How to Improve your GRE Math Scores
Get a High Score on the Mathematics Section of the GRE
Apr 2, 2009
If you’re like any other student who wants to get into graduate school, you are nervous about the big day and want to find some tips and tricks to improving your GRE score. The GRE is your ticket to graduate school, so it’s imperative that you use anything available to practice and study.
What is the GRE?
The GRE is the Graduate Record Exam, and it tests the proficiency of junior or senior undergraduate students to verify their ability to handle graduate school. The GRE is composed of two parts – a verbal section and a quantitative or math section. Most students have difficulty with one section over the other, but low scores in either section can impair your ability to be selected into your university of choice.
The GRE verbal section tests your knowledge in vocabulary and the ability to structure sentences both structurally and grammatically. Some tips for a better score on the GRE verbal section are found in the article "How to Improve Your GRE Verbal Score".
The GRE math section tests on a certain level in math curriculum. It tests basic math, algebra proficiency, and some basic geometry. You will also need to intuitively examine and translate graphs and visual data. Most of the GRE Math questions are word problems, but having the basic algebraic knowledge to translate literature to formulas will greatly enhance your GRE Math scores.
Before purchasing a GRE practice test, make sure you are buying a test from an official provider. There are many bunk tests out there that are cheap and inaccurate.
Improve GRE Math Scores
The GRE Match section is comprised of 28 questions that you must complete in 45 minutes. The GRE Math section is like any other test – if you want to get better scores, then you need to practice. Kaplan GRE Exam Math Workbook is a great math course that has sectional areas related to word problems, geometry, quantitative sections, and basic algebra. Each section gives you practice problems and tests so that you can work your way up to more difficult questions.
The most important part of the GRE Math section is the word problems. If you can turn a simple word problem into a viable formula within the allotted time, then you’ve already gotten over the hump.
GRE Word Problems
Word problems are available in many of the practice tests available. Take your practice test with a goal that keeps your total time under 45 minutes.
GRE Quantitative Problems
This section has math questions that you need to be able to do within a short amount of time. Kaplan practice tests have 15 questions for each test that you should be able to complete within 10 minutes. Quantitative questions are created in a way so that you should be able to answer them in under a minute. The GRE Quantitative section mixes some of these problems with longer problems in 28 questions that need to be completed within 45 minutes.
GRE Geometry and Graphs
These questions are less prevalent on the GRE, but they are still questions that you should be able to answer quickly. Make sure you understand the relationship between angles and area of shapes. Also make sure you understand the relationships of a graph and its numbers. This section is more intuitive, and you should be able to identify the answer quickly to minimize the time needed to complete other problems.
When taking the GRE, there are also some basic tips to help you concentrate and improve cognitive skills. It's important to stay calm and steady your exam by answering questions within a reasonable amount of time without sacrificing the rest of the test and still using enough calculation time.
- Eat a good breakfast - feed your brain!
- Get a good night sleep.
- Take a practice test before the real one to get your mind ready.
- Relax your mind.
- Use the instructions presented before the test to calm your nerves.
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