GRE
GRE preparation Guide
Muhammad Sohaib Niazi | June 29, 2022, 9:35 a.m.
Do you want to know about the best way to prepare GRE, if yes, then follow all the steps of this GRE Preparation Guide? Don’t miss any steps during preparation. In this online preparation guide, we will guide you about how to prepare GRE online and the best way to prepare GRE vocabulary.
Today I am sharing a very easy and smart guide to score 310 on the GRE. 310 on GRE is considered decent enough for most candidates applying to US/Canada/Singapore etc. for Fulbright, direct admissions, and for other scholarships. If you are aiming at a score in excess of 310 this guide can help you somewhat but you will need a more comprehensive strategy. If you are aiming at scoring 310, I guarantee a score of 310 if you will follow this gre preparation guide based on my work on the rules of the GRE and converting it into the game and sorting out the tactics that will for sure help you score 310.
GRE Preparation Guide Details:
Information about the GRE General Test:
View general advice, sample questions with explanations, scoring guides, and tips for answering question types to become familiar with each of the test sections:
- Overview of the Verbal Reasoning measure
- Overview of the Quantitative Reasoning measure
- Overview of the Analytical Writing measure
Time Required:
- 40 Days Maximum Daily Efforts Required: 3-4 hours normal days and 6 hours on the weekends (Approx. 160-170 Hours in Total)
Resources Required:
- GRE Website
- Powerprep 2 timed tests accessible for FREE online on GRE Website
- Three ETS OFFICIAL guides
- Manhattan 8 Strategy Guides
- Manhattan 5lb book
- Magoosh Vocabulary Mobile App or website
- GRE maths basic foundations
Strategy for GRE Preparation Guide:
1. You should have a passport to appear in GRE therefore if you don’t have to get one. (Random time required not a formal GRE task)
2. Register your account on the GRE website, make sure you enter correct NAME AS PER PASSPORT, what to enter in the first name, middle and last, to leave middle or last as empty, etc. 100% according to what you have in the passport as given name and surname. Try to put first 2 as first name and last as surname and leave a middle name as blank etc. Date of birth and other details etc. should also correct and must match passport otherwise you will not be allowed to sit for GRE. (Random task)
3. NOW you should read full GRE WEBSITE with due care, I MEAN IT. Read the whole website at least 3 times, get to know about each and every minute detail such that you kind of memorize all details, the time required for each section, how many questions, what is a research section, AWA section, and how the sections are scored in GRE, what is meant by easy, medium and hard sections, how scores can be high or low based on maximum correct answers in different sections, what is section adaptive test, what are the percentiles at what scores in quant and verbal, I mean literally you should be 100% sure about any detail about GRE. Use google for all kinds of questions, read Magoosh or manhattan GRE forums and there are numerous articles online to answer such questions. Even then if something is missed out, inbox me. (6 hours) 3. Make sure you are done with step 2 completely, then Access the 2 timed free tests on the GRE website, just access the 1st one, leave the 2nd one for the last days before the actual test. (Random task)
4. Without taking mock first do the book “GRE Maths basic foundations” (It is primarily for GMAT but very helpful to revise basic maths especially if you are from non-numerical subjects’ majors). You need to do it from page 1 to end including max practice questions, whatever seems tough use the internet always, manually google your topics and you will find good videos and links, read and make sure you learn them well. (15 Hours)
5. Now take the 1st mock test as an actual test with no distractions in a separate room at home etc. and also don’t forget it will not include the AWA section. If you score more than 290 then you are ok until here, if you score less than 290, revisit the book mentioned above and revise it once more. (3 hours)
6. REGISTER FOR THE GRE TEST and make payment online. Approximately register for a suitable date which should be at maximum 35 days later from this date. As you will be done by 5 days of work before it. Make sure from this day to the test DATE, the gap must not be greater than 35-37 days for those who have extremely busy weekdays even. You have to work somehow for GRE.
7. Now, start with two things at the same time. Manhattan 1-6 Quant guides and Magoosh app for vocabulary. Do all first 6 out of 8 guides (for Quant) in the same order as they are, FOCUS AND LEARN THE CONCEPTS AND RULES AND TRICKS, don’t practice many questions especially medium and hard ones. Manhattan guides are not a true indicator of how GRE questions are tested. USE these 6 guides for specialized learning of various QUANT areas that are tested. Spend a bit more time on weak areas may be geometry or probability or whatever. Make sure you are good with strong areas. Along with these 6 guides, you will maintain a register for Magoosh vocab, 25 words with their meanings, and 1 sentence each written and learned as you did in schools. Don’t go to the next 25 every next day until you have revised the previous 25 by narrating meanings to a friend or sibling etc. You have to finish only 650 EASY and MEDIUM words and not the hard ones. Take a break after every week on Sunday and just revise the already learned words, start every day by revising all words learned until then. Running ahead is useless if you are forgetting to focus more on revising then learning maximum words. In GRE the contextual understanding is tested, so you don’t need to know the exact word written as meaning in Magoosh app, write the meaning may be from google or any other dictionary if you may like. (50 Hours)
8. Now complete Manhattan 7 and 8 verbal guides and also with that you will also keep on doing Magoosh words according to the previous point. AWA will also be covered here, just take it easy not to score too low in it. A simple tool: Write as you write in matric essay, Intro, body, and conclusion. The first paragraph should rephrase and highlight what is asked, last should summarize and conclude. The body should have a few paras but don’t think you need to write too long to score well. Brevity is the soul of wit. For Analysis of the Argument, you critically analyze its assumptions, weaknesses, correlations, and causations made BUT you don’t give your own opinions and judgments just analyze someone else’s argument that is given in the question, for ANALYSIS OF ISSUE you give your OWN OPINIONS AND JUDGEMENTS as well. In other words for the ISSUE task, you are one step behind the ARGUMENT task, you yourself are to an argument, while in the ARGUMENT task someone else has already given an argument on an issue and you need to critically analyze the argument only not the issue in itself. (18 Hours)
9. Complete Manhattan 5lb book, again being manhattan book you will not attempt any question from it apart from random easy questions here and there and just SKIM IT OVER, with a bit closer look to concepts and theory and smart tools. (20 hours)
10. Complete official general ETS guide then quant and verbal guides. Focus both on concepts/theory and practice maximum medium level and easy questions but not all. Focus more on strategy and how questions are solved than solving full books. REMEMBER THE SAYING, If you have 6 hours to chop down GRE, spend the first 4 on sharpening the concepts. (45 Hours)
11. Take the 2nd online ETS GRE website based test even if you score around 302-305, be sure you will touch 310 on the test day (GUARANTEED). (3 Hours)
12. Revise all 650 words from the register, even if you forget a few that is all OK. Revise your shortcuts, formulas, smart strategies that you will have written in your register while preparing the above resources. (6 Hours)
13. Don’t study at least one day before an exam, play and enjoy and sleep well. Target 9 AM slot for the test ideally on a Monday if you work or go to university on the other days so Monday can be a great day to take the test.
14. Before the test, during preparation days, also calculate the time approximately you should spend on each question, etc. Take DIGITAL WATCH with you and note down on your rough sheet the exact time when you actually press the START TEST button.
15. Don’t overthink, go with 1st instinct, many GRE questions can be solved by eliminating wrong options and also don’t forget all questions within a section carry equal marks regardless of their difficulty level. Use rough work and onscreen calculator wisely and to good effect.
16. Take the test and share the results with me, you are good to go for Fulbright, direct admissions and other similar pursuits, etc.
GRE is like a game, whosoever learns the rules of this game plays better and wins. Focus more on how it operates, the procedures, concepts, and smart tools than a lot of practice. For 310, only practice from ETS official 3 books and randomly from manhattan guides. No HARD questions to be done from any source. For the 310 score range, you will be attempting max easy and medium questions.
P.S. GRE is not a tough exam and I am saying again this strategy is only for 310 targets in GRE. Also, keep in mind your educational background and intended majors will be different so you can monitor you need to pay more efforts on both if you are weak in maths and English or just on any one of them. Similarly, sometimes you need a higher score on maths or verbal depending upon your intended majors. So you can divide that 310 according to your needs as depicted by desired universities’ class profiles. You don’t need to practice more, you need to get the BASICS right. How it operates and the concepts! You can recalibrate time according to your strong and weak areas and your personal constraints. I GUARANTEE a score of 310 (and maybe a bit more) if you follow this guide as it is.
Click on GRE Materials to download all GRE preparation materials that are discussed in this GRE Preparation Guide.
Written By
Muhammad Sohaib Niazi
MBA Candidate at LUMS | I/O Psychologist | Talent Management Specialist |
Erasmus Grad | Life Coach
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