Best Time to take the GRE

First of all, congratulations on deciding to put in the effort to do your research. Now, coming to the question at hand, the best answer would be that you should take the GRE when you are ready. However, if you are trying to find out the best time in the year to attempt the exam, then I would say, February to July for a few reasons.

• More time to do your applications
• More exam dates are available during this time
• If you are planning to sign up for GRE classes, then this is the lean period, thereby ensuring small batch sizes
• You have enough time to reattempt the exam if you want to before the admission deadlines.

And these are just the primary factors. Taking the GRE during this time of the year allows you a lot more room for comfort in the admissions process. And that is very important as the colleges and universities that are reputed, expect you to do your homework on their courses and curriculum and not just apply for the sake of the college ranking.

How long should I study for the GRE?

One of the most often asked questions by students preparing for the GRE is “How long should I study for the GRE?”

Well the answer is not that simple. First of all, everybody has their own pace at which they study. Second, different people have different skills and aptitude. Third, everybody starts off their preparation at different levels. Fourth, everyone has a different style of learning.

And these are just a few of the inherent problems as to why that question is not as simple as it sounds. I would strongly advice taking up GRE classes

But if you are looking for the abridged answer, then here goes:

2-3 months, depending on your aptitude and the time you can dedicate to studying every day.
And you must concentrate on learning and practicing concepts in the first part of this timeline and taking practice or mock tests in the latter part. Ideally you should get done practicing concepts in about 4-5 weeks and the rest of the time should be spent on taking up mock tests.

Best GRE Prep Material

Are you looking for the best GRE prerp material? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Below is a short list of everything you need to study well for the GRE.

GRE OG – Official Guide
The GRE OG is the best book to start with when you are studying for the GRE. Even if you sign up for GRE classes anywhere, they will start you off with this book. It’s the OG for a reason.

GRE Manhattan 5lb Book
This book has categorized topics which makes it easy to concentrate on specific areas. It also makes it easy to keep track of what topics you are good at and what topics you need help with.

GRE Flash Cards
There are multiple apps out there by many different service providers which have vocabulary flash cards. Again, this is an excellent way to learn and keep track of the words that you need to learn.

Best GRE Prep Tips

I would say that the best tip would be to sign up for GRE classes, but if you are going to be preparing on your own, then the following are the best tips for GRE preparation:

·        

      Learn the Vocabulary words – at least 40 words per day

·         

     Practice the Manhattan 5lb book

·         

     Take practice tests – that is the real prep work, not just solving the problems

Apart from the above points it is also important to keep in mind that keeping track of your right and wrong answers will help you analyse what your weak areas are and what topics you should be concentrating on.

Oh! And another thing – You don’t need to get every answer right on  the GRE! It is after all a computer adaptive test and you only need to get a majority of them correct. Also, there is no negative marking. 

So, there is no need to be afraid of getting a question wrong. Out of the 20 questions in each section you should be aiming to get at least 15 correct.

And getting those 15 correct will easily get you a score of around 320 on the GRE.

GRE Quant Syllabus

The GRE quant or math syllabus tests your ability to:
• Apply basic math
• Understand mathematical concepts
• Reason quantitatively to infer and solve questions using mathematical concepts
There are two types of questions on the GRE Quant section:
• Problem Solving – For a given problem you must solve using mathematical concepts and formulae to arrive at a single answer.
• Data Interpretation – For a given problem you must compare two sets of data and answer the given question accordingly based on your interpretation.
Below are the topics that are tested on the GRE quantitative reasoning section:
• Arithmetic -  Integers, number properties including prime and composite numbers, divisibility, ratios and percentages, fractions and decimals, exponents and roots, number line and absolute value and sequences of numbers, work, rate and flow
• Algebra – Linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, word problems, functions and relations
• Geometry – Lines, angles, triangles, quadrilaterals, circles, cubes and cuboids, cylinders, cones and spheres, other polygons and 3D figures, area, surface area, perimeter and volume, coordinate geometry, slope of a line and intercepts, graphical representation of lines and equations
• Data Analysis – Statistics, scatter plots, box plots, bar graphs, frequency distribution, probability, mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation, quartiles, permutations and combinations, venn diagrams and sets.
Questions from all of these topics appear on the GRE without exception, and their difficulty level ranges from moderate to high. For those who are preparing for the GRE, it is advisable to sign up for GRE coaching to be taught tips and tricks on how to solve these question types within the shortest time.

What do I need to bring with me to the GRE testing centre?

Well, all you need is your passport, your test appointment confirmation email and one other ID proof.

What is important to keep in mind is that the name on all of these documents must be the same. Any variation in any of the details may result in you not being allowed to take the test or your test scores being disqualified.

There is no need to bring stationary or any other material. A work pad will be given to you for your rough work along with some sketch pens or markers. An on-screen calculator will also be available for the computer-based GRE.

You must note that your ID will be verified in multiple ways:
• Biometric voice and photo ID
• Fingerprint ID
• Video taping
• Signature Comparison

You must adhere to all the requests for ID verification at the test centre to avoid being disqualified from the exam.

Can I retake the GRE? How many times can I take the test?

Yes! You can retake the GRE. The official GRE rules allow you to take the test once every 3 weeks and a maximum of 5 times within a one-year period.

For each time that you take the GRE, you must pay the registration fee and schedule your test dates. However, you do NOT need to create a new ETS Account every time.

While most schools and universities say that there is no limit on how many times you appear for the GRE, it is not advisable to appear for the test more than 2 or 3 times. The reason being that there will be a peak that each student reaches with regards to preparing for and taking the GRE.

What is more advisable is to take multiple mock tests while preparing for the GRE. This will help prepare you both mentally and physically for the actual test and can help make you comfortable with the format of the test. This in turn will help you assess what score you are likely to get when you sit for the GRE. Based on this, you can then decide when to book your exam.

Can I change the date or location of my GRE test?

Of course, you can, however it comes at a cost. There is a nominal fee that you must pay in order to reschedule the GRE. Depending on which location you are in, the fee maybe around $50 (USD).

There are primarily two ways you can go about rescheduling the GRE computer-based test:
• Through your ETS Account
• Through the Prometric Services phone number(if you are in North America) or via your

Regional Registration Center (RRC).

If rescheduling via phone, you must provide your appointment confirmation number and your identification details.

It is important to note that any rescheduling or change in test centre must be done at least 4 days prior to your initial test appointment. Failing  to do so will result in loss of the appointment and any fee that you have already paid.

Furthermore, the rescheduled date must fall within one year of the date of the initial GRE test date appointment. It must also be noted that both the test date and change in centre can be done at the same time and will cost only $50 (USD). However, for each time you change the test date,  you will have to pay the rescheduling fee.

How much does the GRE cost?

The GRE general test is conducted in over 160 countries in the computer-based format. The registration fee for the test is $205 (USD) in most countries with the exception of Australia(USD 230), China(USD 232), Nigeria(USD 220) and Turkey(USD 255).

There are multiple payment options, however the easiest and most convenient method is to pay online with a credit or debit card. This can be done upon registering with an ETS Account on the GRE official website – www.ets.org

The cost includes the following GRE prep material:
1. Powerprep Online
2. Practice book for paper-based test
3. Math Review
4. Math Conventions

The Official Guide for the GRE or the GRE OG can be purchased for an additional $40 + Shipping and can be order through the website or online through portals like Amazon.
The fee also includes services that allow you to view your scores online and a GRE diagnostic service for the computer-based test.