Everythings About GRE (1)

GRE Study

Graduate Record Exam is an exam which prospective undergraduates take in order to take admission in a graduation course. When you pass out of a school and seek admission in a college or university you will be expected to have taken the GRE. This exam is a part of the admission criteria of colleges. Your school results are not sufficient for admission in a college. College admission authorities intend to take in the best students so that they produce good results. GRE acts as a source of certifying the caliber of students at the same standard level.

GRE tests the candidates for their proficiency in English, their ability of quantitative reasoning and their analytical writing skills. This it does through three sections of the test; Verbal Section, Quantitative Reasoning Section and Analytical Writing Section. Each of these sections has a fixed format and fixed types of questions. These questions are not of the ordinary type and level which you have done during your schooling. They are tricky and require practice and study. Hence in order to score well you will have to take up GRE study seriously and work hard. After all, it is not just the passing that counts here but a good score as well. It is finally the merit that the colleges will consider for admitting students.

The first step towards GRE study is planning. You have to start well in advance about when and how you are going to start preparing for the exam. Gain as much knowledge about the test as you can through friends, books, teachers, internet, official websites, blogs etc. After you are well aware of what the test requirements are choose the best medium for GRE study according to your capabilities and shortcomings. For each section of GRE you will have to practice. There is no portion of the test which you can attempt without studying specifically for it.

For the verbal section you need to concentrate on the vocabulary and English grammar. For improving your vocabulary it is best to get a list of words. This list you can download from some websites, or consult a book or prepare one yourself. The easiest way is to get a readymade wordlist but it is ideal to prepare one yourself. You can start a year in advance and start writing difficult words which you come across in newspapers, magazines, textbooks etc. compile them and start learning a few everyday. You must also know the usage of each word and for this you can refer to examples or form some on your own. The verbal section also has questions on antonyms and so you must also learn the opposites of the words you list. The knowledge of English grammar is equally important in this section. You will be asked to complete sentences with words given in five options. You have to fill in the blanks with those words which complete the sentence both logically and grammatically. For this you can go back to basics of grammar which you were taught in school. Take up a good book for grammar and revise your concepts. This revision should be done before you start with any written practice so that you can fix the concepts of grammar. English grammar, though complex, is brief. You need knowledge of applied grammar instead of just remembering the rules. Thus it becomes important that whatever you study, you practice as well for it. This section also has reading comprehension questions. You can practice these from any grammar book, or other books especially for the purpose of GRE study. Practice of comprehension will help you learn how to speed up and save time in the real exam.

For the quantitative section you shall have to prepare mathematics taught to you as a compulsory subject in school. You shall require the knowledge of concepts and formulae of algebra, arithmetic, geometry and data interpretation. Mathematics is all about practice but in the GRE study you will have to learn how to estimate as well. It is not just actual calculations but your ability to estimate or arrive at the answer by incomplete calculation also that is tested. The quantitative comparison questions deal with this. Hence you will have to learn tricks and short cuts for estimation. On the other hand the questions on problem solving require hard work. Here you will have to practice to get accurate results and estimations can not be considered. Firstly, you must revise all the concepts and then you can get hold of a question bank and start solving the problems given. Remember that you have to keep in mind the time constraints. Learn tricks of quick calculations and keep a track of how much time you take to solve problems. You don’t want to leave those problems which you know because of shortage of time. For the third type of questions you should get knowledge of all types of graphs, tables and charts. The questions based on these charts are easy provided you know how to interpret the data and take readings from the graphs and figures.

For the analytical writing section you can look for a reliable source which can guide you. You need to understand the question types first as they can be misleading. Most students do not know how to handle this section as they are misguided about what is to be written. Gain information bout them, go through some written essays, take note of the questions which appear and start practicing them accordingly. You must be careful that you structure your content well. The points should be given in a systematic and logical manner. The essay should start with an introduction and end with a conclusion. The time you take to write the essay should also be checked, don’t write an essay in 2-3 hours and feel happy about it. Also keep time to revise the essay once you have finished writing. Since the time in the exam is very less you will hardly be able to think much and will be expected to start right away. Thus you must have enough practice of writing the essays. If you practice your brain gets conditioned in such a way that the points start flowing one after the other in a logical manner and you don’t have to bother much.

There are a number of sources which help in GRE study. You can buy one or two books from the market and study on your own. Or else a few of your friends can accompany you. Look for a book which has a CD of instructions and practice tests. There are some coaching centers which provide a variety of GRE study programs. They provide classroom tuitions, private tuitions or tuitions in small groups. You can choose what suits you best. Some centers also give you the option of studying online. They will offer courses of different types, in some you can take an online course lasting 3-4 weeks while in some your learning is supported with the option to get guided by instructors online. It is very important for you to take a few practice tests so check with the tuition centers if they have a provision for this. If you have to take the CAT then you must take the computer based tests in the centers. If you are preparing on your own then see if you have an option to take only the practice tests in some center. The practice of the complete test two to three times before the exam is indispensable. It gives you ideas of how the test is and how well prepared you are. It is also advisable to keep a check on your GRE study and see how your preparation is coming around. For this you can use some self assessment techniques from time to time.

If you are aware of what you have to prepare for, the format of the test and the syllabus that you have to cover then you can prepare in a more organized manner; you do not waste your energy and time doing irrelevant topics. So it is a prerequisite that you know what the test is like: get more information about what is required for GRE study, what sources would be best suited to your requirements and then start the preparation. GRE study is sure to give you results, provided it is systematic and timely.

GRE Math

GRE Math Section

In the GRE Math section, questions can be classified into the following categories :

GRE Math - Arithmetic
Questions involve

• Arithmetic operations


• Powers


• Operations on radical expressions


• Estimation


• Percent


• Absolute value


• Properties of numbers (e.g. divisibility, prime numbers, odd and even integers)


• Factoring

GRE Math - Algebra
Questions involve

• Rules of exponents


• Factoring and simplifying algebraic expressions


• Understanding concepts of relations and functions


• Solving first and second degree equations and inequalities


• Solving simultaneous equations


• Setting up equations to solve word problems


• Applying basic algebra skills to solve problems

GRE Math- Geometry
Questions involve properties of

• Parallel lines


• Circles and their inscribed central angles


• Triangles


• Rectangles


• Other polygons


• Area


• Perimeter


• Volume


• Pythagoras theorem


• Angle measure in degrees


• Simple coordinate geometry (including slopes, intercepts, and inequalities)

GRE Math - Data Analysis
Questions involve

• Elementary probability


• Basic descriptive statistics


• Mean


• Median


• Mode


• Range


• Standard deviation


• Percentiles


• Interpretation of data in graphs and tables


• Line graphs


• Bar graphs


• Circle graphs


• Frequency distributions

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The types of questions in GRE Math section that you'll come across are :

• GRE Math - Quantitative Comparisons


• GRE Math - Problem Solving


• GRE Math - Data Interpretation

GRE Math - Quantitative Comparisons :-

Quantitative comparison in GRE Math measures your ability to:

• Determine the relative sizes of two quantities


• Perceive that not enough information is provided to make such a decision

GRE Math - Quantitative comparison Strategies :

• Convert algebraic expressions to a standard form in order to compare them.


• Avoid performing needless calculations, such as trying to decide how much larger or smaller one quantity is than the other.


• Don't assume that all variables represent positive integers - be aware of negative numbers, fractions, and zero as possible numbers.


• Geometric figures aren't always drawn to scale, so don't make assumptions simply based on the appearance of a figure shown.

GRE Math - Quantitative comparison GRE Sample question :

7x² = 21

Column A Column B

x 2

A. The quantity in Column A is greater
B. The quantity in Column B is greater
C. The two quantities are equal
D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given

Answer: B

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GRE Math - Problem Solving :-

Problem solving questions in GRE Math section test your:

• Knowledge of maths involving percentages, simultaneous equations, polygons, probability, etc.


• Ability to read, understand, and solve problems quickly and accurately

Each of the questions GRE Math problem solving is followed by five answer choices. You have to select the best of the answer options given.

GRE Math - Problem solving Strategies :

• Determine what is given and what is being asked


• Scan options to decide the level of approximation required


• Avoid long computations


• Scan all options before answering a question

GRE Math - Problem solving GRE Sample question :



In the fig shown, if CP=BP and x=120, then y=

A. 30
B. 45
C. 60
D. 75
E. 90

Answer: C

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GRE Math - Data Interpretation :-

This is the toughest section in GRE Math. Many have poor Math scores because of the high difficulty of Data intreptation GRE questions. Practice with lots of tough DI questions to do get a good GRE Math score. Data interpretation in GRE Math section measures your ability to:

• Read and interpret data


• Perform statistical calculations on the data provided

The data interpretation questions in GRE Math usually appear in sets and are based on data presented in tables or graphs.

GRE Math - Data Interpretation Strategies :

• Look carefully at the data and understand how it's presented


• Try to make visual comparisons and estimate products and quotients rather than perform computations.


• For graphs, pay attention to the scales as well as read any accompanying notes


• Answer questions only on the basis of data given.

GRE Math - Data Interpretation GRE Sample question :

In which of the following years did the number of graduate student applications increase the most from that of the previous year?

A. 1985
B. 1986
C. 1988
D. 1990
E. 1991

Answer: B


Guide Me!

The application procedure to be followed when applying to Universities in the US involves a number of steps. Listed below are some of the most important things you need to be aware of when applying for University study.

1. Passport : A valid passport serves as a primary means of identification to gain admission to your test centre. If you don't have a passport then apply for one as soon as possible, as you cannot appear for the GRE without it.

2. GRE Registration : Register for the GRE at least three months in advance to be assured of obtaining your preferred testing date.

3. TOEFL Registration : International students who haven't studied in a country where English is the primary language, have to appear for the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in addition to the GRE. Find out about the TOEFL by visiting www.toefl.org.

4. Preparation : Preparation for the GRE should begin at least six months before you plan to appear for the exam. Check out what study material is available to help you prepare for the GRE by visiting the Books & Software section.

5. GRE : You are expected to arrive at your test centre at least 30 minutes before the scheduled start of your exam. You are expected to bring the following items with you to the test centre :

• Acceptable Identification (Passport + Driving License/College Id Card)


• Names of 4 Colleges to which you want ETS to send your scores

At the end of your test, you can specify up to 4 colleges to which ETS will send your scores for free. Therefore, before appearing for the exam, prepare a list of your first choice colleges, by anticipating the range of your likely GRE score. ETS charges $13 for every additional college you send your scores to.

6. Choosing Colleges : When preparing a list of colleges to apply to, take into consideration the following factors :

• Your Academic grades


• Your GRE score


• Reputation of College


• College's minimum requirements


• College fees


• Availability of Financial aid


• Location of college (e.g. East coast or West coast)

Choose about 3 to 4 'dream' colleges, 3 to 4 'average' colleges and another 3 to 4 'safe' colleges. Go through the college websites for information regarding each univ - Colleges

7. Pre-Application : Pre-application involves emailing the colleges of your choice, requesting them to send you the application forms by mail. Mention the following in your pre-application letters :

• Your name & address


• Degree sought


• Undergraduate Academic grades


• GRE & TOEFL scores


• Any additional qualifications that you may have

Many colleges often inform you there and then about your chances of gaining admission into their college. By doing this you can often save the cost of the application fee by knowing before hand which colleges are likely to accept you or not.

8. Transcripts : Request your college to provide you with transcripts of marks obtained for all four years of your undergrad study completed. Make sure that all the copies of your transcripts are attested and certified as true copies of the original.

9. Financial Documentation : Along with your application, it is required that you attach a letter from your bank indicating sufficient funds to finance your education in the US. It is recommended that your bank certificate show proof of funds amounting to approximately $30,000. - Sample Bank Certificate

10. Recommendation Letters : Try to get about 3 recommendation letters from professors at your undergraduate university who are familiar with your course work. Learn how to write a good recommendation letter by following the tips given here - Recommendation Letters

11. Statement Of Purpose : The statement of purpose is often regarded to be the single most important factor, which can decide the outcome of your application. It is a letter addressed to the college you are applying to, stating your reasons for wanting to pursue graduate study, among other things.


Your statement of purpose should include the following points :

• Reason for pursuing higher studies.


• Research and academic interests


• Goal in life


• Personal strengths and weaknesses


• Academic and other achievements


• Related experience / projects undertaken


• Reasons for applying to a particular university

Spend as much time as possible over your statement of purpose because it is the only means that you have to actually 'speak' to the college authorities, in order to convince them that you really deserve to be admitted to their University. Refer to the Personal Satement section for detailed information.

12. Application : Send your applications to colleges at least six months before you hope to begin your study there. Based on personal experience, I can assure you that the earlier you send your applications, the better your chances are of gaining admission into universities. Also, the earlier you apply, the sooner you get your replies, and so you have more time to decide which college to finally go to. - Sample Application Package

13. Visa : If you are an international student, you have to apply for a student VISA to the US. At the time of applying for a VISA, you have to have to prove to the VISA officer that you have sufficient funds to support your study in the U.S., as well as enough reasons for returning to your home country after completion of your education. Find out more about the visa procedure at Visa Information

14. Final Preparation : Contact students who are currently studying at the University you are going to, for information regarding what to expect once you get there.