Discover powerful strategies for success in the verbal reasoning and analytical writing sections of the GRE® revised General Test (course 1 of 2).
If you're planning to apply to graduate school, you will have to take the GRE. This course is here to help. Part 1 takes you through all the question types on the verbal reasoning and analytical writing sections, including reading comprehension, text completion, sentence equivalence questions, and both essay tasks. You will also gain pointers on time management, anxiety relief, scoring, and general standardized test-taking. Be prepared to excel on exam day to achieve your best potential score.
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
- This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
- PC: Windows 8 or later.
- Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
- Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
- Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Learn about questions on the verbal reasoning and analytical writing sections of the GRE, including reading comprehension, text completion, sentence equivalence questions, and both essay tasks. This course also provides pointers on time management, anxiety, scoring, and standardized test taking.
Introducing the GRE® Revised General Test
You may have heard that you can't study for the GRE. But that's not true. There are many things you can do to prepare for the GRE, and the more time you spend preparing the better your scores will be. This lesson tells you everything you need to know about the general makeup of the GRE, so you know what to expect come test day.
Overview of GRE Verbal and Analytical Sections
This lesson gives you an overview of what to expect from the GRE Verbal and Analytical sections. You will see sample reading comprehension, sentence equivalence, and text completion questions, and take a brief look at the analytical writing section.
Approaching the Analytical Writing Section
The first section you will encounter on the GRE is the analytical writing section. You will write two essays in 60 minutes, so you need to be well prepared. This lesson gives you the essentials to be your best on exam day.
Writing Style Review for the Analytical Writing Section
Grammar and punctuation count on the analytical writing section. This lesson covers tips for improving your writing style and reviews the important rules of Standard English so that you can perform your best.
Practice for the Analytical Writing Section
If the thought of writing a complete analysis of an issue or argument within a half an hour has you running for the hills, don't despair. Here's a specific plan for making the most of your time so you can prove to the admissions committee of your favorite graduate program that you can create a cohesive, interesting essay.
How to Interpret a Reading Passage
Roughly half of the questions in the verbal reasoning sections require you to answer questions based on reading passages. The GRE reading passages come in all sizes and topics. This lesson will walk you through the process of examining passages efficiently so that you can quickly soar through the reading questions.
How to Answer Reading Questions
The reading questions on the GRE revised General Test come in a variety of formats with several objectives. You will learn unique approaches to various reading question formats that will maximize your performance on exam day.
Practicing Reading Questions
The best way to improve your performance on the GRE reading questions is practice. In this lesson you will take a short reading practice exam and then carefully examine the strategy for answering each question correctly.
How to Answer Text Completion Questions
The fill-in-the-blank GRE text completion questions test your reading ability and knowledge of vocabulary. In this lesson, you will learn the tactics for dissecting each sentence to extract its exact meaning.
Practice Answering Text Completion Questions
In this lesson you will take a mini practice exam and become familiar with text completion questions. Then you will explore how best to answer each question.
How to Answer Sentence Equivalence Questions
In this lesson you will discover what to expect from the third question type in the verbal reasoning section, the sentence equivalence question. You will discover some strategies for evaluating sentences and recognizing synonyms.
Practice Answering Sentence Equivalence Questions
Test your prowess on sentence equivalence questions by taking a mini practice exam, followed by detailed explanations on how to answer each question.
What you will learn
- Learn to effectively be prepared for the Verbal and Analytical portion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
- Understand how to eliminate wrong answers and manage your time during the test
- Learn to relieve stress and anxiety during the test Discover how to create cohesive and interesting essays
- Gain tactics for answering different types of reading and vocabulary questions
How you will benefit
- Be prepared for the GRE which will result in a better score
- Be able to relax and not panic when taking the test
- Manage your time more efficiently during the test
- Feel totally confident on test day
Laura Davis
Laura Davis received a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University and a doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis. She has taught GRE preparation courses since 2006.