GRE Preparation 2025: Section Wise GRE Preparation Tips

Last Updated on December 13, 2024

The GRE’s first section is always the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). This section contains two analytical writing tasks: an analysis of an issue task and an argument task. These two tasks are timed separately, and you have 30 minutes to complete each one. This section is followed by two Verbal Reasoning sections, two Quantitative Reasoning sections, and an unidentified unscored section that could be a Verbal Reasoning or Quantitative Reasoning section. These five sections can be arranged in any order following the Analytical Writing section. You may also receive an identified Research section instead of the unidentified unscored section; in this case, the Research section will always appear at the end of the test. Here is a quick summary of the GRE sections, along with their time (duration) and scores.

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Top 10 GRE Preparation Tips

Many students are unfamiliar with the best GRE test preparation methods and wonder: How do I study for the GRE? We will discuss the best GRE study materials for them. Read Top 10 Tips and Tricks for the GRE

1. Plan ahead so that you have plenty of practice. 
2. Know the ins and outs of the exam. Seek advice from people who have already taken GRE and familiarise yourself with the different sections. 
3. Take lots of practice tests in order to identify your strengths and weaknesses. 
4. Improve your vocabulary! It is important to up your vocabulary game so that you ace the verbal reasoning section. 
5. Focus on your strengths and work on your weak points. Remember, GRE is a competitive exam and it is fine to make some errors. 
6. Don’t ignore topics that you find challenging. 
7. Study from credible sources so. 
8. Know the type of questions that you will have to answer. Most of these questions do not come directly, so it is okay if you are not able to register it in the first go. 
9. Log errors and work on them. 
10. Plan to take the test twice so that you have ample opportunity to ace it. 

Effective GRE Preparation Strategies

The GRE’s Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section, consisting of two separate, 30-minute tasks, is the first section. Subhajit Bandyopadhyay, Academics – Head (Emeritus), provides section-wise preparation tips for the GRE, making it a must-read for students to master the test.

1. Start by taking a GRE practice test: The first step in preparing for the GRE is knowing where you stand. By taking a comprehensive GRE practice test, candidates will be able to identify weak areas and areas that require special attention.

2. Determine your GRE Cut-off score: This will be the score you need to apply to your favourite university. Applicants should note that their target GRE score must be higher than the university’s average score. This way, the candidate would be able to make his application stand out.

3. Close the gap: The next step in the GRE preparation process is to plan for closing the gap. Candidates can prepare for the GRE online, with GRE prep books, or by attending GRE classes.

4. Practice with and without a calculator: Candidates will have access to an onscreen calculator, which is a significant advantage but can also be a liability. Therefore, candidates need to know when to use a calculator and when to better master the rules of an important mathematical concept.

5. Expand your GRE vocabulary: Candidates should read a variety of analytical nonfiction books to develop their GRE vocabulary.

6. Practice GRE tests: Candidates should practice sample GRE tests as much as possible, review their results, and record their progress.

GRE Preparation Online

Whether you plan to pursue a master’s degree in law, business, or any other postgraduate course, you must take the GRE, a test accepted by thousands of schools around the world. For the benefit of our readers, we also have a very dedicated GRE sample test section that candidates can access to get the latest GRE study materials. Study material is available online and GRE study material is taken from the most reliable sources and follows the current GRE test syllabus and GRE test pattern.

The GRE test evaluates candidates’ verbal, analytical, and mathematical skills. While subject tests focus on assessing candidates’ abilities in specific areas. The GRE General Test is taken by students from a variety of educational backgrounds and provides schools with common selection criteria to compare the qualifications of applicants.

List of GRE online preparation material (PAID)

In this section, we will talk about the best low-cost tools available on the official website as part of a GRE test preparation plan for students who want to ace the GRE.

1. SCOREITNOW!™ Online Writing Practice – $20
2. Official GRE® Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions Volume 1, Second Edition – $20
3. Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions Official GRE® Verbal Volume 1, Second Edition – $20 
4. Official GRE® Value Combo – $37
5. POWERPREP PLUS® Online – Practice Test 1 (scores provided for all three measures) – $39.95
6. POWERPREP PLUS® online – Practice Test 2 (scores provided for three measures) – $39.95
7. POWERPREP PLUS® online – Practice Test 3 (scores are provided in three measures) – $39.95
8. The Official Guide to the GRE® General Test, Third Edition – $40
9. The Official GRE® Mentoring Course – $100

List of GRE online preparation material (FREE)

In this section, we will talk about the best free tools available on the official website as part of a GRE preparation plan for students who want to ace the GRE.

1. POWERPREP® Online – Practice Test 1 (Provides Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores) – $0
2. POWERPREP® Online – Practice Test 2 (Provides Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores) – $0
3. POWERPREP® Online – Practice Test 1 (untimed – No scores provided) – $0

What is the best way to prepare for the GRE?

Candidates should note that there are no pre-prepared samples. What may work for student A may not work for student B and vice versa. Through this article, we have provided a list of some learning techniques and we hope our readers will choose the one that best suits their needs and follow it to achieve results. better on the GRE.

How can I study for the GRE at home?

Candidates should not confuse GRE preparation at home with GRE preparation at the test centre. Since both tests are identical, only the testing environment is different. Often, candidates can feel overwhelmed. Candidates should note that ETS – the agency responsible for organizing the GRE test – has begun organizing GRE tests at home for candidates who want to take the GRE safely at home. Applicants who do not have a favourable home environment or system requirements may take the test from a GRE testing centre.

How long does it take to prepare for the GRE?

This is again a very personal question. While some candidates may take two to three months to achieve an optimal level of preparation for the GRE, others may take longer or shorter to study. Therefore there is no definite deadline. Applicants are encouraged to schedule the GRE test only when they are fully prepared for the GRE test.

How to study for the GRE in a month

If you are focused and confident in your GRE preparation, the 30-day GRE study plan will work very well for you, as long as you have the necessary Skills. time. On average you will need to spend at least 2-3 hours a day; that too, only if your basic math concepts are clear. Otherwise, you will need more hours per day. Also, if you’re good at certain sections, you can skip sections that you know you don’t need to review. So basically, this guide can be customized based on your strengths and weaknesses.

Top 5 Reasons to Choose GRE Preparation Online

Determining where to begin GRE preparation is a major concern for everyone getting ready for the test. While self-study, coaching seminars, and traditional private tuition are preferred by some, online prep courses have been increasingly popular among students recently. 

Here are some things to consider if you’re trying to decide between online exam prep and coaching programmes. Online exam prep has become very popular among test-takers worldwide because:

1. Easy to use and adaptable
2. Tailored instruction
3. Study at your own pace.
4. Affordable

Tips for the AWA Section

In most cases, the AWA score may be less important than your Verbal and Quant scores, unless you are looking for a course in English Literature, Journalism, or something similar. However, a below-average AWA score may be your chances of admission to any course. A good AWA score, on the other hand, will undoubtedly be impressive, so you should give it your all in the AWA section as well.

I would also like to look at it from a different perspective. Assume this is the first section of your test. Not only is your warm-up section important, but it can also have a psychological impact on your performance in subsequent sections. You should not have to struggle to write your AWA essays so you have enough energy in reserve to give your best in the following Verbal section.

Quant sections

Here are your tips:

1. Note that your AWA task will be selected from the group of tasks published by ETS at www.ets.org/gre/awtopics. However, don’t think about practising writing answers for all topics and exercises. Writing answers while taking a full practice test is enough, but ask for the essay to be graded and evaluated.
2. Refer to the Official Guide for specific instructions, one of which will accompany each AWA mission. There were only six instructions related to the emission task and eight instructions related to the argumentation task. You must approach the problem and reason according to the specific instructions that come with each task.
3. Practice writing AWA answers while taking the practice test.
4. A template is available for writing your AWA response; this will help you pass the AWA section with ease so that you can tackle the following verbal and quantitative sections with full energy and enthusiasm.
5. Remember that in the argument task, you are not allowed to comment or discuss whether the statements in the argument are correct or not. You should not indicate whether you agree or disagree with the views presented. In other words, you should not express your own opinion on the subject. Simply evaluate the merits of the argument according to the specific instructions that accompany it.

Tips for the Verbal Reasoning Section

The tips are as follows:

1. Appreciate the importance of vocabulary in the Verbal section of the GRE by remembering that the words you need to know should be the types of words that are likely to appear on the GRE. At the same time, no set of words is enough for your GRE preparation. Continue studying words until you take the GRE test. At the same time, learn the secondary meaning of the word.
2. Don’t just use one technique to learn all the words. Keep a vocabulary journal (check-in), use flashcards, use etymology, use vocabulary games, and use apps and online tools to learn words.
3. In addition, learned how to answer questions about sentence equivalence and complete text. Just learning words will not be enough; You should also know the techniques you should use to solve sentence equivalence questions and complete text.
4. Never fill in-the-blank answer choices to solve sentence-equivalence questions and complete the text. Focus on the clues and hints (if any) to find your word or phrase, then use a process of elimination.
5. Remember that two answers given in a sentence equivalence question are not necessarily synonyms.
6. Remember that in a text question with many blank spaces, it is often difficult to find your word or phrase for the first blank without considering the second or third blank.
7. Develop the skills needed to understand complex sentence structures. Recently we found that a difficult question about sentence equivalence or text completion is difficult not because of the difficult words but because of the complex structure of the sentence.
8. Good reading habits are always helpful for GRE reading comprehension. Continue reading good literature (preferably non-fiction) covering history, sociology, economics, business, natural sciences, and more.
9. Learn to grasp the main idea (general idea, structure, and tone) of a paragraph. This will allow you to answer general questions that often ask about the main idea, main purpose, or the organization or structure.
10. Remember that the answer to each specific question (except reasoning questions based on the reading passage) will be supported by the passage. Don’t use outside, irrelevant knowledge to answer comprehension questions.
11. Learn tips for solving critical reasoning questions. Remember that critical reasoning questions have a limited range of types, and arguments often (but not always) fall into a limited number of models. While you need a basic approach to solving critical reasoning questions, learn to refine your approach based on the type of question and pattern of reasoning.

Tips for the Quantitative Reasoning Section

1. Don’t ignore the basic principles of mathematics. Although there may be very few questions that are based solely on the fundamentals of mathematics, you may not be able to solve many mathematics questions unless you have a solid grasp of the fundamentals of mathematics.
2. Pay due attention to math topics that are tested more thoroughly on the GRE instead of topics that may have fewer questions. For example, pay more attention to the number system, averages, percentages ratios, etc. instead of permutation-combination and probability. You can start paying more attention to the later topics after you have mastered the first topics, which are most commonly tested.
3. Consult the Official Guide and see a list of all math topics that may appear on the GRE; make sure you master each topic.
4. Remember that although the GRE doesn’t test you on esoteric math concepts, the questions are often complex. Therefore, you must learn to identify and avoid trap answers.
5. Although you have a calculator (drop-down) to use in the quant section, remember that it only gives you basic math operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (and square roots). Also, the computer is not easy to use but you should use it when necessary. Therefore, start using a calculator right from the beginning to practice, but remember that a constant point of debate is whether to use a calculator or not.
6. Note that the “Show Transfer” feature is available in the calculator and you can use it next to numeric entry math questions (with single answer boxes). Use it whenever necessary.
7. Graphics are a concern for most of us. However, you don’t need to learn new concepts to solve graphing questions. Many of us find board questions very time-consuming. However, most of the time it takes too long simply because we want to do the full calculation when it may not be necessary. Usually, the important point to consider is whether to use a computer or not.
8. Another subject that many of us find very difficult is geometry because there are several formulas and concepts related to geometry that you need to remember. However, here too, let’s pay more attention to the most frequently tested topics such as triangles and circles. Pay more attention to other topics after you have mastered the most commonly tested topics. Note that even within these topics there are concepts like special triangles and the Pythagorean triple that are tested more frequently on the GRE.
9. Some candidates also often struggle with “word problems”. The way to get familiar with such questions is through extensive practice. This way, you will get familiar with different common expressions and it will help you understand the problem better. Another way to solve word problems is to translate English into math. Don’t read the whole question and then go back and read it again and start taking notes. Start taking notes from the beginning.
10. Very often, students come to us and tell us that they cannot solve the more difficult questions related to permutation-combination and probability and therefore they need to master these topics. Not that these topics are not important, but it has been noticed that poor scores in the quantile section are often due to some questions related to common mathematical topics (such as averages, percentages, etc.) rather than by permutation combination.
11. Focus on what’s most important and what’s more manageable, even though your ultimate goal is to answer all questions correctly and score a 170 on the quantitative section.
12. While reviewing your performance on practice tests and exercises, for each question you got wrong and for each question that took you longer than usual to solve, identify what you learned from that question and take notes – review all these points before the next practice. test and/or GRE.

General Test-Taking Tips

It is not enough to know the partial approach; The overall testing strategy is equally important. Here are some tips for your overall testing strategy.

1. The GRE is section-adaptive; so you should give importance to the first part of the test because depending on your performance in the first part, your second part will be easy, average, or difficult. To score high on the GRE, it is important to make the second part difficult and to do that you need to perform well in the first part. However, the first part is likely an unclassified experimental part. For this reason, you must do your best in each section of the test and avoid careless mistakes.
2. Don’t get stuck with killer questions. Use the “scoring and review” feature of the test even when taking the practice test to get familiar. Use it whenever necessary during the real GRE test. All questions receive equal marks; it makes no sense to spend too much time on a particular problem and then run out of time.
3. Since unanswered questions and questions you answered incorrectly count the same, don’t leave any questions unanswered.
4. Never try to guess which part is an ungraded test. Think of each section as a section that will count toward your total score.
5. Take the diagnostic test at the beginning to familiarize yourself with the test format and the different types of quantitative and verbal questions. Take comprehensive practice tests during GRE prep, but be careful not to take all the tests at the beginning and not take all the tests at the end of the test prep – speed up Take tests throughout your test prep period.
6. Do not just solve questions while preparing for your GRE, do practice the techniques and strategies and also apply the techniques and strategies while taking the GRE.

Top 6 Ways Technology Can Aid GRE Preparation

Learning is no longer limited to classrooms, professors, and libraries. With the benefits that come with advances in technology, there are many learning opportunities. Even preparing for standardized tests like the GRE is much easier than before thanks to technology.

1. Personalized Learning
2. Learning on mobile devices
3. A variety of study techniques
4. Online tutoring
5. Online practice tests
6. Online discussion forums

Best Books for GRE Preparation 2024

Study materials for the GRE: If you choose to prepare for the GRE on your own, a combination of study guides and tools are available to assist you. There is a mobile app and an official study guide available for the official ETS. For assistance in constructing a study schedule, consult the GRE books and guides listed below:

• The Official Guide to the GRE Revised General Test, Second Edition – Both the book and the eBook include two full-length tests, hundreds of authentic GRE test questions, explanations for many answers, test-taking strategies, sample essay responses with reader commentary, and much more.
• The Official GRE Guide app – It gives you access to accurate test questions with answers and explanations, plus helpful test-taking advice and strategies. The Official GRE Guide app is the most precise and informative GRE revised General Test preparation tool available in an interactive, electronic format.
• Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions, Volume One – This guide provides an authoritative overview of the GRE Analytical Writing measure, including sample writing tasks and scored sample responses.

• Official GRE Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions, Volume One – This book contains 150 never-before-published Quantitative Reasoning questions with detailed explanations. It also includes a review of the math topics you need to know for the test.
• ScoreItNow! Online Writing Practice Service for the GRE Revised General Test – This service is a web-based tool that can help you improve your analytical writing skills and prepare for the Analytical Writing section of the revised GRE General Test. 
• Manhattan Prep: It provides eight test-taking strategy guides, one for each of the test’s content areas, which include Algebra, Fractions, Decimals & Percentages, Geometry, Number Properties, and Word Problems.

Important Links

Tips for GRE Test Day

This is the most important day for test takers because all the days of preparation and hard work will pay off for you on GRE test day. Therefore, candidates should note important tips on GRE test day to be able to perform at their best on test day.

FAQs

How can I improve my vocabulary for the Verbal Reasoning section?

Reading regularly and learning new words daily can help. Use flashcards or apps like Quizlet to make vocabulary learning interactive.

What strategies can I use for Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions?

For Text Completion, try to understand the context first. Eliminate answer choices that don’t fit logically. For Sentence Equivalence, look for synonyms and complete the sentence with words that create a similar meaning.

How should I approach the Quantitative Comparison questions?

Focus on understanding the relationships between quantities rather than solving for exact values. Always check all answer choices before selecting the correct one.

What topics should I prioritize in Quantitative Reasoning?

Focus on algebra, geometry, and arithmetic. Make sure to practice both basic and complex problems to build a strong foundation.

Kanishka Garg

Kanishka Garg specializes in crafting informative content on study abroad education. Her passion lies in simplifying the journey for students through SEO-optimized articles and blogs. Kanishka’s commitment to clear communication and her deep understanding of international admissions processes make her blogs essential for students aiming to gain insights into top universities worldwide. With Kanishka’s blogs, students can confidently get solutions to the complexities of applying to their dream universities and achieve their academic aspirations abroad.