GRE Prep

[hotredphoenix]

Hello all, I'm have taken the GRE twice already but my score is still so low. I personally weak at math and my verbal a little bit better. is there any advice that you can help me here on how to study better? Especially in the math part? How can  I do well if my basis in math is already so weak? Please help me, any advice will be greatly appreciated!!!

[Danger_Zone]

What scores did you end up getting? I'm very weak at math too, so I understand how you're feeling. If you have the money to do so, it may help to get a subscription to Magoosh. The website has tonnes of practice questions/tests and video and text explanations for each question's answer. It also keeps track of the kinds of questions you answer, which is separated into each type (the quant and verbal sections each have their own subtypes of questions, which you've probably noticed), so you can see where your weaknesses lie. For example, I did quite well on the Data Interpretation section, but struggled in other areas.

If you are unable to subscribe to Magoosh, you can always look up free practice questions and note which types of questions you get incorrect and why: are you struggling at a particular type of question or are you generally weak in quant across all sections? This will help you figure out where you need to focus your study efforts. Pay attention to why you are getting questions incorrect and remember this for the next time you approach a similar question. This may help you avoid the same mistakes in the future.

Hope this helps at all!

Edited April 26, 2016 by Danger_Zone

[rageofanath]

When I started studying quant I was scoring around 148 on practices, got 160 on test day. I couldn't afford a Magoosh subscription or more than one practice book. BUT I'm an autodidact so if you're not, you may want to shell out for GRE focused tutoring.

I outlined in this thread all the books I used for practice:

My #1 suggestion is to go to your local library and see what they have book-wise, as well as if you can order any in from other libraries. The more different sources you use the better.

My #2 suggestion is to find a place outside of your house that you study well at and go there for a few hours a day every day off you have. If you want to score really well then GRE prep has to be your second job during your preparation time, possibly at the expense of most of your leisure time. I basically lived at my local cafe from December-March and spent basically all my extra pay on tea and sandwiches during studying. The baristas knew what I was up to and would ask how studying was going sometimes.  Sometimes on weekends I would be there longer than their shifts!

Finally

#3 : A lot of the problems are 'tricks' not math, with a long time-eating method or a shortcut. There's very little actual math you need to know, you mostly just have to know the tricks (ie is that complicated figure actually ... a 45-45-90 triangle?! Yes it is!) and make sure you have a few common formulas memorized; geometry, exponent/fraction rules, properties of 1 and 0, times tables up to 12, etc. I made flash cards with the basic rules I'd need to know and was able to write all 2D geometry formulas on demand. (The one time they gave me a sphere they gave me the formula. The question wasn't really about the sphere, they just wanted me to freak out about the fact it WAS a sphere and get distracted from what they were really asking!). And I found a strategy that worked for me: "mark" and skip all the quant comps and graphs until the end. One reason I was scoring badly on paper practice tests I'd get caught up on comparison problems that the answer was D (cannot be determined) and waste all my time trying every possible solution to PROVE it couldn't be determined, or I'd spend lots of time scratching my head over misleading charts. Meanwhile I'd get questions 16-20 correct, but couldn't count them towards my score since I went over time. That may not be your ideal strategy so think about what questions you find quick and easy, and what questions you spend more time on, and don't be afraid to click a random answer, mark it, and hit next, to go back later. You only have 1.75 min per problem. 

Also once I started feeling confident, everytime I did a problem set I did it to a stopwatch and calculated how long I took per problem with a goal of 1.6 min/problem to give myself some padding.

Good luck, quant is tough if you didn't do a STEM undergrad... which I didn't. :|

Edited April 28, 2016 by rageofanath
extra info i forgot

[Brent@GreenlightGRE]

I suggest a systematic approach, in which you take the time to master each topic/concept (e.g., percents, ratios, text completion, quantitative comparison questions, etc).

 So, for each topic/concept, you should:

1) Learn the underlying concepts (rules, attributes, notation, etc.)

2) Learn GRE-specific strategies related to that topic

3) Practice dozens of questions all related to that one topic.

4) Don't stop working on that topic until you have mastered it

Then, and only then, move on to the next topic.

In addition to learning the core concepts and GRE-specific strategies, be sure to work on your endurance and test-taking skills (e.g., time management) by taking several practice tests. 

As far as resources go, be sure to get ETS's Official Guide for GRE. For extra practice questions, ETS has a quant-only book and a verbal-only book, each with 200 questions.

You'll also need a resource with some sort of instruction. The one that's best for you will be the one that best suits your learning style. We have a free video course you might want to try (http://www.greenlighttestprep.com/)

Finally, it's a good idea to have some kind of Study Plan. We have a one here if you're interested - https://www.greenlighttestprep.com/ 

Cheers,

Brent

[academicdoll]

Hi! I would definitely focus on completing as many practice problems as possible under timed conditions. There are different tips that you can implement in order to give you more time such as memorizing answer choices ahead of time for Quant Comps, they never change!  A tutor may help with some fundamental strategies and approaches to questions that you may not have considered in the past. A third party can also add value by analyzing your strengths and weaknesses, and customizing a learning experience to your needs. 

Full disclosure: academicdoll is a private tutor for Parliament Tutors in Miami.