20 GRE Tips and Tricks You Need to Know for Test Day • PrepScholar GRE (2023)

Looking for some GRE tips and tricks to help you get the highest possible score? We protect you! In this article, we'll help you figure out what GRE tricks can actually do to boost your score.Then we offer 20 great GRE test tips and tricks to help you look your best on test day.

GRE Tricks: How can they help you?

Let's be clear: If you're hoping that learning a few GRE tips and tricks will lead to a massive increase in your score, I've got bad news. The only reliable way to seebig improvements in your scoreis forspend a lot of time preparing.There's no way to avoid it.

GRE strategic tricks thoughit can help you increase your score a bit.Most of the GRE test tips and tricks in this article focus on reducing careless errors and helping you maximize the points you can get from guessing.

In other words, these trickshelp you get the most out of your preparationTerFinished.On the day of the exam you will be able to use your knowledge optimally.

10 General GRE Tips and Tricks

These GRE test tips and tricks will help you through each section of the test.

#1: Memorize the instructions

You can save time and avoid surprises on test day by memorizing the test format and instructions. what do they knowtest formatIt's aintegral part of any GRE curriculum. But going the extra mile to memorize the instructions for each section and question type has additional benefits. first you willSave a little time on each section,This gives you more time to answer the questions! Second, you can take a little mental break when the driving screen appears before each subsection. And finally, really know and understand the instructions.reduce any confusion.You don't have to worry about making a silly mistake by misinterpreting the instructions.

#2: Ask simple questions first

Within a subsection, all GRE questions are worth the same number of points. That meansIt makes sense to collect the easy points first!So if you come across a question on test day that seems confusing or difficult (or even one you don't want to do right now), skip it! Use the flag function to indicate no answer and move on to the next question.

So after going through the subsection for the first time and getting all the easy points, complete the marked questions. You may find that they are not as difficult as you thought!

#3: Answer all the questions

There is no penalty for guessing on the GRE. Therefore, it is in your best interest to guess all the questions. If you have time to make a quick educated guess, this is ideal. But even if you have to randomly pick a few answers when you have 30 seconds left, do it!You can only accumulate points.

#4: Use the removal process

If you are reading a question and you are not sure of the correct answer,no panic.Instead, use the elimination process to eliminate as many wrong answers as possible. Even if you can't identify the correct answer with certainty, you canIncrease your chances of guessing correctlywith each answer choice you remove.

#5: Read carefully

If you're not quick at guessing to close a section, it's important that you do so.Read the questions carefully.There's nothing worse than leaving points on the table because you misinterpreted "no" or "except" or entered your answer to a math problem in the wrong format! The GRE often predicts that students will make careless reading errors and provide incorrect answer choices that match those errors in order to trick you.

#6: Stay on track

Poor time management can be a real drag on the GRE. Keep track of your time taking the test. Verbal and Quant have 20 questions per section. Oral sections have a time limit of 30 minutes, which is up to youapproximately 1:30 per question.Quant has a slightly longer time limit of 35 minutes; haveabout 1:45 per question.Of course, there will be some variation in the length of the questions, but you need to practice to stay on track. However, this is a general guide to avoid spending too much time on a specific question.

#7: Check for errors

If you have time, take a quick look to check your answers once you've finished a subsection. This workshelp you recognize careless mistakes,B. accidentally marking a different answer than intended or misinterpreting the question.

#8: Keep Scrap Paper Clean

You have the right to unlimitedDraft; scrap paperin the GR. However, to get the most out of it, you need to keep it clean. That meansWrite in an organized and systematic way.Otherwise you run the risk of making mistakes in your work, especially in the math part.

#9: Keep calm

Taking the GRE can be a stressful experience, especially when you're faced with an extraordinarily difficult question or feel like you've forgotten something you learned. But the key to success is rest. Don't let your current discomfort get out of control. Continue with another question.Tell yourself that you can do this and that you are excellent at it.Otherwise, you can lose focus, which can really affect your score.

#10: Take a break

Even if you don't think you need a break, take a break. just take this timeBreathe and rest your brainis reason enough to take a break. But you should also take the opportunity to have a snack and drink some water. When your blood sugar drops, you feel tired, and dehydration can affect your concentration.

4 GRE Verbal Tips and Tricks

These verbal GRE tricks will help you maximize your scoring potential in the verbal area.

#11: Use Word Shades for Vocabulary Questions

I know I already mentioned using the delete process in the general GRE tips and tricks section. But there are some specific elimination techniques you can use for vocabulary questions to help you with the verbal part. The first is the tone of the word.

The tone of the word iswhether a word has generally positive or negative connotations.Words with similar meanings can have different valences. For example, while "celebrity" and "eminence" generally mean "fame", fame has a negative valence and eminence has a positive valence.

usually you cansay out of contextwhether a space should have a positive or negative word. Focusing on the word matching options should help you narrow down your choices, even if it doesn't get you to the ultimate answer.

#12: Eliminate outliers in sentence equivalence

This advice on using the elimination process is specific to sentence equivalence questions. For sentence equivalence questions, the two words you choose must give the sentence a similar meaning. This means that even if the two words you choose aren't direct synonyms, they should at least be related in some way. so you canCross out all the unusual wordsthat doesn't seem to match any of the other words.

#13: Use evidence from the passage

For reading comprehension questions, it is important that you rely on evidence from the passage to choose your answer. The GRE often tricks you with passage-based questions by introducing you toAnswer decisions thatI couldbe trueHowever, they are not directly linked to the information in the passage. So remember: the answer doesn't just have to be theoretically compatible with what's in the passage, it has to be directly supported by it. Do not choose answers that the passage does not directly contradict, but for which there is actually no evidence. Direct evidence may not be as clear cut as on the SAT; it can be just a sentence or a few words. But it will be there.

#14: Do not try to absorb all the details in the passages

There is one more important thing you can do to help yourself with the questions in the passage: don't get bogged down in the details. You might be tempted to learn every detail of the passage before answering any questions about it, but that's a huge waste of time. The entire passage will generally not be relevant to a particular question. It is best to focus on the part of the passage that is important and look for the details. You can see more about the development of acorrect pass strategy in our guide.

6 GRE Math Tips and Tricks

These GRE math tricks will help you maximize your scoring potential on the quantitative section. Although GRE math tricks and shortcuts can't replace real math knowledge, they can help you solve questions faster and reduce errors.

#15: Complement Numbers

If a GRE problem has variables and is not solving for a specific value,Entering numbers instead of variables can make it easier to analyze equations.This applies in particular to quantitative comparative questions. You can enter multiple numbers with different properties (for example, 0, 1, 2, -1, and a fraction). This allows you to see if there is a consistent relationship between the two quantities or if you need more information.

#16: Answers-Plugin

If you're not sure about a multiple choice question, you can usually find the answer by pasting the answer choices back into the question. This is not the most efficient strategy, as it involves a lot of clogging and rattling.But it will do the job if you're lost.When you need to choose the answer from a list of sets, the answers are usually in numerical order, so it's a good idea to start with the answer choice in the middle of the list, and then see if you need to increase or decrease it. That saves numbers. Remember, each correct answer earns you points, no matter how elegantly you solve the question!

#17: Make sure the answer is in the correct format

Some GRE questions require answers in a specific format. For example, you may need to provide your answer in specific units. If you don't convert to the correct units, you could choose the wrong answer in a multiple-choice question or misspell a number entry question. Don't leave single points in the table because you forgot to convert inches to feet or something.

#18: Use reasonable estimates

There are times in GRE when it makes sense to do some guesswork instead of doing a lot of calculations. For example, you can oftenexclude some possible answers because they deviate from a quick estimate;This can be especially useful for multiple choice questions with multiple answers.

#19: Improve the information you really need

You will gain a lot of information in both data interpretation and word problems. That can be overwhelming! But don't be fooled by all the facts and figures thrown at you. Instead, find out what the question is asking for and focus on the information you really need. If that means listing everything you know and identifying what information really helps you solve the problem, that's fine. but they havea systematic approach to the information presented to youit will really help you to solve the problem efficiently.

#20: Draw Graphics

GRE math problems often contain a lot of abstract information. Drawing your own charts and graphs can help you understand the information you receive. Drawing your own figures and diagrams for geometry problems can be helpful, since GRE figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. But graphs can also be very helpful for word problems! Making a small drawing can help you with this.Visualize the situation and understand what is happening.

20 GRE Tips and Tricks You Need to Know – Summary

GRE tips and tricks may not replace hours of preparation, but they can help you make the most of your knowledge on test day.

Here are 10 GRE tricks for every test:

1. Memorize the instructions to save time and avoid confusion.
2. Ask easy questions first to get the easy points
3. Answer all questions; There is no fee penalty
4. Use the elimination process to increase your chances of guessing correctly.
5. Please read the questions carefully to avoid silly mistakes.
6. Keep up so you don't run out of time
7. Check for errors at the end of each subsection if you have time.
8. Keep your scratch paper clean to avoid mistakes
9. Stay calm even when you feel the pressure!
10. Take your break (eat a snack and drink water while you do it!)

And here are 4 verbal GRE tricks:

1. Consider the value of the word
2. For sentence equivalence, remove outliers
3. Always find evidence in the passage to support your answer.
4. Don't try to learn every detail of the passage as you read it.

And six GRE math tricks!

1. Enter numbers to facilitate analysis of variables
2. Enter answers if you are not sure what else to do
3. Make sure your answers are submitted in the correct format.
4. Appreciate when you can save time
5. Always focus on the information you really need
6. Draw diagrams to clarify questions

Whats Next

Looking for even more tips? Money34 Essential GRE Tips and Strategiesfor advice on everything from preparation to test day.

If you want advice on a specific section, consult our guideGRE assessment quantitativelyor our advicebiting GRE Verbal.

Do you want some guidance for the exam day? see oursTop Tips for GRE Test Day, o4 things to take to the GRE, is oursGuide to GRE Test Centers.

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