GRE Bites

Episode 21: How to quickly eliminate vocab-based answer choices on the GRE (verbal section strategies)

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Half of any verbal section on the GRE will be comprised of vocab-based questions. However, it will be necessary to move through these problems in less than half the time in order to bank time for the reading comprehension questions. Therefore, it is essential to develop techniques to move through vocab-based questions as quickly as possible. In this episode, Davis and I discuss one of the easiest ways to do this: implementing problem-specific elimination strategies.
#gre #gradschool #testpreparation

Episode 20: How to prepare for the GRE writing section (understanding the grading system)

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As mentioned in a previous episode, your essays on the writing section of the GRE are graded by a computer algorithm, called the e-rater. This is important to appreciate, because an algorithm can only operate according to its programming. So understanding just what that programming is will help students respond more effectively to the task of this section. In this episode, Orion discusses the importance of total word count, and suggests the use of a "five-minute free-write" to increase the fluency of written production.
#gre #testprep #writing

Episode 19: How to get a real break during the GRE (taking advantage of the test)

Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated self-study program and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans. To learn more, go to: https://www.stellargre.com.
Sitting for the GRE is like sprinting a marathon. The test is nearly four-and-a-half hours long, and students are only given one ten-minute break (and a smattering of one-minute breaks) across the administration. However, by taking advantage of a flaw in the test construction, Orion has discovered a way for students to artificially extend their breaks between sections of the exam. It's called the "park screen," and its effective use can make or break a top-percentile performance. In this episode, Davis and Orion discuss what the park screen is and how to use it to your advantage on test day.
#gre #testprep #performance

Episode 18: Don’t clip coupons on the quantitative section of the GRE (shortcuts cost you)

Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated self-study program and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans. To learn more, go to: https://www.stellargre.com.
One of the most common sources of carelessness on the GRE is clipping coupons. This is when students attempt to save a few seconds on their time-to-solution by cutting corners or dispensing with fail-safes. Not a good idea. Cutting corners on the GRE makes about as much sense as clipping coupons in real life: yes, it might save you some money, but probably not enough to justify the time spent doing so. Orion discusses more in this episode.
#gre #testprep #efficiency

Episode 17: Best numbers to plug in on the GRE quantitative section (how to stress the system)

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Plugging-in -- the strategy by which we replace abstract algebra with concrete arithmetic on standardized tests -- is one of the most useful techniques on the GRE quant section. It can be used whenever there are variables in the answer choices of a question. In this episode, Orion discusses the very best numbers to select in conjunction with the plug-in technique, and some of the important considerations that accompany their use.
#gre #testprep #math

Episode 16: Is it a good time to go to graduate school? (understanding the economic moment)

Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated self-study program and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans. To learn more, go to: https://www.stellargre.com.
In this episode, Davis and Orion discuss whether it is currently a good time to go to graduate school. The consensus is that it is an excellent time to consider a post-graduate degree, due to certain macroeconomic factors. In a recession and stagnating economy, it can be a good move to "kick the employment can" down the road, and count on better job prospects in a year or two. And with inflation outstripping grad school loan interest rates, tuition -- while still quite high -- is being offered at a relative discount.
#gre #gradschool #economics

Episode 15: You can only get better (why rehearsal matters on the GRE)

Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated self-study program and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans. To learn more, go to: https://www.stellargre.com.
It's impossible to do something over and over again, and get worse at it. The amazing thing about repetition is that it only works one way. However, this is a double-edged sword. While this principle functionally relieves us of some measure of anxiety about whether we will improve, it also suggests that we can inadvertently get better at the wrong thing. In this episode, Orion discusses the importance of developing the "right" practice through conscious rehearsal.
#gre #testprep #improve

Episode 14: Mindfulness and top performance on the GRE (focus is the mother of excellence)

Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated self-study program and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans. To learn more, go to: https://www.stellargre.com.
More than anything else, the GRE is a test of sustained mindfulness. The only way to achieve a top-percentile score is to completely eliminate carelessness, which demands that a student consciously attend to every step of every problem over nearly four-and-a-half hours. This is not easy to do. In this episode, Orion will discuss the relationship between mindfulness and top performance on the GRE, including the results of his own doctoral dissertation study which examined the effect of a brief mindfulness task on reading comprehension.
#mindfulness #gre #testprep

Episode 13: Scheduling your GRE test (when is the best time to sit for the exam?)

Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated self-study program and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans. To learn more, go to: https://www.stellargre.com.
There are many considerations that influence the decision of when exactly to sit for the GRE exam. In this episode, Orion discusses several of these considerations, including: the difference between "cool" and "strict" schools with respect to their application deadlines, the minimum buffer between test and re-test scheduling, the connection between time-of-day and peak mental functioning, and at-home administration variables.
#gre #testpreparation #testprep

Episode 12: The worst question to ask yourself on the GRE (how you are getting in your own way)

Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated self-study program and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans. To learn more, go to: https://www.stellargre.com.
If you're preparing for the GRE, it's quite likely that you've had the experience of feeling stuck on a certain problem. You don't know how to proceed and may feel the panic starting to set in. In an attempt to wrench yourself loose, you ask yourself: "what should I do?" We've all been there. Unfortunately, this question is the worst possible question you can ask yourself on the GRE, for the obvious reason that, if you could answer it, you wouldn't be asking it. In this episode, Orion offers a better alternative that will actually help to get things moving again in the event of a standstill.
#gre #testpreparation #testprep