How to prepare for GRE in 10 weeks

Expensive tuition classes and even more expensive books form a large part of preparing for the GRE. However, there is a way you can crack the GRE exams without burning a hole in your pocket, and we’re telling you exactly.

Students, teachers and even parents invest months into preparing for GRE or the Graduate Record Examination for a ticket to study in some of the most prestigious universities and colleges in the US. Undoubtedly, this standardised test is not easy to crack, but does it actually mandate the amount of money and time that students invest in it?

While there are many who claim that hiring a tutor to coach you guarantees a good result, it is not always true. At the end of the day, it depends on how serious a student is about the test, how much time and effort he is willing to put in and his ability to grasp and study. That being said, it is possible to prepare for the GRE by yourself.

FOR STARTERS
Graduate students who apply for master’s degrees in engineering, psychology or any other non-business related subject areas have to appear for the GRE. So, once you know the course you wish to pursue, shortlist the colleges you’d like to apply to and set in mind a score you’d like to achieve.

TEST YOUR LEARNING ABILITY
The GRE has two basic sections: verbal and qualitative. The verbal section tests a student’s vocabulary, reading, comprehension and critical reasoning. Quantitative on the other hand access high school level mathematics knowledge. In India, graduate students from mathematics backgrounds will have an added advantage while preparing for the maths section as they are exposed to it throughout their junior and senior college years. Maths might be a cakewalk, but the true challenge lies in the verbal section for these students. Those with non-maths backgrounds might find both the sections challenging. The best way to test your capabilities and your need for preparation is to take a practice test using Power Prep for GRE, software available at the GRE website.

STUDY PLAN
Your Bible, Gita or Quran is the ‘big book’. It is a compilation of test papers along with answers. Released exclusively by ETS, this book is what you need while preparing for the GRE. Assuming that you have your study material and course work in place, make a daily study plan – set aside two hours daily for just GRE prep.

READY, SET, GO!
This 10-week self-study guide is perfect for those who are juggling jobs and other day-to-day tasks and cannot completely commit to classes. Classes also tend to be expensive, so if you’d rather invest that money into your college fund, self-study should be your first choice. To aid in your preparation, you could take an online word and numerical quizzes. These should not replace your GRE-driven prep, as outlined above, but should be supplementary. Ace that test!

10 WEEK STUDY PLAN

WEEK 1
Go through the ETS big book and make a list of the words you do not know. Look up a dictionary and start making your own word list. Make the big book your guide; do not refer to wordlists from other books or portals.

WEEK 2
The ETS big book has over 26 tests and you need to try and remember as many words as you can. Don’t just memorise the words – try and create sentences which will help you remember the words.

WEEK 3
For the quantitative section, buy the Practicing to Take the General Test book. Use ‘the review of the quantitative’ section to brush up on your math concepts.

WEEK 4
Start practising maths problems topic by topic and identify the areas you need more practice in.

WEEK 5
Now that your vocabulary is a little better, start with the analogies section of the verbal portion of the test. Use the tests from the ETS big book.

WEEK 6
Progress to the sentence completions and antonyms questions. Again, use the questions from the big book to better your verbal skills.

WEEK 7
Dedicate this entire week to the reading comprehension and the essay writing component of the test. You can use the essay topics from the Practicing to Take the General Test book.

WEEK 8
Practice mixed maths problems from all topics. Use the big book and the Practicing to Take the General Test book for this.

WEEK 9
Now you are ready to practice an entire GRE test at one stretch. Make sure that there are no distractions around you. Time yourself as well. Try and finish one test per day. You can use the paper tests from the ETS book. Avoid repeating the tests; instead, choose to solve different tests each time you practice.

WEEK 10
Make optimum use of online software like the GRE Power Prep. They are freely available and will make your study easier.

GRE PREP WITH APPS

* Ultimate GRE Prep
* Magoosh GRE Prep
* GRE Quantitative Formulae
* GRE Quantitative Ability Quiz