First Timer on GRE® Forum. Want Advice on GRE® preparation?

[Vipulkatira]

Hi All

Friends I need some advice on taking GRE.
I am graphic designer who shifted base from India to USA recently. I wish to pursue my masters in USA in Graphic Design / Visual Communication.
I just gave my TOEFL and my next aim is to give GRE.

I am little skeptical here. I was an average student. I have not done Math at all after my school. So I am not sure how to go about in this aspect especially. My English skills are average or slightly above.

I am not sure if I can afford Tutors at this stage. So I need to rely on books, self study and online.

1) What are the Preparation books to buy? Can someone help me on that.

2) I am targeting score of 1100 (Verbal + Quantitative) and a good score in Analytical Writing. That’s the kind of Range the Universities are asking. How hard is this to achieve keeping in mind that I haven’t given competitive exams in a long time.

3) What is a realistic time frame to get the above score? I can study for 5-6 hours a day.

Thanks in Advance
Vipul

[Codetrendz]

here is the link for downloading books for gre
http://rapidsharebloggers.com/software/educational/gre-mega-pack/
to increase you vaocabulary you can rely on softwares.The software which is good and fun , i used
www.vocabularysoftware.net

[Eflect]

Well ..U are already in US,why do u need to GRE again.Is it necessary.Anyway,for your preparation the site www.vocabularysoftware.net may be useful for a quick study and reference.

[Vipulkatira]

[Eflect]

Fine..I get your point.

[Scott5430]

you can find a list of free practice tests at http://www.test-guide.com/free-gre-practice-tests.html

[Ramanathan]

hii this ramanathan ..i just need to start with GRE ,so i need some basic information on GRE

[Rando]

Vipul,

I think you have a lot of things in your mind when it comes to GRE prep. I would like to share with you what I have learned in my research: You have to build up your GRE vocabulary to ace your GRE exams! Why is vocabulary such a key factor in your GRE exam result? To answer that, we need to look at the structure of the GRE test.

GRE exam sections:

* Verbal Multiple Choice
* Quantitative Multiple Choice
* Analytical Writing

According to http://www.grevocabulary.org/vocabulary-and-the-gre.html , the shocking thing that many students don’t realize is that the GRE exam does not measure your academic ability (which explains why many straight A students do not achieve a top GRE score). A GRE test is a standard test, using standard, specific vocabulary, which tests your ability to answer the GRE questions.

And you have virtually zero chance of answering the GRE questions correctly if you don’t know the necessary words. Many students say that the biggest obstacle to passing the GRE exam is the time limit on the questions. This is another reason that building your vocabulary is the best use of your preparation time, bar none. Knowing the right words will enable you to:

1. Understand and select your essay questions at record speed.

2. Race through the Verbal Multiple Choice questions rapidly and accurately.

3. Let you gain extra marks for no extra knowledge with those questions that give away the correct answer in their wording – if you only understand them.

4. Relax into the test rather than panicking and losing marks unnecessarily. You will find that you are calm and collected when you understand all the questions rather than being faced with unknown words.

5. Vastly increase your reading speed and comprehension during the exam

6. Take baffling word problems, including mathematical word problems, and turn them into straightforward questions – a huge advantage over most students.

Visit the site I mentioned above and you'll learn a lot more about GRE examinations...

Good luck!