They say that time and tide wait for none, and this adage holds even more true for the GRE, which is literally a race against the clock. Now, time is a precious resource, and the GRE is an intense exam, testing your knowledge across a gamut of subjects. So how does one win a perfect 170 on their Quants when there’s just so much to learn? We found that as much as 60% of the perfect 170/170 scorers used the art of prioritization for fast and effective preparation.
You need to set a time limit for each question type and aim at solving the questions by that time. We have something already formulated, the very same that has helped students score a 165+ in their Quants. Here it is!
Ensure you practice enough so that you don't take more than a minute more than this. Practising in such a way will give you valuable minutes to double check your answers and also ponder on the few tricky ones. Figuring out the sections that need more work is called prioritization and is key to optimizing your performance on the GRE.
So, how exactly can you prioritize? How do you find out the concepts and topics that demand more of your time?
You will observe that on an average, 170-scorers choose to spend a significant part of their time on three areas: Geometry, Applied Mathematics (which includes topics like Speed, Time, Distance etc), and Data Interpretation. Why is this so? Well, if you were to note the volume of questions from each topic, you will see that in a section of 20 questions, there are 6-8 questions from Arithmetic and Algebra of easy-to-medium difficulty, 6-8 questions from Geometry of medium-to-high difficulty, 3-5 questions on Data Interpretation again of medium-to-high difficulty, and from Data Interpretation and Applied Math, 2-4 questions also of medium-to-high difficulty.
Based on this info, we can see that because of the volume of questions from Geometry, as well as the difficulty level, it is the module that requires the most time, followed by Data Interpretation and Applied Math.
This is precisely the reason why students with a 170 prefer to first master these topics!
Ever taken GRE practice tests and found yourself being routinely tripped up by a particular concept or topic? Perhaps you have some difficulty with computing probability, permutations & combinations. Or maybe it's quadratic equations that really test your patience. It is only logical for every student to have their own, unique, set of strengths and weaknesses. It is important to take cognizance of these, and plan your preparation accordingly. If, say, you’re already proficient in geometry but are having a tough time with Applied Math, it is a great idea to turn your attention to that, and do a lot of practice questions to improve your performance there. If need be, ask your friends or seniors from college to help you out. After all, you don’t want your otherwise stellar GRE score to be compromised by a weakness in one area, do you?
A great way to gauge your own performance is to see how you stack up against your competitors. Luckily, at GREedge, we allow you to do just that! Meet our Progress Tracker, a scale that enables you to check how your performance compares to your peers.
This way, you can compare the time you took to complete a test with the average completion time, as well as the time taken by those scoring a 165+, so that you can tweak your time management skills accordingly.
Want to find out how you can prepare for a perfect 170 in GRE Quant? Download the exclusive GREedge guide to doing just that, now!
Let’s take a glance at the various difficulty levels that you could expect from the questions on the GRE.
A car crosses a bridge in 5 minutes at a speed of 45mph. What is the length of the bridge?
Leaving his office at 9AM, George drove a distance of 132 miles to meet a client, maintaining an average speed of 70 mph. He spent a full 4 hours with his client and returned to his office at 5:05 PM. What average speed did George maintain on the road?
Monty has to drive 200 miles from Blandings Castle to London, and Ronnie has to drive the same distance from London to Blandings Castle. If Monty leaves the Castle at 06:00 a.m. on a day at a speed of 50 mph and Ronnie drives at 60 mph, at what time would Ronnie have to leave London that day so as to reach the Castle 20 min earlier than Monty will reach London?
We hope you found this info helpful and eye-opening, and wish you all the best on your graduate school journey!
Now, we all know that a 170 is possible, but did you know that the secret to that is prioritisation? We hope you found this article helpful, and got some insight into how to prioritise while preparing for your GRE. We wish you all the best on your journey!
Now, to take a look at some of the important Quant formulae, click here.
What do we mean by that? Click here to find out!
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