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10 ways to improve your GRE score

I have absolutely no idea why I am writing this post!! It’s probably the hour long follow-up session that I just had with all the universities that I have applied to! To be honest, I have come to feel that the toughest part of the graduate admission process is surely this seemingly neverending wait!!! Anyhow these ten steps are for all undergrads gearing up for GRE preparations!! Hope you guys are able to use these tips (I never had so much information on my hands…..guess was just too lazy to search for it!!!)

1. Relax:
Preparing for the GRE can be stressful. Try to focus on the task at hand and not so much on everything else you have to do. If you take GRE test prep step-by-step, day-by-day, and give yourself breaks when your body needs them, you’ll be able to concentrate on GRE studies a lot better.

2. GRE Diagnostic Test:
Begin GRE test prep with a GRE practice test to find out what you’re good at, and more importantly, what you’re not good at. Correct your completed practice test and evaluate the questions you missed. What kind of questions did you miss? Are they mostly Quantitative or mostly Verbal? What score would you give yourself on Analytical Writing? Did you miss a lot of analogies but do well on reading comprehension? With this information you’ll be able to focus your GRE test prep studies on your weaknesses.

3. GRE Study Plan:
With your GRE weaknesses in mind, make a very specific study plan for yourself. You should know what, how, and when you are going to study for the GRE test. Put your study plan somewhere in plain view, and make sure you stick to your plan.
Try to keep GRE test prep interesting by planning to study different things in different ways. For example, study GRE vocabulary from flash cards one day, from a list the second day, and by reading and learning words in context the third day.


4. GRE Vocabulary:
The single-most effective way to improve GRE Verbal score is with GRE vocabulary. Start studying GRE vocabulary now. Study a word list, use flash cards, learn with software, or learn words in context with The Wall Street Journal. Do whatever it takes to learn new words. Improve your vocabulary skills and watch your GRE score improve.


5. Active Reading:
Practice reading every day, but don’t read like you would your favorite book. Read actively. Ask yourself, “What is the main theme?”, “Report or opinion?”, and “What is the author’s purpose?” You’ll see these questions on the GRE, so you should be on the lookout for the answers. You should also use GRE-level material, such as The Wall Street Journal, to practice your GRE reading comprehension. You might not like the articles, but most likely you won’t like the passages on the GRE either, so you should get used to it.


6. Math Language:
Learning GRE math is like learning a new language. To improve your GRE Quantitative score you have to practice, and the more you practice the more fluent you will become. If you don’t practice, you’ll never improve.
Hence, do as many practice Quantitative problems as you can and learn from your mistakes. When examining your wrong answers, don’t move on to the next question until you understand the current one. The whole point of math practice is so that you can learn from mistakes during practice and not on the real GRE.


7. Essay:
Get used to writing an outline before you actualy start an essay. You’ll save time and know exactly what to write about if you have an outlined plan. Your paper will flow better and surely, you will score higher on the GRE Analytical Writing section.


8. GRE Practice Tests:
A GRE practice test is one of your most useful tools during GRE test prep. It’s an excellent indicator of what you need to work on. Take GRE practice tests every couple of weeks to find out your weak areas, and focus your GRE study plan on those things. Also, remember to learn from your mistakes on each practice test.


9. Do Not Procrastinate:
Start preparing for the GRE now. If you start GRE prep early enough, you’ll have the luxury of being able to study just an hour or so per day. When your time is limited, you have to study more hours per day, which will get tiring fast. Cramming for the GRE doesn’t work, so don’t procrastinate. I repeat, if you want to improve your GRE score, do not procrastinate.


10. Mentally Prepare:
Time yourself during GRE practice tests to get a feel for the length of the test and the pace you need to be answering questions at. Act like the practice test is the real GRE. The last thing you want on test day is to feel tired when you’re only half-way through.

If you follow these 10 steps, your GRE score will improve. If you don’t follow these 10 steps, you still might score high on the GRE, but I wouldn’t risk it. Happy preparing.

Some useful resources for tackling GRE

Some useful resources for tackling GRE

Barron’s – I regret not having finished the word list from this book! Its exhaustive GRE master word list is the best and most comprehensive available out there. The aim should be to finish the word list as soon as possible and then make additional effort to keep the words in your memory (RAM…:-)…). The next step is to learn to tackle the analogies and antonyms which would automatically pore in with practice and skill building.

Kaplan GRE prep – An excellent resource for your quantitative skill building and for preliminary AWA preparation. Use this book to its maximum potential as its quantitative section is comparable to the real GRE questions that we are seeing nowadays! (A word of caution…..its AWA section is good but way beyond our faculties…well atleast for most of us …..so don’t get unduly worried by looking at their sample solutions).

ARCO answers to real essay question – The best guide for tackling AWA tasks. It is akin to being the bible for analytical writing. Do as many essays as possible before the real exam. No need to practice the essays on a computer! Just use a notebook and answer the points that seem relevant and compare your points with those given by the author.

GRE power prep CD – A very good indicator of your performance and a must do for anybody going for the test. Two tests should be given a few days before the actual test date (if not two then at least one of them) to gauge the preparation level and also to try and get into a positive frame of mind (It didn’t work out for me though).

GRE Big Book – The best practice material available in the market. Contains 25+ real GRE test papers (paper based) and a great way to improve upon your timing and capacity to tackle RC section. The only thing I completely finished and I must concede that this one single book helped me tremendously. You would see your score slowly going up and it would improve your confidence levels and prepare you for the timed examination!!!

NOVA GRE prep – never actually used this book but a very good friend of mine says it’s unrivalled when it comes to preparation for GRE. He vouches for its worth my friends and I have full faith in him… (BTW…This guy has a 1470 in GRE so I guess it would be prudent on our part to listen to what he has to say…and if anybody wants a personal counseling session with him, just contact me and I would happily give you his number). So here goes! “Excellent for practice because it is overflowing with exercises and in addition has lots of RC and quantitative preparatory sections”.

GRE bible – Well friends, I had heard a lot of great things about this software but I faced a couple of serious issues and therefore would not recommend anyone for using this simply due to the multitude of errors in spelling and meanings

Profile Evaluation Technique in UNIVERSITIES

Profile Evaluation Technique in UNIVERSITIES PROVIDED TO U by anchor_naren

You are done with your GRE/TOEFL and now you would like apply to universities. The big question arises is to which universities should I apply?
Use this "Profile Evaluation Technique" to evaluate your profile. This is prepared based upon admissions given to hundreds of students in years by American Universities. The missions of this "Profile Evaluation Technique" is to suggest universities suitable to your profile.

The major factors universities consider in your profile while taking decision regarding your application is your GRE/TOEFL scores, Academic percentage, job experience, Extracurricular activities like national and international level paper presentation.

Just start calculating your score based on the following criteria. Sum up all the points you get during the whole evaluation of your profile (GRE / TOEFL / Academic %, Job Ex, Extracurricular Activities.).


GRE score:

If your GRE score is ((Points you get))
>1500 ((100))
b/w 1380 to 1500 ((90))
b/w 1250 to 1380 ((80))
b/w 1200 to 1250 ((70))
b/w 1150 to 1250 ((60))
b/w 1100 to 1150 ((55))
b/w 1000 to 1100 ((50))
b/w 900 to 1000 ((40))



TOEFL score:

If your TOEFL score is Points you get
>110 ((20))
b/w 100 - 110 ((1)
b/w 90 - 100 ((16))
b/w 80 - 90 ((14))
b/w 70 - 80 ((12))
b/w 60 - 70 ((11))
b/w <60 ((10))


Under graduation score (BE / B.tech / Medicine or Equivalent):

If your Undergrad score is Points you get
> 85% ((70))
80 - 85 % ((65))
75 - 80 % ((60))
70 - 75 % ((55))
60 - 70 % ((50))
50 - 60 % ((40))
< 50 % ((30))



Job Experience:

If your Job Experience is Points you get
> 5 Yrs ((5)) by UNIVERSITIES
3 - 5 Yrs ((4))
1 - 3 Yrs ((3))
0 yrs ((2))



Extracurricular Activities( National and International Paper presentations, others.)

If your number of presentations is Points you get
> 5 ((5))
3 - 5 ((4))
1 - 3 ((3))
0 ((2))

Now choose your Universities based on the GRADE you get

If your Total score is You can select

>194 ((( A + Grade Universities )))
174 - 194 ((( A Grade Universities )))
155 - 174 ((( A- Grade Universities )))
143 - 155 ((( B + Grade Universities )))
134 - 143 ((( B Grade Universities )))
121 - 134 ((( B - Grade Universities )))
94 - 121 ((( C Grade Universities )))
<94 ((( D Grade Universities )))

GRE General Test Overview
What Is It?

The GRE® General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not related to any specific field of study.

Verbal Reasoning — The skills measured include the test taker's ability to

* analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it
* analyze relationships among component parts of sentences
* recognize relationships between words and concepts

Quantitative Reasoning — The skills measured include the test taker's ability to

* understand basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis
* reason quantitatively
* solve problems in a quantitative setting

Analytical Writing — The skills measured include the test taker's ability to

* articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
* examine claims and accompanying evidence
* support ideas with relevant reasons and examples
* sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion
* control the elements of standard written English

Who Takes It and Why?

Prospective graduate applicants take the General Test. GRE® test scores are used by admissions or fellowship panels to supplement undergraduate records and other qualifications for graduate study. The scores provide common measures for comparing the qualifications of applicants and aid in evaluating grades and recommendations.


Where Do People Take It?

The General Test is offered year-round at computer-based test centers in the U.S., Canada, and many other countries. It is offered at paper-based test centers in areas of the world where computer-based testing is not available. See which format is available in your area.


Who Accepts It?

Any accredited graduate, business or professional school, or any department or division within a school, may require or recommend that its applicants take the General Test, a Subject Test, or both. If approved by the GRE® Board, a non-accredited institution can also receive test takers' scores.