Are you going to take your GRE exam?
If that is a yes, you should make sure to focus on every part of the exam. Common sense? Not really, you see, students usually would only focus on the verbal part of the test because many believe it is the most difficult part of the exam.
As a result, they fail to pay attention to the other parts of the test, especially the quantitative part of the test.
Fortunately, while you cannot get everything perfectly in the exam, you can still improve their potential score if you prepare accordingly.
If you are just starting your GRE preparations, you are in luck! Here are some tips we recommend to help you prepare for the quantitative part of the test.
Try visualizing the question to see how you can solve it
When you find yourself at a difficult question during your GRE pre-test, a good way to solve it is by visualizing the problem.
Visualizing the problem will make it easier for you to dissect the problem better and help you pick hints on how you can solve the problem. This technique is a good way to use when you are trying to practice geometry and other similar concepts.
While you read your reviewer, imagine the problem like you are personally experiencing it. Try sketching the problem on a sketch to determine the values you need to use. You can also do diagrams to get the data faster from the problem.
Don’t focus on one question
Every question in the GRE test has the same score value. If your test has 20 questions, for example, you will get one point for each question.
Some students do not know this fact about the test. As a result, they often take time in answering tough questions when they can answer the next ones easily.
When you find yourself facing a difficult question on your pre-test, skip the hard questions and go to the ones you can answer. If you still have time, go back to the ones you skipped.
Use elimination
When facing a difficult problem on your test, you can apply elimination to understand the question easily.
When using this process, you visualize the question and remove the answers which you perceive to be answers that don’t apply to the question. When you reach the option that seems logical, then you can pick that option as your answer.
Let me give you an example, if the question before you have a negative rational number as an answer, remove the positive numbers from the choices. Once you narrowed down the answer list, you can now try to compute and try reaching the number on your narrowed down list.
Always reread the answer you are picking
When answering your GRE pre-tests and on the test itself, always be vigilant when it comes to the choices you are given. There are times answers can sound the same, but they are in fact very different.
Make it a point to reread your answers to make sure that you picked the right option. GRE will not give you half-points even if the answer you picked is partially correct.
You should also reread the questions before picking the answer. You may have missed a few points which can affect your answer.
Remove the zeroes to make it easier to compute
If you find yourself looking at numbers that come with many zeroes, remove the numbers from your mind and simplify it as you compute. Once you get the answer, you can add the zeroes then.
As an example, if the question given the number 270000/23, remove the zeroes and compute 27/23. When you got the expression computed, just add the removed zeroes in the end to get the right answer.
Use a scratch paper to write down the zeroes you removed from the question so you won’t lose track as you go along the computation.
Always check your answers for irrational number questions
If the question requires an irrational number as an answer, double check your work to check if you got the right answer.
Sometimes, if you are asked to do square roots, you need to make sure that you applied them correctly. If you do not, you may miss the right answer.
Do the plug-in method
A good way to answer equations is by adding the choices in the equation given than try to compete for the answer.
This is a good practice to do, especially if you think the solution will eat up your test time.
Some examples where you can apply this technique is during the test that requires you to compare various numbers.
List down all the potential answers for permutations
If the question provided is about permutations, you can list down all the answers on a sheet of paper. You can also do the same thing for combination questions.
Learn multiplication tables
Even if we are familiar with multiplication and other mathematical concepts, it is always a good practice to review it.
While reviewing, make it a point to look upon your formulae table so you can be familiar with them. As you review and get used to the formulas, it will be easier for you to recall them during your test.
Maintain an error log
Keeping an error log is a great way to identify patterns on where you will need extra practice in.
If you see that you are weak with geometry during your pre-test preparations, you can look into the log sheet and adjust your reviewer. You can do error logs on an excel file or on a sheet of paper.
Write down your scores for each subject and when you see which ones are low, you can adjust your review from there.
In Summary
When you prepare for an extensive test like GRE, you should always prepare for every part of the test. With the tips we cited above, we have high hopes that you will be able to prepare for the math part of the test and make your preparations easier.
For GRE-related articles, you may find these interesting:
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