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Welcome to the GRE myth-busters portion of this Web site! Let us begin by enumerating a few commonly held misconceptions about the GRE exam:
- There is no need to study for the GRE verbal section. After all, everyone knows how to read and speak English.
- There is no need to study for the GRE math section because it is limited to types of problems you did in tenth grade.
- The GRE writing sample isn’t very important because it isn’t counted as part of your score.
Lies, lies, lies! In general, unless you can accurately define and use in a sentence words like “atrabilious,” “logorrhea,” “limn,” and “valetudinarian,” you absolutely must study for the GRE verbal (and even if you can—it’s still a good idea!). The verbal section is almost entirely vocabulary-driven, and in order to do well, you need to learn many new words. Good news, though: the verbal section features only 30 questions.
While it is true that the GRE math section covers only basic high school math, let’s face it, unless you’re using math in college, it’s been a while since you thought about the circumference of a circle (2πr). Consequently, studying is a must, unless you can spew out things like the quadratic formula (x = –b±√(b2–4ac÷2a)) in your sleep.
Lastly, it is important for you to understand that the writing sample is scored, although it does not make up a part of your verbal/math overall score. The writing sample is scored on a scale of 1-6 and this score will be sent to any school which receives your GRE report. Most fields want applicants to have strong writing skills, which means a high writing sample score will speak positively for you in ways the rest of the test cannot.
The GRE, more than any other test, is treated as a matter of little significance by many students. We hope these few points will show you how absolutely essential it is to adequately prepare for this test.
GRE Format
This is the general setup of the exam:
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Section
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Time
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# of Questions
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Analytical Writing
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75 minutes
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2 essays
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30 minutes and 45 minutes
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Break (optional)
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10 minutes
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-
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Quantitative
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45 minutes
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28
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100 seconds
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Break
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1 minute
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Verbal
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30 minutes
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30
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1 minute
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Verbal Section
How can one introduce the verbal portion of the GRE exam? We are tempted to say, “Blame it all on William the Conqueror and the year 1066 C.E.,” but as that joke would require too much explanation, let it be.
The entire section is only 30 minutes long and includes four types of questions: antonyms, analogies, sentence completions, and reading comprehension questions. A brief overview will bring you up to speed on what sorts of questions you will encounter on the test. However, since three out of the four types of questions will require you to have background knowledge, the GRE requires many hours of studying as well as a considerable amount of practice.
Antonyms, Analogies, and Sentence Completion
These three types of questions constitute the vocabulary-driven part of the GRE verbal. Antonym questions will provide you with a stem word and ask you to choose from five possible answers the word’s best antonym. Analogies will provide you with a pair of words and ask you to choose from the answer choices the pair with a relationship most like the pair given. Lastly, sentence completions will present you with sentences that have one or two blanks in them, and ask you to fill in the blanks from the answer choices provided.
As you can gather from even this cursory description, an extensive vocabulary will not only be useful to you, but is absolutely essential for success. Thus, when you decide to take the GRE, one of the first things you should do is begin vocabulary building exercises. This can include reading publications such as The New York Times, The Economist, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, or Scientific American.
Additionally, dictionary.com and m-w.com offer a free word-of-the-day email that we strongly encourage you to sign up for. Other useful resources for vocabulary building can be found at freevocabulary.com
When you come in for your Learning Center tutoring sessions, we will work on strategies, problems, and spend a great deal of time on practice, but only you can put in the required effort and the time to build your vocabulary. Do not shortchange yourself: begin preparing now. For sample questions, visit ets.org.
Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension questions are the fourth component of the verbal section. These questions will provide you with a passage followed by (usually) two to four questions of varying types. The material in these passages is dense, and the topics are often obscure and may be unfamiliar to you. This being the case, you must learn to be an active reader; allowing the passages to simply wash over you while you attempt to remember every minute detail will be frustrating and ineffective.
Essentially, you must change the way you read the GRE reading comprehension passages; approaching the passages as you would approach a novel or newspaper will not get the job done. Note-taking, paraphrasing, and different reading techniques are just a few of many ways in which you can begin to take command of the passages.
Mathematics
The math component of the GRE tests students on basic skills that do not require any knowledge above tenth-grade math. The two main types of questions are as follows:
- Questions which need to be solved, answered in multiple choice format.
- Quantitative Comparison questions, in which one has to compare two columns of varying values or equations.
Most people studying for the GRE have not utilized their math skills or taken a math course in a long time. Here is where the Learning Center comes in. Our learning assistants can review all those math skills and rules that you have forgotten in the course of these years. We will sit with you and answer any questions you have about concepts you don’t recall and even teach you some tricks to remember formulas and ideas.
If you have been studying on your own and have questions, we can go over the solutions with you. Even if you just want to practice problems with someone sitting by you, the Learning Center can help. It is very important to remember that it is only the format of the questions and not the content that is new. No matter how rusty you are, you will be able to get the score you want after sufficient preparation.
Analytical Writing
This section is always first in the GRE. It is also the easiest. If you can formulate a five paragraph essay (yes, exactly like the ones you learned in high school), you can do well with this task. The biggest challenge you face is limited time. However, practicing a formulaic way to answer the questions (boring as it may seem) is the best way to tackle that issue. Our advice? Use the writing section to build your confidence for tackling the rest of the GRE.
A few details about the writing section: You will be given two tasks—an issue task and an argument task. For the issue task, two topics will be presented and you will choose one. You will be given 45 minutes to complete this part. The argument task does not present a choice of topics; instead one topic will be presented. You will be given 30 minutes for this part.
GRE Online Sources
Here are some helpful Web sites for GRE information and practice
GRE Math Study Session
This West Texas A&M site outlines all the different math areas that one would need to know to do well on the GRE and reviews them. Make sure to check out the review sections and practice tests.
Test Prep Center
This page gives a short blurb on what is being tested on the GRE math section with some examples and tips.
ETS Math Review (PDF 1.42 MB)
This review packet from the official GRE Web site gives more than 50 pages of math help, focusing on the more important skills, concepts, and definitions, and on those particular areas that are frequently confused or misunderstood
A Note about Subject Tests
The GRE also offers subject tests in eight separate fields: Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology; Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Literature in English; Mathematics; Physics; Psychology. These tests help to gauge your proficiency in specific fields and can be useful to (or perhaps required by) the schools to which you apply.
These can enhance your candidacy by demonstrating your abilities in the subject of your choice. For more information on these tests, visit the Subject Tests Overview section at ets.org. Upon request, tutoring for the subject tests can be arranged with learning assistants in your specific field.
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Contact
For additional information, please contact:
The Learning Center
Earle Hall, Lower Level
(entrance across from the Science Building) — View map
p - 516.877.3200
e - learningcenter@adelphi.edu
Fall 2008 Hours
Monday – Thursday:
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9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
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Friday:
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9 a.m. – 5 p.m. |
This page last modified on February 13, 2008.
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