8/27/2016 TheUltimateGuidetoScoring330+ontheGRECrunchPrepGRE

MENU

The Ultimate Guide to Scoring

330+ on the GRE
101Tips,StrategiesandTestTakingTechniques
toScore330+ontheGRE

ByJitta&Sachin

Itsokaytoadmitit.

Yourpersonalwishthatyoudontwantanyonetoknow.

Thatthoughtwhichkeepsyouupnightafternight.

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Youwanttogetpastthe330barrierontheGRE!

YouwanttogetintothemostprestigiousUniversitiesintheworld
andbetheenvyofall.Youwanttogetfundingtooandmakeyour
parentsproud!

But youre afraid.

Youreafraidofwhatotherswillsaywhentheyhearaboutyour
dream.Youreafraiditwillseemimplausibletoobigandcrazy.

Youreafraidbecauseyoudontknowwheretobegin.Youdont
knowhowtogofromwhereyouaretowhereyouwanttobe.You
dontknowhowtogetfromheretothere.

The good news?

Justlikeeatingalargesizedpizza,youdontdoitallinonebite.

DominatingtheGREisajourneyyoutakeonestepatatime.

Tohelpyouinyourquest,herearethe101majorthingsyoushould
dotoreachyourgoal.

Wevecreatedthisguidetoshowyoustepbystephowyoucanget
ahighscoreontheGRE.Ifyoucanunderstandandfollowwhatis
beingsaidinthisguide,youwillbeabletoscorea330+onthe
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GRE,nomatterhowgoodorbadyouareatMathorVerbal.

Many,manyhourshavegoneintocreatingthisguide.Butthatwas
justthewritingpart.Wevespentyearsactuallylearning,
implementing,andtestingthesestrategiesnowserveduptoyou
onasilverplatter!

Listedbelowareourtop101scoreboostingstrategies.

Orasweliketocallthemscoreboosters.

Justoneofthemcaninstantlyboostyourscore.

Masterallofthemandyoullbewellonyourwaytobecominga
GRENinja.

Disclaimer:

Thisguideisnotfortheaveragestudent.

Itisnotfortheweakhearted,orforthenotsodetermined.Ifyou
thinkyoucannotgeta330+scoreontheGRE,thisguideisnotfor
you.Youcannotexpectamereguidetohelpyougetatopscore,
withoutactuallybelievingthatyoucan.

Butifyouthinkyoucan,andyouneedsomeguidinglight,thenthis
isrightplaceforyou.Thisguideisnotamagicpill,orashortcutto
success.

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Itonlyshowsyouapathtosuccess.Youhavetodothewalkingby
yourself.Ifthissoundsabsurd,orunachievablebynormalpeople,
youaremorethanwelcometostopreading.

Butifyouareconfidentenoughtounleashyourpotentialandscore
thehighestscoreyourfriendshaveeverheard,thisguidewillbe
absolutelyusefultoyou.

Ifyouwantthisguidetobewithyouallthetime,youcan
downloaditandsaveit,soitllbeeasiertoglancethroughit.
Youcanalsotakeaprintoutofallthetipsthatwearegoingto
sharewithyouintheforthcomingsections.Butfornow,letsstart
withsomebasicquestionsthateveryonehasintheirmind.

CHAPTER 1

Things You Should Know

Before Moving Forward
What does a 330+ score really mean?
Thishasgottobeoneveryimportantquestionthateveryoneneeds
toknow,beforetheyattempttogetthatmagicalscoreof330.What
doesitreallymeantogeta330+score?

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Toanswerthat,youneedtounderstandthata330+scoreisusually
the98thpercentileofallGREscores,whichmeansonly2%ofall
GREtesttakersintheworldgetascoreof330+.Thatshow
difficultitis.

Nowtoreallyunderstandwhata330reallymeans,youneedto
understandthedifferencebetweena320anda330.

A320isgenerallyconsideredasagoodGREscore
(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/goodgrescore).Butthefactis,itis
asdifficulttogofrom320to330,asitistogetto320inthefirst
place.Thedifficultyofthequestionsyouseeontestdayincrease
exponentiallyfrom320to330,whichmeans,itisnotrighttosay
thatitisaseasytogofrom320to330asitistogofrom300to310.

So,whatthismeansis,ifyouhavescoreda330+ontheGRE,you
havedoneatremendousamountofworktogetthere,especially
sincescoringthathighisprettyrare.

Italsomeansyouarebetterthan98percentofthepeoplewhotook
thetestalongwithyou,andthisstatisticaloneisgoodenoughfor
manytopschoolstoconsiderwelcomingyoutotheirincoming
class.

Thatiswhy,itisrarethatapersonwitha330+scoredoesntget
intoauniversityhe/shewanted.

What does it take to get a 330+ score?

TogetsuchahighscoreontheGRE,youwillneedthreethings.
Youcannotscorehighunlessyouhavemasteredallthethree:

1. Knowledge
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Asyoumighthaveexpected,knowledgeisthemostimportant
aspectofyourGREprep.

Therearemanythingsthatyouneedtolearn,suchasbasic
grammarrules,mathformulae,basicandadvancedconceptsfor
eachtopicthattheGREtestsyouon,andlastbutnottheleast,the
seeminglydifficultvocabularythattheGREverymuchlikestotest
youon.

Knowledgeissomethingthatanyonecaneasilyattain,iftheyare
determinedtoworkhard.Itmightbeeasyforsometesttakersto
getahangofallthemathandverbalconcepts,butforthevast
majorityofthetesttakingmultitude,itmightseemalittledifficult
tocopewiththesyllabusandthewidevarietyofconceptsthatthey
needtomaster.

Buthavingsaidthat,itisnotasdifficultasitseemseither.Ifyou
canbuckledownforafewweeksandlearneachandeveryconcept
withproperunderstanding,itwillbeaneasyjourneyforyou.

2. Skills

TherearesomeveryspecificskillsthattheGRErequiredyouto
master,andifyouarelookingtoscore330+ontheGRE,you
shoulddefinitelylearnthemall.

Someoftheimportantskillsyouwillneedtopossessarereading
skills,logicalreasoning,abilitytoextractinformationdatafroma
mathquestions,datainterpretationskills,processofelimination,
etc.

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Learningtheseskillsisnotthatdifficult,andchancesareyouhave
alreadylearntmostofthembynow,throughcourseworkduring
undergradorhighschool.Allittakesistorememberallthose
strategiesandtechniquesyouhavelearntinthepast,andthen
implementthemwhensolvingtoughquestions.

3. Strategy

TheGREisnotyourusualmidtermexam.Itisatestthatrequires
someverywelldevisedstrategiesandsolvingtechniques,whichyou
willdefinitelyhavetoincludeinyourarsenaleducatedguessing,
skippinghardandtimeconsumingquestions,learninghowto
perfectlymanagetime,andhowtobuildyourmentalstaminato
withstand4hoursofrigorouswork.

Now,donotexpecttogetawaywithonlyoneortwoofthesethree
strategies.AgreatscoreontheGREalwaysdemandsthatyou
masterallthethreeskills,sincenotwoskillscanseparatelygetyou
there.

Forexample,youcanneverdoverywellinRCunlesspurelybased
onskillandstrategy,sinceyouhavetohavetheknowledgegood
vocabularytounderstandthepassages.

Thesamethingappliesifyoudontknowtheformulatoaquestion
onarithmetic.Andifyouhavemasteredtheknowledgeand
conceptsfortheGREandhavethesufficientskills,itstilldoesnt
meanyoucandoreallywell,sinceyouneedtolearntomanageyour
pacethroughoutthetestandnotendupwithunfinishedquestions
attheendofasection.

So,youneedtomakesureyoureallymasterallthesethreeaspects.

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Can a 330+ score get you any university you

want?
Notreally.

Iftheuniversityyouwantisinthetop10,thenno.

Butifitisinthetop100,thenitisaresoundingyes.

Remember,youshouldkeepinmindthattheGREisbutonepart
oftheentireadmissionprocess,anduniversitiesgiveagreat
amountofweightagetoyourentireapplication,andnotjustthe
GREscore.

Gettinga330ontheGREdoesnotguaranteeyouaseatinatop
schoolacrosstheworld,butitcanonlyimproveyourchancesby
severalfolds.Havingsaidthat,ifyouarestilllookingfor
universitiesthatyoucangetforaGREscoreof330+,wehave
madeaproverbiallist(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/universities
grescores320to340)foryou.

How dicult is it to score 330+ on the GRE?

Notmuch.A330+scoreisveryrare,andchancesareyouknow
onlyoneortwopeoplewhohavegotthere.

Butdoesthatmeanitissodifficult?

Doesrareequaltough?

Notnecessarily.

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Theonlyreasonwhywedontseemanytesttakerswithsuchhigh
scores,isbecausetheydontknowhowtogetthere.

Manytesttakersbelievethatitisnearlyimpossibleforthemto
scoresohighontheGREthattheyresorttoscoringaveragely,and
endupapplyingtonormaluniversities.Theybelievethatitis
enoughiftheycangeta300+score,andsomehowgetan
admissionfromadecentuniversity.

Thatstheproblemthebelief.

Ifyoudontbelieveyouwilleverscorea330ontheGRE,younever
will.

AfamoussayinggoeslikeWhetheryouthinkyoucan,orwhether
youthinkyoucant,youareright.

So,ifyouoneofthosewhothinktheycandoit,thisguideisfor
you.

Im not a topper. Can I still score 330+ on the

GRE?
Theshortansweris,yes.

TheGREisnotatestofyourintelligence,oratestofhowwellyou
rememberthethingsyouvereadafewdaysbeforethetest.Rather,
theGREtestshowwellyoucantaketheGRE.Itisassimpleasthat.

Ifyouknowhowtocrackthetest,beitthroughstrategies,or
uniqueprepmethods,youcanendupwithahighGREscore.

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Butthetrickis,tounderstandthetestcompletely,anddevise
properstudyplansandprepstrategies,soastoovercomeyour
weakareas,andbolstertheareasyouarealreadygoodat.Ifyoucan
dothat,youcaneasilyscorea330ontheGRE.

How long should I study?

HowlongoneshouldstudyfortheGREreallydependsonamyriad
offactors,includinghowreadytheyaretotaketheGRE,howfast
theycanlearnnewconcepts,howwelltheycanapplyconceptsto
getquestionsright,howhightheywouldwanttoscore,andhow
welltheycanmanagethetestandthetime.

Thatiswhy,itisnotsoeasytosayhowlongoneshouldstudytoget
a330+scoreontheGRE.

But,justtogiveyouafairidea,itrequiresatleast100hoursof
dedicatedstudyandpracticeforanaveragestudenttoscoreashigh
as330.

Thismeans,itmaytakeyouanywherebetweenonetothree
months,dependingonhowmuchtimeyouarewillingtospend
everysingleday.

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CHAPTER 2

Resources You Will Need To

Get There
AnotherthingabouttheGREprepthatconfusesmanystudentsis
whatkindofstudymaterialtheyshouldbeusingwhenstudying.
Giventhewealthofinformationavailableonlineandoffline,and
giventherangeofchoicesthatstudentshavewhenitcomesto
pickingaprepcoursefortheGRE,itisunderstandablethatthereis
alotofconfusion.

Hereisadetailedrecommendationonwhatyoushouldbe
studying,ifyouwantahighscoreontheGRE.

Keepinmindthatthisisjustarecommendationfromus,sofeel
freetomakechangesasyouseefit,basedonyourpersonal
experience.

Essential Study Material

1. ETS Ocial Guide

TheOfficialGuideisabeginnersbiblefortheGRE,handsdown.

WrittenbythemakeroftheGREtest,thisofficialtestprepbook
coversallthebasicconceptsthatyoucomeacrossonthetest,and
alsoincludesafewexamplequestionsforeachofthetopics
discussed.IfyouarestartingyourGREpreparationnow,thisbook
isamustread.

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Inadditiontolessonsandtips,theOfficialGuidebookwhichcan
beboughtfromETSitself
(http://store.ets.org/store/ets/en_US/DisplayCategoryProductList
Page/categoryID.3551800/pgm.84203000)alsoincludesafree
copyofthePOWERPREPIIsoftwareistheformofaCD.

ContentsinthebookincludetwocompletefulllengthGREpractice
tests,authentictestquestionsthatappearedontheGREpreviously,
explanationstothosequestions,testtakingstrategies,sampleessay
responseswithreadercommentaryandmore.TheOfficialGuideis
availableinprintoreBookversions.

Thequestionsthatappearinthesetwotestsarecuratedfrom
previousGREtestsandthismakesthemsupervaluable.Theofficial
guideandthetwopracticeteststhatcomealongwithitaretheonly
materialouttherethatisascloseaspossibletotheactualGRE.

2. ETS Math and Verbal Guides

AlongwiththeOfficialGuide,justaboutacoupleofmonthsago,
ETShasreleasedtwonewdedicatedguidestobothMathand
VerbalsectionsontheGRE.

ItisawellknownfactthattheOfficialGuidedoesnothavetoo
manyproblemsforyoutoworkon,andthiscausesmanystudents
tosearchelsewhereforpracticeproblems.

Butwiththereleaseofthesetwoguides,youdonotneedtoworry
aboutthelackofauthenticGREpracticeproblemanymore.

Now,eventhoughtherearesomegoodpracticequestionsand
booksoutthereinthemarket,rememberthatnoneofthemare
officialbuttheonespublishedbyETS.TheMathandVerbalguides

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notonlyhaveseveralpracticeproblems,butalsocontainlotsof
strategiesandtipsthatcancomeinhandyduringthetest.So,go
aheadandpurchasethesetwoguidesaswell,alongwiththeOfficial
Guide.

3. ETS PowerPrep Software

ThePowerPrep
(https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/powerprep2)is
asetoftwofreepracticesetsprovidedbyETS,themakersofthe
GRE.

Sinceitisthecreatorsthemselveswhoareprovidingthesepractice
tests,thePowerPrepisbyfarthebestsourceofpracticeyoucanget
fortheGRE.ThequestionsonthePowerPreparethosethathave
previouslyappearedonrealGREtests,soyoucanexactlyknow
whatkindofquestionstoexpectontestday,andalsohowdifficult
therealdealisgoingtobe.

Theuserinterfaceisexactlythesameastherealtest,soifyoucan
getahangofthePowerPrep,thingswillbeeasyforyouontestday,
asyoudonthavetosweatthesmallstufflikethetutorialsection,or
howtomarkandskipaquestion,etc.

Also,itisawidelyacceptedtruththatyourfinalGREscorewont
differmuchfromwhatyougetonthePowerPrepitisthataccurate.

Recommended Study Material

Now,forthevastmajorityoftesttakers,thestudymaterials
mentionedabovewontbeenough.

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WithgreatrespecttoETSanditsqualitystudymaterial,any
studentlookingtoscoresuperhighontheGREwouldnotbe
satisfiedwithgeneralstrategiesandafewpracticeproblems.Test
takerswhoarelookingtoscoreabovethe95thpercentile,would
wanttolearnsomeadvancedtacticsandstrategies,andalsowould
liketobeexposedtotoughproblems,bothinMathandVerbal.

Ifyoutooarelookingforsuchmaterial,belowaresomeofour
recommendedstudymaterialfortheGRE.

4. The Ultimate Guide to Destroy GRE Reading

Comprehension

TheReadingComprehensionsectionisregardedasthetoughestof
allsectionsontheGREandmanystudentsfinditdifficulttoeither
understandthepassagesthoroughly,orfinishansweringall
questionswithinthetimelimit.Thisiswhy,youshouldpayutmost
attentiontothisseeminglydeadlysection.

ButthatdoesntmeanyouwillhavetostrugglewiththeRCs.Itjust
meansyouwillneedperfectstrategiesandtechniques,whichare
exactlywhatyouwillfindonourreadingcomprehensionguide
(//crunchprep.com/grereadingcomprehensionguide),whichhas
beenregardedbymanystudentsasthemostcomprehensiveguide
everonRCs.

Youshoulddefinitelyincludethisinyourarsenal,ifyouare
planningtoscoreanywherecloseto160ontheVerbalsection.

5. The Advanced Guide to Analytical Writing on the GRE

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EventhoughyourfinalGREscoreisinnowayrelatedtotheAWA
section,scoring330andthenscoringa3.0ontheAWAdoesnt
soundgreat.Ifyouarelookingtoscorea330+ontheGRE,youwill
alsoneedanequivalentscoreontheAWAsectionandtoachieve
that,youwillhavetobealotmoreplannedthanmostother
students.

JustaswiththeVerbalandQuantsections,masteringtheessay
sectionontheGRErequiresthesameamountofconfidence,
persistence,andpractice.Andinadditiontoallthat,youwillalso
needasolidguidethatcanhelpyouwithallthestrategiesandtips.
YouwillneedanAWABible,sotospeak.

So,ifthereisoneguidethatyoushouldreadtoscorea6.0onthe
AWA,itshouldbethis(//crunchprep.com/greanalyticalwriting
guide).

6. CrunchPrep 101 High Frequency GRE Words

Ifyouhaveheardthatyouneedtolearn3000or4000wordsfor
theGRE,youmustunderstandthatitisjustplainwrong.

Nostudentcanlearn4000wordsinamatterofweeks,and
moreovertheGREisnotatestofmemorynotbyalongshot.So,
thebestthingyoucando,isfigureoutthemostfrequentlytested
wordsontheGREexam,andthentryandlearntheircontextual
usage,sothatyouwillnotonlyforgetthemontestday,butalsouse
theminyoureverydaylifeandsoundsmarter.

But,tosaveyouallthetimeandenergy,wehavedonetheresearch,
andfiguredoutthe101mostfrequentlytestedGREwords
(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/101highfrequencygrewords).Do

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yourbestinlearningthesewordsfirst,andthenyoucanmoveonto
othergreatlistsavailableontheinternet,suchasBarrons333
words,orManhattans500advancedwords.

7. Free GRE Practice Tests

TherearequiteafewfreeGREpracticetests
(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/freegrepracticetests)availableon
theinternet,andyoushoulddefinitelymakegreatuseofthemall.
Wehavesortedthemalloutaccordingtohowclosetheyaretothe
actualtest,andhavegivenratingstoeachpracticetest.

Ifyoucan,tryandmakesureyouincludeallofthemintoyour
studyplan,andtakeapracticetesteveryweekend,oreventwicea
week,ifneedbe.Thereisnoneedtopurchaseadditionalpractice
testseitheronlineoroffline,becausetakingthese33testswillmore
oftenthannotbeenoughtogetyouagreatscoreontherealdeal.

8. Quality Study Material

Ifyouthinktheofficialguideswontcutitforyou,orifyoufinda
lotoftimeevenafterfinishingalltheofficialguidesandthe
aforementionedstudymaterial,youcangoaheadandpurchase
somequalitythirdpartymaterial.

SomeofthepopularplayersinthemarketareManhattanPrep,
PrincetonReview,andBarrons.Youcanbuyanyoneofthese
books,butmakesuretomakefulluseofitwhenyoubuyone.
Practiceasmanyproblemsasyoucanfromanyoneofthesaid
books,andgetyourselfexposedtonumeroustypesofquestionsand
concepts.

Optional Study Material

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9. Word Power Made Easy

WordPowerMadeEasybyNormanLewisiseasilyoneofthemost
popularbooksonvocabularyintheworld.Eventhoughthebook
consistsofawiderangeofEnglishwordsincludingtheircontextual
usageandmeanings,therearentquitealotofwordsthattheGRE
testsyouon.

So,ifyoudonothavealotoftime,itisrecommendedthatyou
dontusethisbook,sinceitnotonlytakesalotoftimetocomplete
alltheexercisesandunderstandthewords,butalsoisnt
particularlyusefultoimproveuponyourGREvocabulary.So,itis
uptoyoutodecideifyouwouldwanttolearnwordsthroughWord
Power.

10. Barrons 333 High Frequency words

Likewediscussedearlier,youwouldneedtocompletelymasterthe
highfrequencywordsbeforeyoumoveontotheothers,sincethese
fewhundredhighfrequencywords,asthenamesuggests,havea
muchhigherprobabilityofappearingonyourtestthanthe
remainingthousandsofwords.

Barrons333wordlistisonepopularlistofhighfrequencywords,
andonceyouhavemasteredCrunchPreps101,thisshouldbeyour
nextstop,ifyouhavethetime.Onlyonceyouhavecompletedall
the333wordsfromthislist,youcanmoveontotheotherword
lists.

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CHAPTER 3

101 Powerful Tips to Score

330+ on the GRE
Herearesomegeneraltipsthatwebelievewouldhelpyouget
closertoyourtargetGREscore.Thesetipsaremorelikeachecklist
ofthingsthatyouneedtomakesureyoudo,beforeyoutakethe
actualtest.

Sinceitisanextremelytoughordealtokeeptrackofso
manytipsatatime,wehaveincludedalinkwhichwill
giveyouadownloadableversionofthisentire
guide.Downloadandtakeaprintoutofthis,andstickit
whereveryouneed.

1. Get to Know the Test

Assimpleasthismaysound,manystudentsoftentendtoneglect
thispartoftheirGREtestprep.Italwaysmakessensetogetto
knowthetestfirst,andthenfigureouthowtocrackit.

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So,ifyouarelookingtoscoreveryhighonatimedtestlikethe
GRE,youneedtoknoweverythingaboutit,inandout.Youneedto
knowwhatsortofquestionsyouwillfaceontestday,whatandhow
manytopicsyouwillhavetolearn.Learnmoreaboutthetest
format(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/gretestformat),and
understandwhatyouwillhavetodealwith,duringthenextfew
weeksofstudy.

2. Take a Diagnostic Test

Itisalwaysimportanttotestthewatersbeforeyougoforadeep
dive.Alotofstudentsdonottakeanyformofdiagnostictest,
simplybecausetheythinkallpracticetestsshouldbetakenafter
studyingforthetest.

Somestudentsalsoarguethattheymayscorelowonthediagnostic
testanditmayhittheirconfidencelevels.

Nottrue.

Thediagnostictestshouldnotbetakenasabenchmark.Itisnota
representationofyourfinalscore.Itisonlytheretotellyouwhere
youneedtofocusyourattentionduringyourpreparationforthe
GRE.So,dontworryaboutseeinglowscores,orwastingapractice
test.Therearesomanyfreepracticetests
(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/freegrepracticetests)available
online,thatyoushoulddefinitelymakeproperuseof.

3. Know Your Strengths & Weaknesses

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Onceyoutakeadiagnostictest,youwillclearlyunderstandwhere
youarescoringreallywell,andalsowhereyouarelaggingbehind.
YoumighthavethoughtAlgebrawasapieceofcakeforyou,but
onceyoutakethetest,youmayrealizethatyouactuallyforgot
someofthebasicsinAlgebra.

So,thediagnostictestreallyplaysaroleinhelpingyourealizeyour
strengthsandweaknesses,therebyhelpingyoudeviseaperfect
studyplan.

4. Set a Realistic Target Score

Settingatargetalwayshelps,becauseyoualwayshaveabenchmark
inyourmindthatyouareconsciouslyorunconsciouslykeeping
trackof.Now,itiscompletelyfineevenifyouarenottargetinga
hugescoreof330+,butevenifyourtargetis315or305,alwaysset
atargetandkeepitinmind.

Keepcomparingyourpracticetestscoreswithyourtargetscoreand
measurehowfaryouhavecomealong,andhowfaryouhavetogo.
Ifithelps,writeyourtargetscoreonastickynotesorchartpapers
andstickthemalloveryourroom.

5. Understand How Much Time You Will Need

Nowthatyouhaveyourstrengthsandweaknessesready,you
shouldunderstandhowmuchtimeyouwouldneedtostudyforthe
test,beforeyoumakeastudyplan.Thisispurelyindividual,and
obviouslyvariesfromonetesttakertotheother,sodonottryand
comparestudyplanswithothers.Youshouldtryandmakeyour
ownstudyplan.

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6. Make Your Own Study Plan

Itisimportantthatyoucreateyourownstudyplan,eventhough
therearedozensofplansavailableonline.Thereasonbeing,you
knowyourselfbetterthananyoneelseintheworld,anditisyou
whoknowshowbusyyouarethroughouttheweek,orhow
confidentyouarerightnow,orhowmuchtimeitwouldtakefor
youtomastertheentireVerbalsection,forexample.

So,itisbetterifyoucantryandcreateyourownstudyplan,based
onseveralfactorsthataffectyouandyourschedule.Ofcourse,you
canusethestandardstudyplansyoufindonline,asframeworks,
andthenmakenecessarychangesasyouseefit.

7. Review the Basics

Reviewingthebasicconceptsisaverycrucialpartofyourtestprep,
especiallywhenitcomestomath.Eventhoughyoumayhave
scoredhighonthediagnostictest,itisinyourbestinterestto
revieweverythingstartingfromscratch,unlessyouhavealready
studiedtheconceptsveryrecently,orunlessyouareretakingthe
test.

Again,thisalsodependsonhowmuchpreptimeyoucanaffordto
spend,andhowmuchtimeyouhavebeforeyourtestday.Our
suggestionisthat,ifyouhavealotoftimesayatleastsixtoeight
weeksbeforeyousitforthetest,youshouldstartreviewingthe
basicsbeforeyoutaketheplunge.

8. Learn to Balance Your Time

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WhilestudyingfortheGRE,youmustconsciouslybalancethetime
youarespendingoneachchapterorconceptthatyoulearn.
Sometimes,itiseasytogoadrift,andspendmoretimethan
necessaryonaparticulartopic,orevenaquestion.

Sometimesyoumaygetstuckwithatoughquestionoracomplex
topic,andspendseveralhoursonit,notrealizingthatthereare
manyothertopicswaitingtobecovered.Donotmakethatmistake.
Alwayslearntobalanceyourtime,byallottingsufficienttimeslots
foreachandeverytopicinyourstudyplan.

9. Focus on Your Weaknesses

Twothingsdontallowstudentstofocusontheirweakareas.One,
itmightseemverytemptingtokeeponsolvingproblemsyoucan
easilysolve,andtwo,youarescaredoffailurewheneveryou
attempttostudydifficulttopicsthatyouarenotveryconfidentof.

Butthefactis,ifyouwantascoreanywherecloseto330,your
strengthsalonecannottakeyouthere.Youcannotaffordtoignore
yourweaknessesifyouareaimingtoscoreskyhighontheGRE.
Alwaysmakeastudyplanaroundyourweaknesses,andkeep
workingonthemperiodically.

10. Dont Procrastinate

Itiseasytofeeltiredordistractedwheneveryouarestudying
somethingthatdoesntinterestyou.Butthatdoesntmeanyou
shouldquitorpostponeit.Ifyoualreadyhadafixedstudyplan,
procrastinationreallydisturbstheentireschedule,anditwillallbe
chaosbeforeyourealizeit.

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So,makeitapointtonotprocrastinatenomatterwhat,because
ultimately,youaredreamingforatopscore.Andatopscorealways
demandshardwork,anddetermination.Rememberthatwhenthe
goinggetstough,thetoughgetgoing.

11. Work open book

ForthefirstfewweeksduringyourGREprep,trytoworkopen
book.Ifyouforgetaformulaoramethod,orifyoureallythinkyou
needhelp,donothesitatetolookitup.Doawaywithtraditional
learningmethods,andhaveanopenbookpolicyforaslongasyou
thinkyouneedit.Onceyougainconfidenceandyoucansolve
questionseasily,shifttoanormalstudyplan,andpracticewithout
anybooksorhelpingaids.

12. Build Your Mental Self

TheGREisamentalgame,andyoualwaysneedtobefitinorderto
winthismentalchallenge.Stayingmentallyfitcanbedoneinmany
ways,butsinceyouarepreparingfortheGRE,youneedtobefitto
takethetest.

Buildyourselfmentally,bystudyingatregularintervals,testing
yourselfwhenyouaredonestudyingaconcept,andtakingfrequent
fulllengthGREpracticetests.Thiswillhelpyourmindgetusedto
thefastpacedtestenvironment,andyouwillbeabletositthrough
theactualdealcomfortably.

13. Start Early

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StartyourGREprepasearlyasyoucan.Doesntmatterifyouare
stillasophomorestudent,oraworkingprofessionalthreeyearsout
ofcollege.StartstudyingfortheGREassoonasyoudecidetostudy
abroad.

Thiswillreallyhelpyoubecauseyouwillhavelotsoftimetostudy,
andyoucangoatarelaxedpace,ratherthanhurryatthelast
moment.IfyouhavenotdecidedwhentotaketheGRE
(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/whentotakethegre),
maybeitistimeyougaveitathought.

14. Learn Vocabulary in Context

LotsofstudentswastetheirtimeeveryyeartryingtolearntheGRE
vocabbyheart.Thereisnopointinlearningwordsbyheart,
becauseone,itisgoingtotakethelongtimetwo,youaregoingto
forgetitanywayandthree,itdefeatstheverypurpose.Instead,you
wouldbehappytorealizehoweasyitistoleanvocabularyin
context,andhowstudyingthisway,youcanrememberwordsfora
long,longtime.

15. Focused, Targeted Practice

Practiceisonlyveryeffectivewhenitistargeted.Everytimeyousit
downtostudy,youneedtohaveadefinedsenseofdirectionand
purpose.

Thebigdifferencebetweena310anda330istargetingweakness
andimprovingconstantly,everysingleday.

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Whichmeans,sittingdowntostudy,andworkingonthose
weaknesses.Alwaysbeonthelookoutforweaknesses.Youneedto
behonestwithyourselfandkeeptrackofyourweaknessesina
notebook.Thenwhenitcomestopractice,focusonimproving
thoseskills.

16. Study Consistently

Studyingconsistentlyandonaregularbasisisalotbetterthan
studyingwithgapsinthemiddle.Makesureyoudeviseastudy
plankeepinginmindyoursemesterexams,thesissubmissions,and
otherfamilyobligations,becauseagoodpreprequiresconstant
studyandregularmonitoring.

Justmakesureyoudonthavealotofgapsinthemiddle,asthese
canturnouttobehiccupsinyourprep,andyouwillforgetsomeof
theconceptyouhavelearntpreviously.

17. Take a Prep Course (If you can afford it)

StudyingfortheGREisnotanormalordeal,especiallyifyouare
aimingatareallygoodscore.Therearesomanythingsyouneedto
takecareof,fromdiagnosticteststoperformanceanalysis,from
makingdynamicstudyplanstoperformingregularmistake
analyses.

Whichiswhy,westronglyrecommendthatyoutakeaprepcourse
ifyoucanafford,sinceyoucanleaveallthathassletothepeople
whodoitbest,soyoucanconcentrateonwhatyoucandobest
studying.

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Ifyouthinkconventionalinclassroomcoachingclassesaretoo
expensiveforyourliking,considertakinganonlineprepcourse,
whichhasmanyadvantages(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/why
onlinegreprep).

18. Find a GRE Verbal Study Buddy

Moreoftenthannot,youprobablyhaveafriendwhoisalso
studyingfortheGREalongwithyou.Ratherthanstudyingalone,it
isbettertohaveastudybuddyfortheGRE,sinceafriendcanhelp
youwithmanythings.Firstly,yourfriendcanhelpyoulearnthe
thingsyoudidntknowpreviously,therebysavingyourtime.

Also,yougetachancetohelpyourfriendlearningsomethingyou
know,soyouhaveachancetostudysomethingforthesecondtime.
ButtherealreasonwhyyoushouldhaveaGREstudybuddy,is
becauseyouandyourfriendcanhelpeachotherlearntheGRE
vocabulary.

Makeapactwithyourfriendthatwheneveryoutwotalktoeach
other,ortexteachother,youwilluse5or10GREwordsperday.
Thisconversationallearningwillhelpyouunderstandthemeaning
ofthewords,andtheircontextualusage,therebyhelpyoulearn
vocabfasterthanotherwise.Plus,youcanalwayscreateahealthy
competitiveenvironmentbetweenthetwoofyou,astowhoscores
higherinthenextpracticetest.

19. Get the Right Prep Material

Studyingfromtherightprepmaterialisalmostascrucialas
anythingthatconcernsyourGREprep.Manystudentsstartwith
onebook,leaveitinthemiddle,andskiptosomeothermaterialor
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onlinesourcesveryfrequently.

Thiswillseriouslyaffectyourscheduleandlearningprocess,since
eachmaterialhasitsownwayofexplainingtheconcepts,andsome
booksmightusedifferentnotationsandterms,forexample.This
willonlyhamperyourchancesoflearningfasterandbetter,soitis
bettertostickaparticularsetofmaterialthroughoutyourstudy
plan.

20. Do not try to solve any question you see

anywhere
Solveeachandeverypracticeproblemfromtheofficialguide,and
theotherguidesthatwehavementionedearlier.Donottryto
searchforadditionalproblems,onceyouaredonewiththese.
Thereisnopointinpracticingtenthousandproblems,ifyou
cannotunderstandthepointbehindeveryquestion.So,donottry
tosolveanyandeveryquestionyouseeontheinternetor
elsewhere.

21. Get over Fear

LikeadialoguefromaHollywoodmoviesays,fearisnothingbuta
merechoice.Understandthefactthatyoufearingforthetestdoes
notalterthesituationyouarein.

Ifyouareunderprepared,betterpostponethetestratherthangoin
fulloffearanddoubt.

But,ifyouarefullypreparedforthetestandareconfidentof
gettingthescoreyoudreamedof,thentheresnopointinbeing
afraidoranxiousofthetest.Learnhowtocopewithtestanxiety
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(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/gretestanxiety)andgetoverall
yourinhibitions.

22. Build your stamina

Asyoumighthavealreadybeentoldseveraltimes,theGREisatest
ofendurance.Formoststudents,itisprobablythefirsttimeinyour
lifethatyouaresittingthrougha4hourtest.Itsagrueling
experience,whichyoumustgetusedtobeforethetestday.

Forthis,youmustmakeitapointtotakeasmanypracticetestsas
youcan,infrontofthecomputer.Nopapertests,people.Usethe
computers,sincethatshowyouaregoingtowritetheactualtest.

23. Take a GRE Practice Test Every Weekend

Sincethereisatonofpracticematerialandscoresofpracticetests
availableontheinternet,allforfree,takeapracticetestevery
singleweekusingqualitytestsfromPowerPrep,PrincetonReview,
Kaplan,andManhattan.Thesepracticetestswillbeverycrucialfor
helpingyoubuildthestaminayouneededtositthroughthe4hour
test.

Whenmakingastudyplan,makesuretotakeintoconsideration
thefactthatyouneedtotakeaGREpracticetesteveryweekend.
Doingthiswillhelpyoustayabreastwiththetestformat,andtest
strategies,andatthesametimehelpyougaugeyourperformance
onaweeklybasis.

24. The two minute rule

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Alwaysrememberthetwominuterule,whichsaysthatyoushould
neverspendmorethan2minutesonasinglequestionontheGRE.
After2minutes,ifyoustillcantfigureoutasolution,findoutan
alternativeapproach,orstartaguessingstrategy.But,besuretobe
doneby2minutes,orelseitwillhurtyourchancesofscoringhigh
ontheGRE.

25. Do all OG Questions

Ifyouhaveallthetimeintheworld,youmustdoalltheproblems
fromtheOfficialGuide.ThisisbecauseonlytheOGhasrealGRE
questionsthathaveappearedintheprevioustests.Butlikemost
studentswhoarestudyingfortheGRE,ifyouareundertime
constraints,youmuststudyinasmartway.

InsteadoftryingtosolveallthequestionsfromtheOGduring
crunchtime,youshouldfocusyourenergyinthelast100orso
questionsfromeachsection,astheyarethemostrecentlyretired
GREquestionsandalsotendtobethehardestquestionsofeach
section.Thiswillhelpyouunderstandtheexactkindofquestions
youwillfaceontestday.

26. Maintain an Error Log

ErrorlogsareprobablyoneofyourbestfriendsduringyourGRE
prep.Ifyoutryandusetheerrorlogeffectivelyforawhile,youwill
beabletoseeadistinctivepatternofthemistakesyoumakeandthe
areasyoumakethemin.Believeitornot,theerrorlogwillbeyour
bestteacher!

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Youcanonlygetahigherscorewhenyouknowifyouare
improvingconstantlyornot.Itisquiteeasytocreateanerrorlogit
canbeanything,butanexcelfilewouldbethemostpreferred
option,sinceitiseasiertonotonlyuse,butalsomakechangesin
thefuture.

Makeanexcelsheetwiththeentirelistoftopicsyouaregoingto
studyinthenextfewmonths:Algebra,Geometry,TextCompletion,
etc.Andwritedownyourconfidencelevelsinthenextcolumn,ona
scaleof1to5with5beingveryconfidentand1beingclueless.

27. Review Wrong Answers Thoroughly

Ifyougetaquestionwrong,youneedtobeextremelyvigilantabout
it,especiallysinceyouwouldntwanttorepeatthesamemistake
nexttimearound.Whenyoumakeamistake,dontreadthe
explanationimmediately.Trytosolveitonyourown.Reviewall
materialwithapenandpaperinhand.

Any mistake you make any

time, you should make sure you
would not make it again.

So,wheneveryougetaquestionwronginthepracticetests,take
timetorevieweachandeveryquestion,andmakesureyoureview
itproperly,includingfindingoutthereasonwhyyoucouldntgetit
right.Youmustunderstandwhythecorrectanswerchoiceisright

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andwhythewrongchoicesarewrong.Thisexercisemayseem
boringorrepetitive,butitwillhelpyouavoidmistakesinthe
future.

28. Read Everyday

Readingeverysingledayisawonderfulhabittohave,andit
certainlypaysoffduringthetest,sincetheGREtestsyouonhow
fastandefficientlyyoucanread,withoutbeingpronetoalotof
mistakes.

Makeitahabittoreadsomedailiesormagazinesonscience,
politics,environment,socialissues,etc.Theywillnotonlyhelpyou
acetheGREtest,butwillalsomakeyouasmarterpersonin
general.

29. Learn Test Strategies

Learningtactfulstrategiescanbeveryefficientwhenitcomesto
tacklinganyconceptontheGRE.Studentsgenerallyfeelsomeof
thetopicsontheGREarereallytoughtocrack.

ReadingComprehensionforexample,isconsideredasthetoughest
ofallsectionsontheGRE,andmanystudentsfalterinthissection,
makinguscreateanentirestrategyguideforthereading
comprehensionsection(crunchprep.com/grereading
comprehensionguide).Similarly,youshouldtryandlearnefficient
strategiestoeasilysolvesuchsectionsontestday.

30. Learn 20 Words a day

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Therearescoresofwordlistsavailableoutthereontheinternet,
askingtolearneverysinglewordfromthelist.Thelistshaveas
manyas3500+wordsforyoutolearn,ifyouwantagoodscorein
theverbalsection.Butthepointis,youdontneed3500wordsto
scorehighontheverbalsection.Plus,itisverydifficulttolearnand
remember3500wordsinaveryshortperiodoftime.

So,whatyoucandois,makeitcompulsorytolearnatleast20word
aday,ifnotmore.But,itismoreimportanttolearnthesewordsin
contextthansimplemeaningsandsynonyms.Startwiththehigh
frequencywords(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/101high
frequencygrewords),andonlywhenyouhavetotallymastered
them,moveontotheotherlists.

31. Learn to Let Go

Donotkeeponstudyingthatoneconceptyouhaventunderstood
yet,especiallywhenyoustillhavealotofstudyingtodo.Learnto
letgoofthehardertopicsorquestions,andmoveontotheones
youcaneasilyunderstandorcompletewithinthetimeyouhave
allottedyourself.Onceyouhavecompletedtherestofthetopics
andquestions,youcanalwayscomebackandtrylearningthe
harderconceptsagain.

32. Solve 330+ level questions

Itstandstoreasonthatifyouwanttocrack330ontheGRE,you
needtoknowhowtosolvetheharder,330levelquestionstheGRE
mightthrowatyouonboththeverbalandquantitativesections.
Thatstrue.So,keeppracticingthosequestionsthatalways

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challengeyou,insteadofdoingquestionsthatyoucaneasilysolve
withinafewseconds.Challengeyourselfeverysingleday,andone
dayyouwillreachalevelthatsbeyond330.

33. Read the Explanations

Ifyouhaveenoughtimeforthetest,youshouldreallytrytoread
theexplanationsprovidedintheOGtoallthequestions.Thiswill
helpyoucarefullyanalyzeyourmistakes,andalsotounderstand
howtothinkaboutanansweringstrategytoaparticularquestion.

ETSlikestotestthesamepatternsoverandoveragainintheir
tests,andifyouareperfectlypreparedtothepatternspreviously
tested,itwilldefinitelyhelpyouontestday.Infact,youwillbe
surprisedtoknowhowmanyofthequantproblemsyouwillseeon
testday,wouldbereplicasofproblemsyousolvedintheOG.

34. Dont be a Perfectionist

Consistencyisalwaysmoreimportantthanperfection,andtest
takersshouldgetthisintotheirheadsasmuchastheycan.
Rememberthatyouarenotaimingtobethegreatesttesttaker
ever.YouonlywantareallygoodGREscoreandstudyatyour
dreamuniversity.

Togetthere,youneedtokeeptheballintheballpark.Many
studentsthinkthat,togetthatmagicalscoreof330,theyneedto
mastereveryarcanequestiontheyfindontheinternet,do
thousandsofquestions,andmemorizelonglistsoftoughwords.

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Thatsnottrue.Instead,youshouldgetyourselfascloseaspossible
inthelimitedtimethatyouhave.Everytimeyoutrytobea
perfectionist,youtendtomakecarelessmistakes,orsimple
calculationerrorsthatyouotherwisewouldhavedoneright.So,try
togetbettereveryday,insteadoftryingtobeperfect.

35. OG is the GRE Bible

Yes,theOfficialGuideisactuallyoneofthebestbooksyoucan
have,whilestudyingfortheGRE.Ifyouaskanyonewhoscored
reallyhighontheGRE,theywouldsaythesame.Manypeoplerefer
toOGastheBibleofGREprep,andrightfullyso.Makesureyouget
yourselfacopyoftheofficialbookontheGRE.

36. Have Fun

Dontforgettoenjoywhatyouaredoing.Eventhoughsometimesit
getsalittleboringordifficulttokeepupwith,itisnecessarythat
youkeepgoing,andhavefunwhileyoureatit.Rememberatime
whenmathproblemswerekindoffun,orthetimewhenthe
readingcomprehensionpassagesyoureadcontainsomeinteresting
information.FindawaytohavesomefunwithyourGRE
preparation.Itsprobablysomethingverydifferentfromwhatyou
doonanormalbasis,soconsideritasauniqueexperience,and
appreciateitforwhatitis.Onceyoucanconvinceyourselfthat
whatyouaredoingisfun,theprocessbecomesawholeloteasier.

37. Keep it Short

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Sometesttakers,withanaimtoscorereallyhighonthetest,devise
studyplansspreadover4or6months.Rememberthefactthatif
youcanstudyinaperfectanddisciplinedmanner,andfollowthe
schedulewithoutdeviating,itiseasytogetagoodscoreontheGRE
withinafewweeks.Contrarytowhatmanystudentsthink,mostof
themdonotneedmorethan6weekstogetahighscore.The
problemis,ifyoustudyformonthstogether,youwillstartlosing
theexcitementandinterestafterthefirstcoupleofmonths,andit
canleadtoburnoutaswellasforgetfulness.

38. Maintain Notes

RecordallimportantpointsandcriticalnotesabouttheGREonto
piecesofpaper,orbetteryet,onselfmadeflashcards,soyoucan
takethemwhereveryougo.Thisreallyishelpfulbecause
sometimesyoucomeacrossapointthatstrikesyouasbrilliant,but
youeventuallyforgetthatasyouapproachtheexam.Bymaking
flashcardsfilledwithimportantobservationsandnotes,itcanturn
outtobeaveryeffectivemethodfordrillingstrategypointsand
knowledgeintoyourhead.Startmakingflashcardsfromthefirst
dayofyourstudies.

39. Pacing is Key

Ifyouasktesttakerswhoscoreda330+ontheGRE,theywould
tellyouthatpacingthroughthetestisoneofthemostimportant
thingstheydo.Now,ifyouwanttopacequicklythroughthe
questionsandstillgetthemallright,youneedtoexpandyourskills
outsideofpracticeproblems,andalsohaveaverystrong
understandingofthequestionstypes,thecommonwronganswer

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trapsforeachquestiontype,andthestrategyforeachtypeof
question.Thisknowledgedefinitelysavesyouatonoftimeontest
day.

Studentsscoringinthe330+rangealsohaveastrongpacing
strategy,knowhowtosavetime,andusetimeefficiently.Not
feelingrushedwhenyoudonthavemuchtimeonhand,isakeyto
success,whichcomeswithpracticeforsure.So,ifyoulackapacing
strategy,itistimetostartcomingupwithone,rightnow,during
practice.

40. Practice Questions Arent Enough

Plentyofstudentstendtothinkthatiftheyanswerhundreds,or
eventhousandsofpracticequestions,theyarereadytotakethe
test.Butsadly,though,thisisamyth.Practicealoneisntthekeyyo
successsmartpracticeis.

Thebesttesttakers,ontheotherhand,notonlypracticealotof
problems,butoutsideGREprep,theyalsoreadalot,andalso
choosereallytougharticlestoread.Thesestudentsmakeahabitto
improvetheirskillsoutsideofpracticeproblemsandgrammar
points.

Youtoo,shouldhencestartbelievingthefactthatpracticingforthe
GREmeansmorethanjustopeningatestprepbookorlogginginto
yourtestprepsoftware.

41. Master all the Advanced Topics

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IntheGREverbalsection,youneedtomakesureyoucanread
passagesandcompletequestionsintheallottedtimewithout
sacrificingcomprehension.Forthat,youneedtolearnthebasics,
suchasgeneralgrammarrulesthatdeterminethecorrectanswer.

Similarly,inthemathsection,ifyoucanspendthetimetogo
througheachandeverychapter,doingtheexercisesandpractice
problemsalongtheway,youwillknowallofthemathcontentyou
needtoscorea330+.

42. Timed Practice

Aswediscussedmany,manytimespreviously,itdoesntmatter
whetheryoucanansweraquestioncorrectly.Itonlymatters
whetheryoucanansweraquestionwithinthelimitedtimetheGRE
willgiveyou.Forthemathsection,youneedtoanswer20
questionsin35minutes,andfortheverbalsection,20in30.

So,makesurethatyouneverpracticewithoutastopwatchbyyour
side.Ifittakesyouthreeorfourminutestodoaproblem,makeita
pointtodoitagainandagain,untilyoucancompleteitconfidently,
correctly,andwithinthetimeconstraints.

43. Stay Condent

Alwayshaveconfidenceinyourself,andinyourpreparationforthe
test.Youmustwalkintothetestcenterwithaneversaynever
attitude.Nomatterwhathappensduringyourpreporduringyour
test,donotlosefaithinyourself.Preparewellforyourtest,expect
toscorehigh,andreachyourtarget.Ifyoudonothavehigh
confidencelevels,itwilldefinitelyimpactyourperformanceontest
day.
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44. Execution is What Matters

Getting330ontheGREislargelyaboutexecutionthatanything
else.Ontestday,youllneedtoavoidcarelesserrors,manageyour
timeimpeccably,andapplyalltheskillsyouveworkedon,without
muchroomformistakes.

Doesthatmeanyoullhavetoanswereveryquestionright?

Ofcoursenot,sinceifthatwerethecase,thisguidewouldbecalled
Guideto340ontheGRE.Butweretalkingabout330,which
meansyouneedtostudysmart,andexecutesmarter,without
havingtobeperfectatall.

45. Know the concepts back and forth

Takeasmuchtimeasyouneedtolearneverysingleoneofthe
concepts,andforgetaboutspeed,duringtheinitialstages.Focuson
learningconceptsfirst,andonlywhenyouthinkyouhavemastered
alltheconceptscompletely,youshouldfocusonspeed.Itis
pointlesstostudyforspeeduntilyouknoweveryconcepttheGRE
isgoingtothrowatyou.

Thisisbecause,ifyoudonotfocusmuchonconcepts,whenyou
faceaquestionthatreliesonyouknowingthatspecificpieceof
formulaorconcept,youlleitherbeforcedtoguessoryoullhaveto
leaveit.

46. Dont Peek at the Answers

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Nomatterhowtemptingitistopeekattheanswereverytimeyou
solveaquestion,dontdoit.Youcanreviewalltheanswersonce
youfinishtheentireset,ortheentiretest,forthatmatter.Also,
evenifyouaresolvingquestionsforfun,orjustforpractice,donot
lookattheanswers,unlessyouarereallycluelessorstumped.
Followingthispracticewillhelpyouinthelongrun.

47. Always be Accountable

Shareyourgoalswithpeople.AssoonyouasregisterfortheGRE
(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/greappointment),youshouldmake
itpublicthatyouarestudyingfortheGRE,andtelleveryoneabout
yourplanstoscorea330.Thisisamentaltrickthatyouplayon
yourself,whereinthesocialpressurethatyouhavecompelledon
yourself,willmakeyoufeelveryresponsibleforachievingyour
goal.

Youstepyourgameupanotchinanefforttonotlookbadinfront
ofyourfamilyandfriends.Butthen,makesureyouwillnotbe
undonebythepressure,andthatyouhavefriendswhosupported
andencouragedyoutoreachyourgoal.

48. Always try on your own

Itisadvisedthatyoualwaystriedtosolveaquestiononyourown,
andthatyoudonotseekmuchhelpfromsomeoneelse,unlessand
untilyouknowyoucannotsolveitonmyown.Usually,students
tendtotryaproblem,andiftheygetitwrong,theyseethe
explanationgiven.BIGmistake.Donotmakethatyourself.Sure,it
mightsoundlikethemostconvenientthingtodo,butyouwont
actuallybelearninganything.Whatyoucandois,spendafew
minutesonaquestion(obviouslynotduringasampletest),trying
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tosolveit.Youmightsayitissuchawasteoftime,butyouwill
realizeyourtheorywaswrong,especiallywhenyoustartgetting
answerstotoughquestions.

49. Fall in love with whatever you are studying

Sometimesyoumaycomeacrosstopicsorconceptsthatmight
soundveryboringtoyou.Ifyoureallywanttoscorehighonthe
GRE,youmusttrytoembraceeventheboringconcepts,andfigure
outawaytomakeitinterestingforyoutolearn.Havingafriend
studywithyouhelpsinsuchsituations,asyourfriendmightfigure
outawaytoexplainittoyoueasily.

50. Have Formulae on Your Fingertips

Forthequantsection,youalreadyknowthatformulaearelike
diamonds.Alwayshaveformulaeonyourfingertips,andknow
certainconceptslikethebackofyourhand.

Forexample,knowthesquaresofallthenumbersupto25,the
multiplicationtableofnumbersupto20,thesquarerootsofallthe
numbersupto10,andallprimenumbersupto100.

Thesearereallyinstrumentalingettingahighscoreonthemath
section.Numericalfluencywillallowyoutofigureoutcertain
questionsinamatterofsecondsasopposedtowastingcrucial
minutesincalculations.

51. Dont sweat the AWA section

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DontexpendallyourenergyontheAWAsection,sinceitisthe
firstsectionyouwillfaceontestday.Ifyoudonttakeiteasy,you
willenduptotallyworkeduponehoursintothetest,anditwill
definitelyhaveanimpactontherestofthesections.

Now,sinceitisauniversalfactthatyouneedtobringyourAgame
forthequantandverbalsections,youmustnotsweattheessaysat
thebeginningofthetest.Forthat,youneedtoprepareforaneasy
AWAride,whichyoucan,ifyoutakealookatourcompleteAWA
guide(//crunchprep.com/greanalyticalwritingguide).

52. Choose a Good Guide

Choosingagoodguideisreallyimportant,especiallysincemost
guidesyoufindontheinternetarenotreallygreat.Thisbecause,
mostguidesaretargetingthemiddlemarket,whichmeans,people
whowanttogetawaywithscoringanaverageGREscore.Butyou
arenotlookingfora300or305.Youwanta98percentilescore,
whichiswhyyouneedatopclassguideoragreatbooktogetyou
there.

Agoodguidewillleadyouverycarefullythrougheachandevery
stepandalsoshowyouvariousansweringstrategies,andwhereyou
cangowrong.Agoodguidewillexplainconceptsandtechniquesin
awaythatiseasytounderstandandremember.So,inaway,a
goodguideshouldmakeyoufeellikeyouhaveaccesstoabrilliant
privatecoach,whoisalwaysatyoubeckandcall.

53. Calm Your Nerves

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Nevergettooanxiousaboutthetest.Learntomanageyour
composure,andpracticethecorrectbreathingtechniquesthatcan
helprelaxyou.Takeverydeepbreathswheneveryouarestressed
ontestday,anduseothertechniqueslikerollrelaxingyourneck
muscles,orsmilingforafewseconds,orshakingyourlegs.Also,
usetheinstructiontimetotakeafewdeepbreathes,andtogetinto
theexammood.

54. Make extensive use of the Process of

Elimination
Learntoliveanddiebytheprocessofeliminationstrategy,whichis
oneofthebeststrategiesever.Wheneveryoucomeacrossa
questiontowhichyouhavenoideahowtoanswer,thisprocesscan
comeinveryhandy.

Ifyouarenewtothisanddontknowwhattheprocessof
eliminationis,itisasimpleprocesswhereyoueliminateoptions
basedonhowirrelevantorwrongtheysoundinthecontextofthe
givequestion,andthenendupwiththatoneoptionthatsoundsthe
leastincorrecttoyou.Thenyouchoosethatoptionandproceed

55. Slow down

InthelastfewdaysbeforetheGREtest,rampdownyourprepabit,
anddontfocusyourmindandbodymuchonthetest.Makeita
pointtorelaxyourselfbymeansofgoodfood,sleep,andexercise.
Yourbodyneedslotsofrest,andyourmindneedsalotoffocusand
determination,towithstandthepressureofthisbigtest.Eatwell,
liftsomeweightsifyoucan,andgetsomedecentsleep!

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56. Learn to move on

Donotspendmuchtimeonquestionsyouthinkyoucannot
answer.Ifyouthinkaquestionisratherdifficult,anditisgoingto
takeyoumorethantwominutestogetanywhereclosetoanswering
it,guesstheanswer,markthequestion,andmoveon.Dontfall
preytotheseenticingbutdifficultquestions,andloseouton
valuabletimewhichyoucanusefortherestofthesection.

57. Review Guessed Questions

Duringpractice,ifyouwereunsureaboutaquestionbutguessed
correctly,donotjustleaveitbe.Reviewitasifyougotitwrong,
becauseyoudidntgetitrightbysolvingit.Maybeyougotlucky
thistimearound,butyoumaynotbesoluckyontestday.You
neverknow.Itisbettertolearnwhyyoucouldntgettheanswer
wouldhelpyouinthelongrun.

58. Stick to the Plan

Onceyouvecreatedastudyplan,sticktoit.Alotofstudentstend
tochangestudyplanstoooften,andendupnotgettingadjustedto
anyoneoftheplanstheyhavecreatedforthemselves.Thiswill
affectyoubadly,sinceaproperstudyplanneedstobefollowed,if
youwantadecentscoreontheGREforgetabout330.Evenascore
of310willneedalotofdiligentplanningandexecution.

59. Keep your cell phone away

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Neverhavethecellphonewithyouwhilestudying.Itcanbeabad
influenceonyourprep,becauseyouwillthenbeeasilydistracted.If
youareusingthephonetokeeptrackoftime,ortousethe
stopwatch,thenbyallmeansputitintheairplanemode.Thiswill
preventyoufromtexting,surfing,orreceivingcallsfrompeople,
andtherebywillkeepyoufromgettingdivertedwhileyouare
studying.

60. Procrastinate Procrastination

Inotherwords,donotprocrastinate,nomatterwhat.Remember
thatonlythetoughgetgoingwhenthegoinggetstough.So,when
youfeellikegivingup,orpostponingstuff,youshouldtrytoget
backtoworkbythinkingallthepositivethoughtsintheworld,like
youscoringa330ontheGRE,andstudyingataworldclass
university,etc.Thesepositivethoughtswillhelpyouovercomethe
feelingtoprocrastinatethings.

61. Maintain a GRE Cheat Sheet

Asyouwork,buildyourformula/strategynotebook.Ifyoufinda
methodthatworksforyouforaspecificquestiontype,writedown
themethod.Ifyoudiscoveragreatformulaforsomething,writeit
down.Ifyoufindawayofanalyzinglistsorrealizethatyoukeep
forgettingaboutspecialquadratics,makeanotetoremindyourself
aboutthembeforeeverystudysession.Successfulstudyingisabout
learningfromyourmistakes.

62. Take a Morning Test

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Researchsaysthatwearealwaysmoreenergeticinthemorning,
andourmindsarefairlyfresh.Hence,itisbettertoschedulethe
actualGREtestinthemorning,andgiveyourbestwhenyoufeel
thebest.But,ifyouarenotatallamorningperson,andyourdaily
schedulemeansyouwakeupat12intheafternoonandsleepat5in
themorning,thenbyallmeans,scheduleatestintheevening.
Otherwise,morningisthebesttimetotakeatest.

63. Dont skip AWA during Practice

AlmosthalfoftheGREtesttakersarenativeEnglishspeakers.And
thesestudentstendtoneglectpracticingtheAWAsectionathome,
becauseaccordingtothem,itsnotworthinvestingtimeon
somethingtheyareveryconfidentabout.But,thereareafewvital
pointsthattheydontrealize,whichwehaveillustratedindetail
here(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/greessaysectionimportance).

64. Study and Then Book a Slot

Donotbookaslotrightassoonaswhenyoudecidetotakethe
GRE.Bookyourtestslotonlywhenyoureachyourtargetscorein
practicetests.Now,sometimesthisisnotpossible,especiallyifyou
areplanningtotakethetestinsomeofthebusiestseasons.Ifthat
isthecaseforyou,youshouldbookaslotonceyoustartfeeling
confidentaboutwritingthetest,insteadofmiscalculatingthetime
youwillneedtostudy,andbookingittoosoontogetagoodscore.

65. Prepare to Go Wrong

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UnlessyoureSherlockHolmesoftheGREworld,youarenotgoing
togeteveryquestionright.Youneedtoacceptthat,andprepareto
gowrongontestday.Ofcourse,scoring330+ontheGREmeans
youaregoingtoloseabout10pointssomehow,anditiscompletely
okay.Donttrytobeaperfectionist,andpunishyourselfforgoing
wrongononeortwoquestions.Evenifyoureincrediblywell
prepared,chancesaretherewillbeoneortwoquestionsthatwill
throwyouforaloop.Thatsokay.Preparethebestyoucan,anda
goodscorewillfollow.

66. Always take full length practice tests

Alwaystakefulllengthpracticetests,includingthefull60minutes
ontheAWAsection.ManystudentseasilyskipofftheAWAduring
practice,whichisareallybadidea.Also,sometimesstudentstend
totakeonlyoneortwosections,andthencomebacklater,which
againisntverygoodforyouasatesttaker.

Ifyouneverpracticesittingfortheentiredurationofthetest,the
lasthouroftheactualtestwillbeatortureforyou.Plus,yourscore
onthattestwillnotberepresentativeofyouractualscore.Youjust
cheated,andskippedtheAWA,whichyouarenotgoingtodoon
testday.So,neverskipanysectionduringpractice.

67. Try to study in 30 minute chunks

Itisnotagoodideatositformarathonstudyhours,sincethe
humanmindcannotconcentrateonsomethingforalongtime.
Researchsaysitisnoteasytostudywithgreatconcentrationfor
morethantwentytothirtyminutes.So,insteadoftryingtosit
downformarathonstudyhours,youshouldrathertrytostudyin
30minutechunks,with8minutebreaksinbetweeneachsession.
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Studyinginthisfashionwillhelpmoldyourworkintoatestday
environment.RememberthateverysectionontheGREisfor30or
35minutes,whichmeansyouwillbeaccustomedtotakingthetest
easier,ifyoustudythisway.

68. Wear earplugs while studying and on test

day
Thisissomethingthatmanystudentseitherforgetorneglect.On
testdayyouhavearoomfullofotherpeople,whoarewritingtheir
owntests,whichwouldobviouslydisturbyourcomposure.Unlike
yourpracticetests,yourenotgoingtobeinyourbedroomwithall
doorsshut,andallnoisecutout.Allthesetesttakerswillbegoing
inandoutoftheroom,allondifferenttestschedulesthanyou.

Thatiswhy,youwillbeprovidedwithearplugsonthetestday.But
sometimeswearingearplugsforhourstogethercanseem
uncomfortable,whichiswhyyoushouldbuysomeearplugsand
wearthemduringyourpracticetestsandstudysessions.Getused
towhatitfeelslike,soundslike,andtohavethemin.

69. Get the blood moving!

Youshouldnotsitstillduringthebreaktime.Jumparound,move
yourlegs,arms,hands,stretchoutyourmuscles,orwalkaround
insidethetestcenter.Thoughthismightfeelweird,ithelpsgetthe
bloodflowingthroughyourbody,andyouwillfeelrefreshed.Visit
thebathroomduringthebreakandsplashsomecoldwateronyour
face.Itwillrejuvenateyouphysicallyandmentally.

70. Forget the previous sections

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Youshouldneverthinkabouttheprevioussections,whetherornot
youdidwellonthem.Seriously,forgetaboutit.Everybodytriesto
guesshowtheydid,orthinkaboutthatonequestiontheycouldnt
solve,orhowmanyincorrectanswerstheymighthaveansweredin
theprevioussection.Dontdothat.

Rememberthatitdoesntmatteranymore.Youshouldtrytobe
mentallystronginstead.Whenyouarementallystrong,youforce
thosethoughtsoutofyourhead,andmoveontothenextquestion,
andthenextsection,whichisyournextopportunitytotakeyour
scoretothenextlevel.

71. Eat and drink healthy

Studyingonfourhoursofsleepandlivingonajunkfooddietwill
takeyounowhere!

Throughoutyourprepcourse,orstudyplan,sticktoaveryhealthy
diet,andalwayslooktosleepeighthourseverysingleday.Eating
andsleepinghealthywillhelpyoumaintaingoodhealth,andyou
willeventuallybeabletoperformmuchbetternotonlyinyour
practicetests,butalsoonthetestday.

Youshouldknowexactlywhatyouaregoingtoeat,howmuchyou
aregoingtodrink,andhowlongitwilltakeyouthroughthetest.
Decidewhatyouaregoingtohaveforbreakfastandhowmuch
waterorjuiceyouwoulddrinkwiththatmealandhowlongbefore
youwillhavetousetherestroom.Thereisntastatisticonthis,but
observeyourbody,andpracticedrinkingwaterandeatingdifferent
typesoffoodsduringpracticetests.Youreallyneedtoknowyour
body,sothatnoneofthesefactorsdistractyouontestday

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72. Learn how to use a scratch pad

Usethescratchpapertothefullest.YoureffectivenessontheGRE
dependsonhowwellyouusethescratchpaper.Rememberthatone
ofthemostunderratedbutimportanttestdaytipsisknowinghow
toeffectivelyusethescratchpaperontheGRE
(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/9effectivewaystousescratch
paperonthegre).Also,requestforadditionalpaper,ifneeded.
Donthesitate.

73. Visualize test day success

ManyOlympicathletesusethistechniquetostayfocused.Before
youstartwritingthetest,visualizeyoursuccessonthebigday.

Imagineyourselfgettingeveryproblemright,seeingquestionsyou
know,pumpingyourfistwhenyouseeyourdreamscore,walking
outofthetestcenterandtellingallyourfriendsandfamilyyour
success.

Thepsychologicaleffectsofvisualizationcanbeprofoundin
buildingconfidenceandkeepingaclearmind.Itscalledtheself
fulfillingprophecy.Usingthistechniquecouldhelpgiveyouthat
confidenceboosttopushyoutothenextlevelontestday!

74. Take care of the little things

Afterpracticingmanytesttakingtechniques,testdaystaminaand
theenvironmentshouldnotbeanissue.Infact,itcouldbeahuge
advantage.Imaginethose1000sofpeople,failingtoscorehigh
becausetheydidntknowwhatyouknow.Everytimeyouuseoneof
thesetechniques,youareleaving1000sofothertesttakersbehind.
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Therearesomanyunknownsthatyoucantcontrolontestday,
includingthetest,butallofthesefactorswillbewithinyourcontrol
ifyoutakecareofthelittlethingsliketestdaytipsandstrategies.

75. Dont be afraid of the tough questions

Ifyouencounterahardquestionontestday,andyouarenotsure
howtosolve,behappy.Dontbetensedthatyougotatough
questioninfrontofyou.Rememberthatifyourquestionsare
gettingtougherandtougher,youmustbedoingreallywellandyou
mustbeontherighttrack.Beproudofthat,insteadoffreakingout.
Pause,takeadeepbreath,andthinkofanunusualsolutiontoit.

76. Dont jump into conclusions

Assoonasyoureadaquestion,donottrytojumpintoconclusions
immediately.Trytopauseafterreadingaquestion,andthinkabout
itforafewseconds,andrecollectanyansweringstrategythatyou
canapply.Especiallyonthemathsection,takeacasuallookata
questionafterreadingit,andbeforeyousolve,thinkifaneasier
solutionalreadyexists,orifyoucansolvethatquestioneasilyusing
someotherstrategy.Thistrickwillhelpyousavetimeandalso
avoidsomesillymistakesyoumaymakebyrushingtoreadthe
question.

77. Practice guessing

Sometimesyoumayfindthatyouhaveproblemswithtiming,
especiallywhenitcomestoleavingthehardquestions.Whatyou
candotoavoidthat,istakeanexperimentpracticesession.For
example,youcantakeatestonwhichifyoudontanswera

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questionwithin2minutes,yousimplymoveon.Bydoingthis,you
cansimplyguessonallquestionsafter2minutes,andthenyoucan
easilymeasurethetimeyouhaveleftforhardquestions.

78. Use Mind Maps To Memorize Concepts

Ifyoufindsomeconceptsdifficulttocomprehendorcrack,tryand
useconceptmaps.Alsoknownasmindmaps,conceptmapsare
toolsusedasawaytovisualizeaconcept.

Conceptmapsarediagramsthatrelateddifferentelementsofa
concepttoeachotherand/ortothemainidea.Thesediagramscan
besimpleorcomplexdependingonyourownstyleoflearningand
whathelpsyouunderstandtheconcept.Youcaneasilyuseconcept
mapstounderstandandremembersimilarconceptsinMath,which
wouldreallyhelpyouacetheentirequantsectionatabriskpace.

79. Set Smart Goals

Havesmartgoals,andtrytoachievethemwithinthetimelimits
youhavesetforyourself.Awardyourselfwithsomethingthatyou
like,everytimeyoureachamilestoneoragoal.Forexample,if
yourgoalwastofinishoffAlgebraby5PMandyoumanagedtodo
it,giftyourselfwithsomethingyoureallylovelikeasliceofpizza,
orabarofchocolate,orashortvideogameofyourchoice,etc.
Thesetinygoalsandrewardswillhelpyoumaintainmotivation
throughoutyourGREprep.

80. Dont Cram

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Dontstudyortrytomemorizeanythingonthetestday.Leaveyour
booksathome.Dontbringthemalongtothetestcenter.Ifyousee
someoneelsestudyingatthetestcenter,whichyouwill,dontstart
topanic.Maybetheyarentasconfidentasyouare,ormaybethey
didntreadthisarticle

81. Take an untimed practice test

Anotherthingyoucanreallydoifyouhavealotofproblemswith
timing,istakeanuntimedpracticetest,andhowmucheverthe
timeyouneededoneveryquestion.Thisallowstoidentifyhow
muchtimeyoureallyneedtocomfortablysolveaquestion,onan
average.Beawarethough,thatonlyafewtestsimulatorsand
softwareallowyoutotakeanuntimedpracticetest,whilemostof
themaretimedbydesign,andyoucannothavethisoption.

82. Never leave questions unanswered

Althoughthisisanobviousadvice,itdeservestobetold,sincenota
lotofstudentsrealizethefactthattheycanattemptallquestionson
theGRE,andnotbepenalized.TheGREdoesnothaveany
negativemarking,andyoushouldtakefulladvantageofitbynot
leavingquestionsunanswered.Rememberthateveryquestionyou
laveunansweredisanopportunitytoscoreanadditionalpointthat
youmissed.

83. Have a physical stopwatch with you

Wheneveryouaretakingapracticetest,orjustsolvingsome
questionsforfun,alwayshaveaphysicalstopwatchwithlap
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stopwatchwithyou,especiallyduringthebeginningofyourGRE
prep.Thiswillhelpyoukeeptrackoftimewhilesolvingquestions.

84. Dont lose sight of the big picture

Themorespecificallyyoucantargetyourweaknesses,thebetter.
Forinstance,ifyouknowthatyoucanhandlealgebraproblemsbut
havedifficultywithprobability,youcandrillwiththosetypesof
questions.Theharderyouconcentrateonyourweaknesses,the
fasteryouwillseetangibleimprovement.Atthesametime,
remembertokeepthebigpictureinmind:whilefocusingonyour
weakestareas,youshouldalsomaintainyourmasteryofareasin
whichyouexcel.

85. Build condence during the test

Confidenceisanotherimportantfactorwhenitcomestoscoring
wellonatimedtestliketheGRE.ifyouareabletoanswerseveral
questionscorrectlyinarow,itwilldecreaseyourlevelofstress,and
atthesametimewillboostyourconfidencelevels,therebyallowing
totacklethenextsetofquestionswithagreatamountofconfidence
andpositivity.

86. Dont panic

Evenifyoucannotanswerseveralquestionscorrectlyinarow,do
notletthathinderyourconfidencelevels,ordonotletthataffect
yourcomposure.Thereisnopointingettingpanickedinatestlike
theGRE,becauseallitdoesissimplywastemoreandmore
precioustimeofyours.

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87. Practice Mental Math

Whenyouarepracticingforatestathome,youshouldalsopractice
doingmentalmath,whereinyoucalculatestuffinsideyourhead,
insteadofonacalculator.Ifyouarecapableofdoingmentalmath,
itwilldefinitelyhelpyousolveproblemsquickerduringthetest,
sinceyouwonthavetousethecalculatorforeverysinglequestion
youseeonthetest.

88. There are no shortcuts

Alwaysrememberthatsuccesshasnoshortcuts.Eventhoughwe
aretryingtomakethingsaloteasierforyoutoscore330onthe
GRE,itisactuallynowherenearthiseasy.Thesearejuststrategies
designedtohelpyouscorehigher,andbynomeansareshortcuts
fortheGRE.Justlikeinreallife,therearenoshortcutstosuccess
ontheGRE.

89. Always nd the right place to study

Whereyoustudyalsoimpactshowwellyoustudy.Dontkeepon
readingatthesametableorroom.Keepchangingplaces,andmake
itanewexperienceeverytimeyouread.Gotothelocallibrary,sit
inthegarden,studywithfriendsintheuniversitylawn,gotothe
terraceduringsunriseandstudymakelearningaratherexciting
experience,andyouwillnotfinditboringatall.

90. Learn to Speed Read

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Learnhowtoreadfast,asthisreallyhelpsyousolvereading
comprehensionpassagesatlightningspeed.Readingislike
exercisingamuscle.Whatthegymistoyourmuscles,readingisto
yourmind.Andjustlikeyouexerciseyourmuscleseverydayinthe
gym,youshouldexerciseyourmindeverydaybyreading.Ifyou
wouldliketoreadfaster,youshouldunderstandthatspeedreading
cannotbeachievedovernight.Itcomeswithalotofpractice,and
youshouldstartdoingitrightnow.Ifyouwanttolearnmore
techniquestoreadfaster,wehavediscusseditingreatdetailinour
readingcomprehensionguide(//crunchprep.com/grereading
comprehensionguide#six).

91. Dont read anything before the test

Dontbringanybookstothecenter.Theanxietywillcompelyouto
studyatthelastmoment,whichisbadforyou.Youarenotallowed
toopenbooksinsidethetestingarea,andiftheyfindbooksinyour
locker,yourscoresmightbecancelled,evenifyouhaventopened
them.So,becarefulwiththebooks.Theyareyourfriendswhen
yourestudyingbutenemieswhenyouregivingthetest.

92. Make use of forums

IfthereisoneplacewhereyoucanlearnfortheGREforfree,itis
forums.Moststudentsdontpreferforumsasameansoflearning
becausetheymainlyconsistoffellowstudents,andmoststudents
dontliketolearnfromfellowstudents.Theythinktheyareallat
thesamelevel.Butyoucouldntbemorewrongifyouarethinking
thesame.

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Firstofall,noteveryoneisatthesamelevel,andsecondofall,
forumsdonthavejustthecurrentstudents.Therearetonsof
studentswhohavealreadywrittentheGREandscoredhighand
therearelotsoftrainerswhohelpoutstudentswithfree
suggestionsandstrategies.

93. Get rid of Pessimism

Alwaystrytobepositiveaboutyourtestandyourperformance.Do
nottrytoallownegativitytointerruptyourstudyscheduleor
disturbyourconfidencelevels.Neverallowanyscopefor
pessimism,irrespectiveofwhetheritcomesfromyourselforyour
friendsandfamily.Onlythencanyouachieveascoreashighas330
ontestastrickyastheGRE.

94. Make the most out of your tutor

Ifyouhavethetimeandifyouarewillingtospendmoneyon
coachingclasses,makethemostoutofthem.Donotsimplyskip
classescitingmediocrereasons.Alwayspayfullattentioninclass,
andmakefulluseofyourteachers,andapproachthemifandwhen
youhavequestions.

95. Workout to stay Focused

Ifyouhaveagymmembership,workoutasfrequentlyasyoucan
everyweek.Exercisereallyhelpsyoumaintaingreathealth,and
yourmindisrejuvenatedeverytimeyoushedsomesweatatthe
gym.Asoundmindinasoundbody,afterall.

96. No Last Minute Preparation

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Nevergivewaytoanysortoflastminuteprep.Itwillonlyfurther
youranxiety,andyouwilloftenforgetwhateveryouhavelearnt
previously.Also,thereisnopointinmuggingthingsupforatest
liketheGRE,sinceittestsalotmorethanjustyourabilityto
memorizeformulaeorvocab.So,trytopracticeproblemsinsteadof
learningthingsbyheart.

97. Set Yourself Up for Test Day Success

Settingupyourselfforthetestisreallycrucialinhelpingyou
achieveahighscoreontheGRE.Beforeyoubookatestslot,as
yourselfsomebasicquestions.

Areyouamorningperson?

HowisyourtesttakingabilityonSaturday?

WhatdoyounormallydoonaWednesdayevening?

Canyourbrainfunctionat8:00inthemorning?

Youshouldnotonlybetryingtofigureoutwhattimefitsbestin
yourschedule,butalsowhattimeworksbestforyoumentally.

ThegeneraladvicefortheBESTtimefortheMOSTamountof
peopletotakethetestisonMondaymorning.Thisisbecauseyou
havethewholeweekendtorelax,andthenyourbrainisusually
preparedforthetestonMonday.

98. Visit the testing center before your test

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Unlessyouliveinanothercity,youshoulddefinitelycheckoutthe
testcenterbeforethetestday.Youhavenoreasonnotto.Thismay
beoneofthemostoverlookedopportunitiestofamiliarizeyourself
withyourtestingenvironment.Peoplegotogreatlengthstohave
greatpracticetests.

Whywouldnttheycheckoutthecenter,andgetahangofthe
environment?Plus,youllknowhowtogetthere,youllknowwhere
thebathroomsare,andtherewillbesomanyintangibleadvantages
youcangainbygoingonthissimpletrip.

99. Learn Test Day Strategies

TheGREultimatelyisatest,anditcaneasilybebroughtdownto
itsknees,lestyouknowhowto.Teststrategiesistheansweryou
arelookingfor.Nomatterhowmuchyoulearnandstudyforatest
liketheGRE,ifyoufailtolearnthestrategiestoacethetest,you
willnotbeableto,well,aceit.

Thisispreciselywhywehavecomeupwithalonglistoftestday
strategies(//crunchprep.com/gre/2014/27proventestdaytips
toacegre)thatyoucanbankuponwhenevertheroadgetssteep.

100. Dont expect a 330 on the rst attempt

Youmusthaveunderstoodbynow,howdifficultitistoscorea330
ontheGRE.Youmustalsonotethatonlyafewtesttakersgetthere
ontheirfirstattempt.Fortherestofyou,itmighttakemultiple
takes,buteventuallyyouwillgetthereifyouaredeterminedto.

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So,thepointis,itissafeforthemajorityofyoureaderstonot
expecta330thefirsttimeitself.Ifyoucangetit,wellandgood.But
ifyoudont,youshouldnotbedisappointedall,since330isnta
smallnumber.

101. Hard work pays.

Thewaypeoplegettothetopisthroughhardwork.Noonegetsa
greatscoreontheGREwithouthavingworkedhard,andcertainly
withoutastrongsetofskills.Thebestthingthatyoucandoatthis
pointistopracticeandstudy.Youneedtoreadmore,andyouneed
toreadmaterialthatisonparwithGREreading.

Youllneedtolearnthequestiontypes,thecommonwronganswer
traps,andrefiningyourpacingstrategy.Youllprobablyneedto
perfectyourmathskillsbymemorizingpercent,fraction,and
decimalconversions.Youllneedtohaveformulaseasilyaccessible
inyourmindandyoullneedtodoitallwithoutacalculator.Know
thecommonargumentflawsandknowhowtostrengthenthem.Its
timetogettowork!

Conclusion
So,thatsaboutit.Wehavecometotheendofthisguide,whichwe
believewouldhelpyouscoreastaggering330+ontheGRE.We
havediscussedmorethanahundredinvaluablestrategiesthatyou
couldusetoimproveyouroverallGREscore,inadditiontoyour
individualquantandverbalscores.

Thisisbyfarthemostcomprehensiveguideintheworld,tohelp
youacetheGRE,andgeta330+scoreonthistrickytest.Ifyou
thinkthisisveryhelpful,orifyoureallylovedit,shareitwithyour
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friendsrightnow!Ourgoalistohelpasmanystudentsaswecan.
Sowhatareyouwaitingfor?Gosharethelivingdaylightsoutof
thisguide!

Wealmostforgot!Ifyouthinkyouwouldliketosavethisguidefor
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