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You may have had wonderful and super-exciting GRE training course and understood every concept and strategy to the core. You also realized that the way the classes went with (in-person or videos), gave you confidence to the brim, to score what you desire. Indeed, your realization for GRE prep is true, but has a condition attached: Only if you test yourself through Mock Tests, you will not only witness your perception about “what you can score!” be true but also understand in true sense “what you really score.” There is a thin line between the latter and the former, but that line is thickened once you test yourself post GRE classes. Practice Tests taken after GRE Training Course are eye-openers for curious and aimful student:

  1. Practice Tests affirm the quality of learning that was applied during GRE classes. They are like silent reviewers for your faculty or for the source of GRE training course. The specific content that was taught during GRE prep classes could be testified through the kind of content you come across during mock tests.

  2. Practice tests reinstate confidence nurtured during the classes. Provided that your GRE classes went great and made you believe in yourself as a top scorer, the practice test will affirm your ability to score high if you score well.

  3. Practice Tests accentuate the intricacies of GRE prep that you didn’t realize during the classes. They will open those doors and windows that seemed not to exist otherwise, while you were taking GRE training course. They’ll reflect upon the subtleties that seemingly less similar questions have, and will eventually split them apart categorically.

  4. Practice Tests underscore upon the areas of improvement in the GRE test. Once you conclude a test and see your score, you need to analyse the score by yourself and scrutinize the parts that went incorrect. If you work upon the responses by noting the kind of questions you got incorrect and understanding how you behaved with a particular question, you will eventually set a milestone for yourself and work upon ways to improve. Practice tests are a beacon towards improvement.

  5. Practice tests by themselves do not improve you; however, they are the ways towards improvement. They tell you where you stand at a particular juncture. Be careful not to keep taking tests without reviewing them or else the true power and potential of practice tests won’t be into action.

  6. Practice Tests help you not only to reinstate the strategy you used during the GRE exam preparation, but may also signal you to modify your approach towards the questions and test as a whole. If you do not increase the score even after test analysis post practice, you must ponder if the strategies could be modified to suit your understanding and ease.

Planning your GRE Prep?

PRE-REQUISITES OF GRE TEST TAKING

Even if you know how to drive a car, running out of fuel would lead you nowhere. Similarly, not having basic requisites at your disposal would not lead to the desired score in GRE. These are vocabulary and background reading.

  • Not learning enough words required by the Verbal part of the test will make you make mistakes especially in Sentence Equivalence and Test Completion Questions. If you get a question incorrect due to not knowing enough words, that is not the ‘real’ mistake. All you need in the fuel of words. Make sure that you have learned and revised GRE-centric vocabulary, even though you need to focus on the contextual meaning of the words while practicing the questions. Vocabulary is important for Reading Comprehension as well. On the flipside, for Math, you must be well equipped with short-cuts, tricks, and formulas.

  • Reading texts that have the content of the same density and difficulty level as that of GRE is a must. You must have read enough and must keep reading during your GRE preparation until you take the actual GRE. Note that you are not reading for knowledge but for understanding varieties of texts.

Here are some top GRE test-taking strategies you need to know.

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY USE PRACTICE TESTS TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL?

  • Finish GRE training course completely. Taking a mock test without completely finishing training is like playing a match sans practice. This will dampen your confidence even if you are a promising high scorer. Moreover, you must revise full content before starting with practice tests.

  • Set a timeline for tests according to your test date. In this way, you will be able to make use of all the tests that you have.

  • Evenly plan dates for your tests. Do not take them at random dates for this will be a reverse gear to your accelerated progress. Planning exam dates and accordingly plan your GRE preparation.

  • Set target scores in ascending order. Set realistic targets after you take your first GRE mock. The difference between the two consecutive tests must not be too big. Take small steps and improve consistently, unless you are Bruce Wayne, trying to evolve as Batman!

  • Do not take a mock if you feel lethargic or tired. Fatigue or mental digression is a sure-shot ticket to a not so good or bad score.

  • Always review your test before taking the next one, for that will otherwise be a waste of test in another way. Not realizing your mistakes and areas of improvement and taking the next test without review is like plodding like cattle with no purpose.

  • If you are afraid of the time problem that you won’t be able to complete all the questions on time, then start with an untimed test. Even though, you need to complete all the questions within the stipulated time, you do not need to think about the time every now and then, for you will deviate your concentration towards time and won’t be able to focus on the questions. Time management is a crucial part of your GRE prep, thus make sure you plan it well. You can further read time management tips for GRE.

Breeze through GRE prep and score a 320+!

CONCLUSION: Realizing the true potential of GRE prep with practice tests lies in using them effectively with a planned and organized approach that must be customized by the student and mentor.

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FAQs

Well, many students are of the notion that taking too many GRE tests is a way to a great score. There was a cartoon named Guzura, who would eat just ‘anything’ that came in its way, and therefore ate too much. Do not be Guzura and gormandize on the tests. This will lead to acumen-malfunctioning. You need to be pragmatic and take sufficient number of tests. For instance, if you consistently score well by taking a decent number of tests, that will be enough. If you do not score well after taking a few tests according to the targeted score, you may pause and scrutinize your approach towards test taking, and then after working on mistakes, take a few more. However, taking too many tests is never a solution. Prefer quality over quantity.

The best time to take the GRE test is after you have completed your GRE prep and revised the basic strategies and content. Also, always take the test when you feel fresh and full of energy. Do not take a test when you are tired, or sleepy, or hungry.

With many organizations wanting to earn big in the name of tests, only countable ones provide authentic tests. Choose the one which has experience in the test-prep field, and its content adheres closely to that of the GRE official material. Jamboree Education has been pioneering international university admissions for 3 decades now.