Preparing for the GRE

1. Preparing for the GRE Dr. Nancy Alvarado

2. Understand the Test • They will send you information when you register for the test: • CD with POWERPREP software • Practice General Test booklet (paper-based version) • You can also download these materials from their website: • http://ftp.ets.org/pub/gre/PPGRE31.exe • http://ftp.ets.org/pub/gre/14614.pdf

3. Computer-Adaptive Testing • The old way -- everyone does all the questions, both hard and easy. • Time-consuming and fatiguing for students. • Hard to measure scores accurately. • Constant need to write and test new questions. • The new way -- scores are estimated from a sample of performance. • The test is “customized” for each person.

4. How It Works • The computer continuously monitors your performance and adjusts difficulty of questions. • The computer starts with a moderately hard question. • You get an easy one next if you miss it. • You get a harder one next if you are correct.

5. Second Chances • If you are nervous and miss the first questions, the computer will still give you harder ones later. • It is possible to increase your score even if you miss the first few questions. • The computer also MUST sample all question types and a range of content.

6. How Are Scores Calculated? • Each question has a difficulty level associated with it. • The computer estimates what score someone would get who was able to answer the same questions you did. • The computer “zeroes in” on the level of difficulty where you “fit” most precisely.

7. Strategies for Computer Testing • You can’t go back and change your answers, so be careful. • You must answer every question, even if you must guess. • No “penalty” for guessing. • Using time effectively will get you a higher score.

8. Three Ways to Improve Your Scores • Become familiar with the test format and with using the computer, so you don’t waste time with the mechanics. • Do the practice questions to develop the skills needed to answer questions quickly. • Learn to guess well.

9. Building Your Vocabulary • Does it help to memorize word lists? • We remember by extracting the meaning of a word, then forming an association between it and our existing knowledge. • Intensive study may cause “interference” – the definitions will run together.

10. How to Study • Spaced study is better than “massed” study – don’t try to cram. • Relate new words to existing knowledge: • Use them in sentences. • Study words in context – read literature: • www.gutenberg.net

11. How to Practice • Take the practice tests under timed conditions, just as you will take the real test. • Repetition is important – each time you do it you will be faster. • It doesn’t matter whether you have seen the questions before. • Feedback is essential – check your answers and correct mistakes.

12. Better Guessing • We learn words in context and rarely know precise definitions. • Much of our “understanding,” just like much of our “memory” is actually plausible inference. • When you don’t know the exact meanings, use what you do know to eliminate wrong answers.

13. Look for Relationships • Kinds of relationships among words: • Same/different, contrast • Part/whole, kinds, examples • Developmental, first, last, time • Good/bad, evaluative, judgment • Size, proximity, spatial relation

14. Antonyms (Opposites) • FALLACY: (A) personal philosophy(B) imaginative idea(C) unconfirmed theory(D) tentative opinion(E) valid argument • Is a fallacy right or wrong, true or false? • Which answer most different?

15. Another Antonym • LOQUACIOUS:(A) tranquil(B) skeptical(C) morose(D) taciturn(E) witty • Where have you ever heard the word before? Who does it describe?

16. Fill-in Questions • There are, as yet, no vegetation types or ecosystems whose study has been _____ to the extent that they no longer _____ ecologists.(A) perfected…hinder(B) exhausted… interest(C) prolonged…require(D) prevented…challenge(E) delayed…benefit

17. Another Fill-In • It was her view that the country’s problems had been _____ by foreign technocrats, so that to invite them to come back would be counterproductive.(A) foreseen(B) attacked(C) ascertained(D) exacerbated(E) analyzed

18. Analogies • FRUGAL:MISERLY::(A) confident : arrogant(B) courageous : pugnacious(C) famous : aggressive(D) rash : foolhardy(E) quiet : timid • Determine the relationship in the first pair, then look for it in the other pairs.

19. Another Analogy • STYGIAN:DARK ::(A) abysmal : low(B) cogent : contentious(C) fortuitous : accidental(D) reckless : threatening(E) cataclysmic : doomed • http://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/Stygian

20. Reading Comprehension • Two strategies: • Read carefully the first time. • Skim, then go back and look for the answers. • Try both and see which works best for you. • Consider the length of the passage.

21. Notice the Structure • Certain words indicate the relationships among ideas: • Why (question) • However (contradicts) • Moreover (emphasize & extend) • For example (gives evidence) • But (gives exception or problem) • In short (summary) • Thus (conclusion)

22. Keep it Simple • Don’t “over think” the questions. • If a fact isn’t stated in the question, don’t assume it. • Don’t answer from your own knowledge – rely on what is in the question itself. • The most straightforward answer is most likely to be right.