Tuesday 27 August 2013
Monday 26 August 2013
Saturday 24 August 2013
Danish Patel 328 (170 Q, 158 V)
I got done with my GRE yesterday. Ended up with a score of 328(170 quants+158 verbal). A few people requested me to share my story here so that others could benefit from it I'll break down the entire syllabus into subsections(the way I looked at it) and tell you how I prepared for it and what it was like facing that particular section on the test day. Additionally I will list out the material I utilized.
Maths: I have studied in CBSE until class 12th and am currently in final year mechanical engineering, which largely contributed to my confidence in maths! I did not do extensive maths drills or practice from any particular book. The only time i practiced maths was when solving full length computer based practice papers. However, a few friends of mine recommended Nova and Princeton 1014 for maths practice of GRE level. Also, I highly recommend "Cracking the GRE" by Princeton Review. That one book can help you get past 315 with ease! Any edition after 2012 would help guide you through the new format test. The techniques given in the above mentioned book are priceless! Be it verbal or quants, Princeton Review techniques will help you hit bulls eye! On the test day, the questions were slightly tricky. Not withstanding the fact that I was able to complete each section within 20-25 minutes, there were alot of trap answers and multi-layered questions to try and deceive you.
Vocabulary: Some (un)wise people recommended me to start spending my nights with word power. I'm glad I didn't listen to them! Not only would it have been painstaking, it would be utterly useless! ETS says the new format is not vocabulary based and they're right. The sentence completion and sentence equivalence questions on the GRE are built not around vocabulary, but around complex sentence structures! Once I got past section 1 with ease, section 2 did contain some uncommon words, but there again, about 95% of those words were from Princeton Reviews "Hit Parade" and "Beyond Hit Parade" list, which is a modest 480 words in all. Additionally, while solving computer based full length tests, I kept a notepad open at all times and kept on adding words I did not know the meaning of to the list, to look up the meaning later. I was able to come up with a list of about 70 words there too from 11 papers(about 25-26 verbal sections). Also noteworthy is the fact that questions on the test that are structured around vocabulary have very simple sentence structure, which means if you know the meanings of all 5 or 6 words, you can mark the answer in less than 30 seconds.
RCs: At this point you may think I have set out to advertise Princeton Review, but I am being honest when I say its the best book I found out there! I used to score only about 4-6/10 in RCs per section before reading their chapter on RCs. Thereafter, my scores have been 7+ consistently! On the test, your first section(non adaptive) will contain such answer choices that almost always you would end up with 2 "maybe"s when applying Process Of Elimination. Surprisingly I found the RCs of my 2nd verbal section quite easy, which initially led me to think I must have messed up my first verbal(its adaptive) but then my scores were fairly decent.
Essays: Since I'm looking to apply for MS in Engineering, I don't really need good essay scores. I need an average of 3 of 6 and that's what I worked for. In all papers except my last 2, I did not type out full essays. However, I would read the topics and list out the following:
Issue essay: keywords, my points for, my points against, my conclusion.
Argument essay: the arguments conclusion, the premise, the assumptions, how I'd attack the assumptions.
This basically forms the outline of each essay, so on the test day you would start by listing out these things and then elaborating on each point. These techniques on essay writing, again, are taken from Princeton Review Cracking the GRE 2014.
Material:
1. The Princeton Review "Cracking The GRE" 2014.(for tips and techniques)
2. Princeton 1014 questions.(sent comp, sent equal, RC drills)
3. ETS official GRE guide.
Online Tests and scores:
1. Kaplan MST 5 online tests : 322-332(quants: 168-170, verbal: 152-162)
2. Princetonreview 4 online tests: 324-332(quants: 170, verbal: 154-162)
3. Power prep 1: 325(quants: 169, verbal: 156)
4. Power prep 2: 323(quants: 170, verbal: 153)
Additional computer based practice: Kaplan practice sets(10x verbal, 10x quants practice sections), I used to score 13-18 in those.
Good luck all! I hope my experience would benefit you all
Any more queries, feel free to mail me
Best Regards,
Danish Patel
Maths: I have studied in CBSE until class 12th and am currently in final year mechanical engineering, which largely contributed to my confidence in maths! I did not do extensive maths drills or practice from any particular book. The only time i practiced maths was when solving full length computer based practice papers. However, a few friends of mine recommended Nova and Princeton 1014 for maths practice of GRE level. Also, I highly recommend "Cracking the GRE" by Princeton Review. That one book can help you get past 315 with ease! Any edition after 2012 would help guide you through the new format test. The techniques given in the above mentioned book are priceless! Be it verbal or quants, Princeton Review techniques will help you hit bulls eye! On the test day, the questions were slightly tricky. Not withstanding the fact that I was able to complete each section within 20-25 minutes, there were alot of trap answers and multi-layered questions to try and deceive you.
Vocabulary: Some (un)wise people recommended me to start spending my nights with word power. I'm glad I didn't listen to them! Not only would it have been painstaking, it would be utterly useless! ETS says the new format is not vocabulary based and they're right. The sentence completion and sentence equivalence questions on the GRE are built not around vocabulary, but around complex sentence structures! Once I got past section 1 with ease, section 2 did contain some uncommon words, but there again, about 95% of those words were from Princeton Reviews "Hit Parade" and "Beyond Hit Parade" list, which is a modest 480 words in all. Additionally, while solving computer based full length tests, I kept a notepad open at all times and kept on adding words I did not know the meaning of to the list, to look up the meaning later. I was able to come up with a list of about 70 words there too from 11 papers(about 25-26 verbal sections). Also noteworthy is the fact that questions on the test that are structured around vocabulary have very simple sentence structure, which means if you know the meanings of all 5 or 6 words, you can mark the answer in less than 30 seconds.
RCs: At this point you may think I have set out to advertise Princeton Review, but I am being honest when I say its the best book I found out there! I used to score only about 4-6/10 in RCs per section before reading their chapter on RCs. Thereafter, my scores have been 7+ consistently! On the test, your first section(non adaptive) will contain such answer choices that almost always you would end up with 2 "maybe"s when applying Process Of Elimination. Surprisingly I found the RCs of my 2nd verbal section quite easy, which initially led me to think I must have messed up my first verbal(its adaptive) but then my scores were fairly decent.
Essays: Since I'm looking to apply for MS in Engineering, I don't really need good essay scores. I need an average of 3 of 6 and that's what I worked for. In all papers except my last 2, I did not type out full essays. However, I would read the topics and list out the following:
Issue essay: keywords, my points for, my points against, my conclusion.
Argument essay: the arguments conclusion, the premise, the assumptions, how I'd attack the assumptions.
This basically forms the outline of each essay, so on the test day you would start by listing out these things and then elaborating on each point. These techniques on essay writing, again, are taken from Princeton Review Cracking the GRE 2014.
Material:
1. The Princeton Review "Cracking The GRE" 2014.(for tips and techniques)
2. Princeton 1014 questions.(sent comp, sent equal, RC drills)
3. ETS official GRE guide.
Online Tests and scores:
1. Kaplan MST 5 online tests : 322-332(quants: 168-170, verbal: 152-162)
2. Princetonreview 4 online tests: 324-332(quants: 170, verbal: 154-162)
3. Power prep 1: 325(quants: 169, verbal: 156)
4. Power prep 2: 323(quants: 170, verbal: 153)
Additional computer based practice: Kaplan practice sets(10x verbal, 10x quants practice sections), I used to score 13-18 in those.
Good luck all! I hope my experience would benefit you all
Any more queries, feel free to mail me
Best Regards,
Danish Patel
Friday 23 August 2013
Aniket Mishra 310 (161 Q,149 V)
Hi frnds...first of all i would like to say a big thanks to this group. Really it helped. My Gre score: 310 (161q,149v) ... I know not too good bt i am an average student....so its good enuf for me. Coming to my preparation ...did all kaplan, barrons, nova, ets, princeton...kaplan tests(307-318) ets(311,312) ....please practice rc and do all the words of ets and remember hw they r used in sebtences, do not mug up... Make lists of synonyms...u can easily score above 165 in quant , jst follow ets material and use others as practice. Do not get confused with the option D(i did :P) ... .. Test day: 3 quant and 2 verbal...1st verbal had a very long rc, ate up a lot of time, so practice. 1st and 2nd quant were easy, 3rd was tough... Lots of question on sd, median, mode(part of di also) , probability was easy so dont sweat it, geometry was relatively tough (4 or 6q) maybe, comparison questions are tricky so be careful while choosing d....dats it as far as i can remember....All the best guys!!! U can do better than me😊 Be calm and positive, u will do gr8...Thanks once again
Thursday 22 August 2013
Aditya Rane : 324 (160 Q,164 V)
GRE Experience:
324 (160Q,164 V)
Background: Exactly on 5th july, which marked by 21st orbit around the Sun, overlooking the beautiful scenery of Marine Drive in the close confines of Pizza by the Bay, I had my Lakshya moment, where I realised everyone around me was either going the CAT or the GRE way. On 7th July, I started my preparation for GRE, with all guns blazing, and I hope this post helps you to attain your desired score.
Disclaimer: This post is going to be really lengthy, as it reflects everything that I did over the past 45 days. The sole purpose of this post is to inspire many of you to score much better than I did and get into your desired colleges. I will strongly recommend you to grab nachos, chips or whatever is your poison while reading this. I have included around 5 GRE WORDS (in caps, in context) in this post, it might make you remember those words and help in the AMELIORATION (see?:D) of your vocabulary.
MOCK TEST scores:
Barrons1: (one month before preparation) 319
Kaplan 1: 330
Kaplan 2: 326
Manhattan 1 (free test) 328
Princeton review 1: 322 ( gave it at 3 am, will explain why ..further)
Powerprep
PP1: 326
PP2:324
GRE:
Quant: Really twisted, tough. I had never seen quant twisted to such an extent, in any of the tests I had given including the two powerprep ones. I had three quant sections and couldn’t really identify which was the experimental one. Besides the powerprep, magoosh and NOVA math bible offer the closest experience of GRE quant.
Verbal: Verbal RC’s were obscure as usual, codecoax.com , magoosh and Manhattan offer the best practice for Verbal. I had done barrons 4000 list, that helped me for SE and TCs. But, at the same time, I would explicitly state that almost none of the OBFUSCATING words that I studied were there on the test. The test relies more on words in context and which is the best fit. Use the high frequency lists of barrons, Kaplan or do the 500 Manhattan essentials.
Books, Online Prep,Tests :
1) NOVA for QUANT: finish it in a week. It has sums STRATIFIED in different difficult levels, in an increasing order. There are few tricky sums, but if you want to start from scratch one of the best books, with really UNEQUIVOCAL explanations.
Manhattan Verbal Strategy guides: 1) For RC’s one of the best guides, with explanation covering different types of RC passages. Each answer is covered with care for MINUTIAE . Go through these books, in a way as to bolster your REPERTOIRE of RC cracking skills, rather than a normal exercise book.
2) WEBSITES: memrise.com –An excellent way to assimilate vocab. If you have an Android phone, use the Painless Gre app. It does the same thing.
codecoax.com – This PLETHORA of rc’s is a boon for us. The only FALLACY, passages with 8 questions no longer feature on the GRE. But, I would strongly suggest you to do this. {It is akin to Sachin Tendulkar preparing for Dale Steyn, with a balling machine set at 170 kmph. After he manages to hit that bowling machine out of the park, Dale Steyn at 150kmph, would be like facing Ashish Nehra on his worst day. } I had finished around 70-80 passages.
3)Manhattan 5 pound book: It has a vast number of sums, solve only those that you are falling short in.
4) ETS OG: Some of the ETS OG quant sums are often repeated in the GRE, word for word, {as if a really bored paper setter didn’t do his job , but I DIGRESS
5) Magoosh Prep: Sign up for a 1 week premium (FREE,FREE,FREE) account on magoosh exactly a week prior to your GRE. It gives you access to every sum and lesson magoosh offers. Besides, after solving 50 sums , you will get a projected score, my projected scores were (161-166 Q, 160-165 V), they are pretty credible.
MOCK TESTS: Give the Manhattan ones, if you buy any one strategy guide, you will get access to them.
Don’t give the Barron’s ones. Barron’s has refused to move on from the old gre, and continues to sell old gre material disguised in a new package. Kaplan verbal on the tests is pretty good, quant is really easy. Princeton verbal is really really difficult, you will get an indicator though where you stand.
Getting access to these tests is explained in the FILES section of the group. Give tests 15-20 days before your gre.
POWERPREP’s are really important and valuable, make sure, you give them in an exam environment, if possible, the exact time duration when you are going to give your tests.
Also, give one test (not POWERPREP) in the worst possible condition. What do I mean by that? My worst possible situation theory is that, since I am a night person, I woke up at 3 am, and in conditions where I was plagued by sleep, and was SOPORIFIC to the core, I gave the test. This will help you to make sure that even on your bad day you know what you will score.
______________________________
Now a bit aside from all this, GRE is only a way to get to your graduate school, not the ONLY WAY. Although a good score is desirable, make sure you understand that the journey is much more important. Think of verbal as a means of boosting your vocabulary. Get into a habit of reading magazines with scholarly content, I prefer The Economist, but the HINDU editorial on Sunday is a good alternative.I hope this inspired or helped atleast a few souls!Fight for what you want, with a picture of what you think it will get you. Think of it as I am doing it for a smile on my mums face, or showing the world what I am made of.Dream of the adulation or praise that you would get and keep working hard. I would end with Rocky Balboa’s words,
“
The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place... and I don´t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain't about how hard you hit... It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That´s how winning is done.
"
And yes, beer tastes much better immediately after your gre! Cheers. Do well.
324 (160Q,164 V)
Background: Exactly on 5th july, which marked by 21st orbit around the Sun, overlooking the beautiful scenery of Marine Drive in the close confines of Pizza by the Bay, I had my Lakshya moment, where I realised everyone around me was either going the CAT or the GRE way. On 7th July, I started my preparation for GRE, with all guns blazing, and I hope this post helps you to attain your desired score.
Disclaimer: This post is going to be really lengthy, as it reflects everything that I did over the past 45 days. The sole purpose of this post is to inspire many of you to score much better than I did and get into your desired colleges. I will strongly recommend you to grab nachos, chips or whatever is your poison while reading this. I have included around 5 GRE WORDS (in caps, in context) in this post, it might make you remember those words and help in the AMELIORATION (see?:D) of your vocabulary.
MOCK TEST scores:
Barrons1: (one month before preparation) 319
Kaplan 1: 330
Kaplan 2: 326
Manhattan 1 (free test) 328
Princeton review 1: 322 ( gave it at 3 am, will explain why ..further)
Powerprep
PP1: 326
PP2:324
GRE:
Quant: Really twisted, tough. I had never seen quant twisted to such an extent, in any of the tests I had given including the two powerprep ones. I had three quant sections and couldn’t really identify which was the experimental one. Besides the powerprep, magoosh and NOVA math bible offer the closest experience of GRE quant.
Verbal: Verbal RC’s were obscure as usual, codecoax.com , magoosh and Manhattan offer the best practice for Verbal. I had done barrons 4000 list, that helped me for SE and TCs. But, at the same time, I would explicitly state that almost none of the OBFUSCATING words that I studied were there on the test. The test relies more on words in context and which is the best fit. Use the high frequency lists of barrons, Kaplan or do the 500 Manhattan essentials.
Books, Online Prep,Tests :
1) NOVA for QUANT: finish it in a week. It has sums STRATIFIED in different difficult levels, in an increasing order. There are few tricky sums, but if you want to start from scratch one of the best books, with really UNEQUIVOCAL explanations.
Manhattan Verbal Strategy guides: 1) For RC’s one of the best guides, with explanation covering different types of RC passages. Each answer is covered with care for MINUTIAE . Go through these books, in a way as to bolster your REPERTOIRE of RC cracking skills, rather than a normal exercise book.
2) WEBSITES: memrise.com –An excellent way to assimilate vocab. If you have an Android phone, use the Painless Gre app. It does the same thing.
codecoax.com – This PLETHORA of rc’s is a boon for us. The only FALLACY, passages with 8 questions no longer feature on the GRE. But, I would strongly suggest you to do this. {It is akin to Sachin Tendulkar preparing for Dale Steyn, with a balling machine set at 170 kmph. After he manages to hit that bowling machine out of the park, Dale Steyn at 150kmph, would be like facing Ashish Nehra on his worst day. } I had finished around 70-80 passages.
3)Manhattan 5 pound book: It has a vast number of sums, solve only those that you are falling short in.
4) ETS OG: Some of the ETS OG quant sums are often repeated in the GRE, word for word, {as if a really bored paper setter didn’t do his job , but I DIGRESS
5) Magoosh Prep: Sign up for a 1 week premium (FREE,FREE,FREE) account on magoosh exactly a week prior to your GRE. It gives you access to every sum and lesson magoosh offers. Besides, after solving 50 sums , you will get a projected score, my projected scores were (161-166 Q, 160-165 V), they are pretty credible.
MOCK TESTS: Give the Manhattan ones, if you buy any one strategy guide, you will get access to them.
Don’t give the Barron’s ones. Barron’s has refused to move on from the old gre, and continues to sell old gre material disguised in a new package. Kaplan verbal on the tests is pretty good, quant is really easy. Princeton verbal is really really difficult, you will get an indicator though where you stand.
Getting access to these tests is explained in the FILES section of the group. Give tests 15-20 days before your gre.
POWERPREP’s are really important and valuable, make sure, you give them in an exam environment, if possible, the exact time duration when you are going to give your tests.
Also, give one test (not POWERPREP) in the worst possible condition. What do I mean by that? My worst possible situation theory is that, since I am a night person, I woke up at 3 am, and in conditions where I was plagued by sleep, and was SOPORIFIC to the core, I gave the test. This will help you to make sure that even on your bad day you know what you will score.
______________________________
Now a bit aside from all this, GRE is only a way to get to your graduate school, not the ONLY WAY. Although a good score is desirable, make sure you understand that the journey is much more important. Think of verbal as a means of boosting your vocabulary. Get into a habit of reading magazines with scholarly content, I prefer The Economist, but the HINDU editorial on Sunday is a good alternative.I hope this inspired or helped atleast a few souls!Fight for what you want, with a picture of what you think it will get you. Think of it as I am doing it for a smile on my mums face, or showing the world what I am made of.Dream of the adulation or praise that you would get and keep working hard. I would end with Rocky Balboa’s words,
“
The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place... and I don´t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain't about how hard you hit... It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That´s how winning is done.
"
And yes, beer tastes much better immediately after your gre! Cheers. Do well.
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