GRE or the “Graduate Record Examination” is an important step for obtaining admission to business school or graduate school. The GRE consists of multiple-choice questions and computer-based standardization. Passing the exam is important for admission to graduate and undergraduate business courses globally. Also, many law schools in the USA make the GRE score an admission criterion for the students.
The GRE is developed and conducted by the Testmaker and helps compare the applicants, their qualifications, and their preparedness for graduate-level studies. The decision committee of international universities and colleges considers the GRE score along with the academic qualification of the candidates and other supporting materials to examine the readiness of the candidate for the difficulties of graduate academic studies.
The GRE scores measure the command of the candidate in basic arithmetic, geometry, algebra, data analysis, and college-level vocabulary. The exam also helps in evaluating the capability and skills of the students in analyzing written materials, critical thinking ability, and problem-solving attitudes.
The preparation for the GRE general test mostly depends on the time available for the candidate to prepare for the examination. Before taking the GRE General test, the students need to make themselves aware of the administrative procedures, types of questions asked in the tests, approximate number of questions, and time available for each section.
Before the day of the test
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The administrative processes for the test include registration for the test, appointment of the test, scheduling the time, date, test center, cost, location of the test, score reporting, and availability of special testing arrangements.
Familiarizing the test content
Before appearing for the general test, the students need to familiarize themselves with the contents in each section, including the materials on which the students will be tested and the types of questions that will be asked.
Quantitative reasoning and verbal reasoning test-taking strategies
The questions of Quantitative reasoning and Verbal reasoning questions have different types of formats which include
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Answer every question
The scores of Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning are determined by the number of correct answers given by the candidates. There is no negative marking for wrong answers, therefore to maximize the score in the verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning sections, the students need to answer every question in the section.
Paying attention to time
The candidates need to work quickly and rapidly carefully during the exams. As every question has equal weightage, therefore it is important not to waste time on individual questions that are extremely difficult to solve.
Familiarizing with the test experience
The students can make use of POWERPREP® practice tests to get the experience of the GRE test before the actual exam. This helps the students in getting familiarised with testing design and testing software.
Time prioritizing
It is imperative to manage the time available during the GRE tests properly. The students are provided with only 30 minutes for analytical writing tasks. During this time students are required to think about the questions, prepare their responses, and compose their essays. The students need to provide their best writing skills during their exams.
Reviewing the answers for errors
It is advisable to save a few minutes at the end of the task to check for different errors. Although small spelling, grammatical, or typographical efforts did not impact the score, however persistence and a large number of errors can reduce the overall effectiveness of the writing affecting the scores of the candidates.
Using the scratch paper
The students are provided with scratch paper before the beginning of the examination. In case the students need more they can ask the invigilator for extra scratch paper.
Avoid taking unscheduled breaks
Taking unscheduled brakes will affect the section timings and cause a loss of time. Therefore the students need to complete the test without any interruptions after it begins.