In the Beginning

So now that you have decided to start off your GRE prep, what do you need to know, what do you need to do, before starting off with actual Test preparation? Herein lie the answers. They say starting a thing is half finshing it, in that case: congrats!!



What You Need to Know:

1) The GRE is administered by ETS (Educational Testing Service) of the US Federal Govt., and in India, the franchisee is Prometric testing Services. (You are going to hear these names a lot in the future, so you need to know them)

2) The GRE consists of the following:

a) Verbal Section - 800 marks
- Antonyms (Opposites)
- Analogies
- Reading Comprehension
- Sentence Completion

b) Quantitative Section - 800 marks
- Plain math
- Data Interpretation
- Matching questions

c) Analytical Writing Section - rating on scale of 6
- Issue based writing
- Argument Analysis

*- Detailed posts on each of the sections along with comprehensive tips to follow.


3) The GRE is a computer adaptive test. This is good and bad in some senses. This is good in the sense that, at the starting of the test, it assumes you are an average student (at the mean, say 400). If you answer the first question wrong, it gives you an easier question to work with, and estimates you to be in the lower range. If you answer it correctly, it gives you a tougher question and rates you higher. This happens in successive iterations till your score is arrived at. This is bad, because, it boils down to your performance in the first few quesions primarily, instead of uniform value to all questions.

4) The GRE is booked through the ETS site, where you create an account --> schedule your test date and appointment --> pay up the bucks --> start prepping. The entire process of preparing, writing and apping takes approx. 5 months, so plan accordingly (post on planning to follow)

What you need to do:

1) In India, the only hall ticket for the GRE examination is your PASSPORT. So make sure you have one ready well before applying. I know the tensions of waiting for your passport to arrive 12 days before your examination. Trust me. Its not pretty.

2) While scheduling your appointment, make sure the name you enter, is EXACTLY the same as the one in your PASSPORT. I know of people, who have got stopped in between the exam, because of discrepancies in the name.

3) Plan properly, and act coolly. GRE is not JEE or CAT. Its much more manageable, and easily scalabale. Coaching is a big concern for many. A detailed post on coaching is in the pipeline.

4) Remember you are a BITSGian. One of the top 2% of the country to have got through the only merit based exam in the nation. This is your USP. Make sure you remember it at all times.

Next post on starting the coaching issues and the planning of the Date. Stay tuned.


Cheers.
GRE - Gas Release Event