This is a recording of the webinar held with ExamPal on February 12th, 2019. It focused on how to go about answering the GRE test in a way that works best for you.
- There can be at least 10 different ways to solve each question. As long as you arrive at the right answer, it doesn’t matter which approach you take.
- Sometimes you have less than 2 minutes per question. You need to find out how to get to the right answer quickly.
- You need to develop your “cognitive flexibility”. This is your ability to choose the right tool for the right problem.
- ExamPal recommends using their PALGORITHM to choose from the different approaches to answering questions. The “P” stands for precise: this is a formal way for individuals more comfortable with math. To solve questions using this method, you would use high school math. The “A” stands for alternative methods. David calls these “Sherlock methods” in which you need to find clues, or use process elimination, and maybe plug in the answers when we’re not sure about the answer. Finally, “L” stands for logical methods. This is when basic properties are used without complex calculations to arrive at an answer.David explains:
Once you’ve passed the basic preparation steps, you should ask yourself which methods work best for you. Also, you want to learn how to look at the questions—both in Verbal and Quant. You may forget powers or roots. In the reading comprehension, you may be choosing answers which only partially answer the question. Ask yourself what type of question you should spend more time on.
- Look at your mistakes as opportunities. Keep an error log. You should answer 5-10 questions, take a break, and then look them over. Afterwards, ask yourself why you got the question right or wrong. Divide your mistakes into three parts: professional (you struggle with a specific concept), technical (i.e. misclicking on the calculator) or strategic (getting sucked into questions and so wasting too much time).
Check Out: GRE Resources on our site for further preparation!
