GRE Literature Test Strategy Question

[ariapahari]

Hi all! For my first post on here, I thought I would ask about testing strategy since I am sure several of you have recently taken the notorious GRE Literature exam!

For those of you who took it within the last few years, did any of you succeed in executing the "two-pass" strategy in which you first answer the less time-consuming questions before tackling the longer reading passages? 

This approach worked well for me in the GRE General Test but I am wondering how it may carry over to the Lit Test. 

I just want to be able to sit down for my test with a plan in mind, and as of now Plan A is to just do the questions in order and Plan B is to try and two-pass it. Which sounds like the better option?

[Indecisive Poet]

Speaking from my own experience, the multiple-pass strategy worked very well for me. It was a great way to ensure I answered all the questions on passages I recognized. I took the ST twice and both times I did not have enough time to read and answer all the questions -- answering all the questions in order would likely not have gone as well for me.

I think I went through and looked for familiar names and passages and answered those questions, then went through a second pass to answer one-off questions, and then went through a final pass for whatever was left. 

That said, my better score (which I'm happy with) was in the 83rd percentile. Maybe some folks who did better than I did can weigh in.

[Deleted Because Useless]

I'm not sure if they offer any more tests this year, but I wanted to chip in for future test takers. I took the test twice, the first one I bombed, and the second I am waiting for the scores but I think I did pretty well (fingers crossed). There were some significant differences in how I approached the two tests. But, as always, finding your own strategy is the best

1. Wrong questions are no longer penalized. I did not know this when I took the test the first time around (relied too heavily on the Princeton Review book written years ago). I wasted time on questions I should have guessed and moved on. I hate myself for not knowing this beforehand

2. Read the questions first -- mark the lines when they ask "in line # . . ."  On the first test, despite Princeton Review's tips, I didn't do this. Turns out reading the questions first (not the answer options) really does help with understanding the reading passage as a whole. It's like having a guide to direct the comprehension of the passage. A SUPER cursory glance over the answer options in questions that ask for "what is this about" can at times help.

3. On the first run, go through the texts you are absolutely familiar with. But make sure to guess aggressively on questions you don't know. Never consider coming back for them. You won't have time. On the second run, I read texts that were short. I spent way too much time reading long texts on the first test and ended up not having enough time to go over the short text questions. On the third run, go over the longer texts and guess the questions you don't know (even when you can't cross out an option). On this third run, you have to keep the time in mind. Be aware that it may take you around 5 - 10 minutes to fill out any of the circles that are left blank. And when all hell breaks loose and you KNOW you won't be able to read the final 2-3 passages to answer questions, and you have only 5 minutes left, look for questions that ask for grammar, figural language, and etc (ex. "is this an example of,,, litotes? simile? metaphor?). I personally think it's important not to dwell on the idea that you may able to miraculously figure out the gist of the passage and answer all questions. When the time is almost up, it's better to have any blank circles filled and those simple knowledge out on to the paper).

----- some miscellaneous advice for anyone interested

1. grind out your pencils so circling is more time efficient. I held the pencil in a particular position at all times

2. have a firm grasp on literary and grammatical terms. knowing the difference between a synecdoche and metonym, metaphor and simile, monologue and soliloquy, personification and anthropomorphism.... It saves a lot of time when you don't have to try to squeeze it out during the test.

3. practice reading skills. I'm not sure how to explain this, but find out what the passage is about, and how they develop that idea. Keep in mind the structure of the passage as you read (in addition to the content, of course).

[GlacierPoint]

No more test dates this year but people taking the test in next April will appreciate the advice.

Adding on to the misc advice -

Make sure you print the right confirmation letter with your registration code! For some reason nobody had the right letter ready and it complicated registration. Another girl and I were ok because we printed our disability accommodations letter which had the right code. The testing center staff was cool and let them look it up on their phones but I could see it going badly at a stricter center.

If your testing center is at an university, check their events for the weekend your test is on. The subject test was on the same day as Homecoming for my center. I’m a student living on campus so it wasn’t a problem but it probably complicated things for people coming in off campus. Don’t know if the testing center contacted them to warn them about HC. They didn’t contact me because I had already talked to them in person.

It also might help to stop by the center before the test to confirm the location if it’s convenient for you so you’re less stressed on the day of. I work at an information center in the same building and my boss told me that someone stopped by to ask about the location a few days prior the test.

If you’re unsure about a question, look at the other questions for the same passage and see if your answer for that question would make sense. 

Check the back of the test booklet for copyright/permissions. It answered some of the author ID question and gave major clues for other questions.

If you qualify for extra time, don’t feel bad about requesting it. You’ll be grateful that you did after you finish the test. I had to request other accommodations and my disability also allows for extra time to be requested. So, I figured I’d add it on because it couldn’t hurt. I’m normally a speedy test taker but I definitely needed the extra time to answer everything.