Like this Page

CLICK this button to recommend this page to Google.

GRE Score

10 Ways to Improve your GRE Score

Graduate Record Examination GRE conducted by the Educational testing service, has increasingly become one of the most sought after test to gain entry to higher educational programs abroad. Not only is the number of GRE test takers increasing each year but also more and more graduate and business schools are recognizing the benefit of using the GRE Score to find potential students.

GRE - Good Gre Scores, Read GRE test experiences

ETS claims that GRE cannot be cleared through cramming and memorization. It is about applying your higher cognitive skills which you acquire right from your school days. While we don’t refute that we feel a little help from us can definitely do wonders. All it takes is 10 ways to achieve a good GRE Score. Well, interesting right? Read on.

10 Ways to Achieve a Good GRE Score

Awareness: By now you must be aware of the change in the old format. Not only has there been a change in the question types but the GRE Score pattern too has changed. The revised GRE Score will be between 130-170 on a scoring scale with 1 point increment for both verbal reasoning measure and quantitative reasoning measure. While in the Analytical writing task the scoring pattern remains the same i.e. 0-6 on a scoring scale with 0.5 increments. These scorings have been updated to give more reliable results hence small differences won’t be exaggerated. Say for example in the previous format if you score a 400 while your friend scores a 410 the difference is too glaring while in the revised format if you score a 130 while your friend scores a 131, on comparison there is not much of a difference between you and your friend’s performance.

Planning: This is one of the most important aspects to achieve a good GRE Score. Chalk out a specific study plan. You should have a blueprint on what, when and how you are going to study; and yes do stick to it. Your goal is to go for higher studies but your aim is to achieve a good GRE Score. Whatever be the scores you alone are responsible for it and hence it is worthwhile to write down your study plan. One way to go about it is to talk to students who have taken the test previously, find out about the problems they faced while studying, what kind of a study plan they followed. Once you talk to different students with similar interests (in this case answering GRE) you get a better idea on your planning strategy.

Preparation for Verbal Reasoning Measure: Just because you have a decent command over the language does not mean that the verbal reasoning section is going to be a piece of cake. Though antonyms and analogies are no longer present to test your wide repertoire of words, vocabulary is still the focus. The other aspects include checking out your higher cognitive skills such as understanding and reasoning ability. Read a lot of magazines, books on classics; this will help you not only with your vocabulary but also with improving your reading speed for comprehension. There are many software such as GRE Bible which offer a fun way to learn vocabulary through games such as flash cards, drop n’ drag option etc. Using mnemonics or remembering their roots is another great way to retain the words.

There will be two sections in the Verbal Reasoning Measure. Your performance in the first section will indicate the difficulty level of the second section. To get a good GRE Score, what matters is not only the number of questions answered correctly but also the difficulty level of the questions. On a scoring scale of 130-170 anything above150 is a good GRE Score.

Preparation for Quantitative Reasoning Measure: This tests your basic mathematical skills with emphasis on data interpretation and real life scenarios to gauge your skills. To get a good GRE Score you will have to score above an average of 150 on a scoring scale of 130-170. There are again two sections as in verbal reasoning measure and the difficulty level of the second section will depend on your performance in the first section. While for those test takers who have left math long time back, the very thought of math can be a nail biting affair. Rest assured most of the test takers do much better in the quantitative section than in the verbal section. Besides all it takes is practice, practice and practice. Having a look at your elementary level mathematics should give you a good start besides, books from Kaplan series and Princeton Review’s will build up your confidence level. You should have a minimum of two good books for a last minute review.

Focus on Analytical writing Tasks: There will be 2 essays, one on issue task and the other one on argument task. Unlike the PBT where there will be two human readers grading you on a 0-6 scoring scale, with the average being recorded, the CBT has one human reader and the other is reviewed by an electronic system called E-rater. While they are not looking for the Shakespeare in you. Your writing should give a fair idea on how well you can articulate on the paper in a focused and coherent manner besides your written responses will be sent to the universities to compare your writing skills with your personal information. When you practice to write essays, always make an outline plan, then the words will flow naturally. Remain focused on what is expected of you. For example “Laws should not be fixed or rigid. Instead, they should be flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times and places.” Read very carefully and respond to the words as it appears on the actual test.

Practice: Need I say more practice, practice and practice is the key to achieve a good GRE score? Start your preparations at least 5-6 months in advance so that you can get enough practice. It’s a great idea to form a group with students who plan to take the same test. This can not only give you better perspective to your studies but also prevent you from losing your focus.

Diagnostic: Conduct a diagnostic test at the end of each section. This will give you better idea on your strengths and weaknesses. Software such as GRE Bible is a great way to take the diagnostic test. They have these tests conducted by way of different games which help to break the monotony of studying the same thing.

Time Management: This is a crucial aspect. Don’t ponder over a question for too long; at the same time do not rush through the questions either. It would do well if you time your answers in the preparation stage itself. There are many tutorials which conduct mock tests. Take as many as you can, as it not only improves your speed but also instills in you the much needed confidence to take on the test.

Read carefully: Most of the time we are so overwhelmed with the need to perform that we goof up with simple things. The subject range in GRE is wide and it is unlikely that you will know the answer to most of the questions besides, most of the questions might appear to have more than one answer, so when you read slowly and carefully you will be able to eliminate the wrong choices with intelligent guessing.

Relax: Easier said than done. The pressure to achieve a good score is so high that we forget how to relax. It may sound cliché but stress is one of the main reasons for poor GRE scores. Without trying to sound like a spiritual guru meditation and breathing exercises can definitely do wonders for you.

All these pointers should definitely help you achieve a good GRE score

Like this Page

CLICK this button to recommend this page to Google.

Good GRE Scores

Just finished GRE.
My New GRE Score

Verbal - 166
Quans - 170
Total - 336

Read how I was able to acheive this score. How I prepared and some GRE advice.Read GRE test takers GRE test experiences and GRE success stories.
Gre Success Stories

5 Online GRE Full Length Tests

Worried about your GRE score. Get High GRE score using our online GRE full tests and avoid admission rejection in university.
Purchase