What NOT to do for GRE?

I thought the readers here would benefit from few of these thoughts.
This post is focused on some common misconceptions about GRE .

Q.  Is the vocabulary section of the GRE tough  ?

A. The vocabulary section of the GRE is indeed viewed as a nightmare by many students.With proper preparation, the vocabulary section is not a hard nut to crack. The lack of proper preparation is often the root cause low scores in this section.  Memorizing long wordlists is not end of the game. GRE focuses on understanding the meaning of the wording and its proper use in a sentence.  Although some words have similar meaning, there is only one right word for the context. Understanding the finer shades of the meanings of these words is important and is often ignored by students.  This  is what is exactly put to test in GRE.

Reading comprehension is another section that is challenge for many. The ability to comprehend tough passages at a quick pace, comes by practice. The GRE BIG BOOK is an excellent resource for practice. Also, this would give you experience in reading topics such as american history etc., topics that student dont usually read about.

Take as many practice tests as you can. Equal amount of time should spent on memorizing words and practice, if high scores are to be achieved.

SO STOP THINKING THAT  VERBAL SECTION IS TOUGH. START PRACTICING. IF SOMEONE CAN ACE THE VERBAL SECTION, YOU CAN TOO.

Q. How many words should I memorize for the GRE?

A. The answer is as many as you can. However, learning atleast 2000 " GRE WORDS" is a must. Dont memorize lengthy words that have a zero chance of appearing in the GRE.

REVISING THE WORDS LEARNT REGULARLY, WOULD IMPROVE THE RECALLING ABILITY. USE MEMORY TECHNIQUES TO MAKING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FUN AND EASY.

Q.  Why should I prepare for quant, it is too easy for me?

A. Never ignore your preparation for quantative section of GRE. In fact an engineer/science student is expected to achieve nothing short of 100 % of the marks. Familiarize yourself with all the topics in the quant section. Often students ignore to look at all topics that have to be revised and often end up losing marks in sections like data analysis and interpretation. Please go through (http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_math_review.pdf) and make sure that cover all topics in your preparations. A good practice also improves speed.


Q.  The writing section of the GRE??

A. Make sure you go through all of the pool of topics for issues and arguments.
Remember that you lose points if do not point out the major flaws in an argument.
Think logically when you read an argument, often there would mistakes about generalizing something too much, wrong comparisons, conclusion without enough evidence. The key here is to think and ask " Why did the author reach this conclusion, is it logically correct or wrong".  DO NOT PUT IN YOUR OWN VIEWS ABOUT A PARTICULAR TOPIC IN AN ARGUMENT. THERE SHOULDnt  BE  ANY EXTRANEOUS MATERIAL OTHER THAN WHAT IS GIVEN.

The ideas should be clear, organized well and there be a gradual transition from idea to idea.  Gramatical errors  and typos would cost you points. Check for these in your writing. Revising some topics on sentence structures and grammar would be useful.
All the ideas should be supported with proper and strong reasoning.

In issue, you could use proper examples to support the main ideas. Here you can put in your own perspective of the topic. What you think about this. It should be clear and ideas should be well organized, with a smooth transition between ideas.

http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/issue/pool
http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/argument/pool


I believe that there are 3 ingredients for success in GRE

1.Proper plan
2. Proper preparation
3. Good practice