GRE
GRADUATE RECORD EXAM
Dear friends,
I am Praveen of the 1997 batch. I was a bit reluctant when my seniors asked me to write in gist about the ways to prepare for GRE. I strongly feel 1380 out of 1600 is not a great score. It’s a decent one. I expect you people to cross 1450.There is a lot of myths about this exam. I know many students who have not given a try for the fear of failing. I strongly feel a score of over 1350 can be easily achieved with sincere efforts. The time limit needed for GRE varies between individuals. Some may need one year while some others may need just 2 months. The person who needs just 2 months should have accrued his basics over many years.
Now we will come to the actual exam.
The exam consists of 3 parts Verbal (800 marks), Quantitative (800 marks) and an analytical section (6 point scale).
Verbal:
This part is toughest of the three. It comprises 3 sections namely antonyms, analogy and Reading comprehension. There are about 3000 words in Barron’s. One must be very thorough in this wordlist.90% of the words in the exam will come from this master word list. I feel it would be better if one can develop the habit of reading HINDU. Many students don’t have the habit of reading newspapers. I advise you to read the items that you like. Some people like to read cricket news while some others may like reading cinema. Its your wish, but at least read what you like. Note down words that you don’t know and check in dictionary. The purpose of this exercise is that you will understand the context where these words are used.
Still better way to improve your vocabulary is by reading novels. I assure you this is the best way to improve your vocabulary. I think all of you might be knowing about Sunday market. You can get all sorts of books there. I think for starters Sidney Sheldon would be good. Its my choice. Its up to you. You can choose whatever you want. Once you get this habit of reading novels, I am certain that you will not face any problem in the GRE verbal part.
Quantitative:
This is the easiest of all parts. Since most of us have studied Mathematics till 12th, I feel this part should not be much of a problem. I feel 2-3 months of preparation is enough to get a very high score in quantitative part. One can easily cross 700.Again the bible for preparing Quantitative section is Barron’s.
Analytical :
This is a very important aspect of GRE that many students neglect. This part is as important as the other two. You have to write 2 essays. One about an issue for 45 mins and another 30 mins criticizing an argument. Your 2 essays will be evaluated and graded in the range of 1-6. It is imperative that a student gets a minimum of 4 to get admission into top tier universities. If your score is 2.5 or 3 , your application may be rejected even if you score 1500 in the other parts. This part should be given the same importance as the other 2 sections. Daily an hour or two should be allotted to practice writing essays. Another important thing is that one should have a good typing speed.
At the time of exam.
This is an exam that will test your nerves. One should be very cool and composed while giving the exam. If you take the exam without the fear of failure, you will definitely succeed.
Best time to give the exams.
For Master’s students, the best time to give GRE is in the last week of October. For UG students, the best time to give will be the time when they are in clinics.
Even if you feel to be very poor in English, don’t worry. One year is the maximum time that is needed to comfortably sail pass 1350 .If you have doubts please feel free to mail me at bn_praveen@rediffmail.com.
wishing you all the best.
B.N. PRAVEEN ( 1997 Batch)