Author: Md Sharif Hossain Published at: December 2023 Last modified: May 2024
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." —Sun Tzu (The Art of War)
A brief on GRE:
You can prepare for the GRE test from home. First, you need to know about the test. Considering the GRE test as your enemy, you need to be clear about the question types, the requirements, the question complexity level, and finally, your own command over the designated fields. To check your level, simply register on the ETS website and try a free mock test. You can follow their website (GRE section) in-depth to gain a better understanding of the test.
The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a standardized test that is part of the admissions process for many graduate schools in the United States, Canada, and a few other countries. The GRE is owned and administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).
The GRE General Test is a computer-delivered test. Its test-taker-friendly design lets you skip questions within a section, go back and change answers, and have the flexibility to choose which questions within a section you want to answer first.
Test sections and timing (beginning September 22, 2023):
The overall test time is about 1 hour and 58 minutes. There are five sections. The Analytical Writing section will always be first. The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections may appear in any order after the Analytical Writing section.
Measure
Number of Questions
Allowed Time
Analytical Writing (One section)
One "Analyze an Issue" task
30 minutes
Verbal Reasoning (Two sections)
Section 1: 12 questions
Section 2: 15 questions
Section 1: 18 minutes
Section 2: 23 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning (Two sections)
Section 1: 12 questions
Section 2: 15 questions
Section 1: 21 minutes
Section 2: 26 minutes
Section-level adaptation:
The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections are section-level adaptive. The first section of each measure (i.e., Verbal and Quantitative) is of average difficulty. The difficulty level of the second section of each of the measures depends on your overall performance in the first section.
For example, if you do very well on the first Quantitative Reasoning section, the second section of Quantitative Reasoning will be at a higher level of difficulty. The scoring for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures takes into consideration the total number of questions answered correctly across the two sections, as well as the difficulty level of the sections.
Test design features:
The advanced adaptive design of the GRE General Test allows you to move forward and backward throughout an entire section. Specific features include:
Preview and review capabilities within a section.
"Mark" and "Review" features to tag questions so you can skip them and return later if you have time remaining in the section.
The ability to change/edit answers within a section.
An on-screen calculator for the Quantitative Reasoning section.
To experience the test design features, access the free POWERPREP Online practice tests from the official ETS website.
Self Preparation:
You can prepare for the GRE test from home. First, you need to know about the test. Considering the GRE test as your enemy, you need to be clear about the question types, the requirements, the question complexity level, and finally, your own command over the designated fields. To check your level, simply register on the ETS website and try a free mock test. You can follow their website (GRE section) in-depth to gain a better understanding of the test.
Important resources:
I personally do not recommend following a lot of resources, but rather, I recommend following a limited number of good resources with greater depth. I found the following resources very helpful in preparing for the GRE test.
For any test, official test guides should be the first priority to be introduced to the test. ETS, the test taker of the GRE test, has 4 main resources. The titles are as follows:
The Official Guide to the GRE® General Test, Fourth Edition.
Official GRE® Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions Volume 1, Second Edition.
Official GRE® Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions Volume 1, Second Edition.
GRE Big Book (Verbal only).
For basic understanding, you might take help from this book:
Manhattan Prep's GRE Strategy Guides, Volume 1-6 (Quant).
Manhattan Prep's GRE Strategy Guides, Volume 7-8 (Verbal).
For additional practice, this could be of good help:
Manhattan Prep's 5 lb.
There are also a number of online GRE resources that can help you. I found Gregmat (Prepswift) to be one of the best online resources. It is easy to understand, cheap, and less time-consuming. You might try Magoosh also.
Finally, consider solving the KMF Practice Problems.
Source of the necessary materials:
All of these resources are available in bookshops and online. Some of them might not be free. However, here I am sharing some online and free versions of important resources. I DO NOT recommend using pirated resources, but as a student of a poor economic country, we might reconsider it. Please read the Disclaimer first (uploaded in the home directory of the shared folder).