Introduction

It is often said that the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right name; this could
not be truer for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The GRE is a standardized test
that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in the United States and
Canada. The test score is ranged over 340 (170 per section). Worldwide, it is an unstated
consensus that if a test-taker’s score range below the 300-mark point, such an individual
can be adjudged to have failed the test. Yet, the importance of a GRE score can range
from being a mere admission formality to an important selection factor. The GRE test is,
arguably, going to be involving for a naïve test-taker and even esoteric for an
experienced standardized test-taker. Even so, regardless of experience, it can be
whittled as long as a test-taker employs the sharpest knife in the drawer.
According to the Education Testing Service (ETS), the GRE aims to measure a test
taker's verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical
thinking skills that have been acquired over a long period of learning. The emphasis
here is on critical thinking and application of knowledge! As such, it is unsurprising that
the content of the GRE consists of certain specific algebra, geometry, arithmetic, and
overwhelming vocabularies that compel a test-taker to critically think by thinking
critically. In other words, the questions are structured in such a way that a test-taker
analyzes facts (rationally understands the logical connection between ideas) to form a
judgment (arrive at an answer).
As humans, we often argue that is good to travel with hope and courage. But with the
GRE, this is not the path to follow. I suppose this is why Ragnar Lothbrok in the movie
Vikings said: “For it is good to travel with hope and courage, but it is still better to travel
with knowledge”. Thankfully, because the GRE is a standardized test, through knowledge
we know the GRE test comes with a level of predictability. Thus, the theme surrounding
each question type and approach is, roughly, the same. So, the big question is; What is
the key to acing the test? Well, a Yoruba adage states: Ẹni tó bá ma dáṣọ fẹ́ni, ti ọrùn
rẹ̀ la kọ́kọ́ ma ń wò. In English, that adage roughly transcends to ‘Example is better than
precept’. And having taken the test myself, the key is preparation.
This is why I have decided to chronicle my pathway and approach to the GRE test.
Hopefully, it spurs you to win!

VERBAL REASONING
Consider the following words:
INVOLVING, RECONDITE, TERGIVERSATE, SPLENETIC, FACTIOUS, FACTITIOUS,
FATUOS, ARCANE, TRAVESTY, INSOLVENT
If you have never heard of or know the meaning to 7 out of 10 of these words, then you
need to prepare for at least 9 weeks. Here is why 2000 or more of these words abound!

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More importantly, the level of difficulty of the words highlighted above is ~ 2. There are 3
more levels of difficulty. On a whole, the level of difficulty for GRE verbal vocabularies
range from 1–5. Of course, you are expected to know the meanings of these words,
literally, contextually, and figuratively.
In any case, the verbal section is made up of three sections; (1) four sentence equivalence
questions, (2) six text completion questions, and (3) ten reading comprehension
questions. The sentence equivalence questions are the easiest of the sets. Here the
expectation is to find an antonym to a word in question. But it gets tricky with text
completion as it is a winner takes all approach. There could be two to three blanks and
an incorrect word in a blank gets you no score. The expectation is for you to complete the
sentence with a list of words that best completes the sentence as a whole. As mentioned
above, you would need to logically connect the words with the sentence to arrive at an
answer. Both sections rely heavily on your residual knowledge of vocabulary (i.e., the
GRE words) and your ability to connect ideas logically. If you do not memorize and
familiarize yourself with those GRE vocabularies, you do not stand a chance!
Critically evaluate the options and strike out options that do not fit the context. If you are
faced with 2 seemingly good options like the test would most likely present to you, make
an educated guess on the option that fits the context better, contextually.
For example:
Question 1: The façade of the house was _______, making the interior even more
disappointing to prospective buyers.
A. Ramshackle
B. Dilapidated
C. August
D. Diminutive
E. Gloomy
Approach:
Nothing in the sentence suggests impressive (august), small (diminutive), or sad
(gloomy). So, I would not go with C, D, or E. So, that leaves options A and B. The keyword
here is “interior more disappointing”. Hence, one can conclude that the prospective
buyers were first embarrassed by the façade before even seeing the interior. Either
ramshackle or dilapidated seems right at first glance, but dilapidated fits the sentence
more contextually given the tense of the verb.

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Question 2: The stage of the daytime talk show has become our Roman coliseum; the
audience _______ the “guest”, who is meant to atone, over a cacophony of jeers, for
some unseemly behavior.
A. Reviles
B. Humors
C. Offends
D. Snubs
E. Extols
Approach:
It is clear the guest needs to apologize to the audience for an unruly act. The attitude of
the audience as mirrored by the cacophony of jeers must be negative. Thus, one can
conclude the audience lambasted or denounced the guest not praised (extols), or looked
away (snubs), or offended (offends), or gave the guest a reason to smile (humor). The
audience most likely censured (reviles) the guest.
Interestingly, if you had gone with A (reviles), you would have been wrong! The key to
this sentence here is the Roman coliseum. You don’t revile in a Roman coliseum, you
praise (i.e., extol)! Besides, the guest was meant to atone for some unseemly bad
behavior. Thus, the “oddity” of the behavior of the audience towards the guest made it a
talk worthy of the show. And it is definitely not because the audience excoriated the guest!
In both examples, as with all verbal reasoning questions, the tone of the sentence is
important. Thus, a test taker should first understand the sentence tone and step wisely
strikeout illogical answers. If you are stuck with two seemingly “right” answers, make an
educated guess on why one won’t fit and move on. Remember, time and speed are
important with the GRE test!
The final section, the reading comprehension, is, perhaps, the hardest. Intentionally, ETS
provides all test-takers with a very obtuse and arcane passage that would most likely not
interest you. Of course, the comprehension passage is not designed to satisfy any test-
taker’s indulgence, rather the expectation is for a test-taker to have the ability to find a
needle in a haystack – a tool a prospective graduate student must have! This section is
where a test-taker would need to bring the A-game on (ca. critically think by thinking
critically). Thankfully, the approach is the same as explained above.
To summarize, for the verbal section, I would recommend buying a notebook and adopt
an approach to your study routine. For me, I studied about 60 words daily, wrote them in
my notebook, and read from the beginning every morning. Also, I downloaded flashcards
such as; REady4GRE, Magoosh GRE vocabulary, GRE Reading comprehension from
the AppStore and I practiced daily. For reading comprehension, a good resource for a
test-taker is provided here; https://crunchprep.com/gre-reading-comprehension-guide.

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 ANALYTICAL SECTION
The GRE analytical section has two parts: (1) the issue essay and (2) the argument
essay. A test-taker is allotted 30 minutes for each essay. Both essays test your ability to
write a cogent thesis statement that you must defend throughout several paragraphs.
Consider the following examples directly culled from Magoosh GRE Blog
Issue essay example:
“It could be argued that the most important technological breakthroughs have happened
by chance and through surprise discoveries. However, others argue that deliberate, well-
planned research with specific goals is the only way to ensure technological
advancement.”
Here, the expectation is to write an essay on the extent to which you agree or disagree
with the above epithet. The idea here is to look for arguments that inflate the logic around
the statement and arguments that must hold for the logic to be unparalleled. Then use
these arguments to explain your position. This approach is likely to portray you as an
objective test-taker and get you an average score of 4.5. if done properly
Approach:
The approach to writing an essay with at least a score of 4.5 is being straightforward and
logical. I typically encourage 4-6 paragraphs. Often, I recommend starting with a position
you most agree with (either of arguments that inflate or strengthen the logic of the
statement). Thus, the first paragraph (i.e., introduction) should clearly show that and
reflect the direction you intend to proceed to drive home your points. Depending on the
number of arguments you have, demystify each argument in a paragraph using very
straightforward examples. For the reverse positions, use contrasting words like
“nevertheless” or “however” to signal to the reader that you are shifting gears in your
position and go through each argument per paragraph. The catch here is there is no right
or wrong answer. Only your ability to demonstrate clear-headedness is important. The
expectation is for you to demonstrate logical and critical thinking. The last paragraph
should be your conclusion reemphasizing your take (the position you most agree with)
and sequentially in the order, you have listed them.
Argument essay example:
“SuperCorp recently moved its headquarters to Corporateville. The recent surge in the
number of homeowners in Corporateville prove that Corporateville is a superior place to
live then Middlesburg, the home of SuperCorp’s current headquarters. Moreover,
Middleburg is a predominately urban area and according to an employee survey,
SuperCorp has determined that its workers prefer to live in an area that is not urban.
Finally, Corporateville has lower taxes than Middlesburg, making it not only a safer place
to work but also a cheaper one. Therefore, Supercorp clearly made the best decision.”

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Here, the test-taker is expected to read between the lines. In other words, identify and
evaluate the assumptions of this paragraph. More importantly, the test-taker is expected
to evince how the arguments (sentences) depend on the assumptions and what the
implications are if the assumptions prove unwarranted.
Approach:
Unlike the issue essay, the argument essay demands an evaluation of the logic behind
the provided paragraph. Read each sentence and identify what must be true or what
would have been true for the sentence to hold water.
To summarize, for the analytical section, visit the GRE website. Look at the themes. The
topics of the essay presented on the GRE test day never go beyond these themes. The
key is to learn how to write a persuasive essay. For starters, I recommend reading, now
and then, columns from the following webpages: The New York Times
(https://www.nytimes.com/), The Atlantic (https://amp.theatlantic.com/), and aeon
(https://aeon.co/). This way, you would understand how compelling essays are written.
For further reading, kindly consult the guide in Princeton, Manhattan, Magoosh, Kaplan,
and Baron textbooks.

QUANTITATIVE REASONING
The quantitative section of the GRE is high school mathematics. So, this section
resonates around some central principles a test-taker is, most likely, already familiar with.
Even so, it is highly recommended that a potential test-taker approach it with caution.
Personally, the Manhattan 6 books demystifying geometry, numbers, algebra, word
problems, quantitative comparison-data Interpretations, and fraction/decimal/percentage
is a good start. Similarly, the Manhattan 5 pounds’ book has a good repertoire of practice
problems. Additionally, Kaplan’s textbooks could be added to the arsenal. I strongly
recommend going through all examples and practice questions before you take the test.
Conclusion
As highlighted earlier, the GRE is a standardized test. Hence, there would be an
idiosyncratic reason why you keep getting a question wrong. So, the key is finding out
why. In addition to preparation, study consistently. Study at least 4 hours per day and for
5 days a week. Whatever you do, don’t study for more than 3 months. Economics has
taught us that after the peak comes the decline. Besides, the bookmakers say that
students who study more than 3 months usually come out looking awry. Above all, take
time to rest. When you have gone through all practice questions and feel confident
enough, take the test. I often encourage registration for the test before you begin studying.
My rationale for this is that the countdown would likely motivate you to study hard. But
one size, obviously, doesn’t fit all. If such an approach would make you nervous, register

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only when you are good to go. Once registered, take the two tests on Powerprep that
comes as a souvenir to your registration.
Good luck and good wishes,
Seun Oladipupo