GRE English Subject Test 2024: How to Prepare for GRE Literature in English?

The GRE English Subject test is mostly chosen by students who are looking to get into a master's degree program in Literature at the top universities abroad. The Literature paper of the GRE exam generally has 230 multiple choice questions that can be solved within 2 hours and 50 minutes.

The questions are based on literary works and movements such as it's criticisms, drama, poetry and biographies etc. The GRE Literature subject test syllabus is structured into four parameters i.e. Literary Analysis (45-55%), Cultural Contexts (20-25%), Identification (15-20%) and the rest of 10 to15% are distributed into History and Theory of Literary Criticism.

The questions of GRE literature in English consist of various topics which includes poetry, drama, the essay, novel, short story, biography, criticisms, literary theory and the language's theory.

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Now that we have had the overview of the GRE Literature exam. Let us now have a close look at the GRE Literature syllabus:

The GRE Literature in English Test section consists of multiple-choice questions. Every piece of MCQs on the subject offers students five response options from which you have to pick the right one. The average score of the GRE Literature test ranges between 200 to 990 with a 10 point increment. 

As per ETS, the detailed GRE Literature Test Syllabus is discussed below:

Literary Analysis (40-55%)

The Literary Analysis is the largest section of the GRE Literature in English test that is based on the understanding of a certain selection of prose and poetry. Other questions include grammar, tone, structure, genres, meaning, literary techniques and rhetorical strategies. 

Identification (15-20%)

The Identification section will focus majorly on the identification of the author, work or date through the content or the style of the reprinted excerpt.

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Cultural and Historical Contexts (20-25%)

The Cultural and Historical Contexts of GRE Literatureincludes questions on cultural, intellectual and literary history along with the recognition of the author or work of an excerpt. The section also includes questions from a critical statement or biography, the character details, plot or the setting in the historical situation. 

History and Theory of Literary Criticism (10-15%)

The History and Theory of Literary Criticism will include the detection and the analysis of the methods and characteristics of various critical and theoretical approaches in English literature. The questions also come from classical, continental, and comparative literature, British literature, American literature etc.

The types of questions asked from the topics are distributed throughout the paper. The GRE literature questions are not set aside and labelled separately however a few of them from a single section may appear on a consecutive basis.

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Preparing for the GRE Literature is one of the crucial parts of excelling in the exam. The paper has been designed to test your literature knowledge gained over a period of time. You must review your syllabi, textbook and undergraduate notes of literature to prepare well for the test. Some other recommendations you must know before starting your preparation are:

• Go through the number of GRE literature prep books that will help you in preparing for this part.
• Review the question asked in previous English Literature papers. This shows you the types of questions generally asked in the exam and the exam pattern.
• Revise the literature textbooks and notes of your college courses, this will give you a better study outline.
• Appear in the GRE literature practice test to analyse where you stand in the examination. For this you can try Yocket's GRE Prep to ace your GRE preparation. 
• Many students appear in the GRE twice to share their highest scores. You may also do the same thing by ensuring a gap of a minimum of 21 days between the test time.

The following is the list of GRE English subject test book which will help you in facing the GRE Literature in English test:

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Getting a good score in the GRE literature in English is a doable task. All you have to do is skim through the literature test pattern and syllabus, understand the scoring patterns and prepare accordingly. The test structure is well planned, which makes it widely relatable for every student taking the test. To qualify for the exam, you just need to develop a roadmap of success in GRE English and prepare thoroughly. For this, Yocket's GRE Prep+ is a great way to track your progress and boost your preparation.

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