��ɫ����Ƶ: When did you start thinking about GRE?

������������:�� I had always planned to do an MS for an entire year before I actually started preparations. I was working with Cognizant back then and I felt that kind of lifestyle was not ideal for me. So, I started googling about GRE and asked a couple of my friends who had already given it. By, September 2015 I decided that GRE is the way forward for me. I gave my exam in May and now I’m preparing my admission profile.

��ɫ����Ƶ: You mentioned the working lifestyle wasn’t ideal for you. Was that the primary motivation for doing higher studies?

������������:�� Yes, initially. I had to work in three shifts throughout the week and each had a different timing. So, my sleep patterns were getting affected. It wasn’t a highly technical job either, so I wanted to try for a Master’s degree and see where it takes me. But now, I’m convinced this is the right path for me because I’ve always been a good learner and interested in the field of Computer Science. I spoke to few of my friends who knew me well. They instilled the confidence in me to quit my job and give this a shot.

��ɫ����Ƶ: How did you come across ��ɫ����Ƶ?

������������:��I was googling about GRE preparation when I found the ad on Google and I registered with ��ɫ����Ƶ. At the time, I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t have a learning schedule, I wasn’t sure of what type of questions I could expect. Basically, I was new to GRE preparation.

I got a call from one of the student counselors who first understood my situation and then patiently explained to me what I had to do to score a 320+ in GRE. I was so impressed that I had to join and try for myself. I enrolled in the Rapid GRE program and scored a 310 finally! [grins]

��ɫ����Ƶ: What major challenges did you face in your GRE preparation?

Abishek: I was sure I could deal with the Verbal section, but I was not so confident about the Quant portion of GRE. I gave the diagnostic test and mock tests. I ended up with scores like 300, 305,307. I was improving but slowly. So, when I got my final score, I was thrilled!

��ɫ����Ƶ: How was your experience with ��ɫ����Ƶ?

������������:��[smiles] You know, most of the students tend to imagine themselves to be slogging away alone when they prepare for GRE. They feel more desperate and irritated every day because they don’t know who to turn to or whose advice to trust. But in my case, I didn’t feel that way at all!

” I felt safe with ��ɫ����Ƶ”

I took the plunge and bought the program because I found out that they had separate trainers for Verbal and Quant, called SFAs (Student Facilitators and Analysts). Both my SFAs were passionate about helping me achieve my target score and were there with me every step of the way. They would make it a point to reach out every week to have a one-on-one feedback session as well as provide feedback for the everyday test. It was like going to class with my favorite Math teacher!

However, the highlight is in the small things that the SFAs do to provide you a holistic experience. I was asked to read articles to improve my Verbal. They also suggested websites that would help me improve my reading speed.

The Student Welfare Team added me in a WhatsApp group with students who had similar capabilities like me. They shared questions and gave feedback to the group too!

I felt so secure in my preparation strategy. Wouldn’t you be happy too? [laughs]

��ɫ����Ƶ: I agree. It sounds like you had a wonderful time preparing for GRE.

Abishek: I did! I could learn at my pace, check my progress, see how much more I needed to do to achieve my target score. ��ɫ����Ƶ made learning fun for me. I had a good time studying! I didn’t think that was possible.

Our SFAs would be very happy to hear this. But, tell me, why did you choose to prepare Online?

Oh, there was no doubt about that in my mind. You don’t have to travel far to a coaching center. You have help waiting for you, whenever you need it and they are just a call away. I get a lot of doubts when I study and I was sure I wouldn’t be able to learn new concepts and clear the doubts in one sitting in a classroom.

I didn’t have to focus on studying even if I didn’t want to at a specific time of the day. It was flexible and I was comfortable with the pace at which I was learning. Online Training was the way to go for me.

��ɫ����Ƶ: Great! So, you mentioned you had a flexible study schedule. Can you elaborate on your GRE preparation plan?

Abishek: Sure! I was given a customized study plan after my diagnostic test by the SFAs. I needed help with Quant, so my study plan was focused on that.

I would tackle Math as soon as I woke up in the morning for about 2 hours. And then I moved to doing Verbal for 1-2 hours. I was active in the WhatsApp group so I sometimes spent an hour there too.

I would spend the evenings to revise the concepts I learnt in the morning and if I had any doubts I would ask them then. My doubts were always solved immediately or the at the max, the very next day. So, I didn’t lag behind in my preparation schedule.

��ɫ����Ƶ: Wow, you did all this for 2 months? How did you remain focused and motivated?

Abishek: As I said, learning became fun! I wanted to do justice to the number of effort people were investing in me, sort of like a give and take. I have learned that when you are surrounded by positive, empathetic people you tend to become more relaxed and confident\

I was so happy with the service that I have enrolled for the admission services also!

��ɫ����Ƶ: And how is that going so far?

Abishek: I don’t have any complaints. I got a call from an admission counselor who explained the admission timeline to me. I understood what universities would suit my profile the best. I’m waiting for my official transcripts from college and I can start applying soon. I can’t wait! [laughs]

��ɫ����Ƶ: Your enthusiasm is contagious, Abishek! Keep it up!

I’d like to wrap up the interview with one last question. What does the future hold for you?

Abishek: Wow! That’s a difficult question. I have a lot of hopes. But for now, I’d like to finish my Master’s, work for a few years and then start my own organization. I’d like to give back to the society, that’s my motivation. I want to help small children study better and personalize education for them.

Yes, we agree! A good education can be life-changing!

��ɫ����Ƶ wishes Abishek lots of success in all his future endeavors.

The post Abhishek Surya’s GRE Preparation Online appeared first on ��ɫ����Ƶ Blog.

To understand about his GRE Online preparation process and his success mantra, we decided to have a small conversation with Shyam, the man himself.

Shyam Experience – GRE verbal practice test

What are you currently doing Shyam?
Currently, I am working as an Oracle Administrator in Wipro Technologies, Chennai

Can you please tell us about your GRE scores?
I initially joined ��ɫ����Ƶ for preparation and got a score of 315. I scored 156 in Verbal and 159 in Quant. When I joined I was not at this level; my diagnostic score was way below than this. But, after repeated practices and tests, I achieved this score through sheer hard work. Hard work is always fruitful. ��dz������ٱ����Ҹ鷡 verbal practice testhappened to be a perfect launch pad to pursue my dreams.

When did you join ��ɫ����Ƶ?
I joined ��ɫ����Ƶ ( …formerly GREedge) before 5 months in order to improve my chances of getting admits from  top-notch universities.�� GRE is one of the important factors to get your profile to the admissions committee.�� While considering the options, I felt an online academy would best suit my kind of work and ��ɫ����Ƶ proved to be a safeguard for all kinds of purposes.�� I had to take a diagnostic test in which I scored low. Constant practice and feedback from SFAs helped me get past difficulties and score 315 in GRE

How did you prepare for Verbal?
I think Verbal is pretty much my strong point compared to Quant.�� I used to read a lot of articles, columns in Cricinfo and other stuff. I also used the Wordbot feature to learn vocabulary. Finally, I got a verbal score of 156 which I consider a pretty decent score. I started learning vocabulary from Day 1. I used to go through the meaning, learn the synonyms and then use it in a proper sentence.

Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, and Sentence Equivalence- What did you do?
RCs can prove to be very difficult. But you should break them down, analyze them and then read it.  After doing this, you’ll be able to answer all the questions using a few quick techniques. There are a lot of question types like Inference questions, Negative, and Positive questions. Understanding them is very important and SFAs will help you out in that. Wordbot is the right key here. Sentence Equivalence is a bit tricky. From the six answer choices, any of the options might suit in. But, only 2 choices will be exactly matching the question. Having a sound knowledge of all the GRE words will definitely help. Learning words with the closely associated words is the best way to cope up with Sentence Equivalence. Text Completion tests your ability to put the word in the right context. GRE verbal practice test part comprises of these three. With the right amount of practice, it’s very easy to score above 160+ in Verbal.

Get Started with Vocabulary with WordBot from ��ɫ����Ƶ. Learn with pictures, audio pronunciation, root words & mnemonics etc.��

What did you do for Quant?
For Quant preparation, I primarily relied on the old mantra “PRACTICE”. Practice till you gain sufficient knowledge in all the areas. Once you get that, you can solve any type of problem irrespective of the difficulty level.�� Initially, I would suggest to learn concepts thoroughly, write down the formulas in a sheet of paper and keep the paper adjacent to you while solving. Gradually your memory power will increase and you will automatically use the formulas.  I believe certain topics in Quant need more concentration. But trust me, it’s just basic mathematics. With the right preparation methods, you can easily score 170 in Quant.

Why do you think AWA is very important?
I got a score of 3.5 in AWA section. I think this section is being avoided by most of the GRE aspirants. But believe me it is one of the most important section. The admissions committee would be able to evaluate your writing capabilities through the section.�� These guys are not looking for a perfect 6. It is very tough since we are not native speakers of English. But having a sound knowledge of vocabulary and grammar can fetch a score of 4+ which is considered to be a very good score.

Would you like to share your experience with ��ɫ����Ƶ?
Yes, I would love to. In a nutshell, learning experience with ��ɫ����Ƶ was awesome.�� Initially I had a dilemma whether to trust an online academy and invest my father’s hard earned money over there.�� But later after attending a lot of seminars, I came to a conclusion that I should join an online academy and that would definitely be ��ɫ����Ƶ. After the registration process, they gave a diagnostic test where the SFAs were able to guess my abilities in Quant and Verbal. My diagnostic score was very average. Losing the touch right after college, it was difficult to score well in the diagnostic test. My SFAs evaluated the responses and designed a perfect study plan for me to concentrate on areas where I was weak.. I was pretty strong in Verbal than Quant. For Quant, my SFAs helped me out and I was able to do well. I spent 6-7 hours during the final stages of preparation and I would like to thank ��ɫ����Ƶ for the score. Without them, it wouldn’t have been possible.

Shyam Experience about GRE verbal practice test

What do you think is very exciting about ��ɫ����Ƶ?
You would get a lot of free time during college. But in a workplace, getting the job done should be our top priority. After going home, you would definitely want to relax. Going to a coaching center for GRE after hectic work schedule might be impossible. I was looking for some place where I could use my available time effectively. Finally, I found out ��ɫ����Ƶ platform where everything is online. You need not come physically to any place. Be it weekends or weekdays, you can log in from wherever you are. This is an exciting factor for Working Professionals to consider choosing ��ɫ����Ƶ.

How did your SFAs at ��ɫ����Ƶ help you?
There is an exciting concept called SFAs (Student Facilitators & Analysts)  in ��ɫ����Ƶ. As the name suggest, they facilitate you throughout the GRE process. It is one of the bright features of ��ɫ����Ƶ.��  You will be able to contact your SFAs anytime and they will get back to you in the next 24 hours with relevant solutions.

Experience with ��ɫ����Ƶ in one word?
If I should explain my experience with ��ɫ����Ƶ in one word, then I would use the word “SANGUINE”. Sanguine means pretty optimistic and positive during odd times. This word would perfectly suit my learning experience with ��ɫ����Ƶ.

What is your success mantra?
My success mantra is to be good at whatever you do. Do your best and wait for the rest.

What is your word of advice to all the GRE aspirants?
My advice to all the GRE aspirants would be to use the Learning Tracker from ��ɫ����Ƶ.  Learning Tracker has all the resources which are required to get 340 in GRE. It is designed with cutting edge technologies and the information available there is very good.  Please make full use of the Learning Tracker from ��ɫ����Ƶ.

Most of the working professionals suffer due to their tight hectic schedule. They become very lethargic and do set aside enough time to prepare for GRE verbal practice test.�� Like Shyam, if the right GRE program guides you through your tough times, every working professional can go ahead and crack the GRE effortlessly. Shyam’s experience with ��ɫ����Ƶ has been amazing. He prepared with Complete GRE program from ��ɫ����Ƶ and that helped him boost his GRE score to 315.

If you wish to break the obstacles and get a high GRE score using Complete GRE, you can click here.��

You can also share the article with your friends who are working and looking forward to preparing for their GRE with the GRE verbal practice test. You can also comment below if you have any doubts or call us at: +91-98844-53276. We will make sure you get a call from our GRE experts and help you out with your specific problems.

The post My Experience with GRE – A Candid Interview with Shyam appeared first on ��ɫ����Ƶ Blog.