GRE is one of the most world renowned and widely accepted test for students looking forward to join good grad schools. When you start preparing for GRE, there are many views that you will come across. There are many facts about GRE and also many myths. You need to be well aware of which is which before you take the exam.
You might wonder that you are exceptionally good at the GRE quant questions but weak in the other sections, still you will be able to get in your grad school because the other parts aren’t actually necessary for your program. That might be true in some cases but not all. That is why you need to be aware of all the myths that are related to GRE.
Myth 1
The first myth is that your GRE scores are not that important when compared to the relationship you have with the faculty members and your personal stamen for your prospective schools. Well the truth is that the importance you GRE scores hold compared to the other factors like relevant experience in chosen field, letters of recommendation, undergraduate GPA, etc actually differs from program to program. In fact low scores in GRE can be quite harmful and lower your chances your admission. As a matter of fact, GRE scores also useful when you are looking for merit-based scholarships or financial aids or research and teaching assistantships.
Myth 2
Another myth about GRE is that it tests the student’s capability to solve math problems based on complex concepts, when the truth about GRE math is that they are difficult because of the way they are tested and not because the concept themselves are difficult. The math concepts of the GRE test are the ones you have already learnt in the seventh and eighth grade. You won’t be finding and calculus related problems here.
Myth 3
The third myth is that there are several ways in which you can improve your skills to perform better in the math section, but you can’t do anything about the verbal section. GRE is a standardized test, which means that it is a predictable form of test. The students know exactly what they are going to be tested on and how they are going to be tested. It doesn’t matter if you can answer the GRE quant questions accurately but fail at verbal section. If you are willing to put in time and effort you will be able to get better at it too.
Myth 4
A very common myth is that preparation for GRE mainly involves taking practice tests and the more practice test you take, the better you scores will be. In reality, taking more practice tests is good, but if you keep taking them without implementing new techniques or improvement, you will be reinforcing the same habits that you have now. To improve you score you need to figure out new and better ways to take the test.
Taking the standardized test GRE requires skills and to master those skills you need to have the correct tools, the right coaching and a lot of practice. You shouldn’t indulge in the myths and instead give it your best.
