McGraw-Hill's Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test - Free PDF Download

This book includes general information about the GRE General Test and chapters with specific information on each of the test sections, as well as additional simulated practice tests. In an ideal situation, you will be reading this book at least three to four weeks before you take the actual GRE General Test. In our experience, the students who see the largest increases in their scores are those who put in consistent effort over several weeks. Try to keep your frustration to a minimum if you are struggling. In addition, try to keep from becoming overconfident when everything is going your way. The GRE Training Schedule shown on the next page will help you to manage your time effectively and stay focused during your preparation.

How to Use the Practice Tests

The practice tests found in this book are reasonably accurate simulations written by GRE experts. They contain basically the same mix of question types as a real GRE. If you work through all the material provided, you can rest assure that there won’t be any surprises on test day. The biggest difference between the practice tests in this book and your real GRE is the fact that these are not computer adaptive tests (see Chapter 1 for more information on the CAT format). You should use these practice tests to become familiar with the different question types and reveal any gaps in your knowledge.

Generally, students tend to score a little better on each successive practice test. Keep in mind that GRE test results are sensitive to individual conditions such as fatigue and stress. Therefore, the time of day that you take your practice tests, your environment, and other things that might be going on in your life can have an impact on your scores. Don’t get worried if you see some score fluctuation because of a bad day or because the practice tests indicate weaknesses in your knowledge or skills. Simply use this information to help you improve.
Plan to do some practicing with POWERPREP®, the free software from the authors of the GRE that is made available at their site to get a good feel for how the questions will be presented on test day.

In addition, there are times when you will want to work through some material without a time limit. Refer to the Training Schedule for more information regarding when you should switch the focus of your training from studying knowledge to practicing skills and when to make the shift to working on your timing.

There is an explanation for each practice question in this book. You will probably not need to read all of them. Sometimes, you can tell right away why you got a particular question wrong. We have seen countless students smack themselves on the forehead and say “Stupid mistake!” We refer to these errors as “concentration errors.” Everyone makes them from time to time, and you should not worry when they occur. There is a good chance that your focus will be a little better on the real test as long as you train yourself properly with the aid of this book. You should distinguish between concentration errors and any understanding issues or holes in your knowledge base. If you have the time, it is worth reading the explanations for any of the questions that were at all challenging for you. Sometimes, students get questions correct but for the wrong reason, or because they guessed correctly. While you are practicing, you should mark any questions that you want to revisit and be sure to read the explanations for those questions.
Take the GRE Diagnostic Test (Chapter 4) after reading this section. It will help you to pinpoint areas of strength and weakness in your knowledge base and your skill set. Take it under realistic conditions. The best setting would be a library where there are other people around that are being relatively quiet, just like at a testing centre. Time yourself strictly on this first test. You need to have an accurate picture of what your performance would be like if test day were today. After you have scored it, you should review the parts of the chapters that cover any content areas that you need to review.

A Note on Scoring the Practice Tests

The tests in this book are simulations created by experts to replicate the question  types, difficulty level, and content areas that you will find on your real GRE. The Scoring Guidelines provided for each test are guides to computing approximate scores. Each Scoring Guidelines has formulae for you to work out an approximate scaled score for each section. Each computation includes a “correction factor,” which is an average correction derived from analysis of recent GRE tests. The correction factor is most valid for students whose scores are in the middle 50 percent of all scores; it starts to lose a bit of its effectiveness at the top and bottom of the scoring scale.

Actual GRE tests are scored from tables that are unique to each test. The actual scaled scores depend on several factors, which include: the number of students who take the test, the difficulty level of the items (questions and answer choices), and the performance of all the students who take the test. We include a more detailed discussion of scoring the Computer Adaptive Tests (CAT) in Chapter 1. Do not get too hung up on your practice test scores; the idea is to learn something from each practice experience and to get used to the “look and feel” of the GRE.

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