WHAT TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES DO TOP STUDENTS USE?
Over half a million students write the GRE every year, most of whom go through multiple coaching institutions and months of preparation.
With so much time and money invested, one can't help but wonder, what is it that the top students do that makes them better than the rest in these exams?
What are the strategies they use to prepare and execute in the exams?
Stick till the end of the article to find out!
On the day of the exam, it's important that you treat your mind and body right.
Wake up early and exercise. Stretch your muscles and get active. Eat a healthy breakfast and listen to music. Stay relaxed and keep your mind calm like it's just another day.
Many students might ignore this, but one needs to understand the importance of keeping the system (our body) healthy and active if we want to perform well!
As you are well aware, GRE is not like any other college test that you might take. You can’t just cram a few hours before the exam and perform well!
I recommend you apply your critical thinking skills more often! Solve puzzles and sudoku or logic-based games to get your brain working.
You can even try to solve random questions from the book, but remember, don't do this on the day of the exam as complex problems would mess with your mindset and confidence!
SCRATCH PAPER AND BREAKS:
Some students have the habit of being too conservative while using scratch papers, and this by itself takes their focus off the problem at hand.
There will be small breaks between each session, which can be used to replenish your supply of scratch paper. So, don't worry about the paper and focus on what needs to be done!
AWA SECTION: THE TONE SETTER?
There's this popular belief that if we are able to ace the AWA section, it will set a good tone for the rest of the exam.
Even though this makes sense, we need to realize that we set the tone for the exam.
After all, when it comes to executing, confidence is everything, right?
Try not to panic when certain parts of the exam don't go as well as you planned. Try and stay unaffected by these small setbacks!
SAVE A FEW MINUTES FOR CHECKING:
Every student writing the GRE is aware of the extreme time constraints that they would be under.
Most of us even have a strong time management plan to finish the exam in time.
But here's the difference between mediocre and excellent: one round of rechecking all the answers.
Most of us submit our first draft of essays and run to the next section, but I recommend that you save a few minutes at the end of each section to run through the answers. This will help you avoid silly mistakes or errors that could possibly bring down the quality of your work.
HAVE A LIST OF UNIVERSITIES:
At the end of your GRE test, you will be asked to choose 4 universities to send your test scores to for free.
This might not seem too important, as many students start thinking about which university to apply to only after the exam.
But pros have it all prepared and planned out: Use their strategy!
It has been noted that many students have the habit of canceling scores when they are disappointed with their results.
I understand that we get frustrated when we can't meet our own expectations.
But is that really a good excuse to cancel the scores?
We don't just invest a lot of money in the exam; we invest a significant amount of time and effort as well.
We can always retake the exam and improve our scores. There's no need to cancel scores unnecessarily, which would just make it hard on us the next time.
Don't let your emotions put you down. It's okay to be disappointed, but be smart and keep your scores. Work on improving if it comes to that.
Hope this article useful for you
