Category Archives: GRE

Useful GRE Preparation Resources

I am writing this post because when I went on a hunt for GRE resources I always had a problem getting all the information in one place. So here goes, when we start preparing for GRE we are usually confused about which way to go. This is for people who write the GRE test without enrolling at coaching centres. Some quick resources would be:

  1. Enroll for the free GRE online test prep at Number2.com .Number2 is an awesome website that has tutorials for every section with practice questions. It is a well organized way to keep track of your preparation status. Also Number2 has a very useful vocabulary builder which presents new words to the test takers as well as keeps track of words mastered, words gotten wrong etc.
  2. Math is not the hard part of GRE. It is pretty reasonable when it comes to the complexity of questions, mostly a recap of what we’ve learnt in high school.
  3. Vocabulary is challenging and we all to need to work on it. Doing well in the vocab section solely depends on how many words we know. Some useful books that will increase your vocab and at the same time spare you from learning 3000 odd words are:
    • ARCO WORDS for Smart Test-Takers by Mark Alan Stewart
    • Webster’s NewWorld Power Vocabulary by Elizabeth Morse-Cluley & Richard Read.
    • If you have lots of time to prepare, All About Words by Maxwell Nurnberg and Morris Rosenblum would be a good book to pick up.
  4. Try and get a copy of “Cracking the GRE“by Princeton Review. Things are explained in simple terms here. A must have I would say.
  5. Make sure you get your copy of the GRE PowerPrep from ETS. If you dont get it in time, shoot mails to them, they’ll send it.
  6. ets.org also provides test practice online here . These questions are good to practice.
  7. Get the list of essays for GRE and skim through them while practising a few.
  8. Signup for “Word of the Day” at Dictionary.com and Merriam Webster.

This much should get you well prepared for GRE!

Update 04/08/09- I recently got an email that my post has been included with a list of others to form “The Ultimate Guide to the GRE: 100 Free Tools, Practice Tests and Resources”.  The compilation is great and can very well become the only place you need to go to find GRE resources.  The link to this page is http://www.selectcourses.com/blog/2009/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-gre-100-free-tools-practice-tests-and-resources/

Hope this helps my readers!