Agreed, GRE is a tough nut to crack, but only when you lack proper planning, strategy and discipline. It will suddenly start looking orderly, logical and attainable with a little preparation and foresight. GRE preparation is a rigorous mental workout which builds your accuracy, timing and confidence after consistent practice. One needs to train his/her mind to ingrain the concepts, techniques and strategies that is essential to crack GRE and be able to evoke it during the exam. Also, preparation necessitates one to strike a right balance between study and breaks. Brakes serve as revitalizer to escape from unexciting routine of daily preparation, and if not taken in time can lead to information overload and eventually burnouts.
Reaching a score plateau can be quiet a frustrating reality. The key is to keep pressing forward with increased positivity, better focus and by fine-tuning your study plan to make the most of it. The idea is to reach the Peak after having worked on your accuracy, timing yourself appropriately and scoring high in practice tests. Once your score hits a point you have set your mind on, it is the most opportune moment to take GRE.
You may want to take care of these little things to ensure success at GRE:
- Your brain has a level of saturation beyond which its efficiency starts reducing. Take regular breaks and let your brain refresh and recharge itself. Once that happens, you will be able to bounce back
- Set a right rhythm for GRE. Just cramming and practicing like a maniac will not work. You need to follow a steady strategy of learning-understanding-analysing-practicing-taking mock test followed by a well-deserved break.
- Please monitor your progress in terms of your timing, accuracy and score continuously.
- Consistent practice is always better than last minute rigors.
- Make a concrete but a realistic study plan and try to stick to it. It will put you in the right trajectory of discipline where you will start to take your study as seriously as you take your dentist’s appointment after an excruciating toothache.
- While you are self-motivated to study the subjects you are good at, bury your heads like the proverbial ostrich and practice the subjects you are not so fond of. Facing and overcoming your weak areas will make you better equipped and more confident.
- Over exertion and last minute cramming can prove detrimental to your scores. Make sure you are not stressed out and get enough sleep and eat healthy food before the exam day.
- Following a routine over a period of time, taking practice tests at exactly the same time as your GRE slot does a lot of good to not only set your biological clock but also give you a subconscious training for the GRE.
- Divide your time assiduously. Do not keep reading one subject continuously. It is wise to alternate between two or different subjects to keep your interest level alive.
- GRE score is not a measurement of your intelligence but an indicator of how well planned, dedicated and positive you are as a person. Do not let GRE blues knock you down but take it with a composed and forward looking approach.