Preparing for the GRE, like any other competitive exam, can be quite stressful and time-consuming. Likely, you are already familiar with the traditional methods to approach your prep with professional tutors and prep courses.
However, if you’re a less-traditional learner, you might be interested in some of the more unconventional ways to tackle your GRE studies.
Some of these experimental methods might even give you a much-needed refresher from your daily routine. Thus, if you feel like you are already prepared enough and still have plenty of time till your exam, feel free to try and incorporate some of these strategies into your study routine!
GRE Basics
The Graduate Records Examination(GRE) is a standardized exam to test the suitability of candidates for entry into various post-graduate and professional courses. It is administered by the Educational Testing Service(ETS) and consists of a set of 82 questions spanning three different sections viz., Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Analytical Writing. Out of the 82 questions, 80 are MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions), and two are descriptive. The test spans an approximate duration of three hours and 45 minutes.
You can either take the GRE via a computer-based mode or pen-and-paper mode. The former features a special algorithm to make the exam adaptive. Apart from the exam platform itself, there are very few noticeable differences between the two modes.
Unlike the General Test, the GRE Subject Tests only feature MCQs to test a candidate’s advanced knowledge on one of six subjects, including the GRE math subject test, chemistry, biology, literature in English, psychology, and physics. They are also shorter than the General Test and have an approximate testing time of two hours and 50 minutes.
- Visit The Library
Vocabulary is considered one of the most important testing aspects of the GRE, especially the Verbal Reasoning section. However, tackling GRE Vocab can be quite tricky due to the sheer volume of potential questions framed.
Memorizing lists and lists of words can get quite tedious. Thus, if you want to change it up, you can always visit your school or local library and do some reading. It will not only give you a break from your intense GRE prep, but it will also help organically build your lexicon!
- Understand Base Rates
The base rate, in this context, is the likelihood of a question appearing in your GRE attempt. A careful introspection of past GREs will help you gauge an idea of which types of questions have repeatedly been asked in the exam. These questions/topics have a high base rate, and you are very likely to come across some of those in your attempt as well.
Thus, if you want to maximize your potential score, make sure to leave no stone unturned to clear all your concepts for topics with high base rates.
- Improve Sleep Hygiene
Developing and maintaining proper sleep hygiene is crucial for optimal academic performance. However, as the exam approaches near, you might feel tempted to sacrifice some sleep hours to get some more study time. Sleep deprivation makes you not only agitated and irritable but also deleteriously affects your mental health.
However, exam jitters are quite normal and in case you have trouble sleeping, here are some tips that might help you:
- Limit your caffeine intake
- Stay away from your smartphone during your bedtime
- Practice deep breathing exercises
- Try reading books that help you relax—they can be fictional or non-fictional as long as they aren’t related to your prep.
- Take Your Practice Tests Out of Order
The GRE doesn’t force you to answer the questions in a section in order. So, for example, if the exam is administering the Verbal Reasoning section, you can attempt the questions in that section in whichever order you feel. Hence, ideally, you can attempt the questions you find easy first and leave the more difficult/tricky questions for later.
However, answering questions out of order demands you to identify and judge the difficulty level of the questions. It requires practice, and you can do that by taking your practice exams out of order as well. With enough practice, you will be able to optimize the time you take a section so that it leaves you with ample time to recheck your responses.
Spice It Up!
Preparing for the GRE is a long-term affair that requires consistent academic input towards your prep. However, months of following the same routine can begin to weigh your mental health and wear you. It can result in a plateauing in your performance level. You can try and implement some unconventional prep methods to spice up your preparation, if only as a fun experiment. If they bring positive changes to your scores, you can implement them into your daily study routine.