GRE: How to Start Preparing?

One of the most common questions asked by MS aspirants is that how should they start studying for the GRE. Like any other examination, GRE requires thorough preparations and familiarity with the question types you are going to be asked always helps. GRE generally requires two to three months of preparation time but it varies with individual cases. You can prepare even faster if you wish.

First thing before starting preparation is to get be familiar with the GRE pattern. [All About GRE provides details about everything you wanna know about the exam]. Go through the various sections and the question types tested during the examination. Take a mock test and analyze your score. You may have scored less but don't worry, you still have to start your preparations. If you get a good score in initial mocks, you still have to work hard for the final GRE.

Now, get into the exam mode. You have to start serious preparations. Start by taking a Barron's book. Go through the word lists. Take up 1-3 word-lists a day depending on the time you have. Revise each word-list of previous days, before proceeding with new ones. Mark the words you find difficult and pay special attention to them daily. Also, make flash cards of these words and keep them with you always. You can take out these flash cards multiple times a day. If you have about 3 months or more for the GRE, I would also suggest you to go through 'Word Power Made Easy' by Norman Lewis. Complete the sessions in the book as advised by the author.

The quantitative section of GRE is quite simple (especially, for engineers). For this section, Nova is a good book to start with. It gives a basic overview of all question types and topics to be covered. Do all the exercises of this book to get a basic brush up of the concepts. Then take any good aptitude book or practice questions online.

Do practice the analytical writing section for your GRE. Try using the new vocabulary you learned. Also, device strategies to complete the writing in specified time. Most of the GRE books provide some basic tips to go about this section. Follow any good strategy customized as per your preference.

In the end, practice is the most important step for your preparation. The more you practice, the more you score. Try to do as many mock tests as you can. You can find mock tests online or on the CDs provided with various books.

Best of Luck!

(The author of this post scored 1510 [Q:800, V:710, A:5.0] in the GRE. He has agreed to contribute more posts for individual sections of GRE and would be answering all your individual queries. Post your queries in the comments section.)