Blogs On GRE

You have put all your hard work into practicing vocabulary and math questions. You’ve also written several essays for mastering how to write the issue and argument tasks. What’s next?     A practice test! Well, many practice tests. Practice or mock tests are indispensable while preparing for the GRE or any other test for that matter. Here are some reasons why you should take mock tests for the GRE.     Helps you recognize your strengths and weaknesses When you take a mock test for the first time and evaluate its results, you will get an idea of the areas you are weak (or strong) in. For example, when you take a practice test, you may discover that you are good at writing essays and answering comprehension questions but begin scratching your head when faced with Text Completion and Quantitative Reasoning questions. With this knowledge, you can put in more effort for the specific types of questions and master them.     Improves time management skills All the sections in the GRE require you to work on a time crunch. Therefore, learning how to use your time efficiently and answer all questions is imperative. Giving timed mock tests will teach you to adhere to the time given while correctly answering questions. You can learn time management tips like plug-ins, trial and error, the process of elimination, and many more by reading the blog Tips for Time Management during the GRE test.      Makes you well-versed in the format of the test The entire purpose of taking mock tests is to become familiar with the pattern of questions, the sequence of the sections, the difficulty levels, and the time allotted for them. The mock tests, designed to give you the actual feel of the test, will also make you confident about appearing for the GRE.     Another benefit of taking a mock test is that it forces you to deal with different types of questions together. For example, when preparing for the GRE, you may practice all the Verbal Reasoning questions together but in the mock test, like the actual GRE, you will appear for one section of the Verbal Reasoning section followed by a Quantitative Reasoning section. This will teach you to adapt and answer the different questions with ease.     Practice makes it easy Think of the time when you had to go on the stage and give a speech or act in a play. At first, you wouldn’t have been confident enough to talk or act in front of a crowd. But, constant practice and trials may have helped you boost your confidence and perform with ease on the D-day. Mock tests for the GRE will do just that. They will ease the fear of the test, make it easier for you to sit through the actual test, and instill confidence to get a high score on the test.     Helps you in revision When you learn a concept, it is only remembered and ingrained in your mind through repetition. Mock tests not only test what you know but also give you a chance to recall, remember and retain what you have already learned. They enable you to reinforce your learnings and recognize your shortcomings.     After knowing why you should take mock tests, the question now is - where will you find GRE-like mock tests?     PowerPrep Practice tests ETS provides GRE-like online practice tests. PowerPrep Online has two practice tests that give you a real testing experience. Out of the two tests, one practice test is untimed. You will get scores for the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning section at the end of the test. For the untimed test, no scores will be provided.     The PowerPrep Plus comprises three paid practice tests and has many more features like explanations for answers, test-taking strategies, real-time scoring, etc.     The prime benefit of taking these tests is that the questions are designed by ETS, the GRE test-taking body. Therefore, the questions will be most similar to the actual GRE.     6 Practice Tests for the GRE This book is a compilation of 6 GRE-like practice tests. The practice tests are curated by GRE experts with years of experience and so the questions in the tests are similar to the actual test.     In this book, you will find detailed solutions to all the questions. It even has sample essays for the Analytical Writing section. These elaborate solutions will be instrumental in helping you understand how the answers are deduced.     Students can also note down the time taken to complete the sections and their raw scores. This tool is very useful to improve your time management skills and evaluate your test readiness. Apart from the tests, the book also has an overview of the GRE test where all your questions will be answered about the test.     Good luck with your GRE prep journey!        

How a student manages time during the GRE test is one of the key determinants of his/her score on this exam. Managing time smartly under the pressure of the test can be tough but apportioning the time well can indeed relieve a lot of stress for the students.   Let’s look at some of the ways/methods which you can incorporate to ace the GRE test:     Keep your cool: Come back later with a fresh take!  When you can’t figure out the answer to any particular question, don’t get worked up or frustrated. Usually, you should not spend more than 2 minutes on any question. Mark/flag the question that is taking longer and move on to the next one. Coming back to a question at some point later during the test can give you a new perspective for solving it as opposed to sticking to it and wasting a lot of valuable time. As you would experience, revisiting the question with a fresh take on the question may enable you to solve it much faster than expected!     Use one of these as and when required: POE, Plug-in, Trial and Error It is quite possible that a student would not be able to get or find the right answer since the logic of solving some questions may not strike at the right time or the problem seems excruciatingly complex and may require tedious calculations. In such situations, it behooves a student to look for other methods or ways of solving the question rather than getting stuck and being adamant about getting the correct answer through the conventional ways. POE (Process Of Elimination), Plug-in, and Trial and Error are some of the methods that would bail a student out of messy situations, especially in the quantitative section. In the Process Of Elimination, you will strike out the options that you think are not the correct options. In the Plug-in method, you replace a variable with a number and solve the equation until you get the desired answer and in trial and error, you try to get an answer by replacing the variable with the numbers given until you derive the answer.     Keep a track of time using the background/preset timer Some students break a sweat while looking at the clock/timer and some find it absolutely indispensable. If you are amongst the first types, avoid keeping a fixed gaze at the timer but do look at it once every couple of minutes to keep a track of time and adjust/adapt your strategies/methods.     Attempt all the questions; don’t leave any of them unanswered Since there is no negative marking in the GRE exam, it makes sense to attempt even the most difficult or trickiest questions through intelligent guesswork or by using one of the methods of POE, plug-in or trial and error. Leaving an MCQ or QC question unanswered means not taking advantage of the odds of 25% success in these questions.       Tips for the Quantitative Section     Spend less time on simple questions Spending less time (between 30 to 60 seconds) on easier MCQ or Numeric Entry questions can save you enough time to solve difficult and Data Interpretation questions which may take up to 3 or 4 minutes sometimes.     Get used to the on-screen calculator Although you must perform all the simple calculations either in your mind or on rough paper, for complex calculations you may have to rely on the on-screen calculator. Thus, you must learn about all the different functions of the calculator provided on-screen to avoid wasting your time.     Neat rough work Proper and neat rough work can save you a lot of time, especially when you get back to an unanswered question. Remember to number the rough work for every question on the paper so that you don’t have to waste time finding it. If rough work is done in a proper manner, you won’t have to start afresh or do the same calculations when you come back to a particular question.       The GRE Quantitative Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide With Practice Questions is an indispensable guidebook for practicing quantitative reasoning questions.       Tips for the Verbal Section     Read the question before reading the passage Many students spend a lot of time reading and re-reading the passage to look for the answers to the questions. What usually works best is reading the question first, then going through the passage to look for the answers, and then going through the answer options to select the one that is right or seems the most appropriate. This method saves a lot of time and also the fatigue that comes from reading the passage over and over again.     If you can’t understand the word, try to understand the sound or the feel of it It is quite possible that even after going through thousands of words, you may feel that you are not familiar with the word(s) in the answer options of the text completion or sentence equivalence questions. In such situations, don’t waste time on guessing the meaning of the word. Instead, try to guess the feel or the connotation of the word: whether it is positive or negative or means something good or bad. That would help in the POE and zeroing in on suitable option(s).       Refer to the GRE Verbal Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide With Practice Questions for more tips on completing the Verbal Reasoning section.       Tips for the AWA Section     Create a framework for the argument analysis essay Since a student has to critique the argument in order to find flaws or assumptions or reasonability of recommendation or evidence, it is quite time-saving to have a rough outline of the essay ready. During your practice for the AWA sections, try to have a rough outline of each of the 5-6 types of argument analysis excerpts. Although memorizing any format or proforma is not what is being suggested here, it would hold a student in good stead to keep a few phrases and sentence structures handy.     You can refer to the GRE Analytical Writing Supreme: Solutions to the Real Essay Topics for learning to write high-scoring essays.     Author bio - Mrs. Heena Jain Ostwal is the Ex-Manager, Training Services, and Head of the Documentation Department at Akshay Study Abroad Consultants, one of North Maharashtra's leading study abroad institutes.  She is also the Ex-Head of Test Prep, Vibrant Publishers. Currently, she freelances as a content developer, writer, and reviewer (SoPs, LoRs, Resumes, Blogs, Test Prep, Scholarship Essays)   A SET-qualified individual, Mrs. Heena has also donned the role of a college professor. She has an extensive experience of over 15 years in the domains of teaching, mentoring, counseling, and content development.              

Are you planning to take the GRE in 2023? If your answer is yes, you would need thorough prep to crack the exam. But, referring to outdated versions of practice books will do more harm than good. The GRE has evolved and to match its format and question types, you need books that are relevant in today’s date. Below is a list of the top 10 GRE books that you will need if you are taking your exam in 2023.       Books to write high-scoring essays   GRE Analytical Writing: Solutions to the Real Essay Topics - Book 1 GRE Analytical Writing: Solutions to the Real Essay Topics - Book 2 GRE Analytical Writing Supreme: Solutions to the Real Essay Topics     Analytical Writing is the first thing you will encounter in the GRE. This section requires you to work out your brain and form essays expressing your opinions and thoughts on certain issues or arguments. You are given 30 minutes to write 2 essays each. This means that you will likely face a time crunch. But, at the same time, you have to give your best and write good essays. This is only possible when you know the strategies to manage your time!     The 3 Analytical Writing books comprise official issue and argument topics for the GRE. The topics range from subjects like Arts, Education, and Philosophy, to Government, Politics, Science and Technology, and Society. The book includes expert tips and strategies to write high-scoring essays in the exam. These tips and strategies show how to strategically utilize your time to think, lay an outline, and write the essays. To give you a more substantial picture of the essays, sample essays are also given for each of the issue and argument topics. The 2023 editions of these books are available for Pre-order.       Books to ace the Verbal Reasoning section   GRE Reading Comprehension: Detailed Solutions to 325 Questions GRE Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence Practice Questions GRE Verbal Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide With Practice Questions        Test takers often have the perception that they do not need practice for the Verbal Reasoning section as it comprises comprehension and sentence completion questions. Well, it is a myth. While the questions seem easy, they require a good vocabulary and a practiced eye to recognize the correct answers.     These 3 books are meant to teach you just that. With more than 500 Verbal Reasoning questions, you will have a concrete idea of how to quickly and efficiently answer questions. As you don’t have much time to think over all questions, you will learn strategies on how to efficiently answer questions by using tricks like word associations. You will also comprehend the logic behind the questions with the help of detailed answers that explain why an option is correct or incorrect. You can now pre-order these books.       Books to improve your vocabulary   GRE Master Wordlist: 1535 Words for Verbal Mastery GRE Words in Context: The Complete List       The GRE does not test your ability to throw around big and fancy words; it rather tests your fluency in understanding and conveying your thoughts and opinions. But, building vocabulary is not a day’s task. Luckily, GRE experts have identified GRE-specific words and compiled them in these two books. They will be of great help in getting focused vocabulary practice for the Verbal Reasoning section beside the apparent benefit of actually helping in improving your vocabulary.     The words in the book come with synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, pronunciations, and example sentences so that you can not only learn the words but also know their usage with context. These books are now available for pre-order.       An all-in-one book for the Quantitative Reasoning section   GRE Quantitative Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide With Practice Questions       The Quantitative Reasoning section often poses a challenge to the test takers and is dreaded by many. But again, practicing is the only way to overcome this fear and even ace the quant section.     The ‘Supreme’ book is true to its name. It is filled with all types of Quant questions - Quantitative Comparison, Multiple Choice Single Answer, Multiple Choice Multiple Answer, Data Analysis, and Numeric Entry. The questions are divided into Algebra, Geometry, Arithmetic, and Data Analysis. This book is different from other books in the market because it provides detailed answers to all questions. This will help you understand the logic behind quant questions and answer them in the real test.     Complete your prep with practice tests   6 Practice Tests for the GRE       Lastly, after thoroughly practicing and preparing for all the sections, you can test yourself with 6 timed GRE practice tests. The tests are just like the actual GRE with time slots and instructions given for each question so that you get a simulated practice before actually appearing for the exam. The book has over 480+ realistic practice questions that cover all the sections of the GRE.     The tests also have a detailed answer key that doesn’t leave you in the dark but clears your doubts.       A stress management ebook for the GRE   Conquer the GRE: Stress Management & a Perfect Study        GRE can be a stressful affair. Preparing for various subjects with a pressure to crack the exam can lead to stress, but it can be managed. All the above books come with an ebook on stress management that has the necessary tips to lessen your stress and manage your study schedule. It has a 6-month and an 8-week study plan that you can follow. It also has tips and advice to follow before the test day and on the test day. The book is also available for purchase on Amazon.       Conclusion  The right resources can make a huge difference while preparing for a test. These books will teach you everything that you need to learn for the GRE and at the same time, will stimulate your critical thinking skills which are equally important for the exam.             

Let’s face it. The GRE General Test is a tough nut to crack. You may be fluent at writing essays and answering vocabulary questions but math questions leave you bewildered or math questions look like a child’s play but vocabulary questions are not your expertise. For cracking the test, you will need to not only improve your weak areas but also practice thoroughly. For this purpose, experts recommend picking up the 3 ‘Supreme’ books that have a load of practice questions, effective tips for answering the questions, and detailed information about the GRE General Test. Read on to find out more about them!   The three sections of the GRE namely Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning are designed to test your vocabulary, critical thinking, organization skills, analytical abilities, and ability to form opinions on topics. Therefore, to give you a thorough, total, and focused practice of each section, the below 3 books are perfect!       #1 GRE Analytical Writing Supreme: Solutions to the Real Essay Topics     The Analytical Writing section is made up of two tasks - Analyze an Issue and Analyze an Argument task. For writing an essay on a given issue and argument in 30 minutes each, you need strong time management skills. But the key to completing the essays on time is learning to first organize your thoughts and then write them down. For doing so, there are various strategies that will help you master organization skills. In GRE Analytical Writing Supreme: Solutions to the Real Essay Topics, you will find elaborate strategies that will guide you through the process of writing essays that are logically sound. From a pool of 152 Issue topics and 176 Argument topics given by the ETS, this book contains 72 Issue and 73 Argument topics with solved essays. Before the sample essays for each topic, a detailed and strategic process to approach the topic is given.   Chinu Vasudeva, Founder at Doyen-Ed loves this book and says that, “We have been using this book for our students for the last 3 years. I would highly recommend using this book for all GRE aspirants. Example essays give you a great understanding of the pattern, writing styles, and keywords which are essential to score well in the essay section. The tasks cover important topics such as science, technology, politics, education, art, etc. The author has done full justice by explaining each topic with pointers, strategies, and a sample essay. Students can go through essays, compile all points, create their own templates, and put them into the right frame to create fantastic essays.”       #2 GRE Verbal Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide With Practice Questions     The Verbal Reasoning section is divided into two parts. This means that you will encounter two Verbal Reasoning sections of 20 questions each. These 20 questions are further divided into 3 types of questions - Reading Comprehension, Sentence Equivalence, and Text Completion.   This section tests your vocabulary and your ability to comprehend written texts and answer questions based on them. The GRE Verbal Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide With Practice Questions teaches you all about Verbal Reasoning Questions. The book has a total of 575 practice questions and separate sections dedicated to the three question types. They contain detailed information about the types of questions asked and strategies to solve them. This will help you get a focused practice of each question type. Additionally, the book contains 3 practice tests of the Verbal Reasoning section to test your learning.   Reader’s Favorite calls this book “ a comprehensive textbook to help students undertaking the GRE prepare for the Verbal Reasoning section of the exam.” In a detailed review, it said, “With practice questions and complete verbal tests that effectively simulate the real exam by covering a multitude of potential subjects, the answers provided include explanations to help you understand why the possible responses are correct and what you need to take away from them. It’s safe to say that this guide fills in all the essential gaps one might require when practicing Verbal Reasoning, but it elevates this advice with additional features such as logical and easy-to-refer-to organization, as well as a perky and inspirational narrative tone to keep students motivated through tough times.”   The purpose of this book is to give you as much practice as possible so that you get well versed in the format of the questions and easily answer them on the actual day of the test!       #3 GRE Quantitative Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide With Practice Questions   The Quantitative Reasoning section also appears as two sections in the test. The two sections contain 20 questions to be solved in 35 minutes each. The questions in this section are based on Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Data Analysis. GRE Quantitative Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide With Practice Questions is a comprehensive and detailed guidebook for preparing for this section. This book has a collection of a whopping 520 practice questions that cover the different types of questions like Numeric Entry, Multiple Choice Single Answer, Multiple Choice Multiple Answers, Data Analysis & Quantitative Comparison. The questions in the book are also segregated according to their difficulty levels so that you can analyze the areas that you are good at and the areas you are weak in.   Unlike other books in the market where the answers are just stated for you to interpret, this book entails solutions explained in detail. This will be immensely helpful for you to know why an option is correct or incorrect, interpret the logic behind complex problems, and boost your confidence to appear for the Quant section in the real test.   “GRE Quantitative Reasoning Supreme is thoughtfully organized and easy to use. I enjoyed going through it and was very impressed,” comments Laura Mischke, Head of Adult Services, Bellevue Public Library. “The format of the GRE along with the testing and scoring procedures are explained so that there will be no surprises for the student on the day of the test. If a student determines that there is an area of weakness, he/she can easily find that section and focus attention on problems of that specific type. All problems have step-by-step explanations and are very easy to follow,” she adds.   Studying for the GRE can be daunting and challenging. With a variety of topics to prepare for, one may experience stress. Keeping this in mind, the books also come with a Stress Management ebook. This ebook contains a 6-month and an 8-week study plan to organize your prep and make sure that you don’t miss anything. Tips and advice for managing your stress before the test and on the actual test day are also given.   Here are some tips to follow on the test day:   Pay attention to the questions and don’t misread them. Try to stick to the instructions given in the questions so that you don’t deviate from their intent.  Answer questions that are easier first and keep the difficult ones for later. You will have to answer different types of questions in a limited amount of time so make sure that you budget your time properly at the start of the test itself. Use the elimination process for answering multiple choice questions. Eliminate the options that you think are not correct. For the Quant section, use the reverse equation method to check if your answers are correct. Read the passages thoroughly in the Verbal Reasoning section and rely only on the information given in it to answer questions.   You may have heard this a lot of times but practice is the key to cracking the test. The amount of effort you put into practice will not be in vain as that will help you master the questions and overcome the fear of the test. Apart from these books, you can also check out 6 Practice Tests for the GRE that will give you a simulated practice environment for the test.   Good Luck!    

According to ets.org, the GRE General Test is taken by approx 6,75,000 people from 230 countries each year. If you are planning to take the GRE, keep reading this blog to become familiar with the format, components, and scoring procedure of the test.     What is the GRE General Test? The Graduate Record Examination or the GRE General Test is a test taken by people aspiring to get admission to graduate programs or graduate business programs. It is a computer-delivered and multiple-choice test administered by ETS (Educational Testing Service) at a test center. Post-Covid, ETS has allowed test-takers to take the test from home too. However, the format of the test remains the same for everyone.   The GRE General Test is designed to measure your ability to comprehend complex written material, interpret data, apply basic concepts of mathematics, and test your capacity for logical reasoning and critical thinking.     Who takes the GRE?   Aspirants seeking admission to MBA and Ph.D. programs, law school, or those wanting to acquire any Master’s degree are the ones who appear for the GRE. Although there is no age restriction for appearing for the GRE, the average age of a test-taker is 24 years.   Source https://www.studentprogress.org/gre/test-takers/     What is the format of the GRE? The test is divided into 3 sections - Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning and is 3 hours and 45 minutes long. An experimental unscored section may appear during the test (either Verbal Reasoning or Quantitative Reasoning). The score of the extra section won’t be counted in your final score. You may also have to appear for an extra Research section that allows the ETS to test the efficacy of new questions.     An overview of the GRE General Test Analytical Writing The Analytical Writing section is made up of two tasks - Analyze an Issue and Analyze an Argument. In the first task namely Analyze an Issue, you will be given a prompt on any issue of general interest with some specific instructions and will be asked to write a short essay on it. Your essay should be clear, persuasive, logically sound, and written in correct English. The purpose of this task is to test your ability to defend your position and opinions on a particular topic, your skill in organizing your thoughts and presenting them in correct English.   In the Analyze an Argument Task, you will be provided with a passage containing an argument on a particular topic. You will be expected to write an essay by critically evaluating the argument and checking the logical validity and the evidence provided. You will be assessed on your ability to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the given argument and the organization of your thoughts in correct English.   The Analytical Writing section tests your ability to assess an issue, formulate opinions, and pen them down in an organized manner using the correct vocabulary. You will be given 30 minutes to complete each of the two tasks.     Verbal Reasoning The Verbal Reasoning section is divided into two sections with 20 questions each (a total of 40 questions). You will be given 30 minutes to complete each section. The types of questions in these sections will vary between Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, and Sentence Equivalence.   For Reading Comprehension questions, you will be given a passage on any topic to read and understand and will have to answer questions based on it. These types of questions test your comprehension abilities and your skill in drawing inferences.   For Text Completion questions, a short passage with 1-3 blanks will be given. You will have to fill in the blanks from the multiple answer choices provided.   The Sentence Equivalence questions will ask you to fill in a blank with two answer choices in such a way that their meanings are as similar as possible. These questions focus on testing your vocabulary.     Quantitative Reasoning The Quantitative Reasoning section tests your ability to solve basic mathematical problems, understand and interpret data and apply the interpretation skills to solve real-world problems.  It is divided into two sections consisting of 20 questions (a total of 40 questions) to be solved in 35 minutes each. This section consists of four types of questions - multiple-choice, numeric entry, quantitative comparison, and data interpretation.   For multiple-choice questions, you will have to choose the correct answer from multiple options. Numeric entry questions will require you to enter a number from your own calculations.   In quantitative comparison, you will have to compare two values to check if one is greater than the other, if they are equal or if their relationship cannot be determined. You will have to interpret a given data set and choose an answer from multiple options or enter a number from your own calculations for Data Interpretation questions.   For getting a focused practice of the Quantitative section, the upcoming GRE Quantitative Reasoning Supreme with 500+ math questions is the perfect resource. The book includes detailed solutions for each question too!     How is the GRE scored? As the GRE General Test is a computerized test, the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections are ‘section-level adaptive.’ This means that as the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections are divided into two sections, the difficulty of the second section depends on your performance in the first one.   The Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections have a score scale of 130-170 with 1-point increments and the Analytical Writing section has a score range of 0-6 with increments of 0.5. You get a point for each question that you answer correctly (points are not deducted for wrong answers).   The number of questions that you get right is your raw score. This raw score is then scaled between 130-170 (for Verbal and Quant) but the exact scaling process is not revealed by ETS. The scoring process for the Analytical Writing section is comparatively simple but tricky! The two essays are first checked by a trained (and human) grader. This grader gives a score between 0-6. Next, the essay is checked by an e-rater (a computer program developed by ETS to check the essays across different areas) and given a score between 0-6. If the human and e-rater’s scores closely agree, then the average of the two scores is treated as the final score. In case the two scores do not agree, then a second human grader checks the essay, and gives a score and the average of both the human grader’s scores is the final score.     Tips for taking the GRE Practice till you are thoroughly familiar with the format of the test and the questions. The 6 Practice Tests for the GRE is a great resource for practice as it includes 6 simulated and full-length tests that will make you test-ready!   Read the questions thoroughly. In an attempt to solve the test, students may misread the questions and therefore, lose marks.   Do not waste time on questions that are too difficult. Since all questions carry the same weightage, you can move on to other questions and leave the difficult ones for later.   Manage your time properly. As there will be different types of questions to answer, you will have to manage your time properly. Leave enough time to answer sentence-based questions and essays as they are time-consuming.   Use the elimination process while answering multiple-choice questions. This will help you to evaluate your answer choice and recognize the correct answer.   For mathematics questions, use the reverse equation method to verify your answer. Work your way up from your answer to the question to check whether your calculation is correct. All the best for GRE!  

Introduction At Vibrant, we’ve reviewed and researched numerous GRE test prep books over the years in the process of curating our own special test prep books for the GRE test. Each book represents years of hard work and research by excellent test prep experts to create the best possible learning solution for all of your GRE needs. In this blog, we’ll discuss our most popular set of GRE test prep books, the GRE COMPLETE COURSE. If you’ve been on the lookout for an exhaustive resource to help you score high on the GRE, you’ve come to the right place. What is the GRE COMPLETE COURSE Combo? The GRE COMPLETE COURSE, as its name suggests, is a combination of the most relevant GRE test prep books that offers thorough practice for the entire GRE test.  This power-packed combo includes 5 books that cover all aspects of the GRE: 6 Practice Tests + Analytical Writing: Book 2 + Master Wordlist: 1535 Words + Quantitative Reasoning + Verbal Reasoning Supreme. Let’s flip through these books: 6 Practice Tests for the GRE This book simulates the style and format of the GRE and provides 6 full-length practice tests to help you understand how the GRE test is presented. With over 400+ questions, covering all verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning question types, this book is a complete guide to the GRE test. This book will help you familiarize yourself with the style and format of the GRE test, understand the test structure, and learn to solve questions within the given timeframe. The highlight of this guide is that it includes detailed solutions and answer explanations for all questions, so you can review where you went wrong. GRE Analytical Writing: Solutions To The Real Essay Topics – Book 2 GRE Analytical Writing Book 2 includes 65 Solved Issue and Argument topics from the official pool of topics provided by ETS. The book decodes the analytical writing section of the GRE and breaks down the strategies and techniques for answering Issue and Argument questions. With this book, you will learn to use simple yet expertly-proven strategies to write high-scoring essays. This book also includes test-taking tips and strategies and a scoring rubric that will help you understand how the analytical writing assessment is scored. You may also be interested in: GRE ANALYTICAL WRITING SUPREME—YOUR GUIDE TO WRITING WELL IN THE GRE GRE Master Wordlist: 1535 Words for Verbal Mastery Vocabulary words comprise an important part of the verbal reasoning section of the GRE. In order to score well in the verbal reasoning section, you’ll need to acquire GRE-level vocabulary that will help you solve text completion, sentence equivalence, and reading comprehension questions. GRE Master Wordlist includes over 1000 words that frequently appear in the GRE, along with their pronunciation, parts of speech, synonyms and antonyms, and example sentences. This book also comes with practice exercises to help you cement your understanding of these words. GRE Quantitative Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide With Practice Questions GRE Quantitative Reasoning Supreme includes 520 Numeric Entry, Multiple Choice Single Answer, Multiple Choice Multiple Answer, Data Analysis & Quantitative Comparison questions. This book includes 520 math practice questions and 10 full-length timed tests for simulated GRE practice. The questions cover all the four main areas of math tested in the GRE—Algebra, Geometry, Arithmetic & Data Analysis. This book includes solved examples and detailed solutions for every question to help you practice and master the quantitative reasoning section of the GRE. GRE Verbal Reasoning Supreme GRE Verbal Reasoning Supreme is your one-stop-shop for everything related to verbal reasoning. This handy guide lays out the groundwork for the verbal reasoning section, including a detailed elaboration of what this section contains and test-taking strategies for mastering verbal reasoning questions. This comprehensive guide includes over 600 GRE verbal reasoning questions and three complete verbal practice tests that simulate the style and format of the verbal reasoning section, thus giving you a chance to be acquainted with the type of text completion, reading comprehension, and sentence equivalence questions that appear in this section. What Experts Say About These Books The books in this combo are part of Vibrant’s Test Prep Series. These books have received excellent reviews from professors, librarians, and industry experts. Read a few reviews here: “We have been using these GRE books for our students for the last 3 years. I would highly recommend all GRE aspirants to make use of these guides.” —Chinu Vasudeva Founder at Doyen-Ed (Institute for training in GMAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, AP, SAT Subject Tests) “It’s safe to say that this guide fills in all the essential gaps one might require when practicing for the GRE, and also elevates this advice with additional features such as logical and easy-to-refer-to organization, as well as a perky and inspirational narrative tone to keep students motivated through tough times. The extensive preparation question section would be worth getting this guide alone, not to mention the explicit explanation of guidelines and insider tips on what examiners are really looking for. Overall, I would certainly recommend GRE Verbal Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide With Practice Questions  as a catch-all guide for teachers, tutors, and especially students looking to hone and perfect their skills before the big exam.” —K.C. Finn, Readers Favourite “GRE Master Wordlist: 1535 Words for Verbal Mastery by Vibrant Publishers is a handy manual for all those readers who are preparing for their GRE exam and need to master the GRE vocabulary. This manual is a good tool to master the new GRE vocabulary in a reasonably short span of time and will help the GRE aspirants to get a good score.” —Mamta Madhavan, Readers’ Favorite Where to Buy GRE COMPLETE COURSE Combo Order GRE COMPLETE COURSE from our website or from Amazon.com and start practicing for the GRE today!   We wish you all the best for your GRE.

Introduction You’ve registered for the GRE test, selected a test center, and have scheduled your test dates. Now you’ve buckled down to the real business of studying, and the words “Analytical Writing” don’t sound nice. Maybe you’ve been flipping through your GRE guides or surfing the internet to understand what exactly the Analytical Writing section is. (It does sound technical, but we promise you it isn’t). At first glance, terms like ‘issue task’ and ‘argument task’ may seem bewildering. But don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. By the end of this blog, you’ll know just what the Analytical Writing section of the GRE is. You’ll also be informed on an important learning resource that can help you ace the Analytical Writing section—the well-loved GRE Analytical Writing Supreme. What’s in this Blog? Understanding the GRE Test Format Brief Overview of GRE Analytical Writing How GRE Analytical Writing Supreme: Solutions to the Real Essay Topics Can Help End Note Understanding the GRE Test Format Let’s look at the GRE General Test first and what it contains. The GRE General Test tests three specific abilities of test-takers—verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing. Verbal Reasoning The verbal reasoning section examines your ability to read and comprehend material taken from the subject disciplines of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. This section is MCQ-based and is comprised of three main types of questions: Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, and Sentence Equivalence. This section tests your ability to understand the meaning of words in context, different kinds of meaning (literal, figurative & author’s intention), and identify the perspective or viewpoints of the author of the written material. Quantitative Reasoning The quantitative reasoning section analyzes your ability to evaluate quantitative information and solve numerical problems according to the instructions specified. Your knowledge of basic math skills and concepts in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis is tested. Questions in this section cover topics from arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. There are four types of questions that can be asked: Quantitative Comparison Questions, Multiple-choice Single Answer Questions, Multiple-choice Multiple Answer Questions, and Numeric Entry Questions. Analytical Writing The Analytical Writing section measures your ability to present viewpoints in a clear and logical way and how well you support your ideas with reasons and examples. This section is divided into two parts—Analyze an Issue and Analyze an Argument task. In the Analyze an Issue task, you will be given an opinion and asked to evaluate it and develop your own viewpoints backed by supportive, logical reasoning. In the Analyze an Argument task, as the name suggests, an argument is presented. Here, you’ll have to evaluate the strength of the argument and how valid it is, rather than supporting or countering it with your own views. For more information on the structure and format of the GRE General Test, you can visit the official ETS website. Brief Overview of GRE Analytical Writing Now that you’ve received a brief idea of what the GRE General test contains, let’s proceed to the highlight of this blog: an in-depth look at the Analytical Writing section. As mentioned earlier, the Analytical Writing section includes two tasks: Analyze an Issue and Analyze an Argument. Analyze an Issue task In this task, you will be given the opportunity to express your viewpoints on an issue. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ opinion in this case, but you should be able to persuasively express your viewpoint and support it with reasonable, logical evidence. Here, you can either agree with the issue presented or oppose it. Whatever position you choose, you need to explain your reasoning and why you support that particular position.   Take a look at how the Issue prompt is structured in the GRE Analytical Writing Supreme book: Analyze an Argument task This task is slightly different from the Issue task. In this task, you will be asked to evaluate the strength of an argument based on the evidence and assumptions on which it is based. The directions give you the choice to choose any of the given approaches while writing the essay. Here, you don’t have to support or oppose the point of view of the argument. You have to identify the implicit and explicit assumptions stated in the argument. You may be asked to state what additional evidence is needed, what kind of questions need to be answered before accepting a recommendation, or whether a prediction based on the argument is reasonable. Take a look at how the Argument prompt is structured in the GRE Analytical Writing Supreme book: How GRE Analytical Writing Supreme: Solutions to the Real Essay Topics Can Help. It may easily be overwhelming to think about the large number of topics and sub-topics that GRE Analytical Writing essays are based on. If you’ve read this far, you may be wondering about the prompts and how you need to prepare for this section of the GRE. How do you pick relevant essay topics to practice? And how do you know what a high-scoring essay looks like? That’s where GRE Analytical Writing Supreme can help. This book includes a whopping 145 essays taken from the official pool of Issue and Argument topics listed by the ETS. For every issue and argument task, there are detailed sets of instructions that will act as a guide to writing the actual essay. There are six ways to approach an essay, known as ‘prompts.’ (You’ve already seen snippets of what the prompts look like in the images above). The book covers each and every method of approaching and writing an essay. Each essay includes a comprehensive list of instructions in the style of the actual prompts you’ll find on the test day. The book covers 145 essays from a number of disciplines, including: Education Government & Politics Philosophy Science & Technology Society This all-in-one guidebook teaches you the expected methods of approaching and structuring an essay. As you read through the sample essays, you’ll understand what a high-scoring essay looks like and how you can learn to write in the same way. Eventually, as you work through the book and familiarize yourself with the style of the analytical writing section, you will be able to grasp the technique of writing the essays. End Note The Analytical Writing Section is designed to assess your critical thinking and analytical writing skills, examine how well you are able to decipher the prompt and structure an essay, and evaluate your ability to construct and sustain an argument. Ultimately, the aim of this section is to ensure that your writing skills are at the level required for higher studies. You may be a good writer, but without the knowledge of what type of prompts there are and how essays need to be structured, you will find this part of the GRE rather overwhelming. If you have GRE Analytical Writing Supreme, you don’t need to stress. With all the essential essay topics included and all the types of prompts thoroughly dissected, this book will be your guide to scoring well in the analytical writing section of the GRE. Eventually, your writing skills will also improve, an added benefit that will help you beyond the GRE. To know more about GRE Analytical Writing Supreme: Solutions To The Real Essay Topics, click here.  You may also be interested in other GRE-related books: GRE Verbal Reasoning Supreme: Study Guide with Practice Questions GRE Quantitative Reasoning Supreme: 520 Practice Questions    Study smart and practice well. All the best!  

One of the most feared sections of the GRE is the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section. Given a prompt, you have 30 minutes to address the question and flex your critical thinking, organizational and writing skills. Although each prompt doesn’t have a “right” or “correct” answer, the GRE scorers are looking at your ability to defend your position, construct valuable evidence and maintain a centered response to the prompt in a thoughtful discussion.     The reason this section is so worrisome is that the majority of us are not natural born writers. Given a random prompt there is so much to dissect and so many different directions you could go with such a broad topic. It is difficult to focus on one main area and thoroughly flesh out your ideas in a coherentand thoughtful manner. We will cover some of the most important tips to help you stay focused and truly demonstrate your critical thinking and analytical writing skills.       Tips for “Analyze an Issue” Prompt: This section of the writing portion provides an opinion about a broad topic and asks you to respond to that issue based on a specific prompt.  To succeed, you must analyze what the issue is, how to respond and write a thoughtful and smooth flowing argument to support your viewpoint.       Use your scratch paper: Obviously for math you will write, doodle and mark up your materials. But don’t ignore it after the math section. After reading the prompt, dedicate some time to actually writing down how you want to write the essay. For example, write down the main arguments for each paragraph. The first paragraph will be the introduction, the second will be your first argument, your third will be a second argument, the fourth paragraph will be a third and strongest argument, a fourth paragraph will cover any arguments against your opinion and the fifth paragraph a conclusion. Writing this out with each argument helps you organize the essay and just helps you to see the whole response as one cohesive argument.     Be Direct: Many people remember their essay writing days of old when a teacher just wanted to see that you wrote a lot. And a lot of writing meant you actually thought about your arguments and had opinions. This isn’t the case for the GRE. It is a much better idea to focus on concise yet bold statements rather than be verbose in an attempt to have a 2000 word essay at the end of the time period.     Provide as many specific examples as possible: Anytime you can incorporate a personal story, a piece of history or a specific event that someone would remember will be much stronger than a generalized statement. If you are saying a certain law needs to be in place because it is important, explain why with very specific examples of what would happen if that law did not exist. This will strengthen your argument and lead to a better score in the issue prompt.     Practice: You will see this on every GRE writing tutorial. You need to practice to perfect your skill. You can’t just know what needs to be done and show up. Practice will help you understand the pacing of the test, how much you can expect to write in that 30 minute time period and help simulate the test experience. This can be invaluable as you can better prepare to think quickly on your feet and better answer the prompts.       Tips for “Analyze an Argument” Prompt: The Analyze an Argument portion of the writing section will provide an argument and ask for your rebuttal.  You will be given specific directions along with the argument and you need to combat the response.     Do not Agree or Disagree: The actual question presented doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter even if you agree with the stance that the prompt makes. The only thing that matters is that you can read the prompt, analyze the primary point, and then break it down to uncover its faults. Rather than just disagreeing with a prompt and saying it is wrong, you need to show that logically it isn’t sound, or there isn’t enough evidence or the evidence shown is being viewed in an incorrect way. Attack the Assumptions: Most prompts will have some built in assumptions that are made. It is easy in the rush to miss these and not consider them due to the other reasons in your head for why their stance is wrong, but if you can highlight some incorrect assumptions that the prompt relies on, your argument will be exceedingly stronger and you will score much better on this portion of the test.     Be Bold, Be Direct: Similar to the Analyze an Issue prompt, you don’t have much time. Plan your attack carefully and do not ramble. Be very concise and direct. By doing this you already are making your argument bolder. Be strong in your opinion and really attack the opposition will logical arguments and examples.     Highlight any issues in the prompt’s arguments: Often the prompts have some form of data, but this data is interpreted incorrectly. It may be some generalizations that are out of line. Possibly some “evidence” that really doesn’t support their argument. There will also be prompts that could provide some form of statistics but lead to faulty conclusions. Look at these closely and attack these as your strongest argument.     Checkout our Test Prep Series of Books and ace your GRE, GMAT, ACT and SAT Tests

There are a few aspects that can greatly decrease your stress tolerance level:   1) Your sense of control:     If you feel as though you have no control of the situation, you are more likely to exhibit stress symptoms. While you are preparing for the GRE, keep in mind that you are the sole individual responsible for your success. It is up to you to prepare yourself and you have full control on the outcome of the situation; understanding this concept will help ease your stress as you will realize that you are not helpless. You have the ability to take charge.     2) Your attitude: A negative outlook will automatically translate itself into a negative stress. Stay positive throughout your preparation and try to focus on the good things in general. For example, instead of fearing failure, think about the great things that will come with your success; you’ll be able to get in the graduate school of your choice, you might be offered a scholarship – think about how proud success will make you. Work towards a positive goal and stay away from any negative thinking, whether related to the GRE or not. This is a life lesson in general and can be applied to all aspects of your life.     3) Your support network:     If you feel lonely and do not have any friends or family to help you out and share the journey with you, you are more likely to isolate yourself and keep your stress to yourself. However, if you share your thoughts, communicate with loved ones and make sure to have a strong support system to help you go through certain situations, you’ll be more confident and your stress will be reduced. For example, many surgeons refused to perform surgery on a patient who doesn’t have a good support system during the recovery phase – the people who surround you, the help you can get and the resources that are available to you all contribute to your success and can help you cope with stress and emotions better.     4) Your preparation:     Without adequate preparation and studying, you’ll most likely feel stressed out until the moment you get your score. If you work hard, study efficiently and cover all the material needed to pass the GRE,  you  have no reason to be stressed out or fear a negative outcome. No stress management technique can help you as much as being thoroughly prepared and feeling confident in your abilities can help you.     5) Your ability to cope: Not knowing how to handle your emotions and your stress will only make you more anxious. Thankfully, the next chapter will give you great tips on how to manage your stress! This is a great complement to having control over a situation. Knowing how to cope with a particular situation, gaining control over your emotions and being able to refocus your energy positively as demonstrated in the following chapter will help you say “no” to stress.     The good news is that you can act on these five factors in order to ensure your success.This blog is an excerpt from our Book:Conquer the GRE: Stress Management & A Perfect Study Plan

If your stress is not only arising during your study sessions, but is constantly manifesting itself throughout the day, you’ll need drastic techniques to keep you on the right path. Here are some steps you can take to ensure that GRE-related stress doesn’t start to dominate your entire life:     1) Get a massage:​ Massage therapy is a great way to make sure that your stress is being taken care of. Taking some time to relax and have your muscles rubbed and your knots detangled will ensure that you actually get some time to yourself and slow down every once in a while. Since massages are most often given in a quiet room with limited noise and interruptions, you’ll get the opportunity to rest and get a little bit of peace and quiet. It is also a well- known fact that stress often manifests itself physically, so the massage in itself will help you eliminate toxins and release tension in your body. If you have health insurance, you could possibly be eligible for a discount on massage therapy, so be sure to look into this.   2) Improve your diet:   If your diet is not already as healthy as possible, you should try to include healthy foods in all your meals. This will give you energy and help you focus, benefitting you in more ways than one. For example, you could start by cutting down on caffeinated and sugary foods. Limit your intake of coffee to one or two cups in the morning and avoid candy, desserts and other sources of sugar. Caffeine and sugar will prevent you from being completely focused on the task at hand and also lowers your immune system. Other ways of improving your diet can include eating the recommended daily portions of fruits and vegetables, drink plenty of water and eat 5-6 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones. Following these steps is a great way to take care of your body (and your mind). Stress is less likely to affect you – or will affect you in a milder manner – if your body is in good shape and well-fed. Of course, if you are already eating a healthy diet, keep up the good work!         3) Take control of your study environment:   Make sure that you are studying in a place that is conducive to studying. Avoid clutter and unnecessary distraction. If you are studying at home, make sure your desk is neatly organized and you aren’t watching TV while working on your math problems. If you are studying at the library, on the other hand, make sure that you won’t be distracted by the other students coming and going. Having a proper environment to study will help you feel more in control, and will help you focus on studying rather than being stressed out.         4) Socialize:   You probably aren’t the only student at your school preparing for the GRE. Talking about the test and your study plans with other students in the same situation can help you feel better about the whole thing. You might also want to talk with people who have already taken the GRE and ask them if they have any tips for you. Making your GRE preparation a social activity will help you realize that you aren’t the only one going through this. Socializing can also help you get reassurance that you are on the right track, which can greatly ease your stress. Go for lunch with your group of friends – if any of them are also preparing for the GRE, you might be able to share tips and discuss the test. You might even want to start a study group with other students. Of course, socializing and forgetting about the GRE for a few hours can also help you clear your mind and reduce your stress: take an evening to go out with the girls or the boys and have some fun! Just be sure to not neglect your study in favor of socializing.         5) Learn to manage your time:   You probably are stressed mostly because you don’t think you have enough time to prepare – this is a stress factor for many students. It is also possible that you have other responsibilities outside of your GRE preparation, whether at home or at school. Learning how to manage your time properly will help you feel in control and get a handle on your stress, as you’ll be more confident in your ability to obtain a great score. Track your progress in a journal, schedule your study sessions in your day planner or even create a checklist of sections to cover that you can cross off one at a time as you prepare yourself for the test. These are all great ways to make sure that you are keeping track of what you need to do. Set aside some time to study everyday and make sure that you stick to your routine – this will make time management much more easier, as you’ll know exactly when you’ll have time to study and how much time you have. You can then plan your study sessions better and evaluate what you have to do in order to be ready for a certain date.       6) Don’t skip study sessions: If you’re stressed out, it can be very easy to go out with your friends or watch a movie instead of spending a few hours studying. Temptations are everywhere, but let’s face it – you can’t be successful if you don’t prepare yourself properly. If you’ve set up a schedule for yourself or are using a study plan (like the ones proposed in our book Conquer the GRE: Stress Management & A Perfect Study Plan) you’ll need to make sure that you are sticking to your plan and not skipping study sessions. Being prepared for the GRE is the only way you’ll be able to obtain the highest score possible.     This Blog is an excerpt from Conquer the GRE: Stress Management & A Perfect Study Plan by Vibrant Publishers . Study for GRE with our Test Prep Series.

It is important to realize that stress isn’t always necessarily a bad thing. Stress can be good up to the point where it interferes with your tasks. In other words, you could be under good stress, or under bad stress, depending on how this particular stress affects you. For example, if you are stressing out because you’re having a hard time with a particular section of the GRE, your stress could do two different things:     Push you to study harder, be motivated, and be even more prepared for the test Interfere with your study sessions by distracting your thoughts and preventing you from focusing on the task at hand   This is why we talk about good stress and bad stress. It can have a positive or negative impact on you, depending on how you manage it. While one will serve as a source of motivation (good stress), the other will interfere with the task at hand and distract you from the end goal (bad stress).     You certainly shouldn’t worry if you are experiencing good stress, which helps you focus and pushes you to work even harder to achieve your goals. For example, if you are a music student preparing for an audition, good stress could stimulate your performance. Good stress could push an athlete to train even harder, or a student to study longer. Good stress usually comes in short bursts and will help you get through a particular event – it is usually associated with adrenaline. Think about a mid-term exam; even if you’ve prepared yourself thoroughly for the evaluation, you may still experience a burst of anxiety or stress a few minutes before the exam. However, this quick stress response will help you pull through each and every question successfully. This is what good stress is; it has a positive impact on your life and daily activities and act as a motivator.     On the other hand, your normal bursts of stress could develop into bad stress, which will interfere with your daily life and will have a negative impact on the outcome of a situation. Bad stress is often associated with helplessness – when you feel as though you have no control. When you are suffering from bad stress, the simplest things often become a challenge. The following symptoms of stress will help you evaluate if your stress is crossing the line from good to bad.     Being unable to sleep Being constantly tired even when well rested Being short-tempered and getting irritated easily Being unfocused and forgetful Being more emotional than usual Having increasingly negative thoughts Using poor judgment Changing eating habits Getting sick more often Developing nervous habits such as nail biting     Depending on your situation, you may experience stress at different moments. For example, you could experience stress before an oral presentation at school, while preparing for an important exam or while waiting for your school acceptance letter. Stress affects each student in a different way and you’ll quickly discover that the most efficient stress management techniques depend on the ways you exhibit stress.     Knowing which stress symptoms you exhibit can also help you to realize when you need to take a step back and refocus your energy on studying rather than being nervous.     This Blog is an excerpt from Conquer the GRE: Stress Management & A Perfect Study Plan by Vibrant Publishers

This is a 4 Blog Series on GRE Stress Management. In this first blog we will help you list what could be the various causes of stress while preparing for your GRE exam.There are many factors that commonly contribute to stress. Maybe you have a test coming up, or you are scared of failing one of your classes for example. Whether it is from the pressure of daily life or academic responsibilities, you need to identify the source of your stress so that you can better understand it.   As an exercise, you can create a list of different things that you feel are contributing to your level of stress.   Do you have any responsibilities unrelated to your school life that may be pressuring you in some way and distracting you from studying? (Ex. Work, paying rent, car repairs – some college students may even have to care for a family member or have their own family to worry about) Do you have enough time to study for the GRE or are you last minute and need to take the test as soon as possible? Are you taking the GRE because it is necessary for your graduate school application or are you taking it simply to put your best foot forward? Is there a section on the GRE that feel might be problematic right from the start?   Asking these kinds of questions to yourself can help you establish a list of what may be your sources of stress. The examples below are common sources of stress for college students to inspire you to create your own:     Academic sources of stress: You put pressure on yourself to obtain the highest score possible. You are worrying that you may have to retake the test twice if your score isn’t adequate. You are afraid that your parents or family members may be disappointed if your score isn’t what is expected. You do not have the necessary support from teachers or tutors to study. You have other homework and exams to prepare for that are not related to the GRE. You are comparing yourself to friends who may have an easier time taking tests and studying. On the other hand, one of your friends may have failed the GRE, which is leading you to believe that you’ll end up in the same situation. You are scared that you may not be able to get in the graduate program of your choice if you don’t obtain a high score and do not have a back-up plan. You only have a few weeks left prior to your test date and don’t have enough time to cover all study materials. You aren’t comfortable writing essays and the writing section of the GRE is scaring you.     Non-academic sources of stress: You haven’t received the financial aid you were hoping for this semester and are counting your pennies to pay for expenses. Your boss has mentioned that he needs you for additional hours over the next few months. Your car broke down and you need to take transit for a little while, which is doubling your commute to school and work. Your parents are asking you to take care of your younger sibling while they go on vacation. You are an international student and having issues with your visa, or legal status in the country. Someone in your family may have fallen ill and not only you are concerned for his or her health, but you are left caring for that person and looking after him or her. You may be having problems with your boyfriend or girlfriend, which could interfere with your daily life.   In some cases, you might end up realizing that your stress doesn’t come from your academic life, but from pressures in your own life that interfere with studying. Other students may realize that they are putting tremendous amounts of pressure on themselves to succeed and that they are their own source of stress. Whatever the case may be, knowing where your stress comes from in general is a great starting point in order to better understand your stress and apply the necessary stress management techniques for better results.   What are the other things that cause you stress and how identifying them have helped you stay on track with your GRE prep plan. Let us know in the comments below.     This Blog is an excerpt from Conquer the GRE: Stress Management & A Perfect Study Plan by Vibrant Publishers

GRE Quant question types explained with strategies and sample questions: Worried about your Maths score on the GRE ? Cheer up. We have good news for you.Even though the GRE is considered more difficult than ACT and SAT, the Math tested on the GRE is at a lower level than that of the SAT and ACT.Like most things in life, practice and understanding the format of the section will make it easier to deal with     The Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE General Test evaluates your skills in basic mathematics, reading and interpreting graphs and figures, and engaging in basic mathematical reasoning. There are two portions of the Quantitative Reasoning section. Each has 20 or 25 questions (20 in the computer version and 25 in the paper version), with 35 or 40 minutes (35 for the computer version and 40 for the paper version) to complete each portion.     The Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE General Test is scored on a scale of 130-170 in 1-point increments.     Question Types: There are four types of questions in the Quantitative Reasoning Section of the GRE.     Quantitative Comparison Questions: The Quantitative Comparison (QC) Questions are a subset of Quantitative Reasoning Section, which assesses:   Basic mathematical skills Understanding of fundamental mathematical concepts Ability to use quantitative methods to logically reason and model practical problems     In Quantitative Comparison questions, you will be provided with information on two quantities, such as Quantity A and Quantity B. From the given information, you should compare Quantity A and Quantity B, and select an answer that is based on these choices:   (A) Quantity A is greater. (B) Quantity B is greater. (C) Quantities A and B are equal. (D) The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.     Hints for answering QC questions:   Carefully examine choices (A) through (C), before selecting choice (D). Avoid unnecessary and lengthy computations. Sometimes, you need to simplify the results of computation in order to find the answer in choices (A) through (C). Keep in mind that geometric figures may not be drawn to scale. If quantities A and B are mathematical expressions, plug your answer into the expressions in order to validate your choice of answer. You may need to simplify the mathematical expressions for quantities in order to use them effectively.     Example:   Lisa is younger than Jaden.                   Quantity A                                                                              Quantity B           Twice Lisa’s age                                                                       Jaden’s age                                           (A) Quantity A is greater. (B) Quantity B is greater. (C) Quantities A and B are equal. (D) The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.     Explanation: The correct answer is (D).     Let us look at what we understand from the given question. We know that Lisa is younger than Jaden but we do not know by how much and what their actual ages are.     Since we don’t know Lisa and Jaden’s ages, they could be any age just so long as Lisa is younger than Jaden. If Lisa is 2 and Jaden is 10, twice Lisa’s age is 4, which is less than Jaden’s age. But if Lisa is 19 and Jaden is 20, twice Lisa’s age is 38, which is greater than Jaden’s age.     Since whether or not Quantity A or B is greater depends on the actual ages of Lisa and Jaden, which we don’t know, the answer is (D) the relationship cannot be determined from the information given.     Multiple-Choice Select One Answer Questions: The Multiple-choice-Select One Answer Questions form a subset of the Quantitative Reasoning Section, which assesses:   Basic mathematical skills Understanding of fundamental mathematical concepts Ability to use quantitative methods to logically reason and to model practical problems   In the MCSO (Multiple-choice-Select One) section, you will be asked to select only one answer to a question from a list of choices.     Example:   If the average (arithmetic mean) of four distinct positive integers is 11, what is the greatest possible value of any one of the integers?   (A) 35 (B) 38 (C) 40 (D) 41 (E) 44     Explanation:   The correct answer is (B).     Use an Average Pie to solve this one. Write in the number of things, which is 4, and the average, which is 11.   Multiply to find the total, which is 44. Now you have to be careful with the vocabulary in the question. We know that the four distinct positive integers add up to 44. To find the greatest possible value of one of them, you need to figure out the smallest possible value of the other three. Since distinct means different, the other three numbers have to be the smallest positive integers: 1, 2, and 3. Those add up to 6, so the fourth number must be 44 – 6, or 38.     Multiple-Choice-Select Multiple Answers Questions: The Multiple-Choice-Select Multiple Answers Section of the GRE is a subset of the Quantitative Reasoning Section, which assesses   Basic mathematical skills Understanding of fundamental mathematical concepts Ability to use quantitative methods to logically reason and to model practical problems   In the MCSM (Multiple-choice-Select Multiple) Section, you will be asked to select one or more answers to a question from a list of choices.     Hints for answering multiple-choice questions:   Carefully compute to validate the selected answer. Avoid unnecessary and lengthy computations but check your calculations for careless errors. Keep in mind that geometric figures may not be drawn to scale. If you need to guess at the answer, you should perform validation tests (such as plugging the selected answer into the problem). You may need to simplify the mathematical expressions for quantities in order to use them effectively.     Example:   If 𝑏 < 2 and 2𝑥 − 3𝑏 = 0, then which of the following can be values of 𝑥? Select all that apply.   (A) 4 (B) 3 (C) 2 (D) 1 (E) 0 (F) -1 (G) -2 (H) -3 (I) -4     Explanation:   The correct answers are (C), (D), (E), (F), (G), (H)and (I).   First solve the equation for 𝑏.   2𝑥 − 3𝑏 = 0   2𝑥 = 3𝑏   2𝑥/3 = 𝑏     Then by substitution, the inequality 𝑏 < 2 becomes   2𝑥/3 < 2   𝑥 < (3/2) (2)   𝑥 < 3   So, 𝑥 is valid for all values less than 3.     Numeric Entry Questions: Numeric Entry (NE) questions are one of the four types of questions in the Quantitative Reasoning Section of the GRE. Questions of the NE type ask you to answer a question by typing your answer into a box. For paper-based tests, answers are submitted by filling incircles in a grid. Your answers may be integers, decimals, or fractions, and they could be negative quantities.     Hints for answering NE questions:   Because there are no answer choices for an NE question, it is necessary to read the question carefully, and to answer the question in the form that is expected. It is also important to pay attention to units (such as feet, yards, miles/hour, km/hour, and so on), and to give answers that are fractions or percentages, if requested. You may be asked to round an answer to a certain number of decimal places. Because NE questions do not allow you to guess at an answer, it is necessary to check your answer carefully after you have expended some time to obtain it.     Example:   150 regular size chocolate bars include 10 lbs. of sugar total. When promotional size bars are made 20% more sugar is needed. How many pounds of sugar will be required to make 250 promotional size chocolates?   ____________ lbs     Explanation:   The correct answer is 20 lbs.   If 150 promotional size chocolates are made they need 10 × 1.2 = 12 lbs of sugar. (1.2 represents a quantity increased by 20% in decimal form). Using simple ratio proportion,   12/150 = 𝑥/250   𝑥 = 20     The above is an excerpt from the Test Prep Series book, GRE Quantitative Reasoning: 520 Practice Questions. Test Prep Series books that will give you ample Math practice questions for the GRE:   GRE Quantitative Reasoning: 520 Practice Questions 6 Practice Tests for the GRE

It is indeed a proud moment for Vibrant Publishers to receive a 5-star review from Readers’ Favorite for “GRE Master Wordlist: 1535 Words for Verbal Mastery” book.Reviewer Mamta Madhavan, said: “This manual is a good tool to master the new GRE vocabulary in a reasonably short span of time and will help the GRE aspirants to get a good score. For all those readers who are planning to write their GRE exam, this book is a good one to own to achieve success.” This book presents the most essential 1535 words that helps students study smart rather than study hard. “Learning the words reflected in the book is the best way for GRE aspirants to get the perfect score by building their vocabulary and topping the verbal reasoning section.” Mamta Madhavan – Readers’ Favorite Our team is elated and grateful to reviewer Mamta Madhavan that she found this book simple, organized, and an easy to use tool to master the GRE.Read the full review here.

The continuous increase in the abroad education cost and the depreciating value of Indian currency has made the study abroad dreams expensive. Only a few privileged people can afford such expenses out of their own pocket while the others have to look for an education loan- the most-preferred education funding source. Today, public-sector banks, private banks, and NBFCs (non-banking financial companies) offer abroad education loans to the students. These loans cover all the expenses that might incur during the course. When does a bank decline an education loan? With a substantial increase in the bad loans in the education field, lenders have become uncompromising and rigid while providing student loans. Thus, the education loan rejections in general are also increasing. Some of the major reasons why a bank or NBFC declines an education loan application are: If the CIBIL score of the student or the co-applicant is poor. Usually, a CIBIL score of more than 700 is considered to be good enough. If the student has provided incomplete or counterfeit documents. If the college or university is not recognized and has a poor placement record. If the course from that college is not approved. Distance-learning, part-time, and correspondence courses are usually denied. The academic record of the student reflects inferior performance. The enrolment letter is missing. In the case of secured loans In an education loan with collateral, the loan applicant has to pledge a financial asset for risk mitigation for the bank. In general, there are two causes of the rejection of a secured education loan: a) The asset or the property can be the primary reason behind the rejection. If the lender feels that the collateral the applicant is pledging doesn’t cover the loan risk, it will reject the application. Following are the factors regarding the property pledged that are double-checked by the lenders while considering a secured loan: The ownership The legitimacy The estimated value If the bank has any doubt in these areas, the loan might get rejected. Also, if the property is considered agricultural land or lies in the purview of Gram Panchayat, the loan application might get declined. b) Incorrect documentation is also a major reason for loan application rejection. Other than the regular paperwork, loans with collateral also require extensive documentation for the collateral. If there is a document missing or there’s an issue with the filed papers, the loan application might get rejected. In the case of unsecured loans In an unsecured loan, the applicant doesn’t need to provide any collateral. However, the sanctioned amount, in this case, is lower than a secured loan. Also, these loans are harder to get than secured loans. There are two major factors due to which an unsecured loan might get rejected by the lender: a) As there is no collateral put as a security, the lenders base their decision of approving an unsecured education loan on the co-applicant’s income. If the total monthly income of the co-applicant is insufficient to pay the interest amount during the moratorium period, the bank will find it risky to approve the loan. Therefore, it is essential for the co-applicant to have an adequate bank balance and a satisfactory monthly income. b) A poor CIBIL score is also a major reason behind the rejection of an unsecured education loan. When the banks evaluate the co-applicant’s financial profile, they comb through his/her payment history as well. If the co-applicant has defaulted on a previous loan or credit bill, the loan application gets rejected. In general, the abroad education loans get rejected due to some minor reasons- something that can be taken care of through expert guidance. GyanDhan, India’s first education loan marketplace, has helped thousands of students with their loan applications. Their dedicated team of education loan counselors catches all the red flags right at the start of the process. Importantly, it provides its expert loan assistance free of cost! GyanDhan increases the chances of abroad education loan approval through its partnership with various banks and NBFCs that broadens the options for a student and reduces the odds of loan rejection. Always keep in mind that in a dearth of proper guidance and expert assistance, the chances of education loan approval are low. Be smart, stay one step ahead!