How do I start preparing for the GRE?
Good question! I intend on providing a full schedule and study plan for students looking to start preparing and those who want to maximise their study periods.
Meanwhile, I’ll give a brief draft below:
Resources required: Manhattan GRE 5lb (click the link to look at the new edition), Magoosh Flash cards app
There are some practices that you should be doing throughout your 4 week prep. I’ll list them first:
- Words: If you have been out of touch with the English language or don’t do much reading, it is imperative that you get started with your vocabulary ASAP. Go through the entire Magoosh Flash cards (app), doing an exercise at a team every day. Remember to revise when you get some free time.
- Reading: Read an article everyday. Read from reputed sources such as the Hindu, NY Times etc.
- Formula book: Build this along the way. This will be your cheat sheet for the day before the exam.
That’s it!
Now the weekly breakdown.
Week 1:
- Start off with the exam at the start of the book to gauge your starting position. Analyse your strong and weak areas.
- Start with quantitative. Divide all the topics in the book (except advanced) for the 7 days and finish them. Go slowly but steadily. Analyse your mistakes in between. Time the last 20 questions of each exercise. Keep building the formula sheet.
Week 2:
- Time for verbal. Divide your time between the three exercises.
- Learn the words you don’t know along the way.
- Go order wise. Do one set of questions in one go. Master one then move on to the other.
Week 3:
- First day. Read around 4–5 essays (both types) from the book. Understand why they score high. Definitely read the commentary. Write 2 of your own each.
- 2-3. Go through any question types you found especially difficult. Do the exercises given at the end.
- 4–6. An exam a day. Manhattan, then ETS 1 and 2.
- Day 7. Rest! Revise words and formulas one last time.
Ex Libris 