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GRE Exam Tips and Strategies

GRE Tips and Strategies

Deborah came to us for help with her GRE tutoring. She was interested in applying to several top Master’s programs, and her scores needed a big improvement. Deborah needed more help with GRE math than any other section.

Working one-on-one with her GRE private tutor, taking certified practice exams, and following customized lesson plans, Deborah gained the study skills she needed to succeed in areas she had previously found difficult. Additionally, she found that, “[Top Test Prep] significantly reduced my anxiety.” The GRE became much easier for her through this GRE tutoring program.

With Top Test Prep’s help, Deborah scored in the top 10th percentile when she sat for the GRE that spring, and gained admission to a top public administration Master’s program.

Here are some graduate school admissions tips and advice:

How to Prep for the GRE

You need to learn the best strategies for the computer adaptive portions of the test. The computer adaptive portions are the verbal and quantitative multiple-choice portions of the test.

Here’s the how the computer-adaptive testing works: as you take the exam, the difficulty of each section is automatically changed by the computer depending on whether you answer a question right or not. If you answer the question right, you are moved to a new, harder level of questions. If you answer incorrectly, you do not move on to the harder level of questions. This is especially true for the first 10 or so questions of the exam.

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More Helpful Tips & Strategies for the GRE

Take adequate time on the first ten questions

How well you do on the first 10 questions has a significant impact on your final score. To ensure you do as well as possible, remember to take your time on this portion of the test. You should complete the easiest questions with patience and caution. Do not rush this portion of the GRE exam.

Don’t be afraid of the clock

Many students taking the GRE worry about not being able to complete the test with enough time left. You should practice with your GRE tutor to develop practical strategies for finishing the exam. With our “Fear No Test” philosophy, we’ll help reduce your anxiety and give you confidence to complete all sections on time.

Take timed practice exams

Taking practice exams is important. However, have you considered taking less vs. more. There’s a common myth about GRE prep, which is that you should take more exams to help you. We recommend taking no more than 5 exams for practice, and re-review these GRE exams until you understand and can teach it back to our private GRE tutors.

Get a private tutor

Hiring a private tutor can help improve scores between 40 to 60% on average. This is just an average. At Top Test Prep, we’ll go above and beyond to help you tackle the GRE’s adaptive format.