BenchPreps

GRE Playbook 2014

The one-stop resource for everything GRE.
Table of Contents
Ch. 1: Introduction
Introduction to BenchPreps GRE Test Prep
Program BenchPrep Games, Flashcards,
Adaptive Nature and Other Features How
BenchPrep Can Improve Your Score
Ch. 2: GRE 101
Overview of the GRE Why You Should Take
the GRE What the GRE Measures What
Programs Accept the GRE Infographics
Comparing GMAT, MAT, and GRE How the
GRE is Scored What the Adaptive GRE
Means What is a Good GRE Score?
Ch. 3: Taking the GRE
When Shoud You Take the GRE Infographic
How to Register for the GRE Whats the Dif-
ference Between the Paper-Based and Com-
puter-Based GRE? About the GRE Subject
Tests Should You Take the Subject Tests?
Ch. 4: Quantitative Section
GRE Quantitative Basics Multiple Choice
Questions Quantitative Comparison Ques-
tions Numeric Entry Questions 25 Things
to Know for the Quantitative Section Quan-
titative Section General Strategies and Tips
A Special Note on the Quantitative Section
Ch. 5: Verbal Section
GRE Verbal Basics Sentence Equivalence
Questions Reading Comprehension Ques-
tions Text Completion Questions A Special
Note about Vocabulary 25 Things to Know
for the Verbal Section Verbal Section Gen-
eral Strategies and Tips
Ch. 6: Analytical Writing Section
GRE Writing Basics Analyze an Issue Task
Analyze an Argument Task Sample Essay
Prompts 25 Tips for Analytical Writing What
the GRE Graders are Looking For How to Get a
6 Writing Section General Strategies and Tips
Ch. 7: GRE Test Day
How to Manage Stress Before the GRE Why
Staying Relaxed Will Help You Score Well on the
GRE Things to Bring on GRE Test Day The 10
GRE Commandments
Ch. 8: GRE Resources
GRE Resources Overview Online Self-Based
Learning Group Classes and In-Person Tutor-
ing Free ETS Resources GRE Apps Physical
GRE Books and Flashcards GRE Prep Books
GRE Prep Book Reviews and Recommendations
Ch. 9: After the GRE
Understanding Your GRE Score Report How
Do Schools Look a Multiple GRE Scores
Ch. 10: Conclusion
Special $50 Of Benchprep Promo Code
4
14
31
42
54
66
79
88
96
101
GMAT
GMAT
GRE
GRE
vs
Which test is right for you? Which test is right for you?
All MBA
Programs
Over +1000 MBA
Programs
Grad School
Programs
business
school
business
school Show business schools that you
are serious about getting an MBA
GRAD School
& MBA
GRAD School
& MBA
Investment banks and
recruiters review scores for
employment
Generally easier for most
students than the GMAT
Time Section
30 min.
30 min.
75 min.
75 min.
Analytical + 1 essay
Integrated Reasoning
Quantitative
Verbal
Time Section
30 min. 2
30 min. 2
35 min. 2
30 min.
Analytical Writing
Verbal
Quantitative
Experimental
(math or verbal)
$250 $250 $185 $185
0 . =
+
-
c
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
!
Excruciatingly difcult math
! More emphasis on grammar ! Greater emphasis on writing
! Harder verbal and vocabulary
It is common to spend
hundreds of hours preparing
The grading curve
is easier
Economics
Programs
Computer
adaptive tests
Scores are
both valid for
yrs
www.800score.com/gmat-and-gre.html
www.princetonreview.com/gmatvsgre.aspx
www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about/mba/programs/
http://benchprep.com
GMAT
GRE
If you are applying to MBA
and/or graduate school programs.
3 HRS.
45 MIN.
3 HRS.
45 MIN.
3 HRS.
30 MIN.
3 HRS.
30 MIN.
BenchPrep | GRE Playbook 2014 | 27
Chapter 2 GRE 101
168.7 is 2 standard deviations above average, corresponds to the 97th or
98th percentile
Verbal worldwide average as provided by ETS.
150.8, with standard deviation 8.5
159.3 is 1 standard deviation above average, corresponds to approximately
the 80th percentile
167.8 is 2 standard deviations above average, corresponds to the 97th or
98th percentile.
Worldwide Averages By Field of Study as provided by ETS:
Analysis
As you can see, anything at least one standard deviation above the average is a solid
score, and anything at least two standard deviations above the average is an excep-
tional score. Also note that students pursuing graduate degrees in Physical sciences
and Engineering might look more favorable with a higher Quantitative Score than a
Verbal score as shown by the results. A score that is one or two standard deviation
above the average could be considered a good score, depending on your own indi-
Intended
Grraduate Major
Verbal
Score
(Mean)
Verbal
(sd)
Quantitative
Score
(Mean)
Quantitative
(sd)
Analytical
Writing
(Mean)
Analytical
Writing
(sd)
Life Sciences 151 7 151 7 3.8 0.7
Physical Sciences 153 9 158 7 3.8 0.8
Engineering 150 9 159 6 3.6 0.8
Social Sciences 153 7 150 8 4.0 0.7
Humanities & Arts 157 7 149 7 4.2 0.8
Education 157 7 149 7 4.2 0.8
Business 150 7 152 8 3.7 0.8
21 21 21
When Should I Take The GRE?
When Should I Take The GRE?
Sources
2013
Have you started studying?
Are you feeling
ready for the test?
Download
the BenchPrep app
& start studying
Are you ready now?
YES NO
YES
NOT
YET
August April
2 2
Take in
February
Take in
February
June
4 4
Take in
April
Take in
April
6 6
Take in
June
Take in
June
October
8 8
Take in
August
Take in
August
Business
Education
Engineering
Law
Medical
Science
Library & Information sciences
Social Sciences
Health
Public Afairs
BenchPrep
Presents
Facts to Consider
Facts to Consider
When do you want to
apply to graduate school?
http://ets.org/gre
http://gradschool.about.com/cs/aboutthegre/a/gre.htm
http://www.igrad.com/articles/taking-the-gre
http://www.happyschoolsblog.com/average-revised-gre-scores-universities/
TOP GRAD
SCHOOL PROGRAMS
In August 2011, the
GRE was updated
to a new format
PERFECT SCORE
T
H
E
GRE
your score is good for ve years
The GRE is
3 hrs. 40 min.long
There are
3 sections.
Verbal, Writing,
& Quantitative
EVERY
UP
TO YEAR DAYS
RETAKE THE
YOU CAN
IN A
Receive your GRE results
1015
days after you
take the exam
185
Unlike other
standardized tests
where you need to know
specialized content which
you might only learn in the
later years of college, you
already learned most of the
content on the GRE in high
school (hopefully!).
BenchPrep | GRE Playbook 2014 | 43
Chapter 4 Quantitative Section
GRE Quantitative Section
The GRE Quantitative section (the math section) is designed to test your ability to
reason mathematically, to understand basic math terminology, and to recall basic
mathematical formulas and principles. You should be able to solve problems and ap-
ply relevant mathematics concepts in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data anal-
ysis. Keep in mind, though, that the GRE is primarily a critical thinking test, so your
ability to apply reason and logic to solving the quantitative questions is more import-
ant than your ability to recall mathematical formulas and principles.
The GRE Quantitative question types include:
Two kinds of Multiple-choice questions, each with several answer choices
from which to choose,
Quantitative Comparison questions, each with four possible answers (AD),
and
Numeric Entry questions, for which you must come up with an answer on
your own. Some of the Multiple-choice and Numeric Entry questions are part
of question sets based on the data in charts or graphs.
In this section, we will discuss the format of each question type and provide you with
specic strategies for successfully answering the GRE quantitative questions.
A. Quantitative- Multiple Choice Questions
The GRE includes two kinds of multiple-choice questions: (1) Multiple-choice Se-
lect One Answer and (2) Multiple-choiceSelect One or More Answers.
Multiple-choiceSelect One Answer questions each have ve answer
choices. Your task is to select the one correct choice.
Multiple-choiceSelect One or More Answers questions can have fewer
than ve answer choices or more than ve answer choices. Your task is to se-
lect all the choices that answer the question correctly. The directions may tell
you how many choices to select. If you are told how many, you should select
exactly that number of choices.
BenchPrep | GRE Playbook 2014 | 44
Chapter 4 Quantitative Section
Some GRE multiple-choice questions involve straightforward calculations, while others
require you to evaluate a word-problem in a real-life setting. Still others may be part of
question sets called Data Interpretation sets. All of the questions in a Data Interpreta-
tion set are based on the same data presented in tables, graphs, charts, or gures.
To solve GRE Multiple-choice questions, you typically will not be required to perform
complex calculations. However, you will be given scratch paper for whatever guring
you wish to do, and you will also be provided with a calculator to assist you when
necessary. (In the computer-based test, the calculator will appear on screen.)
Example:

B. Quantitative Comparison
Quantitative Comparison questions ask you to compare two quantities and deter-
mine whether: (1) one is larger than the other, (2) the quantities are equal, or (3) there
is not enough information to determine a relationship between the two quantities.
Some questions include additional information that is centered above the two quan-
tities that concerns one or both of the quantities. Quantitative Comparison questions
generally require more logic skills than math skills.
Q. If 5x - 6 = 14, then 8x =
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
4
20
32
8
5
64
5
Q. Te ratio of two quantities is 4 to 5. If each
of the quantities is increased by 3, which of the
following could be the fraction of theses two new
quantities?
Indicate all answer choices that apply.
A.
B.
C.
7
8
23
28
11
13
On the Quantitative
section, your ability to
apply reason and logic to
solving the quantitative
questions is more import-
ant than your ability to
recall mathematical for-
mulas and principles.
BenchPrep | GRE Playbook 2014 | 56
Chapter 5 Verbal Section
phrases. Some of the answer choices might be very similar to one another. Your job
is to select the two best choices from among the six options. Keep in mind that a
complete sentence is clear and concise, conveys a logical meaning, and is uniform in
grammar and style.
Example:
Reading Comprehension Questions
GRE Reading Comprehension questions are designed to measure your ability to read,
understand, and analyze a written passage. Correctly answering a question requires
you to recognize both what is stated and what is implied within the passage, and to
establish the relationships and ideas expressed in the passage.
The GRE includes a balance of reading passages across diferent subject matter areas,
such as humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Each passage will be ap-
proximately 150 words in length and will be followed by one to three questions. You
should select the best possible answer, or combination of answers, for each question.
In the revised GRE, Reading Comprehension questions have three formats:

1. Multiple-choice QuestionsSelect One Answer Choice
Question Stem: It comes as no surprise that diferent cultures have certain behavioral norms;
however, to an outsider, the specifcs of these behaviors can often be .
Answer Choices:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
explicit
startling
predictable
unexpected
derisive
admirable
BenchPrep | GRE Playbook 2014 | 60
Chapter 5 Verbal Section
25 Things to Know: Verbal
1
2
3
4
5
6
Use roots, prexes, and sufxes to determine
the meaning of words you dont know.
Vocabulary is essential. When it comes to the GRE
Verbal section, thats the bottom line. Be proactive:
look up words you dont know!
On denition questions, guess quickly! Many questions re-
quire you to know the denition, and because its likely that you
cant use much logic to get to a better answer, select one and
move on. You can always come back if you have time.
Find your personal reading passage strategy. If you read the
questions rst, when you read the passages, you can focus on nd-
ing the right answers most quickly. However, some students nd
that reading the passage rst helps them understand the argument
more generally rst, before delving into the specic questions.
Pay special attention to the rst and last
sentences. They provide important clues to
the meaning of each passage.
Questions with Roman numeral answers are often confus-
ing and difcult. They ask you choose one more more or to
nd an exception. If youre running low on time, mark down
a guess and move to the next question.
BenchPrep | GRE Playbook 2014 | 85
Chapter 7 GRE Test Day
The 10 GRE Commandments
Test day. Its here. Its all too easy to lose your composure and get caught up on one
question. The test-makers throw in all sorts of convoluted wording and unnecessary
information to make you get confused, take up time, and throw you of.
Dont get caught in this trap! Heed the following 10 GRE Commandments to stay
focused during the exam.
C
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M
M
A
N
D
M
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N
T
22
C
O
M
M
A
N
D
M
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N
T
11
Thou shalt remember that every question is equal.
All questions are weighted equally. So you know that really tough ques-
tion youve been staring at blankly for three minutes? Worth the same as
the 2x=6 question. So, get your points on the easy stuf, and remem-
ber that every question is weighted the same. This above all else is your
most important piece of instruction.
Thou shalt use process of elimination.
Pssst! Guess what? You dont really have to know the correct answer on the
GRE; all you have to do is select the right answer. Process of elimination is
your friend; use it! Usually only two attractive answer-choices are ofered, out
of ve total. One is correct; the other is either intentionally misleading or only
partially correct. The other three answer-choices are usually uf. This makes
educated guessing on the GRE very efective. If you can dismiss the three uf
choices, your probability of answering the question successfully will increase
from 20% to 50%.
C
O
M
M
A
N
D
M
E
N
T
33
Thou shalt not get ustered.
The GRE is denitely too short to lose focus after getting
ustered. Train yourself to keep your composure and stay on
track through taking practice tests and monitoring how you
react to the time pressure.
BenchPrep | GRE Playbook 2014 | 90
Chapter 8 GRE Resources
Kaplan Princeton Review BenchPrep
GRE Advantage: The
New GRE On Demand
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Game Center
Ability to discuss with
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Ability to ask an expert
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Includes official GRE
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Lessons 8 video sessions and
study materials,
including workbooks
24 hours of recorded
sessions and a com-
plete set of printed
materials including The
Princeton Review On-
line Student Workbook
for the GRE
900+ lessons
including videos
Practice Questions 5,000 N/A 4,100+
Exams 7 Full-length 8 Full-length 7 Full-length
Flashcards
BenchPrep | GRE Playbook 2014 | 98
Chapter 9 After the GRE
Ofcial score reports are the reports that are sent to the schools you designate, will
only include the score(s) which you have selected to send to these organizations.
They will include your:
Contact information
Intended graduate major
GRE test score(s) of only SELECTED tests and the associated percentile ranks
Score reports sent to institutions will not include any information concerning the
other score recipients you have chosen (so if youre sending your scores to Universi-
ty A and University B, University A wont know about B and B wont know about A).
How do Schools Look at Multiple GRE Scores?
It might happen that you have to take the GRE two or more times to get the score
you want. Luckily, with the new ScoreSelect option, you have more freedom than
ever to select which of these scores you send on to the programs youre applying to.
With ScoreSelect, you can send any single score, or any combination of scores, that
you want.
When selecting which scores to send to which universities,
its helpful to know how the admissions committee consider
scores from multiple GRE tests. Most programs and Grad
Schools provide details on their website about how they
look at multiple GRE scores. Practices vary widely, and a
school can use one of many approaches:
Approach #1 All scores considered
Some schools may simply consider all of your
scores, with no further
details provided.