Cracking GRE

By Shruti Lakhtakia

The Graduate Record Examination is required by most universities in the UK and the US as a part of the application material. A note for those who are pursuing finance based courses - the GMAT is sometimes allowed in place of the GRE, make sure you check the requirements of the particular course and university you are applying to.

Ideally, you should plan to study for an optimum six-eight weeks before taking your GRE. The test itself consists of three sections - Analytical Writing, Verbal and Quantitative. It is a good idea to begin by taking a diagnostic test (available in most books) that will give you an idea of where you stand. My recommendation would be to begin with a general book (Princeton Review, The GRE Official Guide by ETS, or Barrons), which clearly lay out the entire test - its structure, the kind of questions, and basic concepts used in each section. After doing one or more of these books, you could begin to go through questions in the Princeton Review book of 1000 Questions, which has several drills arranged topic-wise. Simultaneously, you should begin to work on specific sections that you are having difficulty with. Some people find the Verbal section difficult to deal with, others the Quantitative section. Depending on what your relative strength and weakness is, look for a book that is specifically directed at your problem area (published by Kaplan, or Barrons).

The more practice tests you do, the better it is. I believe that the GRE is more a test of how you manage your time and how well you work under pressure, than anything else. Start practice tests (I recommend online tests, but begin with the basics - use the tests given in the books first) when you have about three weeks to go for the exam. But then again, time it well so that you have sufficient time to practice - so if you have an important event or test in college, plan accordingly. Another important tip would be to remain consistent with all your sections, primarily Verbal and Quant. Even if you are super confident about being able to tackle one section, do not neglect it completely. Being in practice close to the exam is important.

Improving your vocabulary is an important part of the GRE process, so start early. The more you read, the better your vocab will get. If you don't have sufficient time, then look for an appropriate word list on the internet (I used the Barrons word list), and work through it systematically. Be sure you know the words that turn up frequently on the GRE - these are the words you see all the time on practice questions: you know you've seen them before, but can't remember what they mean.

Lastly, as I said before, time management is the key. Start early. Plan for the test keeping in mind all other engagements and activities that you will be undertaking simultaneously. The GRE is not tough. It is tricky in that you must be crystal clear with concepts, and you must manage your time wisely - both before, and during the test. Good luck!


Shruti Lakhtakia graduated from St. Stephen's College in 2013. She scored 334/340 in her GRE exam. She is currently pursuing Masters in Development Economics from Oxford.