How I got more than 330 on the GRE?

GRE Format as per 2018

Many people have been reaching me on LinkedIn asking me the question of how did I get more than 330 on my GRE in my first attempt.

So I am writing this blog for all these people.

First of all, there is no tried and tested strategy which works for all. Just as the same shirt does not fit everyone, in the same manner, my strategy does not work for everyone.

So, let me go on and tell what worked for me.

Also, to read about how to prepare for TOEFL please follow this link.

First of all, I took a mock test on GRE official test site on 7th July, 2019 where I got 314. [P.S.- They provide only two mock tests, so use it judiciously.]
Quant 164/170.
Verbal 150/170.

So then I evaluated my strengths and weaknesses and listed them in the following manner.

Strengths:-
1.Great time management in Quant section(completed all section in like 20 minutes each).
2. Good time management in Verbal Section(completed all sections in like 28 minutes each on average.)
Weakness:-
1. Weak at certain quants concept.
2. Could not comprehend comprehension in short times.
3. Poor vocabulary.

So once I knew my strengths and weakness, I booked my GRE date on 30th July 2019 and so I had like 22 days to prepare and came up with a plan to counter it. As this period coincided with the break I had between my BTech final examinations and my first full-time job, I could easily spend the entire day in preparation.

Materials needed:-

1. Manhattan 5lb book of GRE Preparation(https://www.amazon.com/Lb-Book-GRE-Practice-Problems/dp/1937707296)
2. GRE math refresher (https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_math_review.pdf)
3. Galvanize Vocab App to learn new words with Mnemonics (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.galvanizetestprep.vocabbuilder&hl=en_US)
4. Comprehension Practice Tool (https://www.readtheory.org)
5. AWA essay collection (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzjKS7t9cqSybVROS0NZSEVsVE0/edit)

The Course of Action:-

8th July — 10th July: Revised Quant topic using GRE math refresher stated above.

8th July — 28th July: Learnt 60 words daily from the vocal app(6 sets * 10 words each). So 60 * 20 = 1200 words in 20 days.

8th July — 28th July: Practiced an hour daily on read theory.

8th July — 28th July: Read a sample analyze an issue and analyze an argument essay from the PDF shared above.

15th July — 25th July: Practiced Manhattan GRE 5lb.

29th July: Gave GRE second mock test where I got 324.
Quant 164/170
Verbal 160/170

Strategies:-

1. This is not the exam of Knowledge but application. So use the strategy of elimination and eliminate the incorrect answer choices. This strategy works for both Quant and Verbal Section. This way you increase the probability of selecting the correct answer.
2. For Fill in the blanks type question in Verbal, come up with a simple word that fits in the sentence given the context of the sentence. After you have put in the word, read the entire sentence to see whether it makes sense to you or not. Then choose the word that is synonymous to this from the answer choices or eliminate the words which are not synonymous.
3. For comprehension type questions, read a single line in the paragraph and take out its gist. Do this for all the lines in the paragraph. Then take out the gist of the paragraph. Give more importance to the first line and last line of the paragraph as this is where changes in context take place. Repeat the same for all the paragraphs. Once you have the context of all the paragraphs in the comprehension, take the gist out of the entire comprehension.
   Initially, this process will take 10–15 mins but with enough practice, it will come naturally and can be done in like 2 mins per passage.
4. If you cannot answer a question in like 30 seconds then skip the question and move on to the next one and return to this question at the end again.
5. Don’t care which section is the experimental one as you cannot game the system.

Exam Day:-

Morning slot works for me so I took the morning slot and got 1.5 hours ahead of the stipulated time. I wore layered clothing as my friend had told me that it gets pretty cold inside, so to tackle temperature fluctuations I wore layered clothing. (Cons:- Checking time increases depending on the layers of clothing you wear).

My mindset entering the hall was to enjoy the exam process and not focus on the result. I approached each section as it came and tried to give my best on each question. Once I was done with a question, I forgot about it and moved on to the next one with a fresh mind. (I cannot underline the importance of this enough)

I took the stipulated break and drank some water and used the facilities.

I went on with the rest of the sections and completed the test in close to 3 hours 20 mins. (This is a test of stamina as well)

Aha!!! I got the shock of my life as soon as the scores were shown on the screen.

Quant 169
Verbal 165
AWA 5/6 (this score came after fortnight)
Not only was this more than I expected but this was a balanced score which is very rare to get first of all. (Only 10% of exam holders get more than 330 on GRE)

I got excited and remained in that state for some time but as time went on I started believing that it is no big a deal and almost anyone can get it if they have the correct strategy.

“As it is not the result which matters but the process behind it that matters. You can take that process and apply it anywhere and everywhere you want. With consistency in the process, the results are to follow.”

Though it may sound crazy even after a year since I gave the exam, I miss the phase where I spend time pulling my hair learning all those Vocabulary words.

Enough said and done. Do let me know how your strategy pans out. I am eager to hear.

All the best for future GRE aspirants!!!

Motivation for exams

References:-
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Bottom Image: final-exams.jpg