I am quite good in maths and written english but my vocabulary is not above average. I was not sure if it would be worth to memorize all the words in the GRE book just for the test. In fact I believe it would not be possible. On top of that if the words are not used on a daily basis then you will probbaly forget the words. So, is it worth spending too much time for the vocabulary? Did it make much difference to your GRE scores? Experienced users I need your views please.

 

I dont think so ...you will have what...6 questions for the vocabulary on test,  i believe 6. if you remember only high frequency words, you will be able to solve at least 2 out of them. you can solve another 1 correctly just by guessing...and out of rest 3,  at least 1 will be "kaage lagchha".  So its not a big deal.  better utilize all your time practicing analytical and quantitative sections. if  you excel on those two section, you will hit the floor. these days the test pattern has been changed i guess, mine was in 2002, old format.

eutaketii, 

verbal score is also important.  it depends upon what you want to pursue in your graduate study.  if you are an engineering major, i would say your quant score is very important.  but, all the enigneeirng students will score high on quant section, so to have edge, you need to do well in verbal and analytical section as well.  i assume 4.0 + in analytical is alright.  if your writing skill is good, you might score higher.  also, 400 in verbal is acceptable, but higher you score, better you have chance to get  into good school.  quant +verbal, 1300+ is really good score. 

You are right it is not possible that you memorize all the words on the list.  There were guys who had known almost all the words in Barron;s 1500 list and secured above 1400 score. I think you need to go at least 2 time thro all the words in the list. On the other hand, practice on the passage, that will save you a lot time. If you are comfortable comprehending the passages easily , you will do better on the other sections of verbal.

Finally, it depends on which college you are applying and what program. Plan wise beforehand and look for college that will provide asssistanship in the first sem and apply for 1 top college .. 2 mid (accourding to your score) and 1 safe option (that will accept you anyway)  

it is certainly possible to memorize the words in the Barron's book..I for once did it, but that was for the SATs. I was talking to this guy who wrote a book on grad school application and according to him, for science and engineering majors, departments don't pay much attention to your GRE verbal. It is good to have a high math score (around 750+) but schools look into your other factors such as GPA, recommendations and personal statement. Also, if you have done research, that helps. He actually said there are a lot of schools where GRE doesn't factor into your admission criteria. MIT, for example doesn't even request it because they know that your GRE score isn't saying bull about your ability to get through grad school. But if you are for example English or History major, then you need to have really good GRE verbal (I would say 700+).  And another thing I learned is that rather than spending time memorize the words, it good to develop a good reading habit. Practice the critical reading part so that you will have to spend way less time to boost your score.

its almost impossible to memorize all the words. i got a month and i m still struggling. analytical  and quantitative wont take that much amount of time.do u guys know after u register for GRE arent we supposed to get a CD. its been almost a month i dont have the CD yet.

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Increasing vocabulary is a long and cumbersome process. If your GRE is just round the corner, i'd say just run through the words and keep your fingers crossed until the test-date. Else, if you've plenty of time, the best way to memorize words is to use them. Use them anywhere you like (writing/ speech/ talks) so as people know you're actually preparing for some vocab tests! :) 

Once GRE is over, i suggest you keep it plain and simple! :P

Just took the GRE last week. I memorized 2400 words from different word lists. I recommend flash cards from kaplan, they are not alphabetically listed and its easy to use in the bus, train etc... The rest can be prepared for in a week or two, but the vocab really takes time. Reading NY Times and the New Yorker helped a lot because you see the words you memorized in context.

I do have time but I do not want to waste my time in something which would not be reproductive. I would rather study for my MCAT in the time I would spend for my vocab. So, what do you guys suggest?

eutaketti,

well, if you are good in maths and your writing english is also pretty good, then you are already prepared for quant and analytical part.  if i were you, i would take pre test first, which you can take from preparation cds, and look yourself where you stand.  you will know what needs to be improved.  your score not gonna change a lot, so if you can score descent score in your pre test, i would suggest you to prepare sometime and focus on ur MCAT.  alright, good luck. 

Dear All,

I think GRE is not very useful if your undergraduate degree is from a noted school(say Harvard) and you have a high GPA(say, 4.0). However, if you are a graduate of a relatively less well known school (say, Pulchouk), then sometimes it helps when you are applying to a good graduate program, irrespective of which program you are applying to.

Some of my friends benefitted from the tips I had given to them, so let me share my own experience with you guys. I graduated from a sarakari highschool in Chitwan, and did my undergraduate in Chinese medium school, so my experience is even more useful to some of you who may have been daunted by the prospect of taking the intensive course. As every other exam, you should take this exam as a challenge, and prepare accordingly, but without letting it monopolize your time. You need good GPA to get into a good graduate school, period, so the preference is lexicographic, and you shouldn't compromise your regular study to get a better score in GRE.

It is important to know how to use the words, and for that purpose, you should use it frequently. Now, where would you use it? Using the word such as 'tergiversation' in your day to day conversation might scare your friends away from you. I used to have a friend in Bangladesh, who was relatively weak in English, and we agreed that we would communicate in English. He used to read my long mails, and write careful reactions. If you have such patients friends, it will be really helpful.

Furthermore, I was a voracious reader, who read Newsweek, Time, and a lot of classic English literature.I liked Salmand Rushdie's Midnight Children, not only because of the plot, but also because it allowed me to encounter so many words that I had just memorized.  

Knowing words alone is just a first step. You need to have a retentive memory to read and understand passages quickly. This probably depends on your own evolution as a reader and student over time. The benefit of knowing all the words, to me, was that I could go over antonym and analogy section quickly, and save time for passage. In the exam, I had finished the verbal section in below twenty minutes, and scored maximum possible[800], and I had wrongly answered only one question[you can check your result later].

Finally, relax while taking the test. If you panick, just leave the test room, and retake it later. There is no point in scoring less than what you actually can.Just before taking the real test, I took three simulated tests, downloaded from ETS website,and they were quite good approximation of my future score and the test I was about to take.

GRE scores are just that, it is good to forget them once the exam is over and you get into grad school[Just like SLC scores]. However, in some finance companies, when hiring students for investment banking or quantitative analyst job, they often sort applicants, which sometimes tend to be thousands,  based on standardized tests such as SAT and GRE, so you might as well mention your score in your resume. This is only marginally helpful, but margin decides so many things in our life, anyway. 

If you need some help, feel free to send me an email at bpoudel@berkeley.edu! I may not be able to reply emails all the time, but I am a very helpful person:). I used to visit Sajha frequently, but don't do that anymore,though I have visited lately to write about Tibetan protesters, so I apologize in advance if I don't reply on time to any more questions you may post in this forum.

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