Introduction to GRE Probability

The Quants section of GRE assesses you across four broad areas- arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. Probability is one of the concepts tested in the data analysis section. However, Probability is just a small part of data analysis and you may expect hardly two to three questions on probability.

Now, you might be asking why to study probability if it forms such an insignificant part of GRE Quants? Well, if you are aiming for a high score in the quantitative section and have already mastered the algebra, arithmetic, and geometry; then two or three questions can make a world of difference in your scores. It is therefore important that you familiarize yourself with the basics of probability thereby raising your chances for a higher and a better GRE Quants score.

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Probability questions can take on many different forms such as multiple choice questions, quantitative comparison, and numeric entry. In case of multiple choice questions, you will be asked to select only one answer from a list of five choices. Quantitative comparison questions consist of two quantities, let’s say A and B, which are accompanied by a description. Your task is to compare the quantities and select one of the four possible choices. Numeric entry questions, as the name suggests, ask you to enter your answer either as an integer or as a decimal in an answer box or enter a fraction in two separate boxes.

Concepts tested in GRE Probability

Now that you have a fair idea about the number and kind of questions to expect, let us have a look at the concepts tested by these probability questions. All GRE probability questions will test your knowledge of two basic concepts- simple probability and permutation and combination.

Simple probability:

Probability is a way to describe uncertainty and the possible outcomes of an experiment using numbers. Simple probability determines the likelihood that an event will happen. Let us look at an example to understand simple probability better.

When we perform an experiment, then the set of all the possible outcomes is called the sample space (S). When we roll a die, the possible outcomes are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Here, in our example of rolling a die the sample space is-

S = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}

Any subset of the sample space is called an event. So, let’s say “rolling an even number” is an event which corresponds to the outcome of {2, 4, 6}. Now, the probability of rolling an even number is the number of outcomes that constitute the event divided by the total number of possible outcomes. We call the outcomes in an event its ‘favourable outcomes’. So, the probability of an event is determined using the following formula-

Probability = Favourable number of events / total number of events

or, ÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęP(E) =n(E) /Ìęn(S)

Therefore, the probability of getting an even number when we roll a die is-

Probability of getting an even number = {2,4,6} /Ìę{1,2,3,4,5,6}

= 3/6 ÌęÌę

= 1/2 ÌęÌę

Thus, the probability of getting an even number while rolling a die is half. Or in other words, the probability of getting an even number when we roll a die is fifty percent.

Permutation and combination:

Apart from simple probability, the GRE probability section also tests your knowledge of permutation and combinations. In very simple words, permutation refers to sequences and combination refers to groups. In a sequence order is important. Therefore, permutations are sequences where order is important, whereas in case of combinations, the order is not important. Let us understand both these concepts with the help of an example.

Consider the following question:-

In how many different ways can five people sit in a row?

In this question, we have to arrange five people in a sequence. However, the order is important in solving this problem. Now, for the first spot in the row, we have five people to choose from. As we go down the line, the number of people we have to choose from will decrease by one. Therefore, we have 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 120 ways in which five people can sit in a row.

Now, consider this question:-

Steven drew 13 portraits for his art project. He wants to choose 8 of them for his studio art final. How many different groups of photos are possible?

If you observe carefully, this question asks about groups and not the order in which the portraits will be chosen. Therefore, this is a combination problem. Therefore, using the formula-

nCk = n! /Ìęk! * (n–k)!

= 13! /Ìę8! * (13–8)!

= 1287 different groups

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Tips to master GRE Probability questions

Tip 1- Confirm that the question is on probability:

In GRE questions don’t come labeled or tagged as arithmetic or probability. It is therefore important to determine whether the problem involves probability or not. So, look for the word ‘probability’ in the questions. If you cannot find the word ‘probability’ embedded in the question description then look for other important and related key terms such as- event, outcome, random selection.

Consider the following example-

1) A fair dice is tossed. Event A is defined as getting a prime number and event B is defined as getting an even number. Which one of the following is/ are true?

(i) P(B)= 1/2

(ii) P(A n B)= 0

(iii) P(A) + P(B)= 1

(iv) P(A n B)= 1/6

(v) P(A)= 4/6

Notice in this example question that the word probability has not been used. But as you can observe the word event appears in the question. This means that the question involves probability.

Tip 2- Memorize the formulas:

If you want to have a good Quants score then memorizing the key formulas in probability is important. You should not be wasting time trying to figure out what the formula was as you don’t get a lot of time to solve the questions. Our experience with GRE aspirants shows that top scorers actually spend more time learning formulas and concepts rather than practicing sums.

These are some of the important probability formulas you can memorize and keep in handy-

The probability of an event = Favourable number of event number of total outcomes

Odds in favor of an event = Number of favorable outcomesNumber of total outcomes

Odds against an event = Number of unfavorable outcomesNumber of total outcomes

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Tip 3- Practice a lot:

There is no shortcut to success. And that is true even for GRE Quants. If you are dreaming of higher Quants score, your dream will come true with thorough practice. Data shows that difficulty level of questions on probability is usually medium to high. So, make sure that you practice GRE questions which are a little tough. You must practice advanced GRE questions of level 4 and level 5.

In order to secure a higher percentile in GRE Quants, it is important that you gain enough understanding of probability concepts. In fact, achieving a perfect 170 in Quants is not a very difficult task. What you need is some advice and guidance regarding how to prepare and avoid some common mistakes that GRE test takers often make. You can check out our video on Quant Shortcuts! (Probability)

We hope this article provided you with smart ways to crack GRE Probability questions. All the best!

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All about GRE Text Completion:

The GRE text completion section assesses how you interpret and evaluate information presented to you based on your reasoning skills. They do this by omitting critical words from short passages which you need to fill up by using the remaining information in the passage as a basis to create a logical and meaningful whole.

A typical GRE text completion question features a sentence or short passage where one, two or three words are left blank. Your task is to pick the right word from the choices given and make the passage meaningful.

You can expect approximately 12 text-completion questions in total with roughly 6 text-completion questions in each sub-section of the GRE Verbal.

GRE text-completion questions can be of three types:

• Single-blank: These questions have a single blank to be filled up. For sentences or passages with a single blank, you will have to choose the right option from five given words. You can expect four single blank questions in total (2 per section)
• Double-blank: Double blank text completion questions have two blanks to be filled up. You will have to choose the right answer from three given options. You may expect around four to five double blank questions. (2-3 per section)
• Triple-blank: Triple blank text completion passages have three blanks which need to be filled. Three options will be given from which you will have to pick up the right word and you can expect roughly three to four triple blank questions. (1-2 per section)

It is important for you to remember that you have to choose the right answer for every blank for questions with either a double blank or a triple blank to earn a credit. You do not earn any credit for partially correct answers. Also, a double and a triple blank question counts as a single question even though the question passage has multiple blanks.

Tips to crack GRE Text Completion:

One of the most common mistakes candidates make on this section is to focus only on vocabulary building. Now don’t get me wrong here – a great vocabulary is, in fact, one of the pillars of your GRE verbal prep; but it’s not the only one! There’s quite a lot of critical thinking involved in answering Text Completion questions with respect to which word (or words) make the passage meaningful and rational, i.e., contextual usage of words.

Let us consider the following examples for a better understanding:

GRE Text Completion: example 3

Now, the tendency of test takers is to link the first two blanks and then find out the right word for the third blank. So, you might think that because the author is so ‘verbose’ that his work becomes ‘inaccessible’. And then, therefore you quickly link that to ‘lack of coherence and lucidity’. However, this is the point where you need to use your critical thinking and reasoning skills.

If you notice that there is a ‘but’ in the middle of the sentence, that’s your clue that it’s a turning point for the sentence, and the second part of the sentence is likely to take on a different tone from the first. Also, the term ‘knowledgeable critics’ appear and you need to think about why and what critics would point out in the author’s work. Hence, if you logically analyze this sentence, you will find that because of the author’s ‘verbosity’ people, in general, find his work ‘inaccessible’, but critics, because they are experts and know the topic really well, find this to be the most ‘succinct’ piece of work in the field’.

Thus, the answer to this question goes like this:

Because of the author’s (i) verbosity, many readers consider his latest work (ii) inaccessible but, in reality, as many knowledgeable critics point out the piece (iii) is the most succinct on the subject.

Therefore, do not jump into conclusions and make the wrong choices! But what must you do to identify the correct answers? Well, there are some tips and tricks to master text completion questions and handle them like a pro.

Tip 1- Break the sentence:

Text completions passages can be lengthy and are difficult to assimilate at one go. You might as well get lost in the maze of words by looking at the whole passage and attempting to answer the question. ÌęOne of the ways to handle a text completion question is to break the text into parts in a way that is easy for you to understand. So, before you consider any of the choices given, break the passage into smaller, easily understandable parts and consider each part at a time. You will then find it easy to link these smaller parts to get the bigger picture.

In order to understand this, let us consider an example:

GRE Text Completion: example 2 (Break the sentence)

In order to solve this, break this passage into smaller parts in your own words. Doing so will make it easier for you to find the right word for each blank.

(i) Let’s take a look at the first part of the sentence:

“For centuries now, cancer has (i) ___________ scientists.”

Since confused would be the right word here, look for the option that is closest in meaning to confused, which in this case is confounded.

Great! We now know the answer to one of the blanks!

(ii) Let’s move on to the second part of the passage now:

“Unlike most microbes, cancer can spread to the (ii) __________ organism.”

If ‘whole’ is the word you have in mind, you’re absolutely on the right track! Now, look for the option that is closest in meaning to ‘whole’. This is an easy one – entire!

(iii) Now for the 3rd and final part of the passage:

“making it very difficult for scientists to find a way to attack the cancer without (iii) _________ any of the affected organs.”

What words are you thinking of? Damaging? Harming? Destroying? Locate the GRE word for that and you’ll have successfully answered all three blanks correctly and earned your score

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In this case, the word you’re looking for is ‘impairing’ which essentially means the same as harming or damaging. Hence, here’s what the completed passage should look like:

For centuries now, cancer has (i) confounded scientists. Unlike most microbes, cancer can spread to the (ii) entire organism, making it very difficult for scientists to find a way to attack the cancer without (iii) impairing the functions of any of the affected organs.

If you would have tried to choose the right words without breaking down the sentence into smaller parts, you were very likely to choose ‘intrigued’ instead of ‘confounded’ for the first blank. The word ‘intrigued’ means ‘to arouse curiosity or to fascinate’ and considering that the passage talks about scientists finding it difficult to figure out how to attack the cancer cells, the word ‘confounded’ fits the blank better. The word ‘corrupted’ means ‘to act dishonestly for personal or monetary gains’. This word does not fit the blank because cancer being a disease cannot corrupt scientists.

On the same lines, you were very likely to choose ‘eradicating’ for the third blank which means to destroy completely. ÌęHowever, we need to understand that the passage talks about the scientists trying to eliminate cancer and not the organs. The word ‘eradicating’ therefore, changes the context of the passage completely. The right word choice is, therefore, ‘impairing’, which translates to ‘having an adverse effect’ on the organs.

Tip2- Check for word use and idiom problems:

GRE Text Completion uses words as well as idioms to express ideas which may sound and appear very tricky. You must make sure you understand how ideas have been expressed as phrases and eliminate the options or choices that result in the sentence appearing puzzling or awkward. Read the complete sentence and if it sounds wrong to your ear then maybe it is not the right answer.

Let us consider an example:

GRE Text Completion: example 1

In the case of the second blank, we can take a hint from the last line of the passage ‘sometimes the petty differences end up fatally’. This indicates that even though the social bonding in crows, bees, and humans is strong, sometimes they also quarrel amongst themselves and this sometimes can lead to loss of life. The word ‘criticism’ means ‘expression of disapproval’ which does not lead to any fatalistic outcome and therefore does not fit the bill. The answer choice ‘prejudice’ means ‘preconceived notion not based on any reason’. Since the comparison is made between humans and animals, this word will not fit because prejudices exist only in humans and not in animals. This leads us to the answer ‘quibble’ which refers to an argument. So, the passage with the correct words goes like this: In this passage, the phrase ‘creatures who bond, such as the crows and bees, humans too have Ìę…’ provides a vital clue regarding social behavior of these species for the first blank. The word ‘enthusiastic’ means showing interest and does not really relate to social behavior. Also, the other option ‘warm-blooded’ refers to birds and mammals and therefore does not fit the context, as the passage includes bees, too. This leads us to answer choice ‘gregarious’ which means being sociable.

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Humans too, like all (i) gregarious creatures who bond together, such as the crows and bees, have their (ii) quibbles. Sometimes the petty differences end up fatally.

Tip 3- Consider all the answer choices:

Always read the entire passage and don’t choose options in haste. Most of the times the difference between the options might be very subtle and you might end up choosing a weaker option when a stronger one is already provided.

GRE Text Completion: example

Now, in the options‘insincere’, ‘facetious’, and ‘mistaken’ all indicate a general sense of falseness; however, it is the word insincere which directly relates with the idea of trust and belief.If you examine this sentence carefully, then three keywords emerge from the passage which provides us a clue about the answer. The words ‘since’, ‘believed’ and ‘refused’ give us an idea that because of her belief, she refused to think that he might be lying or something that is false.

So, we hope these examples helped you to understand how critical thinking skills paired with knowledge of vocabulary can go a long way in selecting the right answer choice. By practicing text completion questions using these techniques, you can easily achieve a 160+ in the GRE’s Verbal section.

GRE Text Completion versus Sentence Equivalence:

Now that you have a fair idea on how to go about answering text completion questions, you must be wondering about the difference between text completion and sentence equivalence. Text completion and sentence equivalence are both types of fill-in-the-blank questions. However, apart from that similarity, there are significant differences between the two. Let us have a look at them:

GRE Text Completion versus Sentence Equivalence

Effective Vocabulary building techniques:

By now you must have understood that the keys to cracking GRE Verbal are developing critical thinking skills and a strong vocabulary with about 3,500 GRE words, their usage and application to learn! You can start off with reading different articles and pick up words which are unfamiliar to you and check their meanings.Ìę

Download our eBOOK on “High Priority GRE Word List“

Memorizing is one thing and usage is another. You may memorize a whole lot of words but you may not really be aware of the context in which these words are used. Therefore, while learning words you must also learn where to use them. In order to do this, construct your own sentences using the words you have just learned. This is where WordBot can really help you out! Try it out now – it’s completely free to use!

We hope this article provided you with smart ways to crack GRE Text Completion questions. All the Best!

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Couple that with the academic stress associated with exams, and Ìęit may feel like it is too much to process at once, and you’re probably right in feeling that way.

That’s why, I’d like you to know the key secrets for a successful and hassle-free application to pursue your MS in the US.

Well, to be honest, it’s not really a secret, but more of a smart game plan for your college admissions.

The key is to start early

Why do that? Because preparation is what separates brilliance from mediocrity. If you initiate your efforts early, time-consuming issues like financial planning, writing a compelling SOP, updating your CV, applying for scholarships and convincing your parents that you are doing the right thing for your education will not feel so scary and hectic anymore.

So, why exactly will you benefit from starting early?

1) Shortlisting universities can be a time consuming process!

The United States boasts of one of the world’s finest university systems and is home to over 4,000 colleges and universities. With so many alternatives, you need to be certain that you choose the best US college for your Masters. It is recommended that you search for, identify, learn more about and apply to schools that are the best fits for your profile and future plans.

But even the simplest step of identifying relevant US colleges can get complicated if you postpone it for too long. Name recognition and reputation are important when selecting universities, but there are other aspects you should also consider.

For instance, you might want to check the variety of the programs on offer, the courses you are going to study, the professors’ style of teaching, campus facilities, and the local culture and environment. These things can take time and I’m sure you want to get them right.

See how ready is your profile for a Top MS Admit with a 4 minutes Quiz. Take the Admission awareness evaluation here>>ÌęÌę

2) Fixing an admissions timeline:

After identifying the US colleges that best suit your educational needs and expectations, you will need to start your research regarding the admission process. This is where it usually gets confusing for most future students. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be the same way for you!

Here’s a sneak peek of what your GRE and admissions timeline should ideally look like:

You will have to submit an application to each of the institutions you are interested in; they will usually ask you to write an SoP and to provide them with letters of recommendation. In order to complete all the requirements to a high standard and meet the deadlines, you need to start planning ahead. It’s highly recommended that you make a calendar of deadlines to track what you need to do and at what time!

Typically, MS applications in the US for the fall intake are due between November and January, and it’s important that that you initiate your efforts at least a year in advance. You also need to be informed about the fees you will need to pay during the process. Usually, the fee for each application is between $50 and $100 (Rs. 3400 – Rs. 6800) as per the prevailing exchange rate.fac

DOWNLOAD:- FREE Checklist that covers everything you need to do to achieve a MS Admit from a top University!ÌęDownload Now!

3) You’ll get sufficient time to write your SoP:

Your SoP is one of the most crucial components of your university application! Your SOP should contain information about the following:

• Who you are as a person, your aspirations, why you want to study the course you’re applying for and at that university!
• It should also talk about your future plans after completing your education and the ways in which you can contribute to the university.
• What you know about the student community of the university and how you can be a perfect fit for the kind of student profile they are looking for.

For each intake, top US universities receive tens of thousands of applications! An admit winning SoP is one that makes your application stand out from the rest. Universities get a huge number of applications from students with similar GRE / TOEFL scores and academic backgrounds. It’s the strength of the SoP that eventually can make or break a student’s acceptance chances, all other factors being equal.

Get your free eBook on “How to craft a great SOP?” written by our admission experts. Download Now!

4) Financial planning for your education, procuring LORs and Academic Transcripts!

Studying abroad can be a pretty expensive affair, and many students take education loans to fund their tuition/living expenses. However, Ìęthe time a loan takes to get sanctioned depends on several factors like the amount, your credit score, the lending organization and more!

As a part of the admissions process, you will need to show proof of funds to support yourself financially and apply for your visa.

Letters of Recommendation: Apart from your SOP, if there is something that the admissions council needs to know a little more about you, it is your Letter of Recommendation! Most universities mandate a minimum of 2 LORs to be submitted! However, here’s why you keeping time aside for your LORs can be highly rewarding.

Now here’s the deal – when you’re short of time, you’ll probably only have time to procure 2 LORs, in keeping with the requirements. When you have time in hand, you can shortlist 10-12 potential referees whom you have worked closely with (university professors, deans, heads of department or your immediate superior if you have prior work experience) and choose the best from among them, to give an edge to your application!

Procuring your academic transcripts such as a consolidated marksheet from your school/college might also take as long as a few weeks to months, depending on the institution, for example, procuring marksheets from Anna university usually takes just a week, whereas Mumbai university takes 3-4 weeks or more! (subject to change, time-frame provided for reference only). Try and check with your university in advance and find out how long they’ll need to give you the requisite documents.

Although you won’t be able to apply for the visa until you have actually been accepted by a US college, it’s still best to get informed and well-prepared as early as possible, to avoid any last-minute rush or panic!

5) ÌęOf priority deadlines, scholarships and early decisions:

Good things come to those who wait – but not when it comes to university applications! The coveted goodies (read: scholarships, financial aid, acceptance letters) are usually taken away by the early birds!

Many universities have priority deadlines for submission of applications which precede the general deadlines by 3-4 months, Unfortunately, many students who wait end up missing the priority application deadline, which means they’re at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving scholarships and financial aid.

Early decisions: I know. I know. Yet another paragraph on a topic that has already been done to death. However, depending on the university you are applying to, the acceptance rate of early decision applicants is likely to be significantly higher than that of regular applicants!

What’s more, even in the unfortunate event of your application being denied, you still have time to apply to any other universities under regular decision!

For more information on scholarships, University deadlines & GRE tips, check out our expert webinarsÌęHERE

Popular MS universities with early decision policies include the following:

Have any doubts about when to start your admissions process for the best admits? Want to know more about early decision/early action acceptance rates in your favourite universities? Do let us know in the comments section below and we’ll answer all your doubts ASAP!

Also let us know what according to you, is the most important reason for starting your applications process early!

The post Top MS Admits: 5 Top reasons why you absolutely need to start early appeared first on »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Blog.

We, at , understand what you’re going through right now.

To help you through this we have come up with a list of things to do before the D-day so that you enter the test center confident and ready.

Sit back, relax, take a deep breath, and read on.

15 Days before your D-Day – GRE Tips:

#1:ÌęHave a plan!

How you use your last couple of days can make or break your chances of achieving your dream score. By now, after thorough practice, you know your strengths and your weaknesses very clearly. Design a plan that accommodates your problem areas without neglecting your strengths. For example, if you’re extremely good at Geometry but struggle with RC, dedicate 2-3 hours everyday to practice RC specifically.

Can you score a 320+ in your GRE, in just 20 days? Yes, you can! With the DART Technique used by our student Manish, who got a 331 in his GRE in just 20 days! Download the FREE DART Technique eBook now!

#2: Remember to shortlist universities before GRE

Did you know that you can send your GRE scores to four universities for FREE?

If you wish to send your scores afterwards, you must spend an additional $27 per report. So, be smart and start researching universities. You must narrow them down on the basis of your field of interest and your expected GRE scores. Also, when you have a goal, you tend to perform better.

For example, New York University requires you to get 155 in Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning with a 4.0 in Analytical Writing. Once you know the benchmark you can strive towards prescribed score and keep practicing tests till you achieve such a score on a consistent basis.

#3:ÌęKnow the format well.

Yes. This is necessary. More than you can imagine!

1 out of 5 students appearing for GRE does not know explicitly the number of sections and time limit for the same. Use the format to your advantage. If you notice you’re spending way too much time on one question, mark it and move on immediately. You can utilize that time to answer other questions that you’re confident about. Get back to these questions once you’ve solved them so that time does not stress you all that much.

Learning to use the resources provided by ETS would also feature in this category. While the jury is still out on the Online Calculator, at AdmitEDGEÌę(…formerly GREEdge), after training 33,000 students, we can safely say that the Online Calculator helps you tackle many questions. For long division, BODMAS based questions etc, save valuable seconds by familiarizing yourself with the calculator.

#4:ÌęLet’s not get overconfident!

While over practicing can stress you out, not practicing enough could rob you of your best chance to achieve your scores. It is important to get the right balance. Also, by this point, the tests you do take should be fully adaptive and timed. This will help you recreate the environment of the final day and also give you a feel of how you perform under pressure. ÌęBut, excessive practice tests a day or two before your GRE is an absolute no-go because it will just stress you out.

#5:ÌęSet up your biological clock in accordance to test timings.

Let’s assume you have your scheduled final GRE test on Friday at 3.30pm. You need to prepare your body for such test timings.

Our suggestion, take full-timeÌęGRE online practice test starting at 3.30, a week or two before the test. This would alter your biological clock and ensure you are at your attentive best during the test.

#6: Practice AWA’s!

Analytical Writing AssessmentÌę(AWA) is an integral component of GRE. It consists of two tasks:-

1. Analyze an Issue Essay – The Issue task presents an opinion on an issue of general interest followed by specific instructions on how to respond to that issue. [How to write an Issue
2. The Argument task – Evaluating a given argument according to specific instructions.

How can you score 4+ in AWA? Find out how in our expertly compiled ebook on how to score more than 4 in AWA Grab your free copy!

Most students tend to ignore the complexity and importance of the AWA’s. We suggest you practice some sample AWA’s and while taking GRE practice test, do not ignore this section.

Practicing AWA along with your GRE mock test helps you get the feel of the actual GRE and will help you gauge how much time you take to write, your general knowledge, your presence of mind and ability to think under pressure.

If you have any doubts regarding what your AWA score is worth, read this from ETS.

GRE Tips for The Day Before Your GRE:

#7:ÌęPocketbook for Revision!

Yes. Do make some notes. Once you’ve relaxed for a while, go over your notes. Notes should include mistakes you’ve maybe repeated more than once. Go over them and remind yourself of your strengths and weaknesses. A practice test is not just to find out your probable projected score. It is also to help you realize what you’re doing wrong and what’s working.

Additionally, have a pocketbook for important formulas and high-frequency GRE words for quick revision.

#8:ÌęSleep well and revisit some of your hobbies!

We cannot stress enough on how important a good night’s sleep before the test is. It helps you relax on the final day and keeps you focused and attentive.

So yes, you need to stop worrying and get some rest!

Clear your mind. One of our own students shared how revisiting some of her hobbies, a day before the test helped her calm down.

Did you know that, »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” (…formerly GREedge) Alumnus, Mayank Shrivastava, used to listen to the same song right before his mock tests and also played the same one before his actual GRE to help calm his exam nerves?

#9:ÌęWhat to carry with you?

Make sure you have a valid photo identification, a confirmation email and a bottle of water. You could carry even your favorite snack bar if you get hungry by the time you reach the break. Also, the test centers are often cold so do dress appropriately. We do not want you to freeze to death while giving the test!

Leave early. You never know what you might come across in traffic. So, it’s always a good idea to leave on time so you can get to the test centre with enough time to spare so that you can calm and collect yourself.

AdmitEDGEÌęPro Tip: Additionally, it is important to remember that you’re not allowed to carry a watch with you into the exam hall. So, make it a habit to practice keeping a track of time using the Timer and not your watch or mobile. This way, even if you feel nervous about a ticking timer on the screen, you’ll accustom yourself to it by continuous practice.

#10:ÌęLastly, it’s not the end of the world!

This point is probably the most important of all. If you didn’t already know, GRE tests can be retaken. So thinking that you need to absolutely ace this test is essentially putting too much pressure on yourself.

Instead be calm and confident. It’s always important to plan ahead. Understand that if you put too much pressure on yourself you will end up making mistakes that you’d generally not make.

In summation, have confidence in what you know. Know your strengths and weaknesses and improve on them.

You’ve got this.

All the very best on your journey to your dream admit!

Aiming for a 320+ score? Know the 10 common mistakes that could hold you back. Download your FREE “10 common mistakes to avoid for 320+ Score” eBook now!

Ìę

The post 10 Last Minute GRE Tips before the GRE Exam appeared first on »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Blog.

The way you fashion your GRE preparation decides your performance in each section and ace the test. Even though scoring 320 in GRE is definitely not a finger-snapping activity, it is achievable with smart GRE prep courses.

We will lay down some proven strategies that will enable you to crack the 320 mark in GRE with much ease and surety.

#1: Ace those words

There is much talk about typical GRE words, which if mastered would ensure you are ahead in the race. All of that is no trash talk, and actually, that bunch of 3500 GRE words goes a long way in getting you tuned to the words that will pop up during your GRE.ÌęFor example, learning words can help you differentiate between similar answer choices in Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence type questions.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: However, learning all 3500 words can be quite a mammoth task, especially if you are pressed for time.ÌęA better way to approach this situation is to target learning, remembering, and applying 1000-1200 GRE words that appear in the High Frequency/Priority Lists.ÌęA fun way to learn words and remember them is to relate it to memorable picture clues. Since we remember movie scenes better than text, you are twice as likely to remember the word with a suitable picture.

#2) The 2-Minute Rule

One of the most profound unofficial rules to appearing for GRE is to avoid spending more than 2 minutes on any given question. The format and structure of this test are designed such that, you haveÌę20 questions & 35 minutes for Quant and 20 Questions & 30 minutes for Verbal.

However, note that not all of the questions you encounter will require you to spend 2 minutes. One good way to go about allocating your time is to follow a system based on difficulty level.

For example, you can allocate time by strictly following a target time for each type of question.Ìę

#3: All hail the Official Guide to GRE

There is no doubt that the, issued by ETS, is the most authoritative material for GRE test preparation and if you were to ignore its importance, you are mistaken.

Since ETS conducts GRE, you can be sure that you will find accurate GRE-style questions in this Guide. Practising from here will help you get a hang of what to expect on your D-Day. Of course, the book is not exhaustive for your preparation, but its importance is paramount. Also, since GRE is an online test, practising from a book alone may not be the best for improving your time management skills.Ìę

#4: Master Mental Math Tricks

Go back to your school days. Dust up your old school books, if you have them. If you don’t, find kids around you who could lend you some of those!

Quick calculations, being on your feet with arithmetic, and having the quintessential formula on your fingertips will be key to pacing through the Quant section.ÌęBeing able to “Mental Math” the points where the graph for x2 = 12 – x would touch the axes will give you those extra 30 seconds to solve the next question – which would otherwise be lost in rearranging the equation and solving for the roots of the equation.

Working through the sections this way will help you save some valuable time, which can be better utilized for real problem areas like Reading Comprehension.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: Quite often, students who score 160+ in Quant are able to unconsciously visualize the problem. Developing a knack for this type of mathematical modeling helps you.

Ìę#5:ÌęTemplate to the rescue!

For every Reading Comprehension passage, make a habit of creating a flowchart or mind map. This will strengthen your understanding, help you make connections between different ideas presented, and enable you to access data that is most relevant to the question asked.

If you have an engineering background or some experience with solving physics problems, you’d remember how your favorite lecturer would advise taking the Free Body Diagram route to solve any problem statement. Since every problem crafted for GRE is essentially based on typical frameworks of concepts, taking such flow-/map-based approach could help you reverse engineer the problem statement.

For example, when faced with a Reading Comprehension question, utilize the following template to dissect a paragraph into a sequence of ideas.

This type of reading is called Analytical Reading. It is the concept of breaking down a complex passage into a series of ideas that are interconnected by a common theme/purpose.Ìę

To understand more about Analytical Reading, click here:

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: You can also use the template to write your AWA essays. This works both ways because reading and writing are complementary skills. That is why it is also highly effective to read newspaper articles twice a day, particularly the Editorial/Opinion Column of leading newspapers such as The Hindu or NY Times. These columns, written by the editors of the papers themselves, use the same kind of language and argumentative style of English.

#6:ÌęA Mock is a Must!

You have to be in Zen Mode when in session for your GRE test. The GRE is a 4-hour long exam fraught with its own set of booby traps. If you’reÌęnot alert enough, you could easily make silly mistakes along the way and lose valuable points.

To tackle this, you must accustom yourself to the GRE test environment as much as possible. Investing in an effective GRE mock test source can go a long way in helping you increase your focus, attention, and concentration. Ìę

You see, there are manyÌęfree GRE practice test strewn across the internet, but hardly a handful would ever be remotely close enough to the real GRE. There is no point in practicing using such tests if it is not fully adaptive and doesn’t allow you to test your time management skills.Ìę

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: The best method to train yourself to answer quickly but also accurately is to first learn the concept, take an untimed test to see where you stand, go back and practice different variations of such questions. After that, when you’re ready, taking a fully adaptive, timed test will teach you to manage time effectively.

#7: Success comes to those who prioritize

Knowing what to prioritize and how to allocate time becomes the differentiating factor among students who cross the 300 mark. You can allocate time on the following basis:

1. Based on Content
2. Based on Skill
3. Based on Difficulty Level

For example, a sample Verbal study plan for 150+ GRE score based on content would be:

1. Single & Double Blank TCs
2. SEs
3. Short & Medium RC Passages
4. Learning 1000-1500 GRE words.

Lastly, since GRE is a section-wise adaptive test, the difficulty level of the questions will depend on your performance. However, as a general rule of thumb, you can expect the average difficulty level of the questions to range from 2 to 4. So, focusing on these types of questions will be instrumental in achieving your target score.

Depending on your Achilles’ heel, you can tackle the GRE syllabus accordingly. Bear in mind that you can save a lot of time in improving your weaker areas if you get regular feedback from an expert who can tell you exactly how to fine-tune your preparation.

In conclusion, I would like to say, hacks or not – your road to a 300+ in GRE will not be a flash in the pan. These tips would help you steer your path – but a guiding spirit has been the key in many success stories.

After all, a sailor in search of his destination is only as good as his guiding compass!

May the force be with you!

The post 7 Shortcuts to get a 320 in GRE appeared first on »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Blog.

Let’s face it: nobody likes spending time reading dense and obscure paragraphs about the American economy under President Nixon or the influence of the Renaissance movement on modern culture, especially when you are under severe time crunch.

Unfortunately, no matter how much you dread it, reading comprehensions contribute to 50% of the Verbal Reasoning section of the GRE, so there really is no way out but to deal with the RCs.

The thing about RCs that daunt most test-takers are the length and complexity of the passages. Obscure topics; use of cryptic and complicated words and phrases; and an abundance of names, facts, and figures all contribute to the sense of overwhelming helplessness that engulfs these students.

However, you will be glad to know that you need not fear RCs at all. Sure, it may seem like an uphill task to read and deconstruct, let alone critically analyze a passage on a topic you are unfamiliar with or unconcerned about, but there are a few simple tips and tricks you can adopt to breeze through the RCs.

What is the pattern of the RCs?

Typically, each of the two sections on the Verbal section will have about five passages, which could range from short (one paragraph) to long (five paragraphs). There will be one to five questions per passage, with Ìęa total of ten questions per section.

There are three types of questions:

1) Multiple-choice questions, where you must pick one right answer out of the available five.

2) Multiple-choice-multiple-selection questions, where you will have to pick one or more correct answers out of three given options.

3) Select-in-passages, where you have to click on a sentence in the passage to answer the question asked.

Why is it difficult to manage time in the RCs?

The problem with managing time efficiently in RCs is rooted in one of these core issues:

1. Passages are too complex/dense or boring
2. Questions are too ambiguous to comprehend
3. Answer choices are confusing and it is difficult to differentiate one from the other

But fear not! We can categorize each of these difficulties into a problem area that you can solve and fix!

For example,

1. Passages are too complex: This hints at your lack of familiarity/disinterest in reading
2. Questions are too ambiguous: This highlights your lack of practice with the different question formats
3. Answer choices are confusing: This indicates lack of reasoning skills and vocabulary

Demarcating these issues into significant problem areas ensures that you know exactly what to work on and how to go about saving time in GRE RCs!

How to ace GRE RCs?

Now that you have a basic idea of what to expect out of the Reading Comprehension section, let us discuss some strategies and tips that will make it easier for you to conquer the section:

#1: Build your vocabulary:

The easiest way to perform well on the RCs is to build your vocabulary slowly and steadily. Of course, this takes time. If you are already a voracious reader, you will have a distinctive advantage over the rest. If you aren’t, remember, it’s not too late to start! Instead of buying bulky vocabulary-building books, start by reading the English newspaper every day. Mark the words and idioms that are new to you and look them up later. This is the easiest and most effective way to gain complete command over the language.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: Visual memory tends to be a lot more stronger than any other form of memorizing information. That’s why, the best way to learn AND remember words is to relate it to a picture. This way, when you see the word, you’ll recall the image and this will help you understand the emotion & context easily.

#2: Tackle RC at the end:

This in particular is applicable for students who are nervous regarding the timer. If you feel anxious and tend to make mistakes out of nervousness, then save RC passages for the last. Remember, all the questions on the GRE carry the same points, so answer TC/SE first as it is relatively easier.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: During GRE Online Preparation, get cracking on topics that you are familiar with. Since RC passages are taken from a wide range of subjects from history to mathematics and ecology, start with the ones you are familiar with. This will help you develop a keen interest in RC and hence solve better.

#3: Factual Reading vs Analytical Reading:

Did you know that it is important to employ a different reading technique for different types of questions in RCs?

There are two main types of reading, namely Factual Reading, and Analytical Reading.

Factual Reading:

Skimming through a passage to understand facts, figures, dates, numbers etc is the essence of factual reading. Ideally, it takes 1-1.5 minutes for long passages and is crucial in answering factual questions such as “What is the conclusion from this passage?”, meaning of a specific sentence etc.

Analytical Reading:

The concept of breaking down a passage into a series of ideas that are interconnected by a common theme is called Analytical Reading. Though this approach takes longer, it helps answer inferential questions accurately.

It follows the principle that every passage consists of a couple of main ideas that are supported by specific examples and details. Analyzing a passage using this structure is the key to unraveling the purpose of the passage and keenly grasp the tone of voice used. Is it positive? Critical? Is it laudatory or disapproving?

If you come across an unfamiliar word or phrase, don’t dwell too much on it. Read the sentences before and after it and try to glean the meaning from that. It is the norm for the RCs to be riddled with jargon and obscure language. It is usually done to distract students and test their alertness and presence of mind.

The easiest way to get around this is to read the entire paragraph and try to place the words in the relevant framework. Additionally, try to grasp the tone of the passage. Understanding the tone and the intent of the writer can often help you get the meaning.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: Often paragraphs are structured into a series of main ideas that convey a specific purpose.ÌęCheck our video lesson on how to grasp the purpose of an RC passage here!

To see part 2 on how to grasp the Main Idea of an RC Passage, clickÌę!

#4: Make relevant notes when you learn to read RC passages:

Never underestimate the importance of underlining and making notes. While you read the paragraphs, underline or mark those facts, names, or dates that catch your eye. Put your scratchpad to full use and jot down whatever you feel is crucial in the passage.

#5: Never read the questions first!

This is a sure shot way to build assumptions and make incomplete inferences. Read the passage first with an unbiased mind. Presumptions and prejudices can often cloud your judgment and understanding of things and will mislead you. ÌęMake inferences, but never make any assumptions.

#6: The answers you seek lie in the passage!

When you feel flustered with a complex passage. remember that the answers lie in the passage itself. You are not required to have any additional knowledge of the subject/topic. Conversely, avoid bringing in your knowledge of a subject while answering the RCs. Stick to what is given in the passage, and nothing more. Use analytical reading to simplify your reading.

#7: Don’t get bogged down by the details.

The passages are packed to the brim with facts and figures designed to slow you down, but you mustn’t fall into that trap. Only read through the details when the question demands it. Otherwise, skim the passage to understand the main points and supporting points.

#8: Befriend time!

Demarcate 15 minutes of your Verbal section time for RCs. Try not to spend more than five minutes on the long passages, and two minutes on the shorter ones. This will help you keep track of the time. Work this way, while you practice, so that it becomes a habit in you.

#9: Keep score!

Lastly, remember the old adage of “practice makes perfect.” Attempt as many mock tests as possible before the test day and ask a friend or teacher to score them for you. Acquaint yourself with every possible type of RC and aim to master all of them.

See, now tackling RCs don’t seem so bad, does it?

Go on now, conquerÌęGRE RCs. We wish you all the very best!

P.S: Comment and let us know whatÌęyouÌęthink of these tips and which topics you want us to blog aboutÌę

The post 9 Tips To Manage Time in GRE RC appeared first on »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Blog.

• Algebra
• Arithmetic
• Geometry
• Applied Mathematics
• Data Interpretation

For most engineers, after doing more complex mathematics for four years, questions based on the concepts of algebra or arithmetic are easier to tackle compared to Data Interpretation or Geometry. This is simply because they are out of practice.

But why should you focus on Data Interpretation particularly?

If you aim to hit a 160+ in Quant, then is important to spend enough time learning and practicing Data Interpretation because a minimum of 4 or 5 questions can be expected in each Quant section. This means that DI carries a 20% weightage in the Quant section.

Makes it pretty important to get right to a high score, don’t you think?

Structure of a GRE Data Interpretation Question:

In a DI question, you will face one form of pictorial data such as a bar chart (either horizontal or vertical), pie charts, line graphs or tables, followed by 3 or 4 questions on the same. The question types could be multiple-choice or numeric entry types.

Throughout this post, you’ll see all the different types of examples!

For example,

The line graph shows the ratio of imports by a company to the number of exports from that company over the period 2000–2006.

Q. In which year, was the imports to the exports of the company greater than 0.3 and less than 1.1?

Indicate all such years.

Choices:

1. 2000
2. 2001
3. 2002
4. 2003
5. 2004
6. 2005
7. 2006

Ans: The correct answers are options A, B, C, and F

From the graph,

Ratio of value of imports to exports in 2000 = 0.65

In 2001, ratio of value of imports to exports = 0.85

In 2002, ratio of value of imports to exports Ìę= 0.35

In 2003, ratio of value of imports to exports = 1.25

In 2004, ratio of value of imports to exports = 1.4

In 2005, ratio of value of imports to exports = 0.95

In 2006, ratio of value of imports to exports = 1.55

The correct answers are ÌęA, B, C, and F

How can you master Data Interpretation? Learn how in just a few key steps, through an ebook that’ll make you an expert! Download your FREE eBook now!

Some common GRE Data Interpretation mistakes to look out for:

1. Misinterpreting data due to impatience/over-confidence
2. Time management
3. Lack of practice
4. Overlooking details

Since there are 20 questions in each Quant section and you have only 35 minutes per section, you cannot spend more than 2 minutes on any of the questions.

So, within 2 minutes you need to assimilate data, interpret it correctly, and answer questions that follow. This can be quite a task if you are not familiar with reading data.

So, how do you pick out the relevant information and do it for 2 minutes?

ÌęHow to Approach a GRE Data Interpretation Question:

First, don’t be alarmed when you see data that apparently seems complicated. There is a method to the madness.

There are important techniques that you can follow that will help you figure out the right answers.

#Tip 1: Look for tell-tale signs:

Your graph may look complicated but there are some key points that you should note down as soon as you see a graph, like the axes of the graph, the units of measurement, and the title of the graph. It is important to pay attention to the title because you will be able to pick out crucial facts like what the data represents.

For example,

Annual Percent Change in the Dollar Amount of Sales at Five Retail Stores from 2006 to 2008

Q. At Store P, if the dollar amount of sales was $800,000 for 2006, what was the dollar amount of sales for 2008?

1. $727,200
2. $792,000
3. $800,000
4. $880,000
5. $968,000

Ans: The correct answer is Option B, $792,000.

Explanation from our SFAs:

Since it is mentioned that the sales of Store P was $800,000 in 2006, we can use that to calculate theÌęrespective rise in percentages for 2007 and 2008.

According to the figure, the percentage increase for 2007 is 10%. So, we will calculate it as 110% of the base amount, which is, 110% of $800,000 = $880,000.

Similarly for 2008, the percentage decrease is 10%. The calculation is 90% of $880,000 = $792,000.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: Always ensure you check the base amounts before doing calculations like these. A percentage increase of 10% in 2007 followed by a percentage decrease in 2008 does not mean the answer is the same as the initial amount because the base amounts for 2007 and 2008 are different.

Thus, “Annual percent change in the dollar amount of sales at five retail stores from 2006 to 2008” tells us that the data represents “percent change” rather than absolute percentages.

Looking for a study plan for your GRE preparation? Check out Achyuth’s 30-day study plan to a top GRE Score!ÌęDownload Achyuth’s FREE 30 Day Study Plan now!

#Tip 2:ÌęThe Art of Being Approximately Accurate:

The GRE is meant to test your presence of mind apart from your reasoning skills. This means that you will encounter some challenging numbers and calculations. Before you jump to the online calculator and start crunching numbers, wait! Round up decimals and approximate to the nearest whole numbers so that you know the ballpark figure. For example, 27% of 153,000 could be rounded off to 25% of 150,000 so that you can eliminate far-fetched options.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: Beware and use this sparingly. If the answer choices are pretty close to one another, it is best to skip this step and directly calculate your answer. If your range includes two options then it makes it necessary to actually calculate the answer causing you to waste more time.

#Tip 3:ÌęSay What?

I cannot emphasize this enough because this is one of the common reasons behind students scoring a 165+ but not a 170. Read the question carefully and understand clearly what you’ve been asked to answer. Many times, the answer choices have two right answers but to two different questions. If you haven’t read the question correctly because you were in a time crunch, you will choose the other answer and hence lose out.

For example,

Q. If 3000 copies of a book are published and the paper cost on them amounts to $ 9000, what should be the selling price of a book so that the publisher can earn a profit of 25%?

Choices:

1. $ 3.4
2. $ 12.5
3. $ 37, 500
4. $ 10
5. $ 2.5

Ans: The correct answer is Option B, $12.5.

Explanation from our SFAs:

Let the SP of 3000 books be $ X.

To earn a profit of 25%, SP = CP + 25% of CP = 125% of CP

From the given pie-chart,

paper cost = 30% of CP

$ 9000 = 30/100 * CP

CP = 9000 × 100 / 30 = $ 30,000

SP = 125% of $ 30,000

= 125 / 100 × 30,000

= $ 37,500

Therefore, SP of one book = 37500 / 3000 = $ 12.5

For a pie-chart question, bear in mind that the whole pie is split into parts of a whole either using percentages or degrees.

The following conversion can be used to calculate the value of the sector based on what is given in the pie-chart.

Value of the sector = (Percentage / 100) * Total value

Value of the sector = (Central angle of the sector / 360)* Total value

For this question, after a quick scan, if you assumed the “paper cost” to be 108%, then you would choose the first option i.e., $ 3.4, which is incorrect.

Confused about the different questions in GRE Quant? We’ve made it super simple and easy! Get your guide to the different types of GRE Quant Questions you can expect! Download your FREE guide now!

#Tip 4:ÌęDevelop an Eagle Eye for Charts:

Interpreting data quickly is a skill that comes with practice. Make sure you practice different kinds of charts and questions. This will help you overcome most of the problems mentioned above. And since DI is a sure-shot question, it pays to perfect your techniques.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: Practice questions where there is more than one type of chart and you have to correlate data. This will help you understand the relationships between different types of data and the variables connecting them. This helps you understand data analysis as a whole.

For example,ÌęProfit and Turnover of Company PQR Over the Period 2004-2008

Q. If the turnover in the year 2008 is decreased byÌę15% and the ratio of the profit and operating cost remains the same, what will be the profit in the year 2008?

Note: Turnover – Operating Cost = Profit

1. 0.48
2. 0.408
3. 1.28
4. 1.088

Ans: ÌęThe correct answer is Option B, 0.408.

Explanation from our SFAs:

Given data: Total turnover, Total profit, Ratio of profit & Operating cost are the same & ÌęTurnover – Operating cost = Profit

Total profit = Profit in (2004 + 2005 + 2006 + 2007 + 2008)

$1.44 million = $0.36 million + $0.288 million + $ 0.192 million + $0.12 million + Profit in 2008

Therefore, profit in 2008 [P(2008)] = $ 0.48 million ———-> (1)

But, Turnover in 2008 = 1.76
Operation cost of year 2008 [OC(2008)] = Turnover – Profit = 1.76 – 0.48 = 1.28 ——> (2)

Therefore, P(2008) / OC(2008) = 0.48 / 1.28 ———–> (3)

Given that, turnover in the year 2008 is decreased by 15%.

So, the New turnover = 1.76 – (15% * 1.76) = 1.76 * 0.85 = 1.496 —–> (4)

Now, if the new profit and operating cost are P1 & OC1 respectively, then according to the question,

P(2008) / OC(2008) = P1 / OC1

Therefore, P(2008) / OC(2008) = P1 / OC1 = 0.48 / 1.28

Since, we have to calculate profit, OC1 = P1 * (1.28 / 0.48) = P1 * 2.67 —–> (5)

Operating cost = Turnover – Profit

Therefore, New turnover = P1 + OC1

1.496 = P1 + P1*2.67 = P1 * 3.67

Therefore, P1 = 1.496/3.67 = 0.408

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#Tip 5: Befriend the Pen & Paper:

When you are practicing DI questions, always use a pen and paper to jot down the important points mentioned in the question as well as minimum and maximum values, reference values based on which the graph is drawn, etc. With time, you will become accustomed to picking out these values as soon as you see a graph.!

To summarize, these are some of the points to remember:

1. Spend only 15 to 30 seconds analyzing the graph and jotting down key information. Don’t spend more than 2 minutes per question.
2. The answer is literally staring at you in the face in the graph. So, don’t feel disheartened. Mark it for verification and get back to it, if you are unsure of the answer.
3. There is no negative marking in GRE. Approximate and make an intelligent guess, but make sure you answer. You may be lucky!
4. The devil is in the details. Make sure you pay attention to the axes, the units asked the question, concepts used like percent changes or sector to percentage conversion etc.
5. Try to practice as many questions as you can so that you feel, “Oh, I’ve seen this kind of question before,” during the exam!

Comment and let us know how we can help you with your Quant difficulties!

Ever wanted a topper’s notes? Especially, someone who got a 330 in GRE? You can get Soarabh’s personal Quant GRE notes to make your preparation easier! Get 330 Scorer’s handwritten Quant notes now

The post Top 5 tips to crack GRE Data Interpretation Questions appeared first on »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Blog.

I don’t know if you know this, but as an Engineering student, you enjoy a significant advantage over all the other sections of the student population giving GRE.

Remember the grind you’ve been subjected to since your schooling years, and specifically in the four years of Engineering study?

It’s all about to pay off now!

As an Engineer, you’ve done far more complex mathematics as part of your course than what will be asked of you in the GRE. So, technically, the scales are tipped in your favor to score a perfect 170 in GRE Quant.

Are you surprised?

It is really possible.

Cracking GRE Quant after becoming an Engineer is like trying to regain your old handwriting after a long vacation. It takes some regular practice, but it’s achievable!

The GRE Quant Syllabus is based on the concepts taught to you at high school. Even if you are slightly out of touch with Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Probability, and Statistics, you have studied the underlying concepts in depth sometime in the near past. You will still be able to pick them up from where you left and runÌębecause it is logical science. There are specific methods and limited variations to a question. Once you are armed with some quick techniques in your arsenal, you can use them as and when required to dash to the finish line.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: When you solve a maths question and get it right, be sure to go back and understand how the problem was crafted. This is called the Hacker’s Approach. Spend a minute or two to visualize and understand the mathematical concept(s) employed in the question. This helps you grasp the concept as well as spot similar questions, even if they superficially appear like a new one!

But, as always, there is a catch. There is another section called the GRE Verbal that carries equal weightage and is surely not as easy as Quant.

Most GRE aspirants, especially those who speak good English, underestimate the standard of difficulty in GRE Verbal. Because of this fatal error, many bright students miss out on a stellar GRE score.

According to ETS, the mean Quant and Verbal scores of GRE aspirants aiming to study MS in top universities is 158.9 and 148.7 respectively.

That is a whole 10 point difference in scores!

Why does this happen?

Though there is always an emphasis on improving our English skills, we generally don’t find opportunities to do so. We converse in our native languages with our parents, friends, and neighbors. The only times we encounter English is in school, that too only during exams for some.

But even for Engineers who are familiar with English, the GRE Verbal poses a challenge because it relies on an argumentative style of writing, the kinds encountered in newspaper editorials and academic journals/essays. This means that the passages and sentences are arguments on a specific topic, where the author gives his or her opinion on it.

Moreover, most Engineers who do read, read only fiction and novels where we read stories. The information in such writings is straightforward. But when it comes to GRE RC passages, they are excerpts from academic texts; we need to understand the implied meaning and read between the lines. This can be quite a task without adequate practice.

Besides, since Engineering is a highly technical course, most colleges do not stress on developing English and vocabulary as a priority. This becomes a major drawback when you give GRE because you will suddenly find it overwhelming to focus equally on both Quant and Verbal, thereby missing out on both.

So, how can you maximize your advantage as an Engineer and overcome your Verbal trouble?

Our experts say,

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: Go ahead. Focus on Quant and get that perfect 170. Don’t disperse all your energy trying to do both. Most universities abroad pay very close attention to your Quant score rather than your Verbal score. But do make sure you cross the 150 mark with GRE Verbal!

Work smart and with a STRATEGY!

You can do it, really.

Think about it, if you can score a perfect 170 in Quant, the minimum score you need in Verbal to achieve a target 320 score is just 150.

Here’s how you can work smartly to achieve a target 320 score.

Step 1: Vocabulary – There’s no way around it.

It’s time to address the (most) difficult part of GRE and learn GRE words. You don’t have to learn all 3500 of them. If you are a regular reader, you are probably already familiar with about 1000 words. Even if you aren’t, aim to learn 1500-2000 words.

If you target to learn 35 words in a day, you can easily master 2000 words in 2 months.

Step 2: Read twice a day!

I know it sounds like a medicinal course, but you’ll slowly learn to enjoy it.

But read what?

You don’t have to bring out the hardbound classics and old novels.

You just have to spend 15 minutes, twice a day, in reading editorials and opinion columns of leading newspapers like The Hindu, Economist, The Guardian etc.

All of these publications are available online.

Step 3: Study GRE Verbal selectively.

You’re studying smart, not hard.

Don’t sit through endless practice sessions of complicated Text Completions, Sentence Equivalences, and Reading Comprehensions.

Target the following:

#1: Become an expert at solving single and double-blank TC questions. Don’t get unduly worried about the triple-blank TCs because they generally tend to be a bit complex and you don’t get credit even if you get one of the blanks wrong.

#2: While an RC feels like a giant mountain to scale, any trekker will tell you that you climb a mountain in stages. You can master small segments that will help you tackle RC as a whole. Focus on questions such as the Main Idea of the passage, the Purpose, and the author’s Tone. You can easily master this with a bit of focused practice. Likewise, factual questions based on ideas described explicitly in the passage are not difficult at all.

#3: Aim to solve only short and medium length RC passages. You can skip long passages if you find them time-consuming. Thus by focusing your energy on select parts of GRE RC, you can reach a milestone, rather than be frittering your energy in everything and struggle at the base of the mountain.

#4: Improving your vocab sufficiently is enough to tackle Sentence Equivalence because you need to select two words that mean the same. However, bear in mind that you need to also understand the context of the words correctly.

• • To give you a small example of how vocabulary can help in your overall Verbal prep, consider the following words: Appalled, Astounded, Aghast, Amazed

• • While all four words mean “to be shocked”, the context in which they are used differ greatly.
  • Appalled and Aghast are used to convey dismay. They are generally used in a negative setting.
    • Mother Teresa was appalled to see the pitiable condition in which the poor lived in India.
    • She was aghast when she realized that she had deleted her entire presentation from her computer.

• • But Amazed and Astounded can be used positively.
    • He was amazed by the scenic route to his hometown.
    • The young boy’s flawless rendition of Beethoven’s Sonata astounded the audience.

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Step 4: Practice! Practice! Practice!

Ensure you get as much of practice as possible. The more tests you take up, the better. You will be confident about your exam day and by solving lots of questions, you increase your chances of encountering questions in your actual GRE that you have come across before.

Take the »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Verbal Quiz –

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Academically speaking, I’m a pretty good student. I always make sure my scores are above 80. But never have I ever dreamt of scoring a perfect score in Math.  This is probably because of the mental conditioning that a perfect Math score MIGHT not be possible because it is annoyingly easy to make silly mistakes. We carry this impression all through our lives and believe that getting a cent percent in Maths is impossible.

Do you also feel the same way?

I was of the same school of thought until I spoke to some of our toppers and discovered their secret formula to a flawless 170.

What if I told you,

YOU could score a perfect 170 in GRE Quant? You wouldn’t believe me. Of course.

Would you believe me if I told you HOW? Maybe? Alright.

Just to give you a quick recap, the GRE Quantitative Reasoning section includes four broad topics,

• Algebra
• Arithmetic
• Geometry
• Data Interpretation
  

GRE Math is a little different from high school math, not in terms of the concepts (which are pretty similar), but more in terms of their application. It tests your ability to interpret given data correctly and critically reason rather than just test your knowledge on formulae and concepts.

Looking to make your GRE quant practice even more effective?

Click on the link below to download a free eBook containing the strategies of someone who scored a perfect 170 in the Quantitative section., containing handy tricks to boost your accuracy and speed as well as useful GRE math formulas you absolutely need to know!

Common Mistakes YOU need to avoid in the GRE Quantitative Questions

Calculation mistakes:

Silly mistakes fall under this category. This is the main reason why most people fall short of the perfect score. You make these mistakes when you calculate something that is not required or not asked for because you didn’t understand the question correctly or you didn’t follow the method properly.

For example, if the given question asks you to calculate x2 but you mark the answer as soon as you calculate the value of x.

Conceptual Mistakes:  

These are the kind of mistakes that occur when you aren’t clear with your concepts. It is commonly seen in students when they attempt questions on  Geometry because they have trouble visualizing an object in a three-dimensional space.

Alright, now that you know what GRE Quant contains and the mistakes you should be aware of, let’s look at some of the techniques we can utilize to overcome this, shall we?

TECHNIQUE #1: Befriend time

Since there are 20 questions in one GRE Quantitative Reasoning section and 35 minutes to answer, logically it follows that you can spend almost 2 minutes per question if you want to answer all of them.

I know that 2 minutes sounds like an awfully short amount of time for solving full-fledged GRE math questions, but trust me, it is just sufficient if you are thorough with the concepts.

In fact, try this question and time yourself.

Topic: Arithmetic
Difficulty: Level: 2

Q. Evaluate: 40 – (2*12+15%5) +14*4%8

How much time did YOU take to arrive at the answer?

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip:Ìę For questions of a difficulty level of 4 and 5, you can spend up to 2 minutes on it. If you are taking longer than 2 minutes, take an intelligent guess, select a choice and mark it for verification so that you can come back to it later.

TECHNIQUE #2: Beware of booby traps

Most of the answer choices for questions include those options that you would mark if you make some of the common silly mistakes. DON’T fall prey to them. They are designed to test how alert you are while giving the test.

Calculating x and marking it as an answer while the question asks for x2 is a perfect example because one of the answer choices will carry the value of x as an option.  

Try this example;

Topic: Algebra
Difficulty Level: 1

Q. If łæÂČ + 6x = –9, how many values of x are possible?

• none
• one
• two
• three
• infinitely many

How much time did YOU take to arrive at the answer?

The answer is option B: one.

łæÂČ + 6x + 9 = 0
(łæ+3)ÂČ  = 0
Therefore, x = -3

The two roots are equal and identical, but the “value” of x is only one i.e -3.

But after factorizing, you can see that the two roots are identical and hence only one value of x is possible. The question here asks for “values” and not “roots”.

TECHNIQUE #3: Substitute 0 and 1 wherever you can

You can save massive amounts of time by just substituting simple values in place of variables.

This works especially well in quantitative comparison questions.

For example,

Topic: Algebra
Difficulty Level: 1

Q. Compare quantities A & B and choose the correct option.

1. Is A greater than B?
2. Is A lesser than B?
3. Is A equal to B?
4. Insufficient Information

The answer to this question is option 2: A is lesser than B.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip: Substitute numbers in place of equations because the solution required is not the answer to the equation but the comparison between the two.

TECHNIQUE #4: Backsolve!

You can plug in different answer choices into appropriate parts of the question in an effort to  work backwards. This tactic is especially useful if you want to bypass difficult calculations.

For example,

Q. Find the radius of the cylinder when h = 3 cm and volume = 38 cmÂł.

1. 1.5023
2. 1.7532
3. 2.0081
4. 2.3156
5. 3.1234

Solution:

V =π x rÂČ x h
38 = 3.14 x rÂČ x 3
38/(3.14 x 3) = rÂČ

Therefore, r = [38/(3.14 x3)]Âœ  is a long calculation and a waste of time.

Instead, try backsolving! Plug in an answer into the formula and compare it to the given volume.

Option 1: 1.52
V = π x rÂČ x h
    = π x 1.52 x 3
    = 3 x 2 x 3
    = 18

Option 2: 1.72
V = π x rÂČ x h
    = π x 1.72 x 3
    = 3 x 3 x 3
    = 27

Option 3: 22
V = π x rÂČ x h
    = π x 22 x 3
    = 3 x 4 x 3
    = 36

Option 4: 2.32
V = π x rÂČ x h
    = π x 2.32 x 3
    = 3 x 5 x 3
    = 45

TECHNIQUE #5: Tackle word problems one sentence at a time.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the size of the word problem.

These type of questions generally worry students because they have to understand the question in English and then convert the statements into mathematical equations.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip:Ìę Remember to Divide & Rule. Write down what is given and what needs to be solved separately. Use the given statements to form equations and you’ll be able to find what’s needed.

Q. “A boy scored 80% in 4 tests of 100 marks each. Which of the following is closest to his score in the 5th test, with a total of 250 marks, if he raised his overall average by 5%?”

Solution :

The boy’s score after 4 tests is 320. — (1)Using given statement 1 → 80% in 4 tests of 100 marks each → (80/100)*4*100 = 320

Using given statement 2 → 5th test is for a total of 250 marks → Total marks = 400 + 250 = 650.

Using given statement 3 → Overall average is increased by 5% after 5th test →

Overall average before 5th test = 80%.

After 5th test, overall average = 85%.

The boy’s score after 5th test = 85% of 650 = 552.5 — (2)

Therefore, for 5th test score is = 552.5 – 320 = 232.5

Therefore, the boy’s score in the 5th test is 232.5 out of 250!

TECHNIQUE #6: Pay attention to the units, scales and values along X & Y axes in a graph

Another reason why students lose out on a perfect score is because they glance at the graph and not analyse it thoroughly.  Especially those that have multiple questions based on them.

Take your time to understand what the graph represents.

Read the title for a clear understanding of the graph.

Learn to approximate accurately.

Units as required by the question.

»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Pro Tip:Ìę Keep a note of the mistakes you make. You can also track it topic wise so that you know just where you need to focus.

TECHNIQUE #7: Take as many timed, full-length tests as you can.

The GRE lasts for 3 hours and 45 minutes. It is mentally challenging as well as physically taxing. But with the right amount of practice, you can train your mind to stay alert throughout.

Most of our students say they don’t feel the time passing by and before they know it, the most important exam of their lives is over!

Don’t let that happen to you. Pace yourself using timed tests.

Start warming up for a perfect score today, with something just as effective as the official GRE quantitative reasoning practice questions!

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GRE Quant Questions – All Types

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The post 7 Techniques to Score a Perfect 170 in GRE Quant appeared first on »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓÆ” Blog.

Every year the number GRE test-takers increases significantly because more people realise that a Master’s degree adds more value to their career. But, all GRE aspirants find that they have a lot of questions regarding the preparation and the admission procedures. In an attempt to answer these doubts. numerous GRE forumsÌęhave come up where students like you talk about the problems they face and also answer queries from other members. The members of such forums consist of all types of students.ÌęThere are students who’ve just started on their GRE Journey and some who have already taken the test.

These GRE forums give out information for free. But for the very same reason, they are not bound by any obligation to answer questions immediately or at all.

Also, a major disadvantage with online forums is that it tends to be biased depending on individual student experiences rather than offering an impartial view.

So, how can you trust these forums to answer your questions regarding your GRE preparation?

Well, our GRE experts have assembled a comprehensive list of popular forums that can be of help.
The order in which the forums appear has nothing to do with how good or bad the forum actually is.
So, let’s begin!

GRE Forum #1 : urch

GRE Forum #2 : Gradcafe

GRE Forum #3 : MS in US

GRE Forum #4 : Dr. Raju’s

GRE Forum #5 : GRE Prep Club

GRE Forum #6 : Edulix

GRE Forum #7 : Manhattan Prep

GRE Forum #8 : immihelp

GRE Forum #9 : English-Test.net

GRE Forum #10 : Physician Assistant Forum

This list of online forums has been carefully collated and assembled by our GRE experts. I hope this helps you on your GRE Journey.

Of the above-mentioned list, how many have you come across?

Preparing on your own for the GRE can be daunting and confusing. Especially if you are uncertain about what topics to prioritize or what type of schedule will be most effective for you.

Whilst discussing on forums may help you gain the information you seek, it cannot be substituted for expert guidance. Learning about firsthand experience of other students can help you avoid making some mistakes, but it cannot show you what kind of preparation works for you.

After all, GRE study plans are not a one-size-fits-all!

As a result, you may miss out on your target score by just a few points. This could be the difference betweenÌęyou studying in your dream university or just any other university.

Give yourself the best chance to achieve your target score!

Understand where you stand with our GRE Practise Test.

You can receive expert guidance for all your GRE doubts big or small!

Comment and let us know what troubles you are facing with your GRE preparation and our experts will be happy to help!

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