Also known as the GRE, the Graduate Record Examination is pretty much the most important test you will have to pass, because it opens so many new career paths and opportunities for people people in the United States. It is a standardized test that most graduate schools want their students to have taken. You can study alone in the privacy of your own home, or you can use something like a GRE tutor program. These people will help you study properly for this exam and make you feel prepared.
The actual exam
In the 3 hours and 45 minutes total time you’ll have 30 minutes per section, these being:
1. Verbal Reasoning – This is where you will be tested on your ability to understand speech and written text, to comprehend the information that is written there, and to write complex sentence structures following the given guidelines. Out of three sections (Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence), you will have only 2 of them given to you by random choice, with 20 questions and 30 minutes per section.
2. Quantitative Reasoning – This is where your basic understanding of elementary mathematical skills will be put to the test on questions related to arithmetic, geometry, algebra, and data analysis. Piece of cake, right? Out of these 4 sections, only 2 will be picked for the exam. Again, with 20 questions but this time 35 minutes per section.
3. Analytical Writing – Also known as the GRE argument essay, this section requires you to analyze an argument or an issue and write about it. Here you have to deal only with one section that has 2 separately timed tasks, 30 minutes each. This section requires you to analyze an argument or an issue and write about it. Here you have to deal only with one section that has 2 separately timed tasks, 30 minutes each. For each section you will be receiving one score, so 3 in total to determine if you will enter that dream school you always wanted to attend. The scores for the 1st and 2nd sections of the test (the ones listed above) are on a scale from 130 to 170. The score for the 3rd section is on a scale from 0 to 6.
How much time do you need to study for the GRE?
Some experts say that it would be a good idea to start studying 6 or even 8 months in advance. Even if you are planning to do this on your own, the 6-8 months period is really exaggerated in the sense that if you truly want the best score possible, and you are willing to put in the time and effort, no one should need more than 3 months to prepare. Especially since most of the exam is related to basic high-school knowledge.
However, someone who is willing to pay for a GRE tutor can easily cut this time down to around 2 months. We suggest investing in a GRE tutor so you can have the highest score possible without having to be disappointed and pay the exam fee again (if you are not pleased with your results, the exam can be re-taken every 21 days. Sadly, the fee is 205$, so you should really consider investing a little more on a GRE tutor that can help you make that initial 205$ worth it and achieve the highest score).
