If your goal is to pursue postgraduate studies in an English-speaking country, the GRE General Test is the admission exam that you must take to guarantee and validate your academic skills. In this article, we will present how long to study for GRE with 10 useful preparation tips.
GRE is necessary when you want to study abroad. It shows that you are ready to rise in specialization programs, doctorates and masters in any career, with a particular inclination to the business industry, one of the most popular universities in the United States and the world.
How long to study for GRE Exam?
These are the estimated times for each of the subsections of the GRE test:
- Completion of text (1 blank space): 20 – 45 seconds.
- Completion of text (2 blank spaces): 30 – 75 seconds.
- Completion of text (3 blank spaces): 45 seconds – 2 minutes.
- Equivalence of sentences: 20 – 60 seconds.
- Short passage reading: 45 seconds – 1 minute 45 seconds, including the reading time.
- Length passage reading: 1 minute – 3 minutes, including reading time.
- Paragraph argument: 1 minute – 2 minutes 15 seconds, including the reading time.
In the quantitative section or Math:
Each subsection of mathematics contains 20 questions, for which you have 35 minutes for each paragraph. It is counted in 1 minute 45 seconds to answer each question.
10 tips for GRE exam preparation
The GRE test measures your general skills in two verbal sections, two quantitative sections and one experimental section that does not influence the overall score. The questions you will face in the oral are the completion of texts, the equivalence of sentences and reading comprehension.
Both sections are rated in a range between 130 and 170 points. With 340 points being the maximum score resulting from the sum of the two individual scores.
So, you will put into practice all the knowledge you have acquired during your previous academic training. In undergraduate studies and even in that work experience, you have lived until the moment you decide to prepare for the GRE General Test.
You will also be interested in knowing that the difficulty level of the questions is entirely random. Do not progressively increase difficulty or adapt to the performance that you are having in the computer-based test. It could well be the first question the hardest one you encounter.
To pass the test successfully, check out these 10 tips for the preparation of the GRE that we leave you to get ready with the exam:
1- Take advantage of each question
We have good news … All the questions answered correctly in the GRE are the same! That’s right. A complex mathematical calculation gives you the same number of points as a simple question of those that are answered in less than 15 seconds. However, this is an element to which you should take the most significant advantage. Concentrate on giving the best of yourself and advance in the different phases of the exam, taking advantage of each question. Make all your answers worthwhile and do not stop answering any.
2- Read the full paragraphs
In the verbal part of the test, you will face questions of text completion. A key to passing them successfully is to read the sections or reading extracts complete input. The first blank you must complete are ambiguous and easily lend themselves to confusion. Avoid it by applying this advice, understanding as a whole to the text. It will help you to clear up any doubts you have regarding the context.
Try to understand the whole picture before continuing. Because some reading passages are usually extensive. In this way, you will be able to understand what the sentences refer to, exploring the main ideas and the conjuncture of the subject in question that is presented to you in the test.
3- Argue with your own words
Once you have drawn your conclusions about the reading passages of the verbal section and you feel ready to respond, do it with your own words. To do this, you must justify your point with logical and acceptable grounds. You can achieve by relating them directly to sentences and sentences in the text. This way, you will find the connection between your ideas and the ideas explicit in the exam’s content. It is an exact formula that will lead you directly to a victory in the GRE test.
This advice will be beneficial when practicing. Starting with three months in advance is a good number, take real examples of the GRE on the web and start becoming an expert giving your analysis and experiencing simulations in real time.
4- Mix and very practice outside of class
Do not get saturated with quantitative or verbal information. The simplest and most effective way to memorize the knowledge you need to gain for the GRE is to vary in your method of practice, mixing daily the different sections of the exam. Start with a little of the verbal section and supplement it with another part of the quantitative section. This way, you can learn more efficiently, and you will not see yourself in the abyss of not remembering with certainty what you have already studied.
The preparation path is long, but that is not what should occupy you. The methodology that you apply to practice outside of class. If you have the official GRE General Test guides in physical, try skipping pages, instead of reading them from page 1 to the last one chronologically. Always remember to take notes of what you have learned to keep track and do a final review a couple of weeks before the test. And the last week before the exam day, relax, rest and let the knowledge flow!
5- Study the synonyms
The verbal part contains sentence equivalency question types. In which you must select two words that complete sentences with meaning based on their content. The key here is the synonyms: among the six possible options, try to find the two words that are not synonymous. These would be the correct answers. Do not try to guess. In case, you do not know with certainty the meaning of a word, and if you also think that this could be the right option, discard applies. Start eliminating the options that you know and of which you are sure are not appropriate.
To give a random response to the questions of equivalence of sentences is very complex. Therefore, practice a lot this part looking for a recent online test model that presents this part of the exam as you will experience the day of the test.
6- Expand your vocabulary
The previous point is complemented to a great extent with this one, as well as the whole verbal section of the GRE. Knowing new words to increase your glossary of terms is essential when preparing the GRE. Try reading articles in English that you find interesting, write down the words you do not know and look for their meaning. When you already understand perfectly what they mean, it is time to relate the same words to different sentences to investigate in which cases they can be used.
Finally, look for as many synonyms as you can. You will see the high amount and variety of meanings that the same word can have in the language. These steps will provide you with complete vocabulary learning. Because it is not enough to see an unknown word and look for it in the dictionary.
7- Know the format and structure of the GRE
Inevitably you have asked yourself, how can I find it if I do not know what I am looking for? As well as the truth of that question, it is the certainty that you must know the format and structure of the GRE from beginning to end. Explore in depth the different sections of the general exam, familiarize yourself with the statements of the questions. The type of content and the types of questions.
So, when the big day comes to present it, you will know what it is about. Calculate how much time you have to answer the different phases of the test. You will be ready to approach it with full confidence. Remember that your verbal and quantitative skills will be tested. So, your knowledge should be quite broad and elementary.
8- Work on your weaknesses
It will probably be easier for you to answer qualitative questions than quantitative questions … or vice versa. One of the objectives of the practice is to find an ideal balance between so many skills required to pass the GRE. The truth is that we always excel more in some than in others. The secret of being victorious is to put special dedication in strengthening your weaknesses.
9- Take notes from day 1
Your notes on each phase of GRE preparation are as important as knowing the basic conventions of the English language. The signs are what will give you a learning log, so take them from day 1, do it as your academic journal.
Once you have reached the final stage, you can give a general review very complete, specific, and unique, unmatched with any guide or specialized tutorial on the web. You can review it with your teacher and fine-tune the final details. It will give you that final slap to feel comfortable and 100% prepared.
10- Practice mock exam in real time
Counting the time you take to complete the two main sections of the GRE General Test will significantly help you succeed. In the GRE preparation, you will experience simulations in real time of the test. And since one of the objectives is to invest the right amount in each section. Even though one of them takes more time than another according to your strengths and weaknesses. It is important to know indefinite how much time you have. So, the clock does not become your enemy and lose all the valuable work you have done.
