The single most important thing that you can do to prepare for the GRE is to become
familiar with the test format and to practice with as many tests as possible. Remember
that most of the concepts on the GRE are straight-forward concepts that you probably
learned in middle school or the early years of high school, and so the content of
the test is not hard. The test IS hard because it is a timed test!
ETS provides the
PowerPrep Software, for free, which inclutes a sample computer-based GRE
general test. PowerPrep is a program that runs on PC-compatible computers.
On MyGRETutor.com, you'll find many full-length, computer adaptive GRE Practice Tests
. Use our full-length GRE practice tests with score analysis to see what the
GRE test conditions are like. Do you want to increase your score? Taking a GRE practice
test is an easy way to see what score you would get if you were to take the GRE
test today. After each test, view complete analysis, including score, percentile
rank, and a tally of question types and difficulty -- that way you'll know what
you need to study to improve your GRE score.
The computer-adpative General GRE test is substantially different from equivalent,
paper-based tests. Most importantly, you cannot skip around to various questions,
but instead you must answer the question that is currently on the screen and you
must confirm that you are sure of your answer choice before going on to the next
question. Once you confirm an answer, you cannot go back to change your answer,
and a new question is shown. When you confirm your answer for a question, the next
question will be slightly harder or slightly easier than the previous question,
depending on whether you got the previous question right or wrong. Initially, on
question 1, the computer assumes that your score is average, somewhere between 450
and 600, depending on whether you are on the verbal or math section. As you progressively
answer more and more questions, the computer will choose the questions that best
suit your ability level.
Don’t worry about trying to figure out if the question that you are on is easy or
hard – just be sure to do your best. Even if you do know if the question is hard
or easy, does it really matter?
Because the GRE is a CAT test, timing and strategy is important. See the Timing
Tips/Skills tutorial at MyGRETutor.com for detailed information about timing and
other test tips.
