GRE 2022 For Dummies with Online Practice. Ron Woldoff

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or early afternoon. Actual time-slot availability varies according to the testing center, but you have more days and times to choose from than you do with paper-and-pencil tests, such as the LSAT and SAT.

      At the time of this writing, the world is slowly getting back on its feet after COVID-19, and everything is up in the air. The GRE became available to take at home, so this option may still be available when it’s your turn. If you do take it at home, you’ll be taking the computer version. If you take it at a testing center, you will also most likely be taking the computer version.

      The paper and computer versions of the GRE are slightly different. For one thing, the paper version has 25 questions per section, with four sections, while the computer version has 20 questions with five sections. Don’t worry too much about the differences; your only option will most likely be to take the computer version, and either way your preparation is the same.

To sign up for the GRE, see the current GRE Information and Registration Bulletin (available through most college admissions offices), register online at www.ets.org, or register via phone by calling 800-473-2255. You can also check the GRE testing center locations and available time slots at www.ets.org.

       To help you get in the right mindset, take at least one practice test at the same time of day that you plan to take the real thing. (Check out the practice tests in Part 5 of this book and in the online access.) I’ve had students use this strategy to become accustomed to the effects that their circadian rhythms (hunger and nap patterns) have on their test-taking abilities. If you’re used to eating or relaxing at a certain time each day, make sure these tendencies don’t sneak up on you during the exam. As I discuss in greater detail throughout this book, one of your goals is to make the exam and testing experience as familiar as possible, so that you’re used to it and it’s almost no big deal. (See Chapter 3 for more on how to prepare for the GRE.)

       Because the computerized GRE is administered to individual test-takers, testing centers tend to have few seats, and those seats fill up quickly during peak admission deadline months (April and November). If you’re planning to take the GRE in a testing center (as opposed to at home, if that’s still available) around these months to get your test scores in on time, schedule your test early and secure your ideal time slot. You can always reschedule, but the last thing you need is an inconvenient time or location. Before at-home testing was available, I had a student wait until the last minute to schedule his exam, and he had to drive from Phoenix to Tucson (some 120 miles) to take his GRE and get his scores in on time. He called me during his drive, and we reviewed math formulas, but this wasn’t an ideal way to ramp up for the test. If at-home testing is still available, this may not be an issue, but at this time, I’m not sure where those chips will land.

Breaking Down the GRE into Bite-Sized Pieces

      Standardized tests tend to bring on the chills. Telling someone you have to take the SAT, ACT, or GRE usually elicits the same facial expression as saying that you need to have your wisdom teeth pulled. However, breaking the GRE down into its component parts makes it more manageable and less threatening.

Table 1-1 provides a quick overview of what’s on the exam. The essays are always first, but the multiple-choice sections may be in any order.

TABLE 1-1 GRE Breakdown by Section (Computer-Based)

Section	Number of Questions	Time Allotted
Analyze an Issue	1 essay	30 minutes
Analyze an Argument	1 essay	30 minutes
Verbal Section	20 questions	30 minutes
Math (Quantitative) Section	20 questions	35 minutes
Verbal Section	20 questions	30 minutes
Math (Quantitative) Section	20 questions	35 minutes
Discreetly Unscored Math or Verbal Section (may be earlier in the exam)	20 questions	30 or 35 minutes

At close to four hours, the GRE challenges your stamina as much as your ability to answer the questions. No matter how solid your math and verbal skills are, you must maintain the focus needed to do well for the whole time, which isn’t easy on a challenging task such as this. You can build your test-taking stamina by practicing in four-hour stretches and taking multiple timed practice tests.

      The GRE includes one unscored Math or Verbal section in addition to the scored sections. So you actually have three Math or three Verbal sections, with one of those sections unscored. This unscored section neither helps nor hurts your score. The GRE may indicate that the section is unscored, but usually it doesn’t, so be sure to work all the sections to the best of your ability.

       The GRE allows you to skip questions and return to them later, as long as you’re still in the section. When you reach the end of a section, the GRE displays a review screen that indicates any unanswered questions. If you have time remaining in the section, return to these questions and answer them as well as you can. This feature is nice because you can knock out all the easy questions before spending time on the hard ones. (See Chapter 2 for tips on managing your time during the exam.)

So what types of questions are there and how many of these can you expect on the GRE? Check out Table 1-2 for the answers.

TABLE 1-2 GRE Breakdown by Question Type

Type of Question	Approximate Number of Questions
Per Math Section (20 questions each)
Multiple-choice with exactly one correct answer	6
Multiple-choice with one or more correct answers	2
Fill-in-the-blank with the correct answer	2 Скачать книгу В начало < 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 > В конец e-mail: [email protected]