For Indians,especially engineering students,cracking the math section in GRE is not so difficult as compared to the verbal section.
I am not aware of the latest structure of GRE,but I can definitely say that the 80/20 rule of management theories does apply here. Generally,most of your score can be achieved through the math section with much less efforts as compared to the verbal one.
The math section requires just the basic knowledge of arithmetic till your junior college level,and more of the application of the same.The enlish language of the verbal and RC can be compared with that of a CAT exam,of course,not that much lengthy.
Only way to improve on RC is to read a lot. Just practising RC's won't help much. Passages in the exam are quite complex and time is also the constraint. Read novels and editorials in newspapers to improve. Try to understand the central idea of passage. Maths is quite easy and doesn't require much effort.
Long time ago there was a Me. And the Me had taken GRE. And the Me wants to tell you straight on the face that it is the greatest leveller of all exams, provided you havent had eggs all over your face during or grads or post-grads.
Me tells you that GRE is easier than most of the Indian aptitude tests that Me had encountered. You dont need to spend sleepless nights, mug up tonnes of notes, riffle through endless tutorials and gulp down formulae.
The only things that you need are a standard Barron's (my personal fave)/Kaplans/Princeton Review, some basic stuff in Maths, a membership card for your neares USEFI(for the fortunate few) and patience. The last thing you need the most as you read through wormy lines of 'asinine' RCs, 'stupid' Maths and essays.
Regarding only the RCs, always set a target for yourself. I mean to say that if a RC has got 2/3 or 4/5 questions, always set a limit for yourself as when to complete it. However, do not, and I say DO NOT compromise on Speed Or Accuracy. You'll need both.
Regarding Maths, build a strong base. Everything else gonna be fine!!
1. You need to be precise and specific in Essay Writing skills. 2. Less words, more impact is the kind of mastery/ strategy you must have. 3. Word Power should be phenomenal, and you must be able to put right word at right time and right place 4. Your Maths up to 10 standard must be perfect with GRE touch 5. Analytics/ Logic should be great. Hence, at least one mock up question paper can make you great logician and analyzer. 6. Keep your calm at every moment, thus your IQ and Emotional Balance should be at pinnacle when you appear for the exams. Remember, God help them who help themselves. 7. Always remember you can score 100% as many of my friends did and moved to USA. 8. You can come back from Americas, as I did, after getting relevant experience in your field. 9. You are unique person hence no comparison and pressure tactics from self or others. Great. Let us keep India at the top of the world. Whether in USA or in UNO via GRE, TIEFL, IELTS, SAT, etc. Young people like you are the representatives of India for the world. All the best. Prof. Dr. Ashish Manohar Urkude
I gave GRE 4 yr back. Dontt know changes. The langauge section is tough. For RC u need to read atleast twcie and identify what each para denotes. Some words u may not understand. For this u need to go bak 2 ur vocab preparation. If u have prepared 'cards' (5-10 words on one side, meaning on other) then u can revise over them. Once on the day u finish the card, then again after 2 days and after a week and then anytime later. So progressively u will have a whole lot to go thru. U need atleast 3 months for such a preparation.
Maths is easy if u solve barrons.
Writing - u need to understand the different stages of developing a passage. then u cud write on anytopic as long as u know ur flow of arguments/opinions.
Reading comprehension is speeded up by the following: 1.Become familiar with 'Americanisms' these are phrases that convey something that is very distinctly American. 2.Improve your vocabulary, especially between closely sounding words. 3.Read first time to grasp the general idea of the passage, this reading has to be fast skip the details but concentrate on the topic in a nutshell. 2.Read a second time to understand the points of emphasis, assertions etc, this constitutes a few details that will enable one to fix the direction of thought which the author wants to convey. 3.Read a third time to gather minor details that come up for answering the test questions. 4.Read voraciously and practice reading to refine the technique.Do not rush practice and be patient with yourself, you will be rewarded without a doubt. Best of Luck
RE:RC practice and Mathematics of GRE
by Dr. Ashish Manohar Urkude on Oct 19, 2006 11:58 AM Permalink
Dear Ravikant I would like to add to help Vinaya and for others who will read it: For RC: 1.Your reading speed must be high (this is the opinion of all the GRE tutors) 2. First read and get the mood of the author ( I agree) 3. Then know the crux and go ahead 4. May be few say, first read the questions as well 5. Last but not the least, some times faster typing speed also can add values to your GRE.
For Maths: 1. Study from the same books from which you studied till standard 10th (If possible) or make your own notes. If your notes are gone from your own hands it gets registered to your brain. 2. The direction of GRE must be at the top of mind while studying that Mathematics and while solving Problems. 3. Solve as many question papers, mock up tests, from all the sources (Internet, Barrons, Etc.)
don't worry about the math part man. The verbal part might be challenging. Buy the Barron's guide to study for the test. Its the ultimate guide. Its the most comprehensive and the exercises are at the same level of difficulty as the real test. I haven't taken the test yet, I am taking it on Oct 26th. I will let you know how that goes once I get the resutsl. good luck. talk to you in a weeek.
The best way to crack RC section in GRE is to practise as many RC as possible.It would help u to read speedily n effectively and notably to answer general questions which constitutes more than 50%.
For Math section,refer to Quantitative Aptitude book by RC Agarwal.
The trick to crack GRE with good Score to analyse ur weak section after each practice test and work upon it.
