GRE in 2 wks Help

[samstrong123]

Hi All,

I got GRE slot in 2 wks time, here is my situation-

Prepping from Barrons. Read world list - made my flash cards. Read Quant section twice.

My Barrons Paper Practice test scoe y'day- V 152, Q 148.

I got s**t in my pants. I have to push my both score by hook or crook above 160.

I have following major troubles-

1. Quant- In Barron for Quant after 5 major sections of tips in different types of Qs, they have 200 pages Maths Review section. I need to know are there any HIGH YIELDS topics in this Maths Review that I have to know to push my Q score? 

So if any one can tell me VERY IMPORTANT/ MUST KNOW topics for Quant?

 

2. AWA- I'm practicing under time w/ power prep software and I'm taking ~40mins to finish each of my essay.

Does any one has any tips on how to finish essays on time? Advice to finish essays sooner.

I noticed powerprep software do not have "copy" option. It has "cut", "paste" option. So if

I want to copy any sen. or word how should I do on the exam computer?

 

3. V- I'm dipping down in Reading comp qs any tips for it. They also take more time to finish.

 

Let me know.

 

Sam

prk_01234@yahoo.com

[RomulusAugustulus]

I don't have any specific test strategy advice, but I can answer your questions about the "copy" and "cut/paste" options on the AWA section. There is no "copy" option in the GREs essay writing software. But if you need to copy something what you can do is cut it, paste it right back where it was, and then paste it again somewhere else. Kind of silly, but that's what you have to do. 

 

The quant section is not my strong suit, but I think the key to it is just knowing the rules. You rarely actually have to do any calculations to answer the questions. Also knowing the rules about 0 and 1 are SO important. 

 

As for the reading comp, one piece of advice that may help you if you aren't doing it already, is to read the question before reading the passage (just the question, not the answers) then as you read look for the section that answers that question, then go back to the question answers. Also, if it's a time issue with reading the passages, remember you don't need to understand everything that is discussed in the passage, you only need to be able to answer the question. They make the language and vocab in the passages overly difficult. Just read through it quickly and don't get slowed down by complicated syntax. Then you can go back and look carefully at just the sections that are relevant to the questions. 

[Standard Deviant]

Hi Sam,

 

I took the GRE just a few months ago and did fairly well, so here's a bit of general advice:

First of all, breathe. When it was down to 2 weeks for me, I prioritized staying healthy over studying and tried to fix my sleep habits so I could be awake (8am exam). It's a mental test, so you really have to put yourself in the right mental state.

 

You made flash cards already - great! Keep reviewing a few words a day until they really stick. I would recommend looking at the vocab you missed on the practice exam and making a flashcard for every answer choice you did not know. After enough practice exams, you should have most of the common words covered.

 

One thing that stood out to me was that you said you READ the word list and READ the quant section. Please, please, do yourself a favor and avoid studying like that when possible. It's better than nothing if you're occupied, but if you can set aside time to study, it is much better to study actively. Especially on the quant section, this means doing problems. For verbal, you can just make sure to review your flashcards (so you can't see the definitions right away, and have to think about it). It's much more mentally taxing, but trust me, it is well worth it.

 

1) I can't speak for every test, but you should definitely review some algebra, percents/ratios, and maybe some combinatorics. If it's been a while since you've done math, make sure to recall some nice rules to save you time, like divisibility rules, or things like x% of y is always y% of x. Simple geometry such as triangles would also be helpful.

 

2) It seems counterintuitive, but outlining my essays really helped me speed up my time. I would write down my main points, then start writing my essay in the space around them. Remember that GRE graders do not care about what you may have learned in elementary school about stating an introduction/conclusion and restating all your points. Just jump straight to the body, with maybe a few short sentences to tie things together if you feel the need. (Transitions can definitely only help).

 

3) Reading comp can be pretty variable in content and structure, but it helped for me to jot down a one-sentence summary of what I read as I read each paragraph to make sure I was actively reading, since most of the reading you do day to day you probably don't need to pay that close attention to. Then, when I read the questions, I would block out the answer choices, try to come up with my own answer based on the text, and see if it matched any of the answer choices.

 

If you need any more specific advice, help with math questions, or critique of your essays I would be glad to help - send me a PM. Best of luck!

Edited April 26, 2014 by Standard Deviant

[samstrong123]

Hi RomulusAugustulus & Standard Deviant for your input. I'll keep you posted. Sam.

[samstrong123]

Hi All,

1, I need to know for more practising I need to practice Verbal- Reading comprehension. I have pracitce RC Qs at my Barrons book. I want to know how could I practice paper RC Barron Qs under time constrain . how should I time them?

How to get more n more Sen. Equvalence right? .= 1 blank n 2 chocies Qs to select?

 

2.Same thing about Quant- Probaliity, Data Interpretation- I have practice Qs in Barron. for practicing from Barron book how should I tiem them?

 

3. In AWA- Argument section- generically when any survey is given to argu on that survey can I use generic points for any survey like- timeline of survey, methodology, reollection bias, & so on?

Thanks.

Sam.

[bsharpe269]

1. I have improved my Sent Equivalence alot (the 1 black, 2 choices) by studying. Here are couple of the things that have helped me with this part:

- first of all, you have to know the vocab. Studying that helped alot here.

- dont focus on what two words fit the blank, focus on what two words fit the black AND mean the same thing. Before studying, I was in the habit of just looking for words that fit but the words have to pretty much have the exact same meaning as well. Focusing on looking for words with the same meaning really helped me here.

 

3. Yeah I agree. It seems that if a study is mentioned then mentioning the lack of info given on the study is a good point to make. You can say there is no information on the reliability, is it published in a peer reviewed journal, etc.

 

I havent really timed my practice problems. I do the problems just for repetition and practice and then use ETS timed tests to see how well I am doing with time. I would use those tests for that. It is hard to watch the time on individual questions, especially for reading comp ones, because I use alot of time on the first one since I am reading the passage but much less on the following questions.

[ramkt0310]

Hello

 

Take a free sample test  here http://studentnext.com/gre and get complete feedback. section by section analysis. AWA review and feedback from a faculty

 

Thanks

[samstrong123]

hi bsharpe269, ramkt310,

Thanks for reply.

bsharp269 -  i'll try to imply yr SE tip.

Sam.