15 Minute
GUIDE TO THE GRE Everything YOU Ever Wanted to Know about the GRE
CrackVerbal Edutech Pvt Ltd
Our 15 minute GRE guide exposes the crucial elements that will help get you the dream score you have been yearning for. Flip through the pages and gain the right perspective on the approach which is needed to master the test.
Contents About CrackVerbal -----------------------------------------------------------------------03 4 Reasons to do a Masters Abroad-----------------------------------------------------04 The Revised GRE – Structure------------------------------------------------------------06 Some features of the GRE test----------------------------------------------------------07 Booking Slots for the test----------------------------------------------------------------08 The ScoreSelect Option------------------------------------------------------------------09 What’s a Good Score? --------------------------------------------------------------------10 The Smart Test taker: 3 things to do to improve your test approach------------11 3 Challenges students face while dealing with the GRE --------------------------14 Some useful Vocabulary resources ----------------------------------------------------17 Student Corner-----------------------------------------------------------------------------18
15 Minute Guide to GRE
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About CrackVerbal
What started out with 6 students in a coffee shop in 2006 has today become a 2000+ strong family of students living their dream of pursuing a world-class education from some of the top schools across the globe! One of our most prized possessions is a world map where we pin each college in which CrackVerbal alumni have been admitted to, with great pride in knowing that we played a small part in their successes. Our students have gained admission to reputed institutes like MIT, Harvard, Oxford, Duke, Columbia and many more. Some of the reasons for our astonishing success in GRE training are: We have created radical techniques that work specifically for Indian students We ensure that only the best teachers in the industry teach our students We provide each and every student with support till they reach their dream score
15 Minute Guide to GRE
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4 Reasons to do a Masters Abroad So you’ve completed your Under Graduation (or in the process of completing it) and you feel that the next logical step is to do your Post Graduation. There are probably some good universities where you live, but you’ve also noticed that a lot of students are now increasingly opting to do their Masters abroad. :-) The question on your mind is: “Is a Masters abroad any good?” Here are 4 reasons why doing a Masters abroad is a good idea 1. The number of exceptional universities available Academics is only one of the aspects that make a University exceptional. Things like infrastructure, cultural diversity (foreign students) and posteducation employability are all very important contributors that define how good a University is. There are only a handful of Universities in India that this exceptional experience and the odds of getting into such universities are pretty slim (don’t forget the infamous quota system our universities have). On the other hand, many Universities abroad provide a great learning experience and your odds of getting into one of the better schools there are much higher than trying your luck with getting admitted into a premier school in India. 2. Breadth of Courses offered If you want to specialize in something that isn’t that mainstream like “Game development” or even something as esoteric as “Music theory”, you will most probably find a university abroad that provides such specializations. For instance, the University of Southern California provides a Masters in Game Design and the University of Boston provides a Masters of Music; mind you, there are many other universities in US that provide these specializations too! In other words: If you’re looking to specialize in a field that isn’t too mainstream - you’ll probably find a good college that offers such a program in the US! 15 Minute Guide to GRE
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3. Diversity One of the criteria that a university is ranked on is student diversity (religion, culture and ethnicity). Why is this important? Because these differences result in a diversity of ideas, knowledge and world-views that enhance education and preparation for work in a global economy! :-) When studying abroad you will invariably interact with a diverse set of students and this would indelibly alter you: your perspective will become broader and more global. 4. Increased Employability The fact is that the curriculum and the approach to education abroad for post graduate courses is so much more relevant to the skills and perspectives required by industries in the global market. These factors along with so many more that are unique to doing a Post Graduation abroad cumulate to make you a very desirable candidate for the best companies in the world. That said let’s discuss one of the most important aspects of the MS application process: the GRE!
15 Minute Guide to GRE
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The Revised GRE The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for most graduate schools in the United States. It is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The GRE lasts about 3 hours and 45 minutes. There are 6 sections with a 10minute break following the 3rd section. Here are the sections of the GRE
There are 2 tasks within the AWA; the AWA tasks always appear in the beginning. That’s 1 hour of Essays! Two scored sections of Verbal and two scored sections of Quant will follow the AWAs (in no definite predictable order). You may also get un-scored sections of Verbal or Quant apart from the scored sections. These are sections that don’t contribute to your final score but are used by the test makers to calibrate the test to maintain “standardization”. You could have the research section which notifies you that you are about to attempt an un-scored section; or you might get an experimental section which doesn’t give any heads-up – it’s impossible to know which of the sections is experimental: so don’t waste time trying to identify the experimental section on the day of the test.
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Some features that you should know about GRE lets you move forward and backward throughout an entire section. Preview and Review capabilities within a section "Mark" and "Review" features to tag questions, so you can skip them and return later if you have time remaining in the section The ability to change/edit answers within a section An on-screen calculator for the Quantitative Reasoning section
The Mark button lets you earmark a question. The Review button brings up the review screen.
The Review screen lets you get a birds-eye view of your approach within a section
We suggest that you use the “Mark” button as early and as frequently as possible. Do not let yourself get bogged down by a question; if you’ve invested some time in a question and it looks like you’re not going to able to solve it quickly – guess, pick an answer and “Mark” it so that you can look into it later. Another important aspect of the test is that there is no negative marking for incorrect responses. CRACKER TIP Therefore, when you’ve completed a section, review it and ensure that no question is left unanswered. If your guesses are incorrect – you don’t lose anything; if you get it right –more points to you! 15 Minute Guide to GRE
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Booking Slots The GRE can be taken every 21 days. You could take the GRE a maximum of 5 times within a 12-month period. This is not to say that you should do this! While taking the test twice will not have any negative consequence on your admission chances, becoming a serial test taker will! Booking a slot can be done by registering at www.ets.org/ets Scoring
GRE is a multi-stage test: your performance on the first GRE verbal section determines how difficult the next verbal section will be. This is true for the quant sections as well. If you do really well on the first GRE verbal section, you will get a second verbal section that is pretty tough; consecutively, the point each correct response garners would also be much higher. CRACKER TIP The first verbal and quant sections are important, they set you up for the score you will most likely get on each section.
Score Report The unofficial score of your GRE test will be displayed as soon as you complete the test. You will be able to send the scores for free to up to 4 universities of your choice. Beyond this, the scores can be sent to more universities at a later date through the ETS website. The official scores (which include the AWA scores) will generally be reported in about 10-15 days.
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The ScoreSelect Option This is a nifty option that lets students select the scores they want to send to the universities of their choice. This is great if you’ve attempted (or planning to attempt) the GRE multiple times and want to send a score that best represents your performance or the performance that a university is looking for. Right after the test has been taken, a student can decide to either send ALL scores or the latest scores to a maximum of 4 universities (for free). A student can also decide not to send the scores to the universities (Scores can be sent at a later date for a fee). The ScoreSelect option therefore gives students flexibility with respect to choosing the most pertinent set of scores to be sent to a university. For instance if a particular university requires a high quant score – you might want to report the test score with the highest quant score.
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What’s a good score? Short Answer: A score that gets you into the university of your preference. Long Answer: Getting an admit into a university of your choice depends on various factors. Your achievements (extracurriculars), letter of recommendation, academic performance, statement of purpose and GRE scores are some of the things that a university will look at during the selection process. These factors and a few more (depending on the school) will also dictate how likely you are to get into the university of your choice. That said; a fabulous score on the GRE would be anything over a 160 in Verbal and 165 in Quant CRACKER TIP Remember to set realistic goals; take the diagnostic test – know where you stand – and then work towards improving your score in incremental increases. For more information about the GRE http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/faq/
15 Minute Guide to GRE
checkout
ETS’s
FAQs
page:
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The Smarter Test-Taker While understanding the content to approach each question type is essential, it may not amount to much if your test taking strategy is inefficient. Here are some things you need to keep in mind to enhance your test-taking efficiency and become a smarter test-taker. 1. Limited time Time constraint is a big factor that affects your score. It is important to remember that every question within a section will be worth exactly the same; i.e. within a section a relatively hard question and a relatively easy question will both have the same value, score wise. Yet, a harder question would require more time to solve. The best approach, therefore, is to get all the easier questions right first. When you identify a question that may require a lot of time to solve or one that you end up getting stuck with – fight the urge to stick with it and solve the question. Instead mark it and move-on to an easier question. Be of the mindset to use the “mark” button frequently. This builds test-taking discipline. Use the review button once you’re done solving the easier question to deal with the time consuming questions that you have marked. 2. No negative marking When you’ve finished answering all the questions that you are sure of in a particular section, hit the review button and focus on solving the ones you’ve marked / skipped. If you face a question you are unable to solve, pick an option at random. If you get it right 15 Minute Guide to GRE
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by chance you get a point, if not – you don’t lose anything! 3. Scratch Paper You will be provided with scratch papers at the test center. When used effectively, these scratch papers can be more than just a place to put down your rough work. Scratch papers, when used correctly, can help you crack complex questions quickly and avoid making careless mistakes.
An example of good scratch paper work
The idea is that you let the scratch paper be the place you record all your strategic decisions. You will put down the reasoning that is required to solve a question and also your perspective on which of the answers you are sure about (whether right or wrong), those you are unsure about and those you don’t have any idea about! This lets you make an informed decision about selecting the most probable right answer as opposed to selecting an option based on what “looks right”. 15 Minute Guide to GRE
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Another added advantage of putting down your rational and your process of elimination onto the scrath paper is that, when you realize that you are stuck with a “time waster” you don’t have to think twice about using the “mark” button and moving on. All your progress is saved in your scratch paper and you could always refer back to it and start from exactly the point that you left at instead of re-solving the entire question.
Follow all these instructions and……
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3 Reasons Why Indians Find GRE Verbal “Discombobulating”
What you need to know before you approach the GRE Ask any GRE hopeful about their experience preparing for the test and the immediate, unanimous response is that the Verbal sections are so much more challenging than the Quant sections! There are some obvious and some not so obvious reasons for this; Let’s take a look at a few: 1. Vocabulary It’s obvious that GRE is super difficult because of the vocabulary it tests in its Sentence Equivalence and Text Completion question types; you knew that already! So, you went ahead and indiscriminately crammed those torturously ponderous word-lists in hopes of subduing the Verbal section. Did it make your life any less difficult though? Obviously not! A simple explanation to this is that the GRE tests contextual meaning rather than semantic meaning (dictionary definitions). Students unfortunately end up cramming the latter!
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Let me show you what I mean Solve this: Dave was well known for his _________: he always made the intention of all his responses vague. A) equivocations B) tergiversations C) elusiveness
D) prevarications E) apostasies F) prolixities
The definitions of all these words are so deceptively close: the key lies in context! (By the way, the answers are (A) equivocations and (C) elusiveness) What’s the fix? Always learn vocabulary in context! 2. GRE Verbal does not test content knowledge Through school and college most of us were tested on how much content knowledge we had. Our tests expected us to devour huge amounts of information; whoever reproduced them best was deemed the better student. And irrespective of how iconoclastic we thought we were during school or college, we have - to an extent - become predisposed to perceive test preparation as a process of “information hoarding”. ;) Here’s the bummer: GRE doesn’t test how much information you’ve managed to amass. In fact, all the information you need to answer a question in the GRE Verbal section WILL be provided as part of the problem itself! To take things one step further, in some Reading Comprehension questions - it is imperative that you NOT let your background knowledge about a topic affect your answers: your answers are to be supported by what is said in the passage alone and NOTHING else! What’s the fix? Understand that: Cracking the GRE verbal involves quickly analyzing what is provided in the passage or sentence and understanding what the question requires you to comprehend!
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There are no brownie points for being a know-it-all 3. GRE is alien! You probably think “Ah! That explains everything!” - Whoever sets those GRE questions is definitely not human! That’s not what I mean though! Think about the average Indian GRE test taker. It’s most likely that the GRE is their first standardized testing experience (The Engineering college “entrance” tests don’t count!). An American undergraduate student though, will have already done their SAT and would have started with a vocabulary building routine from highschool; they would have also become accustomed to reading and analyzing passages (the kind tested on the GRE). We, on the other hand, start developing a reading habit and building vocabulary actively only about 3-6 months before the date of the exam! What’s the fix? Understand that: Having a good “reading habit” does not necessarily mean that you will do well in the GRE reading sections! So don’t fret if you aren’t a bookworm. Before you start preparing for the GRE, take a full length mock GRE test to get a taste of what you are up against. Understand that vocabulary building needs time. Start early, have a clear schedule that keeps you engaged until the day of examination. Most importantly, keep vocabulary building interesting and meaningful: understand words in context, play vocabulary games, create mnemonics and try clumping words thematically. Make GRE learning fun!
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Vocabulary Building Resources Here are some resources that will help you get started on you Vocabulary building journey. Watch the “Introduction to Vocabulary” lesson to get an idea of how to get started with vocabulary building. http://crackverbal.com/lessons/vocabulary/ Download our GRE Theme- based Wordlist http://gre.crackverbal.com/about-gre/gre-word-list/ Check out our highly effective GRE Mnemonic Flashcards
Buy them on Amazon: http://www.amazon.in/Vocabulary-FlashCards-Edition-2014/dp/8192845001/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt/2763937490-8207834 Prefer a mobile version? Just search for “CrackVerbal Wordtoonz” on Google Playstore and IOS Store
15 Minute Guide to GRE
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Student Corner Nikhil Raina, GRE: 326 “The Teacher to Student ratio is great and hence you get individual attention. The trainers esp. Ajeeth were very helpful and readily available. They have in-depth knowledge and you can indulge in immensely beneficial discussions.The material is very close to the real questions you see on the exam. But the best thing has to be the flash cards. They are very helpful. I only wish there were more than 500 :-)” Mohnish Prasanna, GRE: 325 “A main factor that differentiates CrackVerbal from its competitors is their focus on Vocabulary – take for instance, their innovative flashcards that make vocabulary building fun and easy! It laid a good platform for me to start learning the words and also laid the foundation for developing my vocabulary beyond the flashcards by giving me the required confidence and technique to remember the words. The faculty was very supportive and he was readily available to explain my queries anytime. Overall, it was a great experience and I would recommend CrackVerbal to everyone.“ Aarabi Madhavan, GRE: 323 I took my GRE recently and I scored 323 – 160 v and 163 Q. Yay! Thanks to CrackVerbal for helping me get a good score in verbal. They were so clear in explaining what I was doing wrong and how I should improve. The personalized GRE verbal session was very well managed. Thank you once again for helping Kudos to the CrackVerbal Team!
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Want a 320+ on the GRE? Planning to get to that Dream College of Yours? We will be able to help you reach your destination!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Attend your Free Demo Class Today http://gre.crackverbal.com/gre-free-class/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can also call your GRE Counselor, Rajan Singh on 91 9590944800 for a FREE GRE Consultation right away!
15 Minute Guide to GRE
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Contact Us
Email: gre@crackverbal.com Phone: 09590944800 / 080 42141510 Follow us on https://www.facebook.com/CrackVerbal for immediate updates on GRE Want to visit us? We are located in Bangalore and Chennai Bangalore S-7, 2 Floor, GEM Plaza, Infantry Road, Bangalore, Karnataka – 560001 Phone: 080 42141510 nd
15 Minute Guide to GRE
Chennai Building No.8, 2nd Floor, 3rd Cross, Kasturibai Nagar, Adyar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600020 Phone: 044 42645956
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