Top 10 GRE Prep Myths - Know Facts and Strategy

GRE is one of the important exams that highly reputed colleges will look at while verifying your application, having a good GRE score will only act as a bonus to your application. Due to the importance, having a clear understanding of the GRE is a vital part of the GRE preparation for the exam. The best way to have clarity is to make sure that you are not believing blatantly wrong information and proceeding with it. GRE is designed to assess the skills of a candidate for a graduate-level course. We highly recommend that you check out the GRE preparation tips given in the different sections so that you can gain confidence to be exam-ready.

GRE: Sample Papers | Preparation Tips | Guide

Country Guide: UK | Ireland | Australia | Canada

Save up to ₹2000 on TOEFL, GRE & PTE through ApplyShop

Introduction to GRE Prep Myths

Understanding the significance of GRE preparation

It is mandatory for all aspirants they understand the way the GRE is constructed and the way it's going to make their university application stand out in comparison to the other number of applicants. GRE preparation is ideal for all candidates wishing to acquire high scores and also the GRE preparation tips given by us.

Common misconceptions surrounding GRE prep

There are a few common GRE preparation myths among students that this article will rectify.

A few of them are that the GRE is mandatory to get a higher education. Some universities do not require it but having cleared it, the score will boost your presence in comparison to someone who has not even attempted the exam.

Another common misconception among students is that the study material for the exam is very expensive. There are various sites that can provide you with adequate and quality study material, some of these sources can be found on the ETS (Educational Testing Service), or Khan Academy. If for some reason you don't have access to these, you can use already-used books to study since the testing criteria are almost entirely the same. Let's get through some other common myths in the GRE examination.

Myth 1: "I Can't Improve My GRE Score in a Short Time"

This is a blatant lie although it can be true if you don't work hard for it, the biggest aspect of your preparation would be the strategy and study method you use to prepare.

Importance of strategic and efficient study methods

• Strategic preparation will help you analyze the format of the entire GRE.

• GRE preparation strategies will help you with the type of questions that would be asked and the GRE tips and tricks to solve them.

• Planned efficient time for each section of the GRE will help you constantly review your efforts and a clear picture of your achievements and weaknesses shall be highlighted.

• Cautious efforts in following the GRE preparation tips will keep you motivated and help in raising your confidence for the exam with each passing day.

Effective time management techniques for GRE preparation

• Since day 1 of your GRE preparation, you should prepare a perfect timetable that you should be able to follow with consistency.

• The timetable you prepare for the GRE preparation should have due time for each section despite it being your easiest part.

• Apart from the GRE preparation you should be mindful of your physical and mental well-being and must stay away from all sorts of distractions.

Myth 2: "Only Expensive Prep Courses Guarantee Success"

This is a myth in every field of study there is on the face of the planet. It does make sense why people would think this way, money is the most precious resource one can offer in return for something, and the more you give the more you get, but this is entirely false. You don't need to give your entire fortune for good preparation. There are various sources you can use that even give free material, some of which are mentioned below. One thing you have to remember is that even if you give someone Elon Musk’s entire fortune, they can’t prepare you if you don't put in the effort yourself. In this case, why even worry about paying someone and instead just start studying yourself. Remember, no one knows your strengths and weaknesses better than you, so with self-study you can focus on fixing your personalized weaknesses and polishing your strengths.

Exploring affordable and free GRE prep resources

• The best resource is from the ETS itself, download the guide and start your GRE preparation

• Read our articles on the preparation of GRE verbal, question type-wise

• Check out the ways to prepare and build your GRE vocabulary. Visit our blogs for the same.

• If you are not an online kind of person, there are many authenticated books available in the market at a very low cost.

Evaluating the efficacy of prep courses versus self-study methods

The only scenario in which you should consider a prep course is if you are entirely stuck and can't find a way to improve yourself under any circumstances. Even then make sure to only target the areas you need help in. This will make sure that your resources are spent efficiently and that your preparation is complete.

Also, we highly recommend that you go for personalized online classes so that you can save time and overcome your weak areas in a short period.

Myth 3: "The GRE Quantitative Section is Insurmountable for Non-Math Majors"

The GRE Quant section is the math you have studied in class 10, for something at that level you do not need a math major, additionally, you will have 1 minute 30 seconds per question, in this no one expects you to solve rocket science. The most important thing you need to work on for this section will be your speed and as far as knowledge goes, the rules of mathematics can help you get through almost all the questions.

Strategies for non-mathematical backgrounds to excel in GRE Quantitative

• You will always have the process of elimination when solving multiple choice questions which can save you time to solve the other problems.

• Keep in mind, that maintaining a steady flow of completion is the most important thing you have to take care of, if there is a problem you don't understand, mark it, move ahead, and come back to it once you have completed every question you can solve.

• Make sure you solve all the questions in this section as the questions will be easier.

• If you want more confidence in this section, you can take some mock tests and see your score.

Recommended resources for mastering GRE Quantitative concepts

• Khan Academy offers various free videos GRE Quantitative Reasoning.

• Refer to GRe preparation books by Magoosh, Barrens.

• Refer to Practice Questions and Solutions from various online resources.

Myth 4: "GRE Verbal Section is Just About Vocabulary"

As we said in our previous section, just knowing a long list of words will not help you in your exam, but since you do need some good words in your vocab it will be beneficial for you to know a few techniques to remember words.

A comprehensive approach to GRE Verbal preparation beyond vocabulary

Cramming word lists will hardly work effectively, so supplement them with contextual learning techniques.

• Understand the usage of common prefixes, suffixes, and root words

• Understand grammar technicalities related to parts of speech and subject-verb agreement.

• Understand the usage of synonyms in different contexts.

• Make your own vocabulary dictionary topic wise.

These will make sure that you are able to remember the words but if you want to truly make this aspect of the GRE useful start using the words in your daily life.

Tactics for improving reading comprehension and critical reasoning skills

• Read for the meaning, especially when you are in your preparation time, you should schedule proper time for reading authenticated reading material on various academic topics.

• Understand the author's tone and purpose for writing

• Learn to differentiate between fact and opinion, inference, and assumption, and main idea and supporting details.

Myth 5: "More Practice Tests Mean Better Scores"

As we have mentioned you should do mock tests twice in a month, but also understand that just because you are taking the exam doesn't mean that you will score well, quality over quantity as they say.

Understanding the quality versus quantity debate in GRE practice tests

Make sure to always check your mistakes even if you are getting a good score. You could be making a silly mistake because of which your score is lower, and let me tell you one thing, in a test nothing stings more than knowing you had the right answer but still getting the question wrong. In this scenario, your biggest enemy would be overconfidence, even if you didn't make a mistake in a section or if you practiced a type of question more than a thousand times, check your answer, you do not want to make a silly error on the main Day.

Incorporating strategic review and analysis of practice test results

While you are at the stage of GRE preparation and attempting mock test to analyze the mock score, you should follow the following:

• Check your overall performance in the test and review all that was wrong.

• Identify the difficulties faced in each section; verbal reasoning, writing, or quantitative reasoning.

• Make a book wherein you note your errors and understand the strategies to overcome those specific weak areas.

• Seek professional help wherever required.

Myth 6: "Memorizing Word Lists is Sufficient for Verbal Success"

As mentioned above, memorizing does not work as much as usage does. If you simply learn the words you may end up just knowing that these are the words but the correct usage shall always be a problem. We highly recommend that you check out our blog on developing vocabulary for GRE so that you are in a position to build your own ways and enhance your language skills too.

Supplementing word list memorization with contextual learning techniques

• Read a lot of academic text and analyze the way the words are used and try making sentences with all the difficult words, this way you will be able to retain them for a longer time.

• Use flashcards with sentences so that you can apply the words in the same or different context with better understanding.

• Practice guessing the meanings of unfamiliar words and check how far you are being correct.

• Reflect on how newly learned words fit into your existing vocabulary and how they can be applied in different contexts.

Integrating vocabulary acquisition into daily activities for better retention

• After you have started making your dictionary with different academic topics, work on different topics and start writing on the same using the words you have collected in the dictionary.

• Set your daily target of using newly learnt words and also revising the older ones.

Myth 7: "GRE Writing Section Doesn't Require Much Preparation"

How do you even begin to fall for this? Writing isn't as easy as people make it out to be, just because you know some fancy word and know how to make sentences does not mean that you will score well in the writing section.

If you honestly think that you will cheese through this section just like that without practice, try writing one paragraph, it will show you where you stand. Even if you are able to do this, proper paragraph structure is important, and knowing how to properly structure your points is even more important.

No one will be willing to read something in which a point or thought to be completed will be continued later in the passage, it will confuse the reader and lower your GRE score.

Importance of structured essay planning and practice for GRE Analytical Writing

• There will be clarity of thought in your writing, it will follow a logical sequence from introduction to conclusion.

• There will be coherence and cohesion.

• Structured writing will have accurate points along with proper supporting evidence.

• It will keep the essay more focused on the main idea.

Tips for developing coherent arguments and effective writing strategies

• Understand the question prompt properly and think of the idea that has to be presented.

• Develop the thesis statement according to the prompt

• Plan the essay properly

• Follow the technique of presenting the point, giving explanation, and also the evidence to prove your point.

• Address the counterarguments

• Be clear and concise.

• Maintain coherence and cohesion.

Myth 8: "I Only Need to Focus on My Weak Areas"

In GRE working on your weakness is important but you must not let your strength become weak. If you do, you will still be in the same position despite the hard work you put into improving your weakness because now your strength is weaker.

Balancing targeted improvement with maintaining strengths in GRE preparation

You need to balance your preparation between improving your weakness and maintaining your level in your strength, if you fail to do so every ounce of hard work you put in will go down the drain.The same can be done by following the given steps:

• Maintain a practice schedule, in short you should prepare a consistent study plan and follow it with diligence.

• Assess your strengths and weaknesses regularly, regular practice of both is required, follow the strategies to improve or overcome your weaknesses and do not forget to celebrate the further improvement you see in your strength areas.

• Set your priorities and make a realistic goal to achieve in the specific time period, the goal can also be achieving improvement in GRE vocabulary.

Strategies for optimizing overall performance across all GRE sections

• Prepare a balanced schedule of study covering all sections of the GRE.

• Use particular strategies for each questiontype

• Regularly monitor your scores in the mock test.

• Seek feedback from experts and also take personalised guidance to overcome any specific area you are not understanding.

• Be motivated and optimistic and the focus should be effective practice and not just blind practice.

Myth 9: "GRE Scores Are the Sole Determinant of Admission"

This is another sensible misconception, but a misconception nonetheless, you don't need a good GRE score to be accepted, check nowadays most universities consider many other factors for allowing you to enter the university.

Exploring the holistic approach to graduate admissions

• Holistic admissions allow universities to assess an applicant’s qualifications and potential for success in graduate studies more comprehensively.

• By considering a combination of factors, institutions can create a more inclusive and rigorous application review process.

• This approach recognizes that applicants are multifaceted and brings diversity to the admitted student body

Highlighting the role of GPA, recommendation letters, and personal statements

As far as admission goes, GPA, recommendation letters, personal statements and projects will play a more important role than the GRE score, but just because of that don't feel that there is no point in giving GRE, in case candidate has the same credentials as you, the GRE score will act as a way to prove that you are better than the other candidate.

Myth 10: "I Should Only Rely on Last-minute Cramming"

This is one of the worst decisions you can take in your preparation. The sheer amount of syllabus will crush you and you will score low no matter what, additionally, if you just cram, nothing you have learned will be remembered by your brain, in this case, even if you somehow manage to get a good score, the level of knowledge expected out of you will not be met, which will be detrimental to you in the future.

The detrimental effects of cramming on long-term retention and performance

• Mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

• You might not be abke to retain the required knowledge.

• Increased risk of burn-out which will lead to decreased productivity and lack of motivation.

To avoid this outcome, you should build a routine in which you can properly prepare for the exam. This routine will be based on your schedule so try to work on that. In the last-minute period of the exam, you should go through your study material in order to revise and work on some topics you still haven't perfected.

Building a consistent and sustainable study routine for GRE success

Like we keep mentioning that you should prepare a consistent study plan, we highly recommend that you must start from the diagnostic test to analysing your strength and weaknesses, followed by consistent practice and monitoring the improvement to seeking professional help. Remember that is you wish to achieve something, you have to work big for it.

Conclusion: Shattering GRE Prep Myths for Success

Lastly, we highly recommend to all students that you should follow a strategic study plan and follow all the above given strategies to improve your scores. You should just focus on your self-belief and pay zero attention to any myths that go around.