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ut of the thousands of students appearing for the SAT, GRE, GMAT, TOEFL and IELTS tests every year, only a small proportion of these students actually take classes and tutorials for these examinations.
Most students study on their own and still manage to do well.
"I did not take any class for my GRE examination and studied from the ETS books and the Internet. I scored 1,450 and was very happy with my performance," says Bhupen Shah, a student applying for graduate studies in the US.
If you are disciplined and clear about your basic concepts, you could manage a self-study programme.
But if you are not self-disciplined, consider taking extra help.
Many students find structured coaching programmes helpful and learn better in a class interacting with other students.
Below is a ten-week self-study programme for students planning to appear for the GRE and the GMAT exams:
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GRE |
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Week 1 |
Go through the ETS 'big book' and make a list of the words you do not know. Look up a dictionary and start making your own word list. Do not reply on wordlists from other books. |
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Week 2 |
The ETS 'big book' has over 26 tests. You need to try and remember as many words as you can. Don't just memorise the words. Try and create sentences which will help you remember them. |
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Week 3 |
Use the review of the quantitative section in the book, Practicing to Take the General Test, by ETS, to brush up your math concepts. |
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Week 4 |
Start practising math problems topic by topic. Identify the areas where you need more practice. |
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Week 5 |
Now that your vocabulary is a little better, start with the analogies section of the verbal portion of the test. Use the tests from the ETS big book. |
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Week 6 |
Progress to the sentence completions and antonyms questions. Again, use the questions from the big book. |
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Week 7 |
Dedicate this entire week to the reading comprehension and the essay writing component of the test. Use the essay topics from Practicing to Take the General Test. |
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Week 8 |
Practise mixed math problems from all topics. Use the big book and the Practicing to Take the General Test book for this. |
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Week 9 |
Now you are ready to practise an entire GRE test at one stretch. Make sure there are no distractions around you. Time yourself. Try and finish one test per day. You can use the paper tests from the ETS book, but avoid repeating the tests. |
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Week 10 |
Practise the Computer Adaptive Tests CDs -- Powerprep and other online software. You will now have the confidence to take the GRE exam at the testing centre. |
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GMAT |
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Week 1 |
Go through the ETS Official Guide for GMAT, specifically a description of the GMAT test. If you like, take a mock test to see where you stand. |
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Week 2 |
Find school grammar books and brush up on your grammar. The GMAT English focuses on grammar, not vocabulary. |
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Week 3 |
Use the Math Review section in the Official Guide for GMAT to brush up your math concepts. |
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Week 4 |
Start practising math problems topic by topic. Identify the areas where you need more practice. The official guide has more than 400 solved math problems. |
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Week 5 |
Now that you have revised your grammar, start with the sentence correction section of the verbal portion of the test. Practise from the official guide. |
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Week 6 |
Progress to the critical reasoning section from the official guide. |
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Week 7 |
Dedicate this entire week to the reading comprehension and the essay writing component of the test. Use the essay topics from the official guide. |
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Week 8 |
Practise mixed math problems from all topics. If you need more help, consider getting school textbooks and practise from there as well. |
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Week 9 |
You are now ready to practise an entire GMAT test at one stretch. Make sure there are no distractions around you. Time yourself. Try and finish one test per day. Use the paper tests from the ETS official guide, but avoid repeating the tests. |
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Week 10 |
Practise the Computer Adaptive Tests CDs -- Powerprep and online software. You will now have the confidence to take the GMAT exam at the testing centre. |
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Karan Gupta is the founder of Mrijay International Education Consultants, which coaches students to study abroad. He studied at Ithaca College and the University of Texas at Austin. He worked at the Office of Admissions, Financial Aid office and the International Office, which gave him first hand experience into the workings of the admissions process for American Universities. Karan Gupta is currently the honorary study-abroad college counselor at Jai Hind College. He has written several articles on study abroad, loans, scholarships, visas and admissions.