Those who plan to sit for the GRE preparations – they need to work really hard to get success in this examination. Preparation includes arranging resources, sitting for practice tests, and joining GRE study groups so that one can gauge how well their preparation is going.
A lot of people depend on GRE coaching because that is the best way to learn from experts and get all the resource materials that they need to study and prepare. Coaching centers also arrange monthly practice tests where the students can check where they are lagging behind and if they face any difficulty – can always ask the teachers to learn them better.
Those who have been preparing for this test post-pandemic must also know that quite a few things have changed since the pandemic had occurred. Before Covid-19 happened – GRE used to happen exclusively at test centers but post-pandemic GRE examination is also provided online. As a result, this examination has become more accessible to students who found difficult to travel to the centers before.
The at-home GRE is always a proctored exam where the students are observed by a remote proctor while they are writing the examination. The proctor also ensures that the student should follow of the regulations and there is no cheating.
Changes to the GRE framework
Because of trying to bring down the students’ fatigue – there has been significant modifications done and as a result, there is a major reduction in the length of the exam. The examination that used to happen for 4 hours has been reduced to 2 hours now because of the transformation it got. The change has been prompted by the ETS because they wanted the candidates to have a better test experience. Also, because of reduced time, there is also reduction of stress and anxiety among the candidates.
The other major reason is also to speed up the process of scoring. These changes have led to the reduction of scoring period as well. Before it used to take 2 weeks to check a set and now it does not take more than 10 days. The accelerated scoring mechanism can also help the candidates to finalize their graduate applications and submit them. This makes the application process much faster.
How to prepare for the GRE?
As mentioned above, one can always enroll into GRE coaching institutes where they can get study materials and help from the experts. But to make the preparation process fun, and engaging – one can acquire some study methods too.
Here are some:
- One needs to utilize the mnemonic techniques. This technique serves as a memory tool and it can assist one is retaining all the challenging information. One can use initialisms, acronyms, or rhymes so that they can easily memorize the concepts, and formulas.
- Do you love to sing? Then take your favourite songs and replace the lyrics with all the important GRE terminology and sing it in the same tune. One can create some memorable karaoke tunes from their vocabulary list and see the magic how one can remember everything so easily. This is not only fun, but one can remember the fancy words without giving much effort to learn them.
- You Tube has many educational contents these days and many of them talk about GRE topics. If one can concentrate on a video – then watching these contents can be a huge help. One can get explanation videos on learning permutations and combinations, video lectures explaining various topics on GRE. Everyone knows that videos can hold more attention of audiences and it is very beneficial to expand the knowledge. One can also remember what they learn through a video, better.
- Rap rhymes are great when it comes to remembering GRE math problems. Rhythm and rhymes – both can help one to learn more strategies and concepts. Mathematical equations and formulas become easily ingrained in the brain and one faces less difficulty to remember them.
- These days, people spend more time online than offline. To make things easier for the students – there are study podcasts available as well. For those who love to listen to podcasts can just close their eyes and just listen to what the experts have to say about the GRE examination and the important topics they discuss about. Listening to them repeatedly can make one learn things easily.
- One can also discover something which is a very unique approach to prepare for GRE. This is by combining study with mindfulness. One can visualize algebraic equations, English idioms, and more when they are meditating. When the mind is calm – things get more engraved in the brain. This can also provide one with better understanding. Of course, not everyone can go through this process but those who can, should cultivate their focus.
It is very important to enter the world of GRE preparation with an open mind. One can go for both conventional and unconventional method so that they can prepare well for the examination. Not all the unconventional method of preparation can suit everyone. One needs to find the ideal method that can match their learning style.
It is also a good idea to join a GRE study group where they can connect and converse with the other candidates. Here, one can exchange their thoughts on different topics of the syllabus, and how they take the path of learning. One can also provide, and receive encouragement, and sometimes can also exchange some useful study sources. No matter what study methods one chooses – they need to be consistent on that. Also, one needs to maintain a regular study routine so that they can learn everything, and also get some time for revision.
If one needs proper counselling regarding GRE examination – then expert counsellors of Jamboree India can be of huge help. One can get to know all the answers of the queries they have regarding the examination and outcomes of it. One needs to know the examination pattern better before they state preparing for it. If they are clear in their mind, it becomes easier for them to learn.