Beat The Clock Of A GRE Test With A Prep Course That Fits You Best
By: Joel Lee
Submitted: 2009-12-04 00:44:42 | Word Count: 514
Enrolling in a Graduate Record Examination preparation course is a great way to familiarise yourself with the somewhat gruelling time pressure test where you will only have approximately one minute for each question. Regardless of whether you’re taking the General Test which measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking and analytical writing skills or the Subject Tests which measures undergraduate achievement in eight specific fields of study, a prep course can ready you up to ace the test to successfully enter the Masters or PhD program of your choice.
Here are some tips on how to maximise your preparation for the test with a suitable prep course:
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• Start early! The high pressure, fast paced format of the test will really take some getting used to, so if you’ve been banking on last minute revisions for your previous assessments, it’s probably not going to work this time round. Starting at least six months before D day is a good idea to give yourself ample revision time.
If your schedule doesn’t permit this, you might want to consider taking two GRE prep courses to get more help in getting ready for the assessment. Otherwise, if you have more time to study on your own, one might suffice.
• Find a prep course that suits your schedule and learning style. This could be a course with a prep school or one that is offered online. While some prefer the convenience, flexibility and independence of online learning, others might favour the ‘old school’ style of attending classes. An added benefit of this is the physical presence of a teacher to help you along and the possibility of customising your study plan. A good and experienced teacher will be able to impart personalised tips, strategies and tricks to ace the test, and might have access to past year papers for your practice.
That said, some online courses do provide opportunities for interaction with your coach so you are not totally on your own. Overall, find a school with a positive and encouraging environment that will motivate you to do well!
• Ask around friends and colleagues who’ve sat for the GRE test for a recommended course and school. You may also want to find out how they prepared for the test, and whether they found it to be sufficient in equipping them for it.
• Complement your course with prep books, or thoroughly go through the materials and maximise the learning resources provided from your prep course. These materials should familiarise you with the test style, structure, instructions and the marking criteria, which can be complicating.
Of course, no matter how prepared you may be on D Day, remember not to be nervous and just try your best to stay calm and relaxed during the exam. Should the unthinkable happen and you didn’t do as well as you should, you can always retake your GRE. Don’t be discouraged if your first try didn’t reflect the amount of hard work you’ve put in. Continue practising and be prepared for your next GRE test.
Author Resource:-
Joel Lee is an independent test preparation consultant (http://www.icon-plus.com/) specializing in GRE preparation, with over 8 years of experience. Apart from helping candidates to improve their scores through a customized GRE course, he actively contributes to websites related to GRE Singapore.
