If you’re thinking about pursuing graduate school, it’s likely you may be wondering how to prepare for the GRE, or Graduate Record Exam. This exam is required for acceptance into most accredited Master’s programs and is taken by hundreds of thousands of prospective students each year. The test is comprised of three sections – verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing. You may feel quite confident about taking the test because you have a background of strong academic success and scored well on the SAT, another standardized college entrance exam. However, the GRE is different and can be quite a challenge, especially if you’ve been out of a formal academic setting for awhile. Follow these tips to prepare for GRE success.
Prepare Early
The Graduate Record Exam is not the kind of test where you can just hope to wing it. Doing well requires a great deal of preparation. In fact, there will be questions asked of you that you may not have considered since your college, or even, high school days. This is particularly true when it comes to the math questions. Concepts learned in algebra and geometry are ones that are most easily and quickly forgotten. You’ll need to refresh your memory in order to come up with the correct answers and ensure a solid score on the GRE. The same principal goes for concepts of social science and humanities, especially if you are more geared toward scientific and mathematical thinking.
The actual GRE test sections are timed. It’s a wise idea to utilize practice tests and time yourself when in order to get an idea of just how much preparation you will require. It’s likely that you should set aside at least a couple months prior to the exam to prepare for the GRE. ETS, the company that oversees the GRE, offers free and low-cost prep tools on their website. It’s also helpful simply to research study methods online and at your local library.
Be Thorough in Your Practice
When studying for the exam, it can be tempting to simply read through questions or concepts, think that you have an understanding of them and move on. This kind of cursory study will not serve you well when you sit down to take the GRE. Instead, take the time to actually work out each sample problem to be sure you are able to realistically do so. If you find that you’re not, you’ll need to put in the effort to familiarize yourself with the knowledge you’ve forgotten. This can definitely be a time-consuming process. It’s a rude awakening to realize just how much basic knowledge you lose from your past formal education. However, it’s best to find this out ahead of time rather than wasting time and money on taking a test for which you are not prepared.
Have a Positive Attitude
The size of your task at hand may seem overwhelming. You already have a college degree, so it might seem unnecessary to have to put so much effort into passing an exam in order to pursue further education. However, the level of understanding required to do well on the GRE is directly proportional to the kind of knowledge and thought processes required to succeed in graduate school. You will thank yourself for taking the time now to sharpen your skills.
The effort you take to prepare for the GRE will pay off in a number of ways, so do be sure to invest the time needed to feel comfortable and ready for the exam.
