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TestMagic GRE Tips
TestMagic GRE Tips
Cooldude001 (1600)
Good websites are New York Times, Washington Post, & the Hindu.
- 2-2.5 months / 1-1.5 hours per day should be more than enough.
- ideal if there are 2-3 friends preparing with u for the GRE together.
- Make connections in ur brain remember + not easily skip over the words.
- Spend at least half an hour on each word list: Mark or highlight the words
which u did not know. Use two kinds of highlighters: one for totally new
words & slightly familiar, but were not sure of helpful later on when revising.
- Don't worry: the whole process is not as difficult as it sounds. Once u start doing it,
u will work out several useful methods of ur own.
- What matters the most is: get down to actually doing it.
* U have gone through the Barron's once & have 20 more days to go.
- Take a Powerprep practice test right away. It never hurts to get a dose of reality.
give u an idea of where u stand in the quantitative section & might jog u out of
complacency.
- Don't worry if u have got low scores: at this stage, it is possible to effect a
dramatic improvement in scores in just 20 days & taking this test should make
u more serious towards that end.
- Two fronts: take as many timed tests as possible, even as u revise those word
lists periodically. A judicious, two-pronged approach can be worked out only by you.
- I took abt 10-15 practise tests - from a variety of Software: Kaplan, Princeton, etc.
My score range from 1240 - 1560. In Powerprep tests, I scored 1540 & 1560
- During the course of ur tests, u will come across several new, unfamiliar words:
important write it down.
- Take care that the notebook does not remain merely a Write-Only Memory
* Practice writing out a few sample essays on both issues & arguments.
- write out a minimum of 3-4 essays each on both the sections, around at least 2
weeks before the exam.
- All the essays I ever wrote for GRE prep are available on Testmagic
5) Get a good night's sleep the night before the exam & stop studying around
10-12 hours before the exam.
Go to the center with a relaxed attitude & give it ur best shot. May the Force be
with you
==
Peter (1600)
WSJ, NY Times, the Economist, etc. but I liked the aforementioned magazines more =
better match style & context of passages in Verbal (geology, biology, astronomy, fine
arts, literature).
Finally,
* New Oxford English Dictionary
* Roget's Thesaurus (red & black one: edited by Kipfer (?))
* Fowler's usage of modern English
* quality is better than quantity. Read some good philosophy (of whatever ur liking or
even better eclectic). Philosophy & Mathematics are considered to be "queens" of
sciences & PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy...
• knowledge of French, Latin (or a close substitute, like Italian) & Greek (in that
order) - immensely helpful. Portuguese
can do reasoning such as: "maladroit” (French: mal + droit : mal = bad,
droit = right) but adexios (a-dexios = not-right) means clumsy in
Greek, so maladroit must mean clumsy).
familiar with words like ascetic, bucolic, laconic, anomalous,
asymptotic, cacophonous, euphoria, etc. (they're Greek to me!).
• Most difficult I have found Latin-based words (the most prevalent group!):
tumultuous, turpitude, pulchtritude, obstreperous, and the like...
• speak intermediate German help with a handful of words directly (gestalt,
weltanschaung, ersatz, kitsch, wanderlust) & in a deep Germanic level indirectly:
ken (kennen means 'know sb, be acquainted' in German) have sth to do with
knowledge in English
• spirit of test very close to Powerprep software
• study Kaplan & Barron's (with emphasis on Kaplan)
• spend last 2-3 days immersing in Powerprep software.
• Math was a little more difficult than prep CATs (ETS, Kaplan)
• Time: during prep tests, seemed "infinite" to me for math. During test: hard
pressed for time.
• standard deviation and/or probability questions - part of test objectives all
grad applicants get tested for rudimentary familiarity/ prob & stat
• "harmonic progression" - sequence - core in Math.
• GRE is a politically-correct test. Try 10 CATs in Powerprep one of three RC
passages dealing with a topic on women or minorities (African American,
Hispanic, First Nations).
• Science passages from fields of Geology, Biology & Astronomy
• All possible topics for AWA are well-known Download them from ETS
• Go through ALL the topics. Even pondering for a minute or so on each.
• When taking Powerprep free exams actually write essays presented to u:
don't just skip them to do verbal & quant parts.
• Do as much practice writing as time permits (u won't have much time - I
maybe wrote 4 AWAs during preparation max)
• Must read: Jaffe's pragmatic advice in Barron's GMAT Guide.
• good to read essays.
• Recommended publications:
Periodicals:
- Foreign Affairs
- Scientific American
- BusinessWeek
- Economist
- New Yorker
Aristotle
Machiavelli
Nietzsche
Marx
Darwin
Klausewitz
Bertrand Russell
Drucker
Kierkegaard
Thomas Aquinas
Adam Smith
• need breadth & depth in vocab. Word list in Barron's GRE Guide
• when I read a book or magazine in English at home, I always have Oxford
New American Dictionary by my side. Find an unknown word, or "sort-of"
know look it up... twice! (Etymology & everything). Oxford dictionary
has excellent sidebars with commonly confused words (e.g flaunt & flout).
• prefer American rather than British dictionaries in context of preparing for
GMAT
• Barron's GMAT Guide has a nice discussion of Sentence Correction
inchoate", but in the New Yorker...
- dictionary.com, but not sure if it helped me. I think dictionary.com is the best
source to check meanings of words.
4. You don't really need to prepare for AWA if u are good at writing.
- There was a time when I was taking the test that I really wanted to leave the exam
center
==
800q/750v
(after 2 months: 15 hours/week studying, %70: verbal, %20: quant and %10: writing)
• Read Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis: various roots guess
• Vocabulary: built over a period of time
• Try Barron's 3500 word list: go through & mark every word u can't give a
definition for off top of ur head learn them all
• After knowing them all take old paper tests: ETS publications
• Go back & find out what ETS is looking for & how that differs from what
u're answering
• When u're ready try powerprep CATests out & see how you do
==
Pomegranatesrgood 1560 (760V, 800Q)
Kaplan
Barron
REA
800score.com
catprep.com
princeton online
petersons online
- Double check at the end to make sure u solved for what they asked. E.g, sometimes I
found myself solving for "x" & answering, when they asked for "x+y". Barron's book
helps a lot with translation from words to math.
- Better to write quickly but neatly & keep the scratch work for a problem together in
one place. I'd start from the top left of blank paper, do my scratch work downwards,
then draw a line after it's done to separate it from the next problem. Then when I reach
the bottom, I'd draw a big vertical line my scratch work eventually looked like
columns of a newspaper save time & headache.
4. Relaxation:
- test day is usually nerve racking learn relaxation exercises such as deep breathing
& PMR. I had a mini panic attack during math when I got stuck on a problem for 4
minutes & almost couldn't breathe.
- If I hadn't learned the relaxation techniques to calm myself, I think I wouldn't have been
able to finish
=
Shrugginatlas (1500: 700V, 800M)
- u can study all flash cards & still not know the words on Ant. It's just a
crapshoot
- Learn skills, not words! better off gaining skills for Ana. & RC can apply
to a lot of questions.
- fastest way for SC: put ur own answers in blanks before looking at choices
look for synonyms & not be distracted by trap answers.
- Reading:
+ 1st time: didn't spend a lot of time on RC. easily distracted & skimmed over
the passage hastily moving on to questions. THIS STRATEGY WILL NOT
WORK!
+ When u read the passage, give yourself time to pause after every
paragraph. Think about what the PURPOSE of that paragraph was.
+ ETS takes away a lot of fluff from passages every clause, every
sentence, every paragraph has a distinct function. E.g: a paragraph may
elaborate upon a prior point, offer a counterpoint, or give historical background.
+ let urself take the exam in the only way: relaxed, confident, instinctive
& very, very fast
+ Don’t overanalyze the passage.
+ u don't have to know every single detail of what the author means. U just
have to know how the author executes the writing. U need to observe like a
critic, not like a literature buff
+ Harvey: rather than focus too much on mechanics & details of golf, he
taught his pupils common sense & general principles. His advice: “If I tell you
to take an aspirin, don't take the whole bottle” u can't take any one method &
beat it to death.
+ Being a good GRE taker flexibility & versatility. U're doing well to
focus on learning different techniques. Keep them all in ur toolbox, because
u never know what kind of problems u'll encounter on test day
Quantitative,
- don't be afraid to take some time on the first five questions.
most bearing on ur score.
- u have more time than u think. Pacing = not a perfectionist on every single
problem.
- When u "feel" two values are identical or the answer can't be determined
Let ur intuition guide u.
- There is a simple way to answer just about every problem. U don't get
extra points for doings things in complicated way apply basic principles
of algebra & geometry to problems.
==
Part time, weekends & when not busy with other stuff. Most: memorizing vocabulary
Verbal:
• knew Barrons 3500 word list over 95% before test
• RCs: really tough.
• Most time-consuming --> made me frantically hurry
• Not more difficult than in Big Book & Barrons, but pressure during exam
affected concentration
• not extremely long, I don't even remember what they were about. 1 art, 1
biology. None: 100+ lines
• Ana, anto & sencom: not too bad. Vocab: not challenging
Analytical Writing
• Confident: I felt like I was able to write well on issue + argument questions.
• Argument question that I got: really easy and packed full of fallacies.
Study materials
• Big Book: valuable for quant data interpretation and verbal
• Princeton Verbal Workbook and Kaplan Verbal Workbook
• Princeton Review 2005: Practice tests on CD-ROM: worth taking, but too
easy. (I had 2 1600s). Actually, quant is accurate, but verbal is a bit
different.
• Kaplan 2004 edition - Pretty good.
• Barrons & GRE Nova - Best overall GRE prep materials.
• 800score verbal and quant - hard, but still good prep.
• Test magic forum - an essential resource & big help
• Prosigner Vocabulary Wizard 6.7 - essential until new GRE comes: do well
on verbal + a solid vocab
Us-guide
I. Sách nên học.
- Cracking GRE
- Kaplan Verbal Workbook
- Bigbook
- Barron GRE (đặc biệt phần Wordlist rất tốt)
- Nova (phần toán rất chi tiết, Wordlist 400 từ good)
II. Ôn luyện
a. Quantitative
Phải thật chắc chắn phần toán - thế mạnh của SVVN và hầu hết đạt 800 nếu
ôn luyện đúng cách & ko chủ quan
Math trong Cracking GRE + Nova làm đề thi thật (Big book) Mỗi tối trước
khi đi ngủ lấy Math Review của ETS làm
Đề thi toán hơi khó hơn so với Bigbook
Khi làm đề, đặt giờ 25 phút (thi thật 30 phút) Quan trọng nhất là Math
Review của ETS, phải đọc kĩ & hiểu thấu đáo tất cả các vấn đề, câu hỏi khó
cũng không nằm ngoài Math Review này.
Khi làm đề, câu sai thì note lại, lúc gần thi ôn lại rất tiện
b. Verbal.
Học từ mới
Dần dần, 20 từ/ngày hơn là nhồi nhét
Bắt đầu với Wordlist nhỏ, Cracking GRE (200 words)
Sau đó, Kaplan Verbal Workbook (300 words)
Làm Flashcard. Hôm sau ôn từ của hôm trước, cuối tuần: ôn lại, không học
thêm từ mới.
Bỏ riêng từ chưa thuộc hoặc khó nhớ ra một tệp. Học được 500 từ thông
dụng nhất thì dừng lại, chỉ ôn luyện thật kĩ những từ đã biết, sau đó mới mở
rộng thêm.
Làm đề
Sau khi tích luỹ được vốn từ nhất định làm đề. Đừng đợi học hết từ mới bắt
đầu làm đề, vì từ GRE rất dễ quên, mà có biết nghĩa từ mà không có kinh
nghiệm làm đề & đoán thì vẫn tích sai. Làm đề của Bigbook, gặp từ nào mới
thì đoán, sau đó tra & học luôn.
Xem Taisha Wordlist có phần Analogy rất hay.
c. Writing.
Rất khó --> đọc tài liệu của ETS.
III. Đi thi
- Writing trước. Viết liền 2 bài. Nghỉ 10 phút 2 phần sau.
- 2 section Verbal và 2 section math sẽ thi xen kẽ và liên tục trong 2 tiếng
khá căng thẳng
cần chuẩn bị sức khỏe & tâm lý thật tốt
Khi làm Verbal, làm Reading sau cùng vì đây là phần khó, tốn thời gian
Math hơi khó hơn Bigbook, nhưng hầu hết đều làm tốt yên tâm!!!
GRE Strategy: Overview
Familiarize yourself with test format + get general idea of what to expect reduce
anxiety & avoid surprises on test day.
Analogies
Antonyms
• Choose the most exact opposite, not the exact opposite. The true exact opposite may
not even be a choice. Rather, choose word or concept that is most nearly opposite.
• Challenge yourself to find distinct definitions: Use the words in a sentence
most precise meaning of the word.
• Split the word into prefix, suffix and/or root. some clue as to its meaning.
• Do not select a synonym. A common mental mistake.
Sentence Completions
• Pay attention to meaning + ideas the sentence expresses, even with those key
words missing decipher about overall tone
• Fill in blanks with words u think would make most sense in completing it, before
reading answers. Any choice match ur best educated guess?
• Two blanks: reread the sentence verify that both choices make sense. Entire
sentence must make logical & syntactical sense
• Once u've made ur selection, read the sentence again to verify that u've made the
most logical, best-fitting choice. Precision matters.
Reading Comprehension
1. Main idea
2. Explicitly presented information
3. Implied information
4. Application to other ideas/situations
5. Logic & reasoning sound
6. Tone
Strategies:
• Select the choice that fits best, not just the one that is technically correct.
Choose the best answer that most precisely fits the question
Problem solving: Use four basic skills listed above to solve mathematical problem
presented = one or two computations or series of mathematical tasks.
Quantitative Comparison
• Save time by avoiding unnecessary calculations. You may have to run through some
calculations, but only do so until you can identify which item is of greater relative value,
make your selection and then move forward.
• Consider many different possible numbers before you make your final selection. If
you're trying to establish which quantity is greater by substituting numbers for variables, be
sure to use a range of numbers (including zero and negative numbers). If you find a
disparity then the correct response may be that there's not enough information.
• Geometric figures are not always drawn to scale. Instead of the eyeball test, rely on
ur knowledge of mathematics to make your decision.
• There are only ever four choices for this section, so do not mark "E."
Problem Solving
• Read the question carefully to determine what is being asked. Check specifically for
key quantitative phrases, such as "how much…", "what is the total…" or "what is the
average…"
• Before starting on a calculation, scan the answers to determine the format expected.
For example, you might waste time looking for a number expressed as a decimal, when
the answer expected is a fraction.
• Use quick computational shortcuts wherever possible. For example, if a problem refers
to something with a value of 34.7%, understand that this is equal to about 1/3. Such
mathematical shortcuts can save you valuable time by not having to stumble through
arduous (and unnecessary) calculations.
• Read the question before analyzing the data on charts or graphs. Also, make any
conclusion about a chart or graph based only on the data given. Do not extrapolate or
theorize beyond what is presented in the question
Practice writing responses on several of the topics, keeping to the 45-minute time limit.
Try asking these questions when reviewing the list of Issue topics.
• What does the statement mean? imply? What, precisely, is the central issue?
• Do I agree with all or with any part of the statement? Why or why not?
• Is the statement valid only in certain circumstances?
• Do I need to explain how I interpret certain terms or concepts used in the
statement?
• If I take a certain position on the issue, what reasons support my position?
• What examples — either hypothetical or drawn from my readings or direct
experiences — could I use to illustrate those reasons and advance my point of
view? Which examples are most compelling?
• What reasons might someone use to refute or undermine my position? How
should I acknowledge or defend against those views?
Argument Task
Because the Argument task is constrained by the line of reasoning in the argument
presented to you, read and analyze the argument carefully.
Practice writing responses to several of the topics within the 30-minute time limit.
• What claims, conclusions & underlying assumptions does the argument make?
• What alternative explanations & counterexamples can I think of?
• What additional evidence might weaken or strengthen the claims?
• What changes in the argument would make the reasoning more sound?
• Don't spend too much time on any one question. If, after a reasonable amount
of thought, u don't know the answer, eliminate as many answer choices as
possible & then select & confirm the best answer. Keep going & aim to complete
the test.
• If u are running out of time at the end, make every effort to complete the test.
Most test takers get higher scores if they finish the test. answer all of the
questions. The best strategy: pace urself have time to consider each test
question & no guess.
Reading
• Develop a habit of reading actively: integrate & synthesize the passage as u go through
it. U can't be passive: don’t just let ur eyes move from word to word. Think about what
you read
• Absorb the text as u make ur way through it: stop after each paragraph & ask what the
point of that paragraph was. Stopping & synthesizing will help u see the text as a
whole
• every paragraph has a purpose and function in the whole.*
Main point: Think like an investigative journalist. Keeping four of the five W's in mind:
Who (or what) is this passage treating? What's the dominant theme?
What problem is presented in the passage? What solutions are given for it?
Where do we see specific examples of the problem? What kind of details does the author
offer to illustrate her point?
When is the author making this point?
• One other sure way: re-read the first & last sentences of each paragraph.
1. Scan through the passage & locate the area where this particular topic is discussed.
Then re-read the pertinent part, keeping the specifics of the question in mind.
2. Always be sure that the answer u've chosen appears in the text. Don't be fooled by
appearance of widely held opinions or commonly held beliefs
• A major thing to watch out for: make sure particulars are explicitly stated in the
passage, & not just well-known facts or widely-held opinions
Make inferences
• based on information given take that information & go beyond what the text states
overtly.
• look at what the passage doesn't say. Answer drawn directly from the passage
wrong.
• U need to infer - to draw a conclusion about the facts that are given, not just restate
them.
• knock out choices that are stated in the question
• strike out any answers that contradict the information given in the passage.
Something against what the passage says cannot be logically inferred.
• If u're asked to think about something outside the passage consider whether the
logic is the same in both cases. If sth in the passage is said to work or succeed a
very similar application or use of it would work or succeed in a different setting.
• If question turns on an argument, rather than on a practical application think in these
terms. Could u take this argument & apply it elsewhere? To answer this, u'll need to
think about how the argument itself works. What is the author advocating? What
does she shoot down? Why is she making the claims?
• hardest questions: take time & considerable amount of thought practice & leave until
last
• As with the inference questions, this type requires that u understand subtleties of the
text
Stylistic devices
• most straightforward & if u're pressed for time - u might be able to answer without reading
the whole passage.
• Examples: anecdotes, rhetorical questions, similes, metaphors, generalizations &
hyperboles. Or the question might ask u to determine meaning of a word based on
context.
• Be cautious. Sometimes a familiar word might be used in an unfamiliar way. Always
consider the information surrounding the specific word. A definition from context
question may be phrased in a number of ways
• If u're running out of time, remember questions pointing to specific words or phrases
can sometimes be answered without reading the entire passage. Answer them early
save time for later questions.
• This doesn't mean skipping the reading altogether, though.
• It's not enough to see the word and say "I know what that means." Ultimately u need to
be able to say "I know what that means HERE”.
• about half GRE verbal questions are reading related. You cannot do well and not do
reading.
• leave time for reading passages. There's no point reading the passage at a speed that
only allows you to understand half of it
• Read, read, read: Read everyday. Read the right kind of reading to get u in gear for
GRE
• The more u read, the better & faster - u'll get at it.
• Reading actively train rself to synthesize & integrate what u're reading.
• Strategies that can help your reading. We've outlined a few of them on the coming
screens
• When u get to the reading passage, always read italicized portion at the top orient
u to the text what the text is about (apart from the first few sentences) where it
came from.
• As you read, pay close attention to beginning & ending sentences of each
paragraph clues as to the main ideas expressed in the passage & how the logic of
the passage flows.
• Stay with the text: With the 4 Ws.
• Find it interesting - at least for 12 or 15 minutes.
• Tough. Stay focussed. The test will be over faster than u know - u'll have all afternoon &
the rest of weekend to let ur mind wander over more interesting topics
• After getting through the passage = still only partway there. Now tackle the answers.
• Have a general sense of how the questions work.
• Practice making up ur own reading comprehension questions. Find urself a passage &
think of some questions about main idea, specifics, tone, vocabulary or inferences. Do
with a friend or study partner: u can bounce questions & answers - off each other u'll
get a feel for how the questions themselves work
• When faced with question, beware of distractors among answers. Distractors =
answers true about life, but not true about the text Be sure the text says it + it
answers the question This is one of the most common ways students get these
questions wrong. They read the answer & say "Oh, that's true." They forget that they
have to think in the text.
• Many answers that seem right. We can fight amongst ourselves for hours about which
is the right one.
• Really controversial questions happen but they are rare.
• This is a multiple choice test - they're looking for the most obvious answer rein in an
urge to read too deeply & go instead with most straightforward interpretation.
• answer that is better than the others for a very good reason.
• practice can get you quite far with these questions. The more u read & the more
questions u answer, the better at it u'll become