  get more comfortable with those. One of the best ways of eliminating your weaknesses is by drilling them. Doing so will help you to hone your skills and churn out a bulk of correct answers on the final day.

 

What’s Next:

 

Now that you’re giving your heart and soul to the exam, keep up the motivation to set yourself on the right career path. Make a list of universities and list out the pros and cons of each. Turn a keen eye to some factors like finance, GRE score, cut-offs, course duration, etc.

 

In addition to the exam preparation, dwell in mind the profile building process also. You can attain proficiency in the subject you’re decent in. Even, begin drafting your applications for the shortlisted universities and collect sample essays. Keep preparing to embark upon the journey of your dream university with high GRE scores.

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February 2, 2021