TOEFL – READING COMPREHENSION TIPS!

 TOEFL – READING COMPREHENSION TIPS!

The first Section that you will have in TOEFL iBT exam is the Reading Section. The Reading Section of TOEL iBT measures your ability to read and apprehend academic based passages in English. You have to have a strong and effective Reading Skills that will help you achieve high Score in the Reading Sectopn. As we discussed in our previous TOEFL iBT Format Blog; with its 4 Sectional division of Reading, Listening, Speaking & Writing, in my TODAYS BLOG, we will be learning about the 1^st Section of READING SKILLS & its STRATEGIES.

There are 3 main purposes for Academic Reading in TOEFL iBT:

1. Reading to find related information

2.Understanding the Basic comprehension

3. Reading to learn

The Reading Section in TOEFL iBT consists of 3-5 Passages; each Passage is about 500-700 words long. Each Reading passage is followed by 12 – 14 questions related to the passage. The complete time frame for the reading Section is 60 – 80 Minutes, depending on the number of passages appear.

The total time dedicated to all the passage is for 60 -80 minutes for reading and answering the questions, this time as mention varies depending on the number of Passages that appear going up to maximum of 80 Minutes. The system will automatically stop you after the time ends, so you must be very attentive on the time. Thus, you must be not only good at reading and grasping the details of the passage but also pretty quickly in it.

 10 Strategies for Reading Comprehension:

1) When you have at least 3 month in hand: I suggest you Read, Read & Read a lot. Keep a regular habit of reading English Newspaper that will particularly enhance your reading skills. Emphasis on academic based reading particularly, from university textbooks or other materials. Don’t just read on topics that interest you. Your Reading Comprehension passage comes from wide range of Topics, Therefore, expand your reading topics, whether is suits your interests of NOT, whether its boring or interesting, make it a point that you read from different subjects & topics like History, Arts, Sociology, science, Finance, Social science, Business journals, Archeology, Geography, Economics, and any others. Academic texts, apart from textbooks, these could be found in variety of articles in various Publications like Nat Geo Magazines etc. and academic publications Or on the Internet or your university libraries.

2) Strengthen your vocabulary: When reading any topic on different subjects you should make your own set of vocabulary. Improve your vocabulary by starting with Root Prefixes & Suffixes first, have a grip over your Root Words, the origin of these words, this you will find in my previous Blog on VOCABULARY. Then make separate list, organize your list in topics for better results may be alphabetically. Study through Flash cards, there are lots of flashcards available by various publications like Barron’s, Kaplan & Princton, study them when you are travelling in Train, Bus, Or Car make best use of your travel time. Or you can make your own flashcards to help you learn those set of Vocabulary. Use the words learned in your writings and speaking section of your TOEFL / SAT / GRE OR GMAT.

3) Take rough notes: You are provided with a rough sheet to take notes on them, make full use of it – take notes on that paper. It is an absolute essential element, as it’s difficult to remember all facts and details from a reading text in order to answer the questions. You don’t want to waste your time in searching details over & over again in the passage. So, the best thing to do is to keep taking note with line numbers for reference. While skimming and reading the texts you should jot down all key facts and details so find them when, you need them.

4) Skim the Passage: Skimming is reading the passage in about 30 seconds, just an over all look on the passage. Skimming means having a quickly glance of the Passage to obtain very first idea / imprint on what the passage is about, or get a rough idea of what is its main idea of it. Train yourself to skim quickly through the passage, without wasting much of your time and by identifying the main point & key words in the passage. Taking notes will help you sail through this.

5)  Read Passage after skimming : Once your skimming is done, read the Passage carefully looking for details & facts. Look for key words & Phrases mentioned in the passage. Particularly the 3 Major types of transition Words: Connection, Progression & Contradiction, along with them look for Phrases, idioms and Adjective words. It will enlighten you with author’s opinion and point of view. As only skimming is not enough. Reading it more carefully, but don’t forget you do not have much time. Keep taking notes; make it a habit whenever you solve any practice test. You need to understand the ClassificationOR Types of Passages like – classification, Rhetorical Type, Cause & effect, Persuasive, Factual Type, Detailed type, compare or contrast, Narrative, Problem OR solution, Sarcastic Type, etc.

6) Make an intelligent guess the word meaning: Use your knowledge of Prefixes, Root & Suffixes in order to identify the meaning of the word from the passages; refer to its context to get the over all meaning of it. Guessing the words from the context is very easy, as it must not be a dictionary meaning. You save on time and it its very quick.

7)  Practice, Practice & Practice a lot: Practicing in a proper exam environment will help you deal with exam pressure better. Try to take a minimum of 5 Full-length Test before your main TOEFL Exam. You need to always remember that TOEFL is a standardized test. This means it always follows the same format. Keep practicing tests to familiarize yourself with the format and testing conditions and keeping track of your time.

There are lots of Free Online Testing site to help you attain good score in respective sections like:

1) http://www.testden.com/challenge/free-toefl.asp

2) http://www.4tests.com/toefl

8)  Remember: That all the answer are present in the Passage, you are not expected to answer from your opinion. Through the Reading Comprehension it tests your ability to understand and comprehend ideas related to the passage. Hence focus on reading & cognizing the over all idea of the passage.

9) As discussed earlier understand and keep taking note with line numbers so you can quickly reach that part, Note down the Main Topic or its Main idea and the Key words / points or Phrases when reading the passages, and use your notes for answering the questions.

10) Read the questions careful, remember if you interpret the meaning of the question wrong, you will choose a wrong answer, so be careful! However, remember that the answer to all the questions are in the information provided in the passages itself. Try to answer these questions using what you have understood from the read passages.

If you want to get a superb score in the TOEFL Reading Section my advice – Keep Practicing!

ALL THE BEST for your TOEFL EXAM !!

See you in my next Blog on the Different TYPES of QUESTION & and its approach, under the TOEFL READING SECTION, which will help you score high in READING PASSAGES.

Till then Adios mi amigos !! 😀

Shraddha

TOEFL – SPEAKING TIPS !!

Hello, My awesome students …!  

As discussed with you all, we will study & now more about the TOEFL Speaking Tips :These simple tips will assist you achieve higher score on the Speaking section of TOEFL exam.

Content under the Speaking Section of TOEFL:

It comes directly after the 10-minute break. It measures the test taker’s ability to converse and communicate in the Speaking section of English. The Speaking section of TOEFL consists six tasks, majorly into two types – independent speaking tasks (2 tasks) and integrated speaking tasks (4 tasks). Students must demonstrate that they are able to comprehend & communicate fluently as per the questioned asked.

Speaking Section

The speaking section measures your ability to speak in English about a variety of topics.

The format of the speaking section is given below.

• Time limit : 20 min.
• You may take notes on paper, and you may use them to answer your questions.

Know the content of your TOEFL Exam 🙂

Directions: The Speaking section in the test measures your ability to speak about a variety of topics. As per the http://www.ets.org/toefl

• In questions 1 and 2, in an actual test, your response will be scored on your ability to speak clearly and coherently about familiar topics.

• In questions 3 and 4, in an actual test, you will first read a short text and then listen to a talk on the same topic. You will have to combine appropriate information from the text and the talk to provide a complete answer. Your response will be scored on your ability to accurately convey information, and to speak clearly and coherently. In this sampler, you will read both the text and the talk.

• In questions 5 and 6, in an actual test, you will listen to part of a conversation or lecture. Then, you will be asked a question about what you have heard. Your response will be scored on your ability to accurately convey information, and to speak clearly and coherently. In this sampler, you will read the conversation.

TOEFL is Awesoeme! The most easy Exam I have ever come across!! 😀

The First 2 TasksYou are expected to do the following things:

• Speaking need a clear Structure of your response.
• Try to speak the way you as an individual speaks, try not to Speak in a Accent, as I warn not to use such accent based speaking. Just focus on speak than on accent, just be as clearly as possible. Have a clear Pronunciation of what you speak.
• The Structure MUST include an introduction Quote, a body and a conclusion.
• A Smoother transition from one part to another is important in a very clear, logical, specific and organized manner.
• Avoid using Pause sounds like Hmm… Aaaa…. Weelll… Umm… with long sound involved in it. Be short & clear in your approach.
• Try not to use High Level English Vocabulary, be clear & specific in your approach, and speak as confident as you can in an expressive manner. i.e: Use Simplicity English.
• For the Give Topic you are expected to provide a maximum of three reasons & examples with detail for your response. You are expected to not go around the bush.
• Use Specific Adjectives to clarify your thoughts & Ideas. The Usage of Verbs is more functioning and makes your English sound more attention grabbing – Use them frequently.
• Speak clearly, so that the listener understands what you speak. Try not sounding too ROBOTIC or taking lots of Long Pauses in a sentence. It’s always good to speak using your points which the examiner can understand your words, that to speak randomly.
• Always concluding your topic, because it shows that you were not in a hurry, but got good time to conclude your Topic. It leaves a good impression on the listener.

Independent Task 1 TOPICS : Asks you to Describe the given topic.

Examples Topics : Describe a teacher who has influenced you and why. Be sure to include specific details and examples in your response.

You have 15 Secs to Prepare and have 45 Secs to Respond (Record) your answer.

Sample Response :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux2Q0upiD_0

Similarly , following are few Sample Question on Task 1 of Speaking Section: 

1.Who is your best friend? Describe this person and say why do you consider this person as your best friend.

2. What is your favorite place to visit ? Explain in brief why it is your favorite place to go with specific examples.

3. What is your happiest childhood memory? Describe it and give reasons to explain why it is your happiest memory.

4. Who is your most favourite charter in History? Describe the reason for him/her to your favourite.

Independent Task 2 (Preference Based) TOPICS :You are given a choice and you need to take a STAND and You cannot be Neutral on the given topic.

Examples Topics : What do you prefer to get News from, by reading a NEWSPAPER or Watching LIVE T.V. NEWS ? Please choose which one & describe it with reasons you so? Use specific details and examples in your response.

You have 15 Secs to Prepare And have 45 Secs to Respond (Record) your answer.

Similarly , following are few Sample Question on Task 2 of Speaking Section: 

1. What do you prefer to go out to dinner or stay home and cook a meal? please choose one and use reasons to support your response.

2. What do you prefer to Study alone or in a group? Please choose one and explain in details you point of view with example.

3. Some people prefer to Study abroad or Study in your home country? Please choose one and explain in details you point of view with example.

4.“Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in and why? Please choose one and explain in details you point of view with example.

Sample Response : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjS74bf2v3A

Hope you liked it, Post your comments & likes !!

Have fun !! Lets meet next time with a Reading Section of TOEFL !! 🙂

Adios Amigos 😀 !

F.A.C.T.

 Visit: http://www.ets.org for TOEFL’s Official Website for details!

SAT/ GRE – ESSAY WRITING TIPS !

Hello Guyz… Welcome once again to F.A.C.T.  – SAT Writing TIP!

  

Starting with SAT – Essay Writing Section!

One thing that you MUST always keep in Mind is that You MUST always KNOW the DIRECTION before hand, and do not waste your valuable time in reading Direction during your EXAM.

So Lets, start with few basic things KNOWING the DIRECTION : http://sat.collegeboard.org

The SAT essay measures your ability to:

• develop a point of view on an issue presented in an excerpt
• support your point of view using reasoning and examples from your reading, studies, experience, or observations
• follow the conventions of standard written English

The essay gives you an opportunity to show how effectively you can develop and express ideas. You should, therefore, take care to develop your point of view, present your ideas logically and clearly, and use language precisely.

Your essay must be written on the lines provided on your answer sheet — you will receive no other paper on which to write. You will have enough space if you write on every line, avoid wide margins, and keep your handwriting to a reasonable size. Remember that people who are not familiar with your handwriting will read what you write. Try to write or print so that what you are writing is legible to those readers.

You can practice writing essays using the essay prompts from the most recent SAT from http://sat.collegeboard.org. website.

Few Very Important COLLAGE BOARD RULES :

Important THINGS During exam :

1. A pencil is required for the essay. An essay written in ink will receive a score of zero.
2. Do not write your essay in your test book. You will receive credit only for what you write on your answer sheet.
3. An off-topic essay will receive a score of zero.
4. If your essay does not reflect your original and individual work, your test scores may be canceled.

How does it look ??

SAMPLE ESSAY : The SAT examination begins with a 25-minute writing task: The essay; You have no choice of topic: you have to write on the prompt ESSAY TOPIC given in a text box. For example you may see something like this:

Underneath the prompt is the assignment a statement that clarifies what you are supposed to do. For example, after the issue given in the prompt above, you might see: Assignment:  Plan your response, and then write an essay to explain your views on this issue. Be sure to support your position with specific points and examples. (You may use personal examples or examples from your reading, observations, or, knowledge of subjects such as history, literature, science.)

The examiners tell us in the Official Guide to the SAT that there is no formula for writing an effective essay. I suggest that you practice a few practice essays within a set TIME.

BRAINSTORMING :NOW HERE IS HOW TO FRAME YOUR ESSAY :

Since the Essay is of 25 Minutes spend around 2 or 3 minutes making OUTLINES OR DRAWING notes and organizing your thoughts. Spend about 20 minutes writing your essay. Spend 1 or 2 minutes for proofreading your essay. Use & Divide your Time very Efficiently!

Think over the following things:

• What claims does the author make?
  • Why do they sound good? Is it the logic, the sources, the writing, the structure? Is it something else?
• What evidence does the author present? (Look for his Examples)
  • Why does the evidence sound credible? How does the author present facts, and what is his/her approach to telling a story with facts?
• Is the logic sound or faulty, and why?
  • Why is the logic sound? Does the author back up his/her claims with examples that are easy to follow?

                                            ——————-@–@–@–@–@——————

Scrutinize your ESSAY Carefully! 

1. You have in all ONLY 25 minutes to plan effectively and write an essay on the assigned topic. You will have line space for writing notes to help you organize your thoughts, write within that only , as you will not be provided with extra sheet.
2. Use Quotations related to the TOPIC of prompt issue at hand.
3. Keep a tab on TIME,  plan your time during the practice test itself !!!
4. Notice that this topic, or prompt, features a quote about an issue to which you are asked to respond. It is written with the intent that you will be able to respond quickly regardless of your background or interests.
5. The Topic, or prompt, could have a one quote or a pair of quotes (two quotes) about an issue at hand to guide you better.
6. Try not be over smart by using Large writing, filling pages, it does not serve the purpose,Try not to leave extensive wide margins.
7. The assignment will ask you to give your view on a topic. Support your point of view with reasoning and specific details or examples out of your experience drawn by you over the years.
8. Any Drift from the Topic mentioned to write on will not fetch you marks. So, Make sure that the essay you write is on the mentioned topic only.
9. Use Correct Grammar, make it a point that you use correct form of Standard written English Grammar and your PUNCTUATIONs are used well.
10. You are expected to write of Minimum of 3 to 4 Paragraph of ESSAY. Very short essays will receive very low scores. Aim for at least three paragraphs.
11. Be clear & specific to your Point / idea / argument, not vague . Your readers are not, as you may suppose draw inference from your writing. They are looking for Clear,Logical & Specific details,with concrete evidence of some kind used to support your point of view and ideas.
12. Remember: Your essay should be clear and effective.
13. Do not forget to write the CONCLUSION, Without a proper conclusion it looks incomplete  you may loose points on it!
14. Do not forget to PROOFREAD it, you might notice that Facebook & Wass app has ruined your English Writing with all the Shortcuts! as , wen U mght Bf9 with it!  (Avoid it – Rather NOTICE IT)
15. Last but not the least, Quality Matters NOT the QUANTITY! , So don’t write lengthy essay write quality essay.

                                                    ——————–@–@–@–@–@——————

CREATE OUTLINE OF YOUR ESSAY within 2-3 Min.

Brainstorm and assemble, anther collect your Ideas into an outline. Write a topic sentence for your main ideas. Then, underneath, make bullet points for every Paragraph and list your supporting evidence as per requirement. Generally, you want a min. of 3 arguments or pieces of evidence to support each main idea.

Paragraph 1: Introduction

Explain, in your own words, what the issue is. Include a thesis statement, which is a clear statement of your point of view/ idea / argument.

Paragraph 2: Point one in support of your thesis Statement

• Example 1 : ABCDEFG
• DETAIL : …… Explain the point you are making with the aid of a specific example with detail, Write the point & example you want to use in 1 -3 words. Explain every point you make is related to the Question or Issue / Topic asked. Look at the ideas / points/ examples that you came up with. Choose one to three of your strongest ideas that supports your topic the best. You should be able to support these ideas with evidence from your ideas/ experiences & studies drawn from over the years.

Paragraph 3: Point two in support of your thesis statement

• Example 1 : ABCDEFG
• DETAIL : …..Explain the point you are making with the aid of a specific example, again write the point & example you want to use in 1 -3 words supporting your IDEA!
• Use Correct TRANSITION WORDS to connect two Paragraphs.

Paragraph 4: Qualification

• Example 1 : ABCDEFG
• DETAIL : …… Explain that, under certain circumstances, the opposite point of view might be correct. (This is to show that you are aware of all aspects of the issue, even though you are 80-90% convinced of your thesis.) [Sometimes this paragraph is replaced by another point and/or further discussion or reasoning.]

Paragraph 5: Reinforcement of thesis / CONCLUSION

Show how your  idea / argument/ viewpoint, despite the qualification you have just made, is more persuasive under the present circumstances.Draw your themes together.

                              ————————@–@–@–@–@———————-

I hope you got how to Write an effective Essay for SAT or GRE. Plan & Write effectively!

 Tell us about your Experience, Tips, Ideas on SAT / GRE ESSAY – see you soon with New TIPS on Other Writing Topics!

Have Fun! Gracias , Amigos! 🙂

F.A.C.T. Or VISIT Our FACEBOOK PAGE on FACT  🙂

A Night on a Dhow Cruise!

People in this day and age have forgotten a really important and necessary skill, the absence of which makes life quite dull, that’s why I have always looked at doctors with pity wondering how they could devote so much of their lives to work and considerably less to play.  You may have guessed that I’m talking about having a good time, letting your hair down, or fun as it’s generally called. Now I know you’re wondering if I’ve written this just to discuss my petty views and opinions, well no. What I’m really trying to say or rather recount are the happenings of a particular night which I thought to be rather fun.

We had been through a rather grueling six days of study which was both educational, tiring and Fun filled week, for we were preparing for our SAT’s. We at F.A.C.T. conducted a 7 Day ‘SAT – WORKSHOP’, which was a combination of Fun & Tedious all together! For all 7 days we studied English & Math solving worksheets, watching movies as well, in the Breaks! Guess what by whom? – by our Teachers on a Projector! Can you believe that!

 

I being a student at FACT, was a part of this amazing course and be a team member of this. So, it was decided that we should reward ourselves with a well-deserved evening of fun and frivolity, but here’s the thing about having an evening out and trying to write about it; time flies and everything goes by in a blur, as though the human condition has been put under some kind of spell. We decided to go on a Dhow Cruise! The day was too hot to go sailing on a boat so we went in the evening, although it was still clammy and I was exposed to the salty spray of the night sea and the constant rocking back and forth of the boat, but this soon fades away until you can barely feel it; soon, floating rounds of cold drinks are served until the air is alive with chatter and laughter and casual innuendo and pointless conversations forgotten on the spot. As the lights die down and the sea lurches away from the earth, we sat grouped up in tables each lit by a lone candle like stars on a black sky. The groups change more swiftly, swell as they form two large groups and then dissolve and form again in the same breath.

‘That Fun-filled Memorable Night!’

As the night wore on it came time to eat of which I did little, I managed to grab a quick bite but that was it. I found myself looking into a mirror at some point in the evening in some cabin beneath the boat, I could hear the dull roar of the party somewhere above me. Later a man walked up to the floor, dressed peculiarly in a frock dress and shirt with intricate markings upon it, I was shocked at first but then I soon realized it was part of the show for that evening as it had been conducted time and again on the boat. Even though I lived in the middle east for a long time this was the first time I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing such a performance, the dancer gradually built up a slow rhythm and kept it up, then the beat gained pace almost as if it had come to life, and he started to spin, the sound reaching a feverish pitch in my ear; The lights went off and he lit up, emitting a soft glow from the markings on his dress, illuminating the dark interior and we looked like a lantern drifting aimlessly at sea.  He picked up the pace and started to sway to the ever increasing rhythm almost in a trance like state and I was all in awe.

We all were having fun with FACT Teachers & our Mentor Mr. Sunil Shah, he is the one that we all look upto. He guides us all  in correct direction.He being with was never  occurred that we were with our teacher he is so friendly with us , that we are more close to him than our own Parents!!

Once his performance was over people once again called for more photo taking. What came next was quite a sight to watch, and yes there were watchers, families who had come for a quite dinner aboard a boat seated in the lower deck, where we soon found ourselves, at the height of the evening. And so they watched, watched as a crowd descended the stairs and subsequently start dancing to music which just happened to be conveniently present. The music was loud and the people wild. This seemed to go on for a while, I guess it’s just one of those things that happen, you can’t tell when they happen or why, just that they do. The boat pulled towards the harbor and it was finally time to call it a night.

We all Crazy smart people!!

The Goodbyes! – were the most sad part! It declared the end of all the 7 days studies with fun & enjoyment, getting to know each other making new friends & then parting! But we loved being at FACT and looking forward for the next Workshop !  🙂

 

 

Testimonials – What Students have to say about us!

SIX RULES FOR FASTER COMPREHENSION

1.READ MORE:

You must make time for reading,atleast two full hours thrice a week.This makes reading a natural habit & more rewarding.

2.LEARN TO READ FOR MAIN IDEA:
Stop wasting time& effort for details ,push through effeciently for a quick recognition of the main idea.Be more interested in the writer`s basic thinking than in his minor points.

3.CHALLENGE YOUR COMPREHENSION:
Try to read difficult & challenging material. you will never become a better reader by limiting yourself to easy reading.

4.BUDGET YOUR TIME:
Keep youself deadlines in reading .Say to yourself: “i have this book & i want to finish it by tomorrow night”
This way you will mobilize yourself for reading as an intellectual pursuit

5.PACE YOURSELF:
Set yourself a time limit,say 15mts & count the no of pages you have finished in that time, multiply by 4& you have your potential speed for that book per hour.
Keep to the rate you have set yourself.This way you will learn to devise personal tricks to speed up.

6.DEVELOP HABITS OF IMMEDIATE CONCENTRATION:
Nothing makes concentration so easy ,so immediate as the technique of sweeping through the material purposefully looking for main ideas & broad concepts.
This stimulates your mind, you get involved in the writer`s thoughts & as an added dividend you soon find increased concentration.

All about GRE…..

The GRE or Graduate Record Exam is required for admission to most U.S., Canadian, and UK graduate schools. Students are required to take GRE for pursuing Master degree in these universities. The GRE general test does not test specific knowledge in any subject. It measures the ability to respond to questions in limited time. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a multiple-choice exam designed to measure verbal, analytical, and quantitative skills. The GRE General Test, required by most graduate schools, many vet schools, and various other allied health professional schools. The GRE Test Score is Valid for 5 years. It is considered to be a good predictor of your success in a graduate program.
Your preparation for the GRE General Test must not be a last minute cramming; etc. it must be a well planned & structured test.

Understanding GRE (Graduate Record Exam)
GRE has 3 Sections
Two Verbal Sections (38 questions and 30 min each)
Two Quantitative Sections (30 questions and 30 min each)
Two Analytical Sections (25 questions and 30 min each)
One Experimental Section (30 min)

The Experimental section is not scored, nor is it identified in the exam. It may be of a verbal, quantitative, or analytical nature.

There are some important facts to remember when taking the GRE General Test. First, each question is worth the same number of points, no matter how hard or easy it is. Second, in each section except the reading comprehension questions (in the Verbal Section), the questions tend to go from easy to difficult. Therefore, it is rash to spend too much time on early questions when you know that later ones will probably take even longer. You have somewhere around one minute or less to answer each question (on the average), so budget your time effectively. Finally, when in doubt, guess. Do not leave a question unanswered. There are no penalties on the General Test for wrong answers.

 

•Verbal Section (38 questions in 30 min each)
The GRE is perhaps the most important standardized tests you’ll ever take. As difficult as it might be, there are some tried and true ways to perform very well and prepare yourself for the verbal portion of the exam. In doing so, you’ll greatly increase your odds of getting accepted into your dream program.   

Tip 1
“Go back to your basics”. Get your basic Roots, Stems, Prefixes, and Suffixes of English in place. Familiarize yourself with the prefixes of the language as these will be obvious clues as to the meanings of words and allow you to instantly eliminate some of the choices given to you. For example, “ex-” in Latin means “out of” and is commonly used in English words such as exodus, exit, extinct and so on. Knowing the prefix can tip you off to the words approximate meaning.
Tip 2
Memorize suffixes and roots of the language as it will help in analogies. This will save you so much time and energy and will pay huge dividends when you take the test. Knowing the meaning of a given suffix is like a shortcut to knowing the meaning of any given word. So, for example, “able” roughly means “can do.” And from this suffix we get “capable.” “-less” means “without” and therefore someone who is “penniless” is without money.
Tip 3
Practice taking the test. You’d be surprised at how much you can improve your score simply by becoming familiar with the restraints and procedures of the test itself. Get yourself used to the test environment. Shut yourself up in a room. Don’t take any breaks because you won’t be allowed to during the actual test. Repeat the exam as many times as you possibly can. Take the same copy of the test more than once if necessary.

•Quantitative Section
The quantitative section is one of three sections on the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). This section of the GRE tests the basic mathematical concepts that you were most likely exposed to in high school. For your best score possible on the GRE quantitative section it is important to review and prepare.

Tip 1
Become familiar with the types of questions in this portion of the test. The GRE quantitative section consists of 28 questions divided between quantitative comparisons, discrete quantitative (multiple-choice) questions and data interpretation questions. Study these different question types.
Tip 2
Study a list of facts and formulas regularly used in the GRE quantitative section. These lists can be found in study guides and online. Memorizing these facts and formulas will help you save time during the test.
Tip 3
Use the diagrams provided or draw your own to help clarify a question. Diagrams provided in the GRE quantitative section are drawn to scale and can be trusted.
Tip 4
Look for mathematical shortcuts. Math problems can be solved many different ways. Try to choose the fastest and easiest method to solve problems found in the GRE quantitative section.
Tip 5
Keep track of units given in GRE quantitative questions. Some questions may ask for an answer to be given in different units than were used in the problem.
Tip 6
Take practice tests and answer sample questions to become familiar with different question types found in the GRE quantitative section.

The Analytical Writing Section  – 75 Minutes
•Issue Writing 45 Minutes
•Argument Writing 30 Minutes
The analytical writing section assesses your ability to articulate your ideas in an essay written in Standard English. It is designed to assess the candidate’s ability to express his/her ideas clearly in a written essay. Candidates are judged on whether they can support their ideas with valid examples, how clearly and succinctly they can express their thoughts, and how well they are able to use elements of the English language.

How do I register for GRE?
There are 3 ways to register for graduate record examination GRE.
•Online GRE registration visit www.ets.org
•Phone/FAX GRE Registration
•Mail GRE registration.

GRE ! A love affair with words….

Falling in love with words is all GRE is ! Eat,drink,sleep and walk words! Words,words and words because analogies are full of logic only.Words can make that magic.Antonyms are synonymous to antegonists sans word power.Sentence completions give you a excuse of completion but with words! R.Cs are a nightmare if not buttressed with words..So dear friends make your vocab sound ! Let every wall of your house be a witness,every nook and corner be not spared ,let the words adorn yout wardrobe,your bathroom too !!

 

Become a maniac with words and come out with flying colours in GRE .

Importance of grammar for GRE,GMAT,SAT.

If you are planning to take  GRE,GMAT or SAT , the first and the most important thing you should do is to brush up your grammar. Grammar is the back-bone of any language. So if you want to score high in ‘ Verbal Section’  also, invest some time in getting your grammar right. I know you will say that you have studied enough of it in your school days. But what you have studied in your school days,  you might have forgotten. And if you have not forgotten it, you might have started to use it wrongly. In our day-to-day life, we come across so many wrong uses of grammar that we start believing that the same is correct.

                    It is not that only illiterate or semi-literate people make very common grammatical mistakes. It is also not true to say that faulty English is printed by ‘ cheap press’ only. If you think so, take any leading English newspaper and read its second or third page, then you will realise what I want to say. Sentences like ” He is living in Mumbai since five years………….”, ” The incident occured when she was returning back home……….”, etc. are very common. And we think that it is such a ‘ prestigious’ newspaper, how can it make such a blunder? The fact is that ‘ prestigious ‘ newspapers and magazines also are full of such glaring mistakes. Therefore, as a student, it is your duty to go through some good grammar book such as Wren and Martin’s before you think of  any examination which requires proficiency in English language. Otherwise, you will make ‘ BIG ‘ blunders.

QUANT PREPARATION FOR GRE

You need to brush up your school level math like algebra, fractions, percentages, geometry and data analysis. Of course the questions would not be that easy, but you need to get your basics right.

 If you’ve just begun your preparation, your first step should be to solve all the math exercises in the Barron’s. In this book, each math concept is given separately followed by a set of exercises based on that concept. This arrangement is very useful because it helps to test  how well you can apply the concept you’ve just learnt and pinpoint your weak areas. If you’re a non-math test-taker, the Barron’s guide is the most important  part of your preparation because it covers all the basic definitions related to number theory (prime numbers, whole numbers, etc.)  But remember that all the necessary concepts are not covered here

Look for mathematical shortcuts. Math problems can be solved many different ways. Try to choose the fastest and easiest method to solve problems found in the GRE quantitative section. Sometimes rather than doing the sum, you should be able to just look at the answer choices and have an idea of what the answer possibly could be, and then confirm it. Use the process of elimination. Often, you don’t need to do any work when you can easily eliminate the wrong answers  

Keep track of units given in GRE quantitative questions. Some questions may ask for an answer to be given in different units than were used in the problem. and last but not the least thing you need is a lot of practice, nothing more, nothing less.