Preparation tips to succeed in GRE

The Graduate Record Exam, commonly known as GRE, is taken by more than 7 million people around the world. GRE scores is an important component of your application, if you plan on applying to graduate schools and universities overseas.

The GRE is most commonly taken as a computer-adaptive test. In the computer adaptive test, the difficulty of the questions is based on the accuracy of your answers to the previous questions. The better you perform on the first sets of verbal and quantitative reasoning questions, the harder the next questions will be.

The GRE exam pattern is broken down into 3 major components which are:

• verbal reasoning,
• quantitative reasoning and
• analytical writing.

A good score in GRE and a healthy GPA in college is a major uplift and adds to the value of your application. Use the following tips to master your GRE test:

Go back to high school books, refresh your basics: Many test takers may lack basic knowledge of high school math. These basic tenets from your high school play an important part in the quantitative section of the test.

Do not worry if you are rusty in your basic math. It is important for all of you to revisit and revise the basic concepts of algebra and geometry that you learned in high school.

Sleep with your dictionary: Those test takers who slept through your English classes in high school and college, may be in trouble with the verbal section.

During your time in school, make sure to expand your vocabulary so that you can understand unfamiliar words. Over four years of college you can assimilate more diverse vocabulary than struggling for a few weeks or months prior to the GRE.

The GRE is known to use advanced words, hence, for success here in the qualitative sections, it is extremely important to be well read.

Take up GRE prep course: The GRE is designed to differ from areas of study in college and measures students' critical thinking skills and not necessarily what they learned in school.

No matter how astral your college grades are, critical thinking might not come naturally. Coaching classes for GRE, though is a sizable investment, tends to pay off. Critical thinking is something that is hard to gain overnight, so it is worth investing time and money in preparing for GRE.

Another option for building critical thinking is using the free resources that are available on the Educational Testing Services (ETS) website.

Take a practice test: Though you have impeccable vocabulary, polished writing skills and sharpened quantitative skills, none of it matters if you are not accustomed to the unconventional format of GRE.

ETS and other tutorials online have free computer adaptive tests that help stimulate your experience of the test.

If you are not happy with your score, take the test again: Schools have access to any GRE scores for the test you have taken in the last 5 years. Most of the universities only care about the best scores, say experts. The admission officials, often record only the top score when they are sending your file up for admissions.

Take up a high-level English course: Improvising your English skills is integral for overall success on the GRE. According to experts, you should take up a high-level English or writing course to prepare best for the caliber of questions found on the GRE.