GRE Study Plan: 1090 to 1420 in 21 Days
Read the first part of GRE Study Plan 1 Month
My second attempt 22 July 2011
I got AWA section first. Essay question were awkward, both of them. It was hard to think what to write every sentence I wrote looks contradictory to myself only. Anyways I finished it off with whatever came in my head. I think I wrote okay not very good 🙁 God fetch me 3 at least: D
Argument question was easy. Done!
Then I got verbal section I did first 10 questions with lot of patience and tried to be very sure about what I am marking as an answer. After mastering 40 wordlist I was able to handle the questions perfectly. Even if I did not the meaning of the 1 or 2 word I used POE turned out to be a life saver.
When I got my quants section I was very much sure that I fought well in verbal war! I was not able to do quants properly at all. I was so much excited after my verbal, I was just wishing for quant’s section to end and I can see my scores.
I knew that I have to control myself and fight back in quant’s again same as I fought in verbal. I took 5 minutes to cool myself and now I have 40 minutes for maths. 40 minutes were sufficient to do 28 simple questions of quants. I got one huge table and 2 or 3 questions based on that.
As it was after 20th question I decided to play “Akar Bakar Bombay Bo” guessed them and moved ahead. Solved all the questions and then clicked show scores with my fingers crossed (crossed? don’t remember because I was completely numb after seeing my score)
My GRE score in second attempt :
- Verbal : 630
- Quant’s : 790
- AWA : Pending
- Total : 1420
The first time I added them, I was like HOLY SHIT!!! No I must have made some mistake; added them 3 4 times more on screen then with pencil and paper and then I was sure YAH!! Its 1420.
Then I selected 4 universities and got out of the center as soon as I can. I marked all A’s in feedback about the center even though it was not very good.
HUH!!!
This is just my personal experience may be I am wrong at many places saying something or maybe you think 1420 is a crap anything below 1550 is bad then : hey it’s my experience. Even you can post your own here, eagerly waiting to read it :).
If you want to learn something from my experience. Here is a list of things to learn:
Most Important (HSB make it BOLD and RED if you can)
- DON’T COUNT THE DAYS, MAKE THEM COUNT. (Now I can write quotations 🙂 GRE 😀
- Always always and always believe in yourself!
I know all this seems like a lecture, it was same with me. It seems like a lecture when you read it but afterwards you realize how correct it is.
Now things to learn if you want to else you can close the window 🙂
- Practice a lot. Give lots of mock test.
- Don’t think that you can crack it without wordlist. Even for new GRE you need to know the words.
- Don’t waste time in mastering things which you are already good at. (This is basically for quants)
- Use mnemonicdictionary.com to learn words with mnemonics. It is very helpful.
- Use a good book to learn how to solve questions, the tips and tricks. Don’t join coaching classes unless it is very necessary.
- Don’t keep any expectations. Just give your best. This is one the major reason which affected my performance in first attempt. I was just wishing to get a decent score while solving every question. When you are giving the test don’t think anything other than the questions. Try your best to answer it correctly, if you don’t know the answer make educated guess and move on. It is a CAT!!! But in any case don’t try to guess many questions, 1 or 2 here and there are okay.
- Squeeze out everything what powerprep offers you. Give it minimum 10 times. Also do the practice questions. Have a track of your scores; the average of all the scores is approximately the score you will get in GRE. (I think this is true for new pattern also)
- Don’t study a lot day before you exam. In my first attempt I was studying in my test center also. It is not an engineering subject paper; one night stands are not useful. They will only make things worse for you. Save your mettle for the actual exam.
- Be very calm and composed while giving the test. This is the biggest secret; do it and see the difference.
- Don’t depend on your luck and database. Prepare so much that you can easily say – F*** you luck!!!
HUH!!!! What else, I think this is all I have to say.
If you have any genuine queries please use the comment box below. You can even write me a mail at: NOPE NOT ALLOWED @gmail.com. (If HSB allows this)
Please don’t start an argument in comment section about this post. This is just my experience and we all have many better things to do than arguing: P
GRE is simple, if you stick to basic. Dare to do something else; you are pretty much _____ and that that too very badly. (Like my first attempt :D)
Take care!
Thanks HSB I owe a lot to every post on your website. Now its time to read post about TOEFL. 🙂 Lets see how much you help me in that.
Hope this helps. Even if a single reader get benefited from this then all my effort in writing this long post will not go in waste.
Hi there. I can closely relate to your story. Though my jump was little shorter. I went from 1210 to 1430.. lol
They say GRE scores are printed right on your brain and all that stuff. The very truth is the pressure of first 8 questions makes it more of a luck game than anything else. I admit that I was almost equally prepared for both attempts.
Now that GRE is no more adaptive, we can hope for better.
HEY HI !! CONGRATS FOR YOUR GRE SCORE ..!!!! 😀
i have my GRE exam scheduled on 30 september . new syllabus … I haven’t prepared much fairly till date…but can a span of month be enough to crack it nicely ???
thank you 🙂
It is more than enough 🙂
Best of luck.
Hey Guys, really encouraging to hear such experiences. I have schelduled my GRE for OCT 25th and have hardly 2 months of prep time. I wanted to know If anyone has a comprehensive list of synonyms and antonyms. I have heard that such a list reduces the total no of words from 4000 to a mere 800. I do not have the time of preparing the whole list myself so If anyone of you have made such a list, can you please upload it online ???
Your help would be really appreciated!
Thanks
No. Sorry i cnt
hii Rohit,
congrats for ur awesome score..im applyin for cs program .wat role does our academics play (B tech % age) in getting univesities like ur applyin georgia or illinosis..is it requring more den 75% age..im getting 73 . would it be dificult for me to get admission in georgia or illinosis after getting 1330.i just have collge fest certis in extra curricular activities..
I cant remm their cutoff check their websites. they will give in range of 4 see yourself… illinois will work out GATECH seems to be tough
I have answered this in earlier comments.
You can start with nova, kaplan, princeton or any other test u can find
save power prep for the last week
Thank you very much for ur kind response…pls help me with that which test i shud take to measure my standings…i mean the gradual development….like as i have just started preparing so, right now to measure my standing and ..and after some prep then …and after some prep then and finally before that test …..pls help with that if possible with details.
hello..
congrats on ur achievement 🙂 I gave my GRE on july 18th.. ended up getting 1050 🙁 was perfect with the wordlist.. I was getting above 1350 in my power prep..(which raised my expectation ).. im gravely dissatisified with the score.. i’m giving GRE in the new pattern on sept 16.. I M SCARED TO HELL about this new pattern.. cz i WAS BAD AT RC 🙁 AND NW ITS FULL OF rc’S . plz help me out..
I have no idea about the new pattern. I can only say believe in yourself. It is okay to be scared ! but never let it put you down 🙂
and to aggravate it all, there is no much vocab required… (which was my strong point).. i’m in my engg 4th year.. i waanna apply 4 the next fall.. could you suggest the date on which i can take my toepel?? i av blocked the date 4 nov 12th as there were no dates available.. but i can go to some other state and give it..
You must give the toefl before 10 oct.
because it generally takes 2 to 3 weeks for it to be processed and some colleges hape application dates in nov so if u want to be on safest side finish it before 10 oct
Hi Rohit,
I used to studied nearly 2 -3 Barron’s word list daily. So by 20-25 days , I could finish the Barron’s Wordlist completely . But my main problem is that,I am often forgetting the words. Can u suggest me any idea regarding it??
I have already mentioned it in my earlier comments. The wordlist you studied yesterday revise them today and go on in this way and after every 20 wordlist do a in depth revision 🙂
Since, the pattern has changed and now you have to know the context in which the words are used so it will be a little difficult for you. Earlier the word sound used to trigger mind and give a hint what the meaning is…
Can u help me with that which 10 list u avoid and in revised GRE Verbal ..Sentence Completion and Reading Comprehension will be tested ,,,so to master in this area how should i prepare? pls help me with that.
I didn’t avoided them. I was unable to complete them because of scarcity of time.
Don’t leave any wordlist. Do all of them.
Reading comprehension : You can use this to practice: http://www.codecoax.com/grerc/
You have to practice a lot to get a hold on it
“Rcs : practice is the only way. Read passage slowly if you are not good in english. Read them with open mind thinking about what the author is telling you, imaging that in your head and then right answer will be on the screen marked by u 🙂
sc:(or text completion) : look for triggers and keywords, u need to have vocab for this and trust your instincts not the random thoughts that this is the answer instincts differs a lot :P”
I have mentioned this in my earlier comments only. Please go through everything before asking 🙂
Thank u very much for ur kind help. One more thing i need to know that, Barrons 3500 word list with Synonyms will be enough or need to go through more?
Best of Luck.
It will be more than enough
Hi there.
Thanks a lot for your feedback bro and congrats on your excellent score, u really nailed it man!
Just one ques. What did u do as practice for RC sections? Is there any particular book (books) I need to consider other ETS? What book (books) did u read and what kind of practice test did u take?
Thank u very much in advance
Cheers
I have mentioned everything in the post only.
I did some 10 passage from big book and then practiced RC while i was giving mock test.
I consider i was not bad in grasping RC the only thing was i had to read them slowly to follow.
The only tip i can give you is when you read something picture it in your mind with each and every detail mentioned and follow the passage. Keep going like this and developing the picture as you read the passage.
This helps a lot to understand the passage and also to answer questions.
Hi Rohit, Congrats for your great score. I just started preparing for GRE and have a plan to take it in November. So, is this time enough to get prepared well and get a good score? pls pls let me know and suggest me how i should use this 3 month time well and i am not doing any job for the dedication to get a great score. pls let me know. pls.
First there was no need of writing so many pls pls pls… 😀
Yah, you have more than sufficient time if you put in hard work.
As said above “DON’T COUNT THE DAYS, MAKE THEM COUNT”
There is no secret funda of a good gre score its all about hard and smart work 🙂
You should also consider taking up a job because a good score alone cannot put you into good universities you need a solid profile and work experience really counts.
Thank u very much for ur kind response. one more thing, which 40 list u studied …i mean which 10 list u didnt study? let me know pls.
Barron’s have 50 wordlist.
I was able to do 40 from it and left 10.
Thank you very much for ur kind responses…Finally, pls help me with that which test i shud take to measure my standings…i mean the gradual development….like as i have just started preparing so, right now to measure my standing and ..and after some prep then …and after some prep then and finally before that test …..pls help with that if possible with details.
Does the rejection of Visa got anything to do with the scores of GRE or are there any more factors responsible for it?Please answer this query asap
They are not related directly but yes for sure they determine your chances for VISA.
If you have a bad score the VISA officer will have a negative impression about you that you are not in studies and you are not serious that why you are going to US with low score etc.
You must remember like India – US is also full of C class university which will take any random guy just to earn money.
sir
I have read your blog in Happy Schools,can you please let me know if you are talking of old GRE or new one?
I don’t understand what you mean.
hi….anyways congrats u got a pretty good score…which endall university did u apply…
After my first GRE (1090) :
1. North Carolina State University
2. Arizona State University
3. University of Texas Dallas
4. Illinois Inst of Tech, Chicago
After 2nd attempt (1420):
1. Georgia Inst of Tech
2. California Inst of Tech
3. University of Florida
4. University of illinois, Chicago
I wanted to select Carnegie Mellom but had no idea in which state it was 😀
I am thinking to apply for 3 4 more universities externally.
You are genius………good.
What so genius in that ?
:O
I want to stay hungry and foolish 🙂
hey rohit congrats dear for your score i am also planning for gre exam for the second time in september 2011 and i think your study plan gonna have a positive affect on my studies plan now as earlier i scored only 800 ………….but now i have to say fuck you luck as am gonna practise a lot nowwwwwwwww………………………gud luck dear….
Thank you.
Best of luck 🙂
Hey rohit! congrats for your score!:) well am in great confusion now…i had given my GRE last month and got 1150…quants 720 and verbal 430…AWA 4… ppl say its difficult to get into good univs…am so confused if i should give it gain or not..:( plz reply
1150 is is not that bad though it is surely not going to help you land up in top notch universities.
I am speaking with from the viewpoint of ms in computer science as my knowledge is limited to only this field.
Arizona state university website states that people with 1100 should apply. Arizona state university is good university. So, don’t get totally dejected by your score you can still get in decent universities with it and if you have good acads and some research supporting your profile then you can get much better.
That is just one part. You must give gre again to improve your score it will provide you much better universities and you have not performed bad you just need to sharpen your skills a bit and you are there !
So go for it !!
Best of luck 🙂
thanks a lot 🙂 well yeah i ll most probably give it again coz this time i had prepared for only ten days and not an hour more… i ll put in more effort and go for t again…well my major is EEE so guess there ll be more competition!!once again thanks a lot :)..
EEE have more competition :O
No idea..
Beast of luck 🙂
hey rohit,,congr8,,,, i also going 2 take new gre on 31st oct. in my frist attempt i scored 720. 🙁 that is too less,,,, now i have only 3 month 4 preparation n m also doing job so that i not able 2 give more time to study,,,,, will u plz plz plz suggest me how i should go through the preparation…. plz reply ASAP…plzzz
I can understand that preparation with job must be hectic and if you are a social guy like me then nearly impossible 🙂
I cannot tell you the exact prep strategy as i gave in old pattern. But remm the points which i have mentioned that will help you get a very good score 🙂
best of luck 🙂
thanx…. 🙂
hey rohit congrats for ur score. Can u tell me dat how many words should i learn for new gre nd how many did u learn? And other thing since i m very poor at english i m facing a lot of problem in d reading comprehension,although i practised nearly 20 to 30 rc’s in some of the websites i m not able to improve my score so can u suggest me for dat too plz???? And finally is it necessary to through phrasal verbs nd idioms to get rid of RC’s..? plz suggest me i m really tensed about these things nd i have only 40 days to go …..plz …….plz….
reply as fast as possible since days are too short
Hi Raj,
Can u say me the website from where you are referring for the RC ? I also quite poor in the RC section.
This one is really good :
http://www.codecoax.com/grerc/
i suggest you to practice as much as you can from here. Hope there no changes in new pattern of gre for rcs
hi amudan here are some of the websites; http://www.tcyonline.com,www.majortests.com. in tcy u have 15 tests in all sections nd in major tests u have 7 tests in all. its beter 2 go with tcyonline at the ending since explanations r not provided, incase u need practise u can go ahead. but in majortests.com it is provided with explanations. in greedge.com dere are 2 sessions ….u can go wit it too…
Replied to u on your comment on part 1
Hi Rohit I took old GRE and got very low score 930, toefl-92 n acads-67%. I applied to 4 universities, got admits and also went for My VISA but got rejected twice(fall-11).
So could you please tell me whether should I retake GRE or wait for next spring for 3rd attempt.
If I retake now n get good score(I’d start now) then I should apply for fall-2012 coz I may not have time to apply for this spring.
Dude you must give gre again. You have poor acads, poor toefl score and on all that very poor gre score. DOn’t even think about going for visa interview again 90% they will reject you again because of your scores.. Take your time practice a lot prep well and get a good score which will make up for poor acads and get in a good university. This is the last time you are going to be in a university… be in a good university and have fun rather than giving up and getting in a bad university which will add more bumps in ur career.
Yeah………….thanks a lot for your important advice.
hi,I want to take new GRE.Can you please tell me how to prepare for the Verbal section and which book to follow.
I don’t know much about the new pattern of GRE but the basic rules for verbal will remain the same.
1. Master the wordlist. There is no other way you have to burn days and nights and work on it. Use mnemonic dictionary i found it very useful . If you have a friend who is also preparing then do words with him or her try to relate it with your classmates things around you, crack jokes on them, enjoy every word you read then you will remm it for a long time.
2. Practice a lot. Give a lot of mock tests and use quizlet they have option to generate test use that feature to check yourself.
Rcs : practice is the only way. Read passage slowly if you are not good in english. Read them with open mind thinking about what the author is telling you, imaging that in your head and then right answer will be on the screen marked by u 🙂
sc:(or text completion) : look for triggers and keywords, u need to have vocab for this and trust your instincts not the random thoughts that this is the answer instincts differs a lot 😛
which wordlist dd u do??? ive done barrons 330 words ( and i keep forgetting them) are they enough?
:O
Just 330 !
The wordlist you are referring is the barron’s high frequency wordlist. No, they are not enough not even 5% sufficient they are just there because they are high in occurrence which means they occur frequently in GRE i.e. out of 10 students 8 will surely get a word from it but the max they will get is 1 or 2 words this may differ if you get super lucky .. 😀 but f*** luck … prep well
There is no other way than doing the barron’s wordlist right from the first wordlist to last. to to grasp them slowly take your time in first 4 5 wordlist. once your mind gets in mode of words you will see increase in speed. You have not mentioned when you are taking the test i assume you have atlst 1 month time. do min 6 7 wordlist a day revise then the next day and do more then on third day you will remm many of them, note down the words you dont remm and then do the next 6 7 wordlist and before sleeping revise the word you noted down.. follow this pattern. try to make funny link up but remm link with things which you can remm whne you see the word… use mnemonic dict website.. and the most imp thing practice as much as you can 🙂
6/7 or 6 or 7 word-list??!!!!!!! I’m assuming 30/21 based on your experience.
if I’m wrong, plz let me know HOW??, because I’m sooooooooo shocked!!! 😀 😉
I mean 6 or 7 wordlist.
I mean 6 or 7 wordlists.
dis is my 7th sem starting of my engg.. i really want to crack gre wid all my dedication.. so from whr must i start.. shud i go for tutions first a m not concernd abt d new pattern … n d books.. n how to improve d vocab.. plz help
1. Start from now. It is a little late though but as it is said it’s never late good things 😛 (good times : kingfisher 😀 )
2. Work everyday with all your strength.
3. Verbal i have already mentioned. It is just my opinion, it may differ from others ..
No coaching if you believe that you have a brain which is capable of reading, memorizing and understanding things else you will waste money like me.
and one more thing, do we have to give the university code on the day of test or we can do it afterwards too????
Me too having the same doubts ..
You don’t have to remm the code all you need is the name of university and in which state it is. sometimes code becomes the key when there are universities with very similar names…
i m giving gre in august ( the new pattern) and i didnt knew tht we get to know our scores instantly until now, i thought the scores are announced after 10 15 days :(((( tht would have given me some time to pray.
and i remember reading it on the ets site tht result will be out in mid november for new gre.
Source from ETS:
After completing the revised General Test, you will receive preliminary scores at the test center.
“If you test between August and November 2011, you will see score ranges for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures that are based on the previous 200 – 800 GRE General Test reporting scales. The score ranges provided are intended to give you a sense of your performance on the two measures.”
Beginning in November 2011, you will see your unofficial scores for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures that are based on the new 130 – 170 score scales
It means if you give after nov u will get score in new scale and before that even if you are giving in new pattern you will get score in old range. in both the cases you will be able to see your score on screen after exam.. believe me they will irritate you.. do yu wish to see ur socre — > yes do you really wish to see your score heheehe
You will be able to see your score on screen as soon as you finish your test that is one the essential feature of any computer test i think. Be sure of it … btw i am also not sure but they cannot change this thing..
What you read on website means the scores will be reported to universities at that time.. its perfectly fine ..don’t worry about it !
Best of luck 🙂
I think the 9th point is what makes or breaks one’s GRE, I couldn’t maintain my patience and focus on the actual GRE and ended up scoring 50 less than my average in POWERPREP . So for everyone, get a full good night’s sleep before you go in to give your exam so that your nerves aren’t rattled and you score what you deserve.
Yah dude you are right. I have given GRE for 2 times and i have experienced both 😀
To be honest, the 21 days in the title dragged me here! 🙂 I have 31 days left and i’m gonna make them count 😉 After reading this I really do feel good about GRE (at least for the moment). Thanks and Good luck for your TOEFL
Just keep feeling good about it. If you gf is there with you supporting you then its very easy 😉
If not then you can drop a comment here whenever your are dejected. We all are here to help you 🙂
Read ur first one was eagerly waiting for ur second post as I belong closely to your category went to princeton and commited the same mistakes as u did till now!
As my test is scheduled in mid Sept, I have to get cautious and ur post exacerbated the cause.
Good tips !
Just stick to the basic and you will also conquer over GRE 🙂
and please do your best to save others from falling in coaching classes trap.
Best of luck 🙂
To HSB:
Should I give TOEFL within 2-3 months of taking GRE? Can’t I give TOEFL 6 months after giving my GRE? I need to know whether universities reject TOEFL scores if I didn’t take it immediately after GRE…
hey! thats an Awesome Score…Congrats! May you get into your dream school!
btw… its ” Akar Bakar BAMBAY Bo ” its not Bombay !!! hehehe!
OPPS!!! good one 🙂 big typo …
btw srsly “bombay bo” can put me behing the bars 😀
i mean behind 😀
Hi ,
I am taking GRE on Oct 12th. So when It could be better to take TOEFL. I am planning to take TOEFL on Oct 30th. Whether it is too short to prepare for TOEFL. I need your suggestion regarding it.
If you are comfortable with TOEFL I think all you need is 3 to 4 days preparation and if you are bad at it nothing is going to change a lot even in months and you don’t have that much time so even if you are bad prepare for a week or 10 days and give it 🙂
else it will be too late for fall 2012
and as i said before
“Don’t count the days, make them count ”
thats the magic funda 🙂
Thanks for your efficacious reply.
Hi , Please some body suggests me when to take the TOEFL exam. I am planning to do MS in FALL 2012
take it with ur gre, like after 1 week gap.