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Many students think that getting ready for the GRE begins with buying a study manual or enrolling in a prep course. But without taking some preliminary steps, they’re liable to mismanage their time because they don’t know the areas of the test they need to focus the most on.
The first step is to find out the test-score expectations of the universities you’ll apply to. It’s always surprised me how many students taking GRE prep courses have no idea how well they need to do to get into the schools they’re targeting.
Take a practice test to find out your current performance.Yes, it’s usually disheartening to see just exactly how much you need to study, but how else are you going to know which areas you should focus on the most? The official GRE website offers a free..
download of its PowerPrep software, which comes with two practice tests. After you take each test, it will give you a scaled score for the Verbal and Quantitative sections.
Register for a test date. It’s important to do this a few months before you take the test for two reasons. First, you can set up your study routine with a solid deadline in mind, which should make it harder for you to procrastinate.
Second, the GRE test-taking facility near you may be a small learning center, in which case the few spaces will fill up fast as application deadlines approach. Registering early will give you better scheduling options and an exact knowledge of how much time you have to prepare.
Don’t just assume that your only study choice is among test prep manuals. Take a step back and ask yourself how you learn most effectively. If you work best alone, then by all means, get a good book or two and some helpful software.
For people who need formal, structured study environments, test-prep courses are ideal. And for those who need structure but don’t learn well in large groups, an individual tutor works even better than a test-prep course.
Study goals work to the extent that they’re personal. Are you driven by achievement? Set score-based goals and take practice tests until you reach those scores. Do you work well on a schedule? Set a time-based goal to study for a half-hour per day or three hours per week.
Do you dislike doing things according to the clock? Set a content-based goal to study thirty vocabulary words a day or write two essays a week. Know what works for you as an individual.
