To GRE or not to GRE?

Ah, finally done with the most annoying exam in the world. The GRE. This was my second attempt at killing the vicious beast and unlike last time, I honed my test taking skills with some meticulous practice and diligence in sticking to a schedule of sorts. I got a score below my expectations, but not one I'll complain about and far better than the score I got in my first attempt. Anyway here's my guide to taking this test and coming out with a 1200+ (at least it worked for me)

Book your GRE date 2 months from the time you decide to start preparation. Also consider which semester you want to go to the US. Ideally it should be a year or 10 months prior to the beginning of the semester there. For example, for Fall, it'll be good to take the test by October. I took in November but now have fewer colleges to select from. So consider all deadlines of universities you dream of studying at (or partying at).

Now to the prep. Most people in India usually have no problem with quant but dread the verbal section. In our Comps class, none have failed to get a minimum of 650 in quant. It has been the verbal section or rather the fear of the verbal section that has brought people's scores down. So here's a few suggestions. Most of you must be using Barrons word list (KP Singh's flash cards are copied from Barrons). Most people know the words but on the big day mess it up. The idea is that if you know to incorporate the words in appropriate context you will find scores of 400+ in verbal quite common. The best word list i've come across so far is the one at the end of "Word Power made easy" by Norman Lewis. I strongly recommend perusal of that book, follow the exercises given there and finally go through the word list at the end. The words have been used in a humorous context and with a little bit of imagination will stick around in your head. Also try making sentences of your own from the words in the flash cards. If you're too lazy at least make sentences of the high frequency words. Try using the words in your vocab. Abandon using your native language or the national language because no one gives a crap about your conversational skills in Hindi/Marathi/Malayam/Gujarati/ German/Russian etc. in the US. Speak to people in English, read english newspapers (the OP/Ed section is amazing. Try the Asian Age, Economic Times and avoid gossip related crap like BT, Mumbai Mirror etc. where journalists and celebs prefer to engage in verbal diarrhoea) , watch the english news channels, maybe more english programs on TV and best of all read a lot of english literature. Maybe one book a week also would suffice.
Other great word lists are Kaplans list of similar words and maybe NOVA's word list. For the RC section use the tips in Barrons and Kaplan. If you need help contact me. RC is the most scoring section since the answers are right in the passage itself. Be warned that this is no school RC so there'll be a lot of implicit meanings.

For the Quant section, I recommend the NOVA's preparation book. It is quite a comprehensive coverage of the questions that occur on the GRE and they give good tips on the Process of Elimination (POE) for the ultimate hard questions. In addition to NOVA, I suggest using Barrons quant prep and maybe Kaplan Math Workout. I also suggest you go through the pdf file that comes with the Powerprep cd and many questions on the GRE are nearly identical to those questions albeit with minor changes. If you need additional practice you can use R.S. Aggarwal for the sections you find scores wanting.

A bad verbal section or a lower quant score can be compromised if you at least get a good AWA score. The AWA part is the only subjective part of the test and the universities can use that as a criteria to test how good a student might be since one can score in the remainder of the test by randomly clicking any answers. A good book would be the Arco's answers to real GRE essay questions. It gives good tips on going about this section and how to plan your time. It can be downloaded from the ETS website. Download Arcos guide from here: http://rapidshare.com/files/72835069/Arco_Essay_Book.pdf

Ideally preparation should take about 2 months. Start taking practice tests one month prior to the real test and analyse your performance. The best tests are the Powerprep, but you can also take Barrons, Kaplan, NOVA, Cambridge. For some tough tests try out The Big CD. Available at most book stores for Rs.250 i think. Also do the verbal section from the Big Book. Atleast one test a day. It would be better to prepare without distractions. For working individuals book the test 3 months from the time you decide to start preparing. Also if travelling isn't a problem I very strongly recommend taking membership in USEFI. http://www.fulbright-india.org/

They have all the resources you need for test prep. In addition to that they have counselors you can contact if you need help. And a plethora of books from which you can research US/Canadian universities. And all that for just Rs.1500 for an annual membership. As for directions to the place, i suggest you visit the aforementioned website because i've been plagued by inquiries on its location and I'm tireeeeeeeeeeeeeeed.

Hope that helps you guys and you can forward this to juniors who might decide on taking up the challenge of higher studies in the US. Please feel free to comment on this post. I guess it should answer the question, To GRE or not to GRE