Petersons - Master the GRE 2015: The Test Prep You Need to Boost Your GRE Score

Master the GRE is your guidebook for navigating the GRE revised General Test. In 2011, the test changed dramatically from the previous version. The current version of the GRE is designed to better predict test-takers overall performance in graduate school. The emphasis is on the test-takers ability to think. Youll see that in the design of questions.

Youll find reading comprehension questions that ask you to critique the validity of an authors argument or ask you to identify information that supports an authors argument. Other questions in the Verbal Reasoning section ask you to select the best word choice based on analyzing the context of a sentence or passage. In the Analytical Writing section, youll be asked to evaluate someone elses argument and to develop an argument of your own. To de-emphasize computation and emphasize the thought processes used to arrive at answers in the Quantitative Reasoning section, you will find an on-screen calculator for the computer-based version. If you are taking the paper-and-pencil version, you will be given a calculator.

You neednt begin to hyperventilate at this information. Master the GRE will

walk you through the parts of the test.

give you strategies to use for each type of question.

explain how to avoid some common writing problems.

review basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis.

help you develop your vocabulary for word-choice questions.

provide simulated practice with four practice tests.

Master the GRE is divided into six parts to facilitate your study:

Part I explains basic information about the GRE revised General Test and provides an overview with examples of the different question types youll find on the test.

Part II offers a diagnostic test to help you identify your areas of strength and those areas where you will need to spend more time in your review sessions.

Part III explores the Analytical Writing section of the test and offers strategies for developing well-supported and coherent responses to the types of tasks that you will be required to answer.

Part IV goes into detail about the different question formats that you will find in the Verbal Reasoning section and offers strategies for answering each type.

Part V describes the different question formats in the Quantitative Reasoning section of the test and offers strategies to help you figure out answers to the math questions.

Part VI has three more tests that provide you with simulated practice in taking the GRE exam under timed conditions.

The Appendixes offer two additional chapters to help you improve your writing. Appendix A: Common Errors in Grammar and Mechanics, can help you avoid such mistakes as sentence faults, misplaced modifiers, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun problems. If misspelled words are a problem for you, check out Appendix B: Often Confused and Confusing Words. Here youll find a list of commonly misspelled wordswords that sound somewhat similar but have completely different meanings and when used incorrectly could lower your score.

Each chapter in Parts IV and V contains practice sections to help you review what you have just learned.

Master the GRE has several features that will help you get the most from your study time.

Overview

Each chapter begins with a listing of the major topics in that chapter followed by an introduction that explains what you will be reviewing.

Summing It Up

Each chapter ends with a point-by-point summary of the main points of the chapter. It can be a handy last-minute guide to review before the test.

Bonus Information

You will find three types of notes in the margin of the Master the GRE to alert you to important information.

Note

Margin notes marked Note highlight information about the test structure itself.

Tip

A note marked Tip points out valuable advice for taking the GRE revised General Test.

Alert

An Alert identifies pitfalls in the testing format or question types that can cause mistakes in selecting answers.

Important things to remember as you work through this book: When taking the computer-based version of the GRE, youll be entering answers by typing on a keyboard or using a mouse. The Analytical Writing section requires that you compose short essays by typing in words, sentences, and paragraphs. The numeric entry questions from the Quantitative Reasoning section require that you type numbers into boxes. Other sections require that you pick choices by clicking on them with your mouse. Since you cant answer in this fashion in a book, youll have to fill in your answers by hand when taking the tests and completing the exercises. Also, bear in mind that some questions may appear in a slightly different fashion due to the limitations of print. For instance, answer options will appear as letters with parentheses around them [(A), (B), (C), etc.] in this guide. On the actual exam, the answer options may appear as ovals or squares. But rest assured that all of the question content is similar to that found on the GRE revised General Test.

Petersons is providing you with access to three additional GRE practice tests. The testing content on these three practice tests was created by the test-prep experts at Petersons. The Petersons online testing experience resembles the testing experience you will find on the actual GRE exam. You can access these three practice tests at http://www.petersonspublishing.com/gre. You will be asked to enter your e-mail address, and Petersons will e-mail you an activation code and the link needed to access the GRE online practice tests.