Reading comprehension has been haunting me since 2003!... I still haven’t been able to figure out what the passage said and what I understood! … kidding! There are many ways to tackle RC. I would tell you what I did to handle RC.
In GRE, you would normally get 3 passages --à 1 or 2 passages of around 35 lines and 1 or 2 passages of around 75 lines. The passages come from various types of materials like magazines, text books, journals, biographies etc. The passages can be related to humanitarianism, feminism, cultural revolution, biology, astronomy, geology and ANYTHING UNDER THE SUN!!!
So what is important is that you get familiar with the type or the content of the passages.
And that will happen by diverse reading.
Before you start solving GRE passages, it important that you get a good idea of what kind of passage you might get. And as I said you can get anything under the sun, its important that you go to net and surf the web for any damn subject topic you can think of .. eg : importance of algae in the animal kingdom, why Florence nightingale is so famous, the colonization of a few colonies in America, the internal structure of proton, feminism in the 16th century, the strategy used by google to be the number one search engine, how to electricity is produced….!!!!!!!!! Any damn article will help you familiarize with the content THAT YOU NORMALLY DON’T LIKE TO READ!...
See, normal human beings that we are, we normally tend to read what we LIKE. But ETS is smart enough to not as you what you like and will ask something that you want to avoid or is uninteresting to you!... after doing the “READ ANYTHING” excercise, you are now ready to go through the 1000 RC document… Google for “1000 RC” document and download it. It contains many passages asked in earlier GMAT and GRE. I really feel that going through these RCs is very important because that will help you understand what you will get in the exam. After solving some 70-80 passages you would have covered almost all types of passages that can be asked.
After solving each passage, it is very important that you understand why you made some mistake. I am sure that many of us will make get only 2 out of 6 correct. But don’t worry!... the passages are really damn difficult! So, after SOLVING a passage, re-read it and try to understand what the passage meant. Your understanding of the passage will be far better when you read the passage 2nd time. Then try to analyze why you didn’t understand some XYZ thing in your first reading. Try to find out what your frame of mind was when you read the passage for the first time and what your frame of mind was in the second reading. It’s very important that you spend a lot of time in introspecting what went wrong and why it went wrong and what you will do to avoid the mistakes. Just make sure that you don’t get frustrated by your mistakes.
Now, how to read a passage: A passage is normally written in a particular structure. By “particular”, I mean that you after solving some 70-80 passages, you will be able to identify the STRUCTUREs of passages. i.e. whether a passage was written to reject a theory, or whether a passage was written just to explain a new process, or whether a passage was written to explain a hypothesis regarding a process or whether a passage was written to support a new view about something…..etc!....
Normally the author puts forth some idea or theory and then he says that the idea or theory is not good enough to explain something. So he propounds a new theory and then gives a few examples to support the new theory. But he makes the end a bit confusing for an ordinary reader!.... don’t worry, after you follow what I have explained you in the earlier paragraphs , you will surely know what kind of structure the passage is following.
Whenever you start reading a passage, tell yourself “ok , don’t worry, this is just a small passage. No issues. I am surely going to understand what the author is trying to say. After all he is just a human being like me who is telling me something!...so I will read coolly and try to understand the passage easily”.
When you read the first paragraph of the passage, make sure that you understand what the main topic is around which the whole passage is going to revolve. Then try to understand how the author ended the first paragraph. Was he disgruntled or was he satisfied or was he angry or was he indifferent ???? Understanding that will help you imagine what he is going to say next.
See, it’s a very normal human being thing. Imagine that you are writing a blog about your experience about some X mobile. If you are disgruntled with the X mobile, you will start with describing about your bad experience with X mobile. Now that you are rejecting X mobile, its imperative that you are going to use some Y mobile. So you start describing the good qualities of Y mobile. You keep contrasting with X mobile to prove that your choice of Y mobile was good. And then finally in the last paragraph you will tell the readers of your blog to use Y mobile!!!
The passages in GRE are written by human beings like me and you!... so while reading the passage, you will FEEL the vibe of the author. Imagine that the author is standing in front of you. And you are sitting on a bench listening to him. Imagination is the easiest way to understand the TONE of the passage. The IMAGINATION method takes a lot of practice, I agree. But it pays well. Try it out. Imagination also helps you to remember the data given in the passage. It’s not for nothing that it is said” a picture is better than a thousand words”. Whatever data you read in the passage, you try to create a mental picture of it. Once you are done with reading each paragraph, make sure that you sum up what each paragraph was trying to say. If you want, you can write down in one line what each paragraph meant and then finally after reading the whole passage take some 15-20 seconds to summarize what you read. So now, you should know what the author was trying to say, his tone, his suggestions, his rejections, the examples that he used to propose a theory and the examples he used to reject another theory….etc!
Whatever I have written above , will require a lot of practice ….but , believe me , every effort is worth is if you want a good GRE score… every 10 mark increase in ur score will help you get into a better college, will get u better RA, TA, Scholarship….and ultimately a higher-salaried job!!!
I really don’t understand why we give only 3 months for GRE and a whole year for CAT!... … the mentality that GRE DOESN’T require more than 3 months is wrong…
Whatever….
I hope I was able to help u in tackling RCs….
Practice, practice, read any damn thing, analyze, imagine, read any damn thing…!!!
Happy RCing!!
Mail me your comments at your at dipenambalia@gmail.com. I will try my best to help u…
Friday, 14 August 2009
how to tackle AWA in GRE
This article is especially for my friend Anuradha. So Anu, he you go….
The Analytical Writing Assessment requires candidates to respond to two essay questions within 45 + 30 minutes:
1) Analysis of an Issue, which asks candidates to discuss the complexities of an issue and take a position on the subject (45 minutes)
2) Analysis of an Argument, which asks candidates to evaluate an argument or critique a line of reasoning (30 minutes)
Do your best to show that you have:
a) excellent reasoning skills
b) good writing skills
c) the ability to quickly organzie your thoughts
d) the ability to produce a coherent essay in the required timeframe
Grading Scale
Each of your essays will be graded by a reader and assigned a score between 0 and 6. The score is assigned based on the general impact of the writing on the reader. The following criteria define each score:
Outstanding (6): a cohesive, well-articulated discussion of the issue/argument with demonstrated mastery of the elements of effective writing. Contains insightful reasoning and/or persuasive examples. Varies sentence structure and vocabulary appropriate to the subject. Superior use of grammar and mechanics.
Adequate (4): presents a competent discussion of the issue/argument. Expresses ideas clearly with adequate organization. May lack sentence variety and show some flaws in grammar and/or mechanics.
Poor (1 -2): Weak or deficient in basic writing skills. Provides little evidence of the ability to understand or analyze the argument/issue. Unfocused and disorganized. Severe and persistent errors in language and sentence structure.
Writing Tips for Issues
1) Take 2 minutes to understand the topic. Do a brainstorming about the pros and cons and make a decision.
2) See, whenever you take a decision to support a point or oppose a point, you would necessarily have some example to support your standpoint. Otherwise your mind wouldn’t conclude that you are supporting or opposing a point.
3) There is nothing like "right" or "wrong" choice. You will be evaluated strictly by how well you support your choice with reasoning and evidence.
4) Get to the point immediately. Your first sentence should offer a solid endorsement of one choice over the other.
5) Use a simple format. I recommend a 5-paragraph approach:
a) The first paragraph begins by stating your choice and then discusses why that option is he superior.
b) The second, third paragraphs would be your 3 points about your viewpoint. Use the PREP formula – Point, Reason, Example, Point (again, but in different way or different words) (here, use starters like – FIRSTLY, SECONDLY, THIRDLY)
c) The fourth paragraph would be about the side that you hadn’t taken. By that I mean, recognize the OTHER SIDE too; discussing both sides of the issue shows that you see the full picture. Recognizing and dealing with possible objections makes your viewpoint stronger.
c) The fifth paragraph with a concluding sentence reaffirming your decision. (here, use starters like – In Sum, To sum up, …etc.)
The more organized your essay, the more persuasive it will be.
6) Don't restate the situation, alternatives, and criteria in your introduction. State your choice and the reasons behind it. Offer an interpretation in light of the stated criteria. It's up to you to indicate why certain facts are positive or negative factors.
7) Write in a calm, rational, objective tone. Don't take an extreme position.
8) Make your writing flawless, with correct spelling, grammar and writing mechanics. Choose simple, everyday vocabulary and syntax with which you're comfortable. Don’t use the words from the wordlist!..that will surely discombobulate the evaluator!... you surely don’t want to discomfit him ..right???
9) I recommend spending 10 minutes reading the issue, making a decision and planning the essay. Use scrap paper to jot down a quick outline of the points you intend to make. Then spend about 25 minutes writing the essay. This leaves about five minutes at the end to proofread for spelling and grammar.
10) make sure you finish your essay, as it demonstrates your organization and time- management skills.
Writing Tips for Arguments
1) Take the argument apart, identifying the conclusion and evidence. Restate it in your own words.
2) Evaluate the argument's persuasiveness. Does it use evidence effectively to reach a conclusion? Are their gaps or flaws in the logic? Unwarranted assumptions?
3) Determine what additional evidence or information would increase the validity of the argument.
4) Use a simple format. I recommend a 5-paragraph approach:
a) Get to the point immediately. Your first paragraph should offer your assessment of the argument and its reasoning.
b) The second, third and fourth paragraphs would be your 3 points about your viewpoint. Attack the gaps, flaws, unwarranted assumptions.
c) Finally, give additional evidence required for the argument to be more persuasive. Show that you see the full picture
7) Write in a calm, rational, objective tone.
8) Make your writing flawless, with correct spelling, grammar and writing mechanics. Write legibly. Choose simple, everyday vocabulary and syntax with which you're comfortable.
9) use your time wisely. I recommend spending five minutes reading the argument, developing your strategy and planning the essay. Then spend about 20 minutes writing the essay. This leaves about five minutes at the end to proofread for spelling and grammar.
10) Make sure you finish your essay, as it demonstrates your organization and time-management skills.
Mail me your comments at your at dipenambalia@gmail.com. I will try my best to help u…
The Analytical Writing Assessment requires candidates to respond to two essay questions within 45 + 30 minutes:
1) Analysis of an Issue, which asks candidates to discuss the complexities of an issue and take a position on the subject (45 minutes)
2) Analysis of an Argument, which asks candidates to evaluate an argument or critique a line of reasoning (30 minutes)
Do your best to show that you have:
a) excellent reasoning skills
b) good writing skills
c) the ability to quickly organzie your thoughts
d) the ability to produce a coherent essay in the required timeframe
Grading Scale
Each of your essays will be graded by a reader and assigned a score between 0 and 6. The score is assigned based on the general impact of the writing on the reader. The following criteria define each score:
Outstanding (6): a cohesive, well-articulated discussion of the issue/argument with demonstrated mastery of the elements of effective writing. Contains insightful reasoning and/or persuasive examples. Varies sentence structure and vocabulary appropriate to the subject. Superior use of grammar and mechanics.
Adequate (4): presents a competent discussion of the issue/argument. Expresses ideas clearly with adequate organization. May lack sentence variety and show some flaws in grammar and/or mechanics.
Poor (1 -2): Weak or deficient in basic writing skills. Provides little evidence of the ability to understand or analyze the argument/issue. Unfocused and disorganized. Severe and persistent errors in language and sentence structure.
Writing Tips for Issues
1) Take 2 minutes to understand the topic. Do a brainstorming about the pros and cons and make a decision.
2) See, whenever you take a decision to support a point or oppose a point, you would necessarily have some example to support your standpoint. Otherwise your mind wouldn’t conclude that you are supporting or opposing a point.
3) There is nothing like "right" or "wrong" choice. You will be evaluated strictly by how well you support your choice with reasoning and evidence.
4) Get to the point immediately. Your first sentence should offer a solid endorsement of one choice over the other.
5) Use a simple format. I recommend a 5-paragraph approach:
a) The first paragraph begins by stating your choice and then discusses why that option is he superior.
b) The second, third paragraphs would be your 3 points about your viewpoint. Use the PREP formula – Point, Reason, Example, Point (again, but in different way or different words) (here, use starters like – FIRSTLY, SECONDLY, THIRDLY)
c) The fourth paragraph would be about the side that you hadn’t taken. By that I mean, recognize the OTHER SIDE too; discussing both sides of the issue shows that you see the full picture. Recognizing and dealing with possible objections makes your viewpoint stronger.
c) The fifth paragraph with a concluding sentence reaffirming your decision. (here, use starters like – In Sum, To sum up, …etc.)
The more organized your essay, the more persuasive it will be.
6) Don't restate the situation, alternatives, and criteria in your introduction. State your choice and the reasons behind it. Offer an interpretation in light of the stated criteria. It's up to you to indicate why certain facts are positive or negative factors.
7) Write in a calm, rational, objective tone. Don't take an extreme position.
8) Make your writing flawless, with correct spelling, grammar and writing mechanics. Choose simple, everyday vocabulary and syntax with which you're comfortable. Don’t use the words from the wordlist!..that will surely discombobulate the evaluator!... you surely don’t want to discomfit him ..right???
9) I recommend spending 10 minutes reading the issue, making a decision and planning the essay. Use scrap paper to jot down a quick outline of the points you intend to make. Then spend about 25 minutes writing the essay. This leaves about five minutes at the end to proofread for spelling and grammar.
10) make sure you finish your essay, as it demonstrates your organization and time- management skills.
Writing Tips for Arguments
1) Take the argument apart, identifying the conclusion and evidence. Restate it in your own words.
2) Evaluate the argument's persuasiveness. Does it use evidence effectively to reach a conclusion? Are their gaps or flaws in the logic? Unwarranted assumptions?
3) Determine what additional evidence or information would increase the validity of the argument.
4) Use a simple format. I recommend a 5-paragraph approach:
a) Get to the point immediately. Your first paragraph should offer your assessment of the argument and its reasoning.
b) The second, third and fourth paragraphs would be your 3 points about your viewpoint. Attack the gaps, flaws, unwarranted assumptions.
c) Finally, give additional evidence required for the argument to be more persuasive. Show that you see the full picture
7) Write in a calm, rational, objective tone.
8) Make your writing flawless, with correct spelling, grammar and writing mechanics. Write legibly. Choose simple, everyday vocabulary and syntax with which you're comfortable.
9) use your time wisely. I recommend spending five minutes reading the argument, developing your strategy and planning the essay. Then spend about 20 minutes writing the essay. This leaves about five minutes at the end to proofread for spelling and grammar.
10) Make sure you finish your essay, as it demonstrates your organization and time-management skills.
Mail me your comments at your at dipenambalia@gmail.com. I will try my best to help u…
how to remember the wordlist for GRE
Wordlists are a nightmare to many GREtakers…
Here’s a simple way to remember the words. It’s not a shortcut though.
See, almost every word in English can be broken into 2 or 3 parts or can be traced to some Greek or latin or some root.
Eg: DISINTER -----à disinter means to dig out.
DISINTER = dis + inter.
‘Dis’ gives a negative connotation to the word “inter”.
To ‘inter’ means ‘to bury something or someone’.
So when u combine dis + inter , you get the opposite of burying ie. exhuming something or someone ….ie. you take someone or something from the ground. And so now you know ‘disinter’ is to ‘dig out’!
Another example: MISOGYNY = mis + gynos
‘mis’ has a negative connotation…. ‘Mis’ means ‘hatred’ and ‘gynos’ has a Greek meaning – ‘females’. So Misogyny means hatred of women.
Try to break the word. Try to trace the roots. Try to feel the connotation ie. whether it is negative or positive.
So, before you start the wordlist, go to the end of the word list of Barrons. There you will find the roots, prefixes, suffixes, etc.
Once you are familiar with that, you can easily remember the words from the wordlist.
Half of the words can be split or can be FELT by their prefixes, suffixes, etc…
Understood??? So, don’t ever directly jump to the wordlist. First create a good foundation upon which you can build your vocab.
Other techniques to remember the words:
1) Create flash cards or use the flash cards available in the market.
Flash cards are basically small chits of paper with one side having the difficult word and the other side having its meaning. So while traveling, it is very convenient to take flash cards with you.
2) Write down. Just like you used to mug up the answers in school, just mug up the words. But after mugging up, make sure that you know what context that word was used in. I would surely advise you to keep note of the sentence too i.e every word in the wordlist would be followed by a sentence. So even if you remember the sentence in which the word was used, you will be able to remember the meaning of the word.
3) Read aloud. Didn’t you mug up the answers in school by reading aloud the answers?? J…
4) Use the words in your day to day life. As I said, DISCOMBOBULATE your friends by using very ABSTRUSE words. And then CONDESENDINGLY APPRISE them of the meaning of the word that you used!
5) Create associations or patterns to remember the words.
Eg: while I was in VJTI, I had a frnd who was very particular about cleanliness, and was very organized. While I was reading the wordlist, I came across a word “STICKLER” which means “someone who is very particular about things”. So I quickly associated the word STICKLER to YOGESH!.... so next time I read the word STICKLER, I know what it means!
Another eg: use human qualities or attributes to remember the words.
Like I have a frnd XYZ who is very arrogant. So while I was reading the words “haughty”, “conceited”, “stuffed shirt”, “presumptuous”, I could easily visualize my frnd XYZ!!!!...get my point?... so in one-go, I now know that “haughty”, “conceited”, “stuffed shirt”, “presumptuous” mean ARROGANT!!!
As simple as that!
Give sufficient time to remember and understand the wordlist. if you don’t know the wordlist, I would advise you to not take the exam…because, seriously, 20 questions out of 30 are going to be based the difficult words… If you are some millionaire, then its ok, go and get low scores as many times as possible!!... Remember that the GRE costs $180!!...
I hope I was able to help u in tackling the wordlists….
Happy WORDLISTing!!
Your comments – negative or positive – will help me improve my advising skill J…so mail me your comments or suggestions at your at dipenambalia@gmail.com. I will try my best to help u...
Here’s a simple way to remember the words. It’s not a shortcut though.
See, almost every word in English can be broken into 2 or 3 parts or can be traced to some Greek or latin or some root.
Eg: DISINTER -----à disinter means to dig out.
DISINTER = dis + inter.
‘Dis’ gives a negative connotation to the word “inter”.
To ‘inter’ means ‘to bury something or someone’.
So when u combine dis + inter , you get the opposite of burying ie. exhuming something or someone ….ie. you take someone or something from the ground. And so now you know ‘disinter’ is to ‘dig out’!
Another example: MISOGYNY = mis + gynos
‘mis’ has a negative connotation…. ‘Mis’ means ‘hatred’ and ‘gynos’ has a Greek meaning – ‘females’. So Misogyny means hatred of women.
Try to break the word. Try to trace the roots. Try to feel the connotation ie. whether it is negative or positive.
So, before you start the wordlist, go to the end of the word list of Barrons. There you will find the roots, prefixes, suffixes, etc.
Once you are familiar with that, you can easily remember the words from the wordlist.
Half of the words can be split or can be FELT by their prefixes, suffixes, etc…
Understood??? So, don’t ever directly jump to the wordlist. First create a good foundation upon which you can build your vocab.
Other techniques to remember the words:
1) Create flash cards or use the flash cards available in the market.
Flash cards are basically small chits of paper with one side having the difficult word and the other side having its meaning. So while traveling, it is very convenient to take flash cards with you.
2) Write down. Just like you used to mug up the answers in school, just mug up the words. But after mugging up, make sure that you know what context that word was used in. I would surely advise you to keep note of the sentence too i.e every word in the wordlist would be followed by a sentence. So even if you remember the sentence in which the word was used, you will be able to remember the meaning of the word.
3) Read aloud. Didn’t you mug up the answers in school by reading aloud the answers?? J…
4) Use the words in your day to day life. As I said, DISCOMBOBULATE your friends by using very ABSTRUSE words. And then CONDESENDINGLY APPRISE them of the meaning of the word that you used!
5) Create associations or patterns to remember the words.
Eg: while I was in VJTI, I had a frnd who was very particular about cleanliness, and was very organized. While I was reading the wordlist, I came across a word “STICKLER” which means “someone who is very particular about things”. So I quickly associated the word STICKLER to YOGESH!.... so next time I read the word STICKLER, I know what it means!
Another eg: use human qualities or attributes to remember the words.
Like I have a frnd XYZ who is very arrogant. So while I was reading the words “haughty”, “conceited”, “stuffed shirt”, “presumptuous”, I could easily visualize my frnd XYZ!!!!...get my point?... so in one-go, I now know that “haughty”, “conceited”, “stuffed shirt”, “presumptuous” mean ARROGANT!!!
As simple as that!
Give sufficient time to remember and understand the wordlist. if you don’t know the wordlist, I would advise you to not take the exam…because, seriously, 20 questions out of 30 are going to be based the difficult words… If you are some millionaire, then its ok, go and get low scores as many times as possible!!... Remember that the GRE costs $180!!...
I hope I was able to help u in tackling the wordlists….
Happy WORDLISTing!!
Your comments – negative or positive – will help me improve my advising skill J…so mail me your comments or suggestions at your at dipenambalia@gmail.com. I will try my best to help u...
how to tackle Antonyms in GRE
hi ... ok, this link is on how to tackle Antonyms in GRE.
Antonyms are the most easiest questions on the GRE. you will get around 8-9 questions on antonyms. Antonyms, i feel, are like maths. Either you know the answer or you dont. There will be a very few cases when u will have a dilemma as to which of the 2 most probables one to pick!.. the assumption is that the remaining 3 are a clear-cut NO.
My point is - when you are thorough with the wordlist, you wont have any confusion about the right answer. Just by a glance (i am not even saying a perusal) , you will be able to identify the answer. The best thing about Antonyms is that they are real TIME-SAVERs!... i m not boasting, but i really could answer the antonym questions in just 5-6 seconds. so i used to save 9 * 55 seconds ( i have simple maths here - 30 questions in 30 mins. so a question/min). The thta i saved in Antonyms, i used in RC.
OK, OK, let me tell you how i tackled Antonyms.
In Antonym questions, out of the 5 options, 3 will be a clear-cut NO -NO.
Let me take an example :
find the antonym of DIVULGE :
a) keep secret
b) evaluate by onself
c) refine
d) restore
e) copy.
look at the question first. DIVULGE. divulge bascially means give out some information, not keep back the information.
so you need to look for an answer which says "hold back, dont share, keep secret, dont tell anyone". After having an idea as to what you want from the answer options, now take a look at the answer options:
a) keep secret - hmmmmm...seems pretty good... give it a mental rating of 8/10...
move ahead to see if other options are as good.
b) evaluate by oneself - "evaluating by onself" is no way close to "hold back, dont share, keep secret, dont tell anyone". ..... give it a raing of 0/10
c) refine - "refine" is no way close to "hold back, dont share, keep secret, dont tell anyone". ..... give it a raing of 0/10
d) restore - "restore" is no way close to "hold back, dont share, keep secret, dont tell anyone". ..... give it a raing of 0/10
e) copy - "copy" is no way close to "hold back, dont share, keep secret, dont tell anyone". ..... give it a raing of 0/10
so, now after going thru all the options, you know that the only option that came close to what you thought was the option a) keep secret.... so you can be sure that you have marked the right answer and move ahead confidently.
believe me friends, having a good grip on antonyms is very important...becuase the time that you save here will be used in RC... RCs are very tough. topics on feminism, humanitarianism, some old damn painting, some cultural revolution of 1400 BC....god !! RCs are damn tough and need to time for that... thank the ETS guys for having introduced antonyms!!!
Antonyms are the most easiest questions on the GRE. you will get around 8-9 questions on antonyms. Antonyms, i feel, are like maths. Either you know the answer or you dont. There will be a very few cases when u will have a dilemma as to which of the 2 most probables one to pick!.. the assumption is that the remaining 3 are a clear-cut NO.
My point is - when you are thorough with the wordlist, you wont have any confusion about the right answer. Just by a glance (i am not even saying a perusal) , you will be able to identify the answer. The best thing about Antonyms is that they are real TIME-SAVERs!... i m not boasting, but i really could answer the antonym questions in just 5-6 seconds. so i used to save 9 * 55 seconds ( i have simple maths here - 30 questions in 30 mins. so a question/min). The thta i saved in Antonyms, i used in RC.
OK, OK, let me tell you how i tackled Antonyms.
In Antonym questions, out of the 5 options, 3 will be a clear-cut NO -NO.
Let me take an example :
find the antonym of DIVULGE :
a) keep secret
b) evaluate by onself
c) refine
d) restore
e) copy.
look at the question first. DIVULGE. divulge bascially means give out some information, not keep back the information.
so you need to look for an answer which says "hold back, dont share, keep secret, dont tell anyone". After having an idea as to what you want from the answer options, now take a look at the answer options:
a) keep secret - hmmmmm...seems pretty good... give it a mental rating of 8/10...
move ahead to see if other options are as good.
b) evaluate by oneself - "evaluating by onself" is no way close to "hold back, dont share, keep secret, dont tell anyone". ..... give it a raing of 0/10
c) refine - "refine" is no way close to "hold back, dont share, keep secret, dont tell anyone". ..... give it a raing of 0/10
d) restore - "restore" is no way close to "hold back, dont share, keep secret, dont tell anyone". ..... give it a raing of 0/10
e) copy - "copy" is no way close to "hold back, dont share, keep secret, dont tell anyone". ..... give it a raing of 0/10
so, now after going thru all the options, you know that the only option that came close to what you thought was the option a) keep secret.... so you can be sure that you have marked the right answer and move ahead confidently.
believe me friends, having a good grip on antonyms is very important...becuase the time that you save here will be used in RC... RCs are very tough. topics on feminism, humanitarianism, some old damn painting, some cultural revolution of 1400 BC....god !! RCs are damn tough and need to time for that... thank the ETS guys for having introduced antonyms!!!
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
How I scored 1440 in GRE...
Since 2003 I have been taking CAT, CET, GMAT and GREs..! I knew I deserved something good. So I waited till now.. took GRE on 6th aug 2009… got 1440- verbal 640 + maths-800…even in 2005 I had attempted GRE..that time my breakup was 640+780…. Anyways, this article is just an attempt from my side to help GRE takers…
First of all, ignore what the world hypes about the difficulty level of GRE… people unnecessarily keep saying that ‘GRE is getting tougher day by day’..i don’t agree with that. Its your level of preparation that is going to make the exam sound easy or difficult.
FOR VERBAL: I really wonder what ETS is upto when they want to know whether students can remember the meanings of words that normal human beings never ever use… I mean, come on, have you ever said “hey, I got discombobulated” instead of “hey, I got confused”!!! but anyways, we can’t change the rules of the game, so we just need to know how to tackle the beast…
By the way, you all must be aware that GRE is an ADAPTIVE test..right?... lemme not touch that aspect then…
Ok. There are 4 types of questions that are asked in verbal section :
1) Antonyms (around 8questions)
2) sentence correction (around 7 questions)
3) analogies (around 7 questions)
4) Reading comprehension. (around 8-9 questions)
The first 3 types of questions can be very well handled if your vocab is good.
Of course I m not expecting you to know the whole dictionary! J..just make sure that you are thorough with the word list given in BARRONS GRE. I really feel that BARRONS GRE is the bible for preparation for GRE!.. you would find many people who would say “ dump that barrons first”.. I wonder what makes them feel that!... I scored 640 2 times by using only barrons!
The wordlist in barrons is of 3500 words!... words like – discombobulated, recidivism, appurtenance, hiatus! WHO ON EARTH USES THOSE WORDS!! …someone tell me!
Anyways, there is no shortcut to learn the word list. You have to spend time to remember the words. You do anything to keep the words in your mind – write the words , use flash cards, make silly associations of words and some pictures in your mind, read out the words loud, start using the words in your day-to-day speaking. Discombobulate ur friends!!
I will give you one example. There is a word –stickler. It means a person who is particular about everything, someone who wants everything to be at its own place.! In engineering college, I had a room partner named Yogesh More who was very particular about cleanliness, neatness!... so I created a mental association of STICKLER and Yogesh More! So next time I see the word stickler, I know what it means!!!...understood?
Create ANY DAMN pattern to remember words. Don’t worry about what the stupidity or foolishness of the pattern. Its only till the time you take the GRE, that you need to remember those patterns!..right? J
Once you are done with the wordlist, you start reading a thesaurus. Thesaurus is mainly to give u an idea about the different shades of any word.
Like, the the example of the word – application.
The normal meaning we know is that of a formal letter to get some work done.
But there is one meaning of ‘application’ that normally all don’t know.
APPLICATION also means DILIGENT ATTENTION.
So, thesaurus will give u all the synonyms of a word.
After you are done with the barrons wordlist, you can directly jump into solving questions. Seriously, once you know how a word is used in different contexts, the above first 3 types of questions would be easy for you.
Reading comprehension has been haunting me since 2003!... I still haven’t been able to figure out what the passage said and what I understood! J… kidding! There are many ways to tackle RC. I would tell you what I did to handle RC.
First read the passage slowly! Believe me, you will save a lot of time by solving Antonyms and Analogies quickly. So you can use that time in RC. I m not trying to blow my own trumpet, but really I could solve antonyms in just 5-6 seconds. Btw, there are 30 questions to be solved in 30 mins in verbal section. i.e a min a question. I used to save 55 * 8 seconds and I used to use that time in RC…get my point?
Use you strength to save time on easy questions and use that time wisely on the tougher questions. I used to spend arnd 4 mins to read a 70 line passage!.. I know you must be feeling that I was very slowly. But, I took time to comprehend! This is what happens when you don’t have a good reading habit!
When you read the first paragraph, try to judge what the next content is going to be. If the author is disgruntled about something, then be sure that he is going to propose something that is better than the previously mentioned method. And subsequently he will propose why he thinks the other method is good…etc. GRE passages normally follow a pattern. After solving some 50-60 passages , you will come to know the structure of the passage. You will even be able to anticipate what can be asked!...practice s very very important here. Google for “1000 RC”. use that document for RCs. It’s a sea of RCs. But be sure that you understand what is going wrong after each RC. The NUMBER of ‘RCs solved’ is not important, it’s ‘what you learned’ is important.
After you are done with all this preparation, solve GRE BIG Book. It’s the bible of GRE exams. I had solved some 8 tests and I can surely say that the second question in the main exam came verbatim from the GRE BIG Book.!
And after that don’t forget to solve the tests given in the ETS GRE Powerprep (CD that you get on registering for exam)
Let me know if can be of more help to you. I have a lot of soft copy material with me. Those who want can contact me at dipenambalia@gmail.com . Then you can meet me personally to get the material. I stay in kalyan… needless to say; I will give the material free of cost!
Btw, I m have not discussed MATHS because its damn easy!!
Happy GREing!!
First of all, ignore what the world hypes about the difficulty level of GRE… people unnecessarily keep saying that ‘GRE is getting tougher day by day’..i don’t agree with that. Its your level of preparation that is going to make the exam sound easy or difficult.
FOR VERBAL: I really wonder what ETS is upto when they want to know whether students can remember the meanings of words that normal human beings never ever use… I mean, come on, have you ever said “hey, I got discombobulated” instead of “hey, I got confused”!!! but anyways, we can’t change the rules of the game, so we just need to know how to tackle the beast…
By the way, you all must be aware that GRE is an ADAPTIVE test..right?... lemme not touch that aspect then…
Ok. There are 4 types of questions that are asked in verbal section :
1) Antonyms (around 8questions)
2) sentence correction (around 7 questions)
3) analogies (around 7 questions)
4) Reading comprehension. (around 8-9 questions)
The first 3 types of questions can be very well handled if your vocab is good.
Of course I m not expecting you to know the whole dictionary! J..just make sure that you are thorough with the word list given in BARRONS GRE. I really feel that BARRONS GRE is the bible for preparation for GRE!.. you would find many people who would say “ dump that barrons first”.. I wonder what makes them feel that!... I scored 640 2 times by using only barrons!
The wordlist in barrons is of 3500 words!... words like – discombobulated, recidivism, appurtenance, hiatus! WHO ON EARTH USES THOSE WORDS!! …someone tell me!
Anyways, there is no shortcut to learn the word list. You have to spend time to remember the words. You do anything to keep the words in your mind – write the words , use flash cards, make silly associations of words and some pictures in your mind, read out the words loud, start using the words in your day-to-day speaking. Discombobulate ur friends!!
I will give you one example. There is a word –stickler. It means a person who is particular about everything, someone who wants everything to be at its own place.! In engineering college, I had a room partner named Yogesh More who was very particular about cleanliness, neatness!... so I created a mental association of STICKLER and Yogesh More! So next time I see the word stickler, I know what it means!!!...understood?
Create ANY DAMN pattern to remember words. Don’t worry about what the stupidity or foolishness of the pattern. Its only till the time you take the GRE, that you need to remember those patterns!..right? J
Once you are done with the wordlist, you start reading a thesaurus. Thesaurus is mainly to give u an idea about the different shades of any word.
Like, the the example of the word – application.
The normal meaning we know is that of a formal letter to get some work done.
But there is one meaning of ‘application’ that normally all don’t know.
APPLICATION also means DILIGENT ATTENTION.
So, thesaurus will give u all the synonyms of a word.
After you are done with the barrons wordlist, you can directly jump into solving questions. Seriously, once you know how a word is used in different contexts, the above first 3 types of questions would be easy for you.
Reading comprehension has been haunting me since 2003!... I still haven’t been able to figure out what the passage said and what I understood! J… kidding! There are many ways to tackle RC. I would tell you what I did to handle RC.
First read the passage slowly! Believe me, you will save a lot of time by solving Antonyms and Analogies quickly. So you can use that time in RC. I m not trying to blow my own trumpet, but really I could solve antonyms in just 5-6 seconds. Btw, there are 30 questions to be solved in 30 mins in verbal section. i.e a min a question. I used to save 55 * 8 seconds and I used to use that time in RC…get my point?
Use you strength to save time on easy questions and use that time wisely on the tougher questions. I used to spend arnd 4 mins to read a 70 line passage!.. I know you must be feeling that I was very slowly. But, I took time to comprehend! This is what happens when you don’t have a good reading habit!
When you read the first paragraph, try to judge what the next content is going to be. If the author is disgruntled about something, then be sure that he is going to propose something that is better than the previously mentioned method. And subsequently he will propose why he thinks the other method is good…etc. GRE passages normally follow a pattern. After solving some 50-60 passages , you will come to know the structure of the passage. You will even be able to anticipate what can be asked!...practice s very very important here. Google for “1000 RC”. use that document for RCs. It’s a sea of RCs. But be sure that you understand what is going wrong after each RC. The NUMBER of ‘RCs solved’ is not important, it’s ‘what you learned’ is important.
After you are done with all this preparation, solve GRE BIG Book. It’s the bible of GRE exams. I had solved some 8 tests and I can surely say that the second question in the main exam came verbatim from the GRE BIG Book.!
And after that don’t forget to solve the tests given in the ETS GRE Powerprep (CD that you get on registering for exam)
Let me know if can be of more help to you. I have a lot of soft copy material with me. Those who want can contact me at dipenambalia@gmail.com . Then you can meet me personally to get the material. I stay in kalyan… needless to say; I will give the material free of cost!
Btw, I m have not discussed MATHS because its damn easy!!
Happy GREing!!
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