TestMagic Forums - View Single Post - 1530 V730; Q800

quaintlee · 07-21-2008, 07:41 AM

I was quite happy with the score, I hadn't visited your forum prior to my test. But anyways I'm posting some of my viewpoints regarding test-prep.

I just studied for two weeks. I have a non-math background, I did have some higher math in school but its been 6 years since then. I am not a native English speaker, but decently good at English nevertheless.

This is from my blog (I am not asking you to visit it in accordance with forum rules) but I have to mention it because otherwise the tone of the message may seem strange

---
LEARN POWERPREP
I was such an idiot. I only took the POWERPREP tests. I somehow overlooked the additional practice questions that they have provided. Luckily I happened to notice them on the night before my exam and I did manage to skim through them. I think they did help in the exam. LEARN each concept tested on powerprep, it’s the closest thing to the actual exam. Go through power prep till you’re sick and tired of looking at it.
Most, no all, GRE resources recommend keeping one powerprep test for the end. I did not have the patience to do this and I don’t think it really mattered. Do what you feel comfortable with. But keep at least one test for the day before the exam, it could be powerprep or it could be Kaplan, take your pick.

SPEED
Knowledge is not the most important thing here, speed is of equal importance. You have just enough time to read the question and respond. I for one am basically a slow thinker, I wouldn’t be able to add if you took my fingers away, and I need to write the digits down to multiply anything bigger than 12

. I didn’t know of anything that will help increase speed. I really didn’t think it could increase. But PRACTICE does make speed increase. With every practice test I did my speed increased. Sit with that book and keep doing tests. Try and work faster and with greater accuracy. You won’t have time to recheck a response during the test. So don’t recheck your responses when you’re doing a practice test. This will automatically make you work with greater precision the very first time you attempt a question.

ETS GRE book 10th Edition.
This is an old GRE publication. It contains 7 actual GRE paper-based tests from the 1990’s I think. Each test has 2 verbal and 2 quant sections. So that makes 14 sections each, which gives you enough practice material. Do these to improve speed and accuracy. There is a GRE BIG BOOK too with tons of material. Do it if you have 2-3 months or more for dedicated test preparation. If you do not want to invest so much time the ETS GRE book is enough.

Kaplan GRE CD
The Kaplan GRE CD has 3 sample full length tests plus 7 practice sessions of quant and verbal each. Very good practice for sitting at the computer and doing the test. Most of the other practice material out there is just too easy. It gives you a false sense of comfort.

NOVA Math
I found most GRE study material very simplistic. If they had their way they would even start teaching you how to count. This was the only book that credited the reader with a certain level of intelligence. I used the 2006 edition. Use whatever edition you find, I don’t think there have been any groundbreaking changes in basic algebra in the past 10 years.

BARRONS word list
I thought I had a decent vocabulary, till I came across the Barrons Word List. All my illusions were shattered. I didn’t even know half of the words there. But I wasn’t disheartened. I could envision the distant future when these new words would help me in writing better. I was interested in learning those words not for GRE but because I was actually interested in learning them for their own sake. I know, I may be nerdy, who in their right mind enjoys mugging up word lists

.

This is how I worked at the list. I bought the book. On my first reading I marked all the words that were new to me with a pencil. On my second reading I copied them down into a notebook. I must’ve copied about 1000 words into the notebook. To this list I list I kept adding whatever unfamiliar words I came across during my practice tests. I kept trying to mug as many words as I could, whenever I felt like it. No specific routine. During an auto ride, when I was bugged with too much math, before going off to sleep etc. I am not good with routines.

Remember you need to be familiar with as many words as you can. It is not feasible for you to know the EXACT or detailed meaning of so many words. The focus here is on QUANTITY. Get a ‘FEEL’ for the words.

WORD POWER MADE EASY
This is one book that EVERYONE should read when they are in the 7th grade. I actually feel that it should be part of the curriculum. I was fortunate enough to read half of it in the 7th grade (I’m not good at finishing things

) , I think it has played a major role in shaping my language skills. The good thing is that this is a very interesting book to read. So even if you don’t intend to give any of these standardized exams go get this book. I assure you this is one marvelous book. But if you are giving GRE in two weeks time – then this is NOT the book for you at this stage.

BLOGGING.
Thanks to all the blogging I’ve been doing over the past few years, I feel so much at home sitting at a computer and writing away whatever comes to mind. I absolutely loved doing the writing parts of the test, I know it may not have been spectacular writing, but I was relaxed when I was doing it and I quite enjoyed it.

MISC.
Reading Comprehension – RC’s are quite difficult, even if you’re decently good at English you need to practice as many RCs as you can. If your answers are wrong, see the right answer and figure out why that is right and why yours is wrong. You might feel you are not learning anything because each passage is different, but over time your mind does imbibe the concepts and you will notice an improvement in your performance.
Speed read through the Kaplan, Princeton and other guide books that you come across, most of these just contain the same information. I spent about 3-4 hours with each guide book. Some strategies regarding working out analogies, writing the AWA etc. were helpful. Do as many computer based practice tests as possible – Cambridge, Princeton, ARCO, Kaplan, Powerprep etc

Conclusion
This may seem a lot to do, even I was surprised when I was writing this, Jeez! did I really do so much!. Apart from the Barrons word list, which may take time depending on your aptitude for words/English, most of the above can be done within 2 weeks of studying.

07-21-2008, 07:41 AM	#1 (permalink)
quaintlee Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2	1530 V730; Q800 - 2 weeks of study :) I was quite happy with the score, I hadn't visited your forum prior to my test. But anyways I'm posting some of my viewpoints regarding test-prep. I just studied for two weeks. I have a non-math background, I did have some higher math in school but its been 6 years since then. I am not a native English speaker, but decently good at English nevertheless. This is from my blog (I am not asking you to visit it in accordance with forum rules) but I have to mention it because otherwise the tone of the message may seem strange --- LEARN POWERPREP I was such an idiot. I only took the POWERPREP tests. I somehow overlooked the additional practice questions that they have provided. Luckily I happened to notice them on the night before my exam and I did manage to skim through them. I think they did help in the exam. LEARN each concept tested on powerprep, it’s the closest thing to the actual exam. Go through power prep till you’re sick and tired of looking at it. Most, no all, GRE resources recommend keeping one powerprep test for the end. I did not have the patience to do this and I don’t think it really mattered. Do what you feel comfortable with. But keep at least one test for the day before the exam, it could be powerprep or it could be Kaplan, take your pick. SPEED Knowledge is not the most important thing here, speed is of equal importance. You have just enough time to read the question and respond. I for one am basically a slow thinker, I wouldn’t be able to add if you took my fingers away, and I need to write the digits down to multiply anything bigger than 12 . I didn’t know of anything that will help increase speed. I really didn’t think it could increase. But PRACTICE does make speed increase. With every practice test I did my speed increased. Sit with that book and keep doing tests. Try and work faster and with greater accuracy. You won’t have time to recheck a response during the test. So don’t recheck your responses when you’re doing a practice test. This will automatically make you work with greater precision the very first time you attempt a question. ETS GRE book 10th Edition. This is an old GRE publication. It contains 7 actual GRE paper-based tests from the 1990’s I think. Each test has 2 verbal and 2 quant sections. So that makes 14 sections each, which gives you enough practice material. Do these to improve speed and accuracy. There is a GRE BIG BOOK too with tons of material. Do it if you have 2-3 months or more for dedicated test preparation. If you do not want to invest so much time the ETS GRE book is enough. Kaplan GRE CD The Kaplan GRE CD has 3 sample full length tests plus 7 practice sessions of quant and verbal each. Very good practice for sitting at the computer and doing the test. Most of the other practice material out there is just too easy. It gives you a false sense of comfort. NOVA Math I found most GRE study material very simplistic. If they had their way they would even start teaching you how to count. This was the only book that credited the reader with a certain level of intelligence. I used the 2006 edition. Use whatever edition you find, I don’t think there have been any groundbreaking changes in basic algebra in the past 10 years. BARRONS word list I thought I had a decent vocabulary, till I came across the Barrons Word List. All my illusions were shattered. I didn’t even know half of the words there. But I wasn’t disheartened. I could envision the distant future when these new words would help me in writing better. I was interested in learning those words not for GRE but because I was actually interested in learning them for their own sake. I know, I may be nerdy, who in their right mind enjoys mugging up word lists . This is how I worked at the list. I bought the book. On my first reading I marked all the words that were new to me with a pencil. On my second reading I copied them down into a notebook. I must’ve copied about 1000 words into the notebook. To this list I list I kept adding whatever unfamiliar words I came across during my practice tests. I kept trying to mug as many words as I could, whenever I felt like it. No specific routine. During an auto ride, when I was bugged with too much math, before going off to sleep etc. I am not good with routines. Remember you need to be familiar with as many words as you can. It is not feasible for you to know the EXACT or detailed meaning of so many words. The focus here is on QUANTITY. Get a ‘FEEL’ for the words. WORD POWER MADE EASY This is one book that EVERYONE should read when they are in the 7th grade. I actually feel that it should be part of the curriculum. I was fortunate enough to read half of it in the 7th grade (I’m not good at finishing things ) , I think it has played a major role in shaping my language skills. The good thing is that this is a very interesting book to read. So even if you don’t intend to give any of these standardized exams go get this book. I assure you this is one marvelous book. But if you are giving GRE in two weeks time – then this is NOT the book for you at this stage. BLOGGING. Thanks to all the blogging I’ve been doing over the past few years, I feel so much at home sitting at a computer and writing away whatever comes to mind. I absolutely loved doing the writing parts of the test, I know it may not have been spectacular writing, but I was relaxed when I was doing it and I quite enjoyed it. MISC. Reading Comprehension – RC’s are quite difficult, even if you’re decently good at English you need to practice as many RCs as you can. If your answers are wrong, see the right answer and figure out why that is right and why yours is wrong. You might feel you are not learning anything because each passage is different, but over time your mind does imbibe the concepts and you will notice an improvement in your performance. Speed read through the Kaplan, Princeton and other guide books that you come across, most of these just contain the same information. I spent about 3-4 hours with each guide book. Some strategies regarding working out analogies, writing the AWA etc. were helpful. Do as many computer based practice tests as possible – Cambridge, Princeton, ARCO, Kaplan, Powerprep etc Conclusion This may seem a lot to do, even I was surprised when I was writing this, Jeez! did I really do so much!. Apart from the Barrons word list, which may take time depending on your aptitude for words/English, most of the above can be done within 2 weeks of studying.