Studying for the GRE and Toefl

This site is dedicated to all my mates in India who're doing their bachelors degree and someday, hope to pursue their Master's in the

U.S.A.

Most of the students have this intention and what I intend to do through this site is to give some pointers on when to take the test and how to prepare for it. This is because a lot of us don't plan out our efforts properly and end up wasting valuable time; time that we could have otherwise capitalized on. So here goes my lesson on taking your GRE and Toefl test. Happy reading.

( If you are looking for Institution codes for sending the GRE or Toefl scores, or if you are looking for the Websites for all the Pharmacy Colleges in the U.S.A., or if you want pointers on requirements for the M.S., Ph.D. or Pharm.D. program, just scroll down to the bottom of the page).

Taking the Graduate Record Exam is a mandatory requirement when applying for the M.S. program as well as for the Ph.D. program. Most Universities specify the minimum score a candidate must have in order to be considered for admission. Find out about the minimum score for the university you wish to apply and make sure you have a score well above that. If a student has a good GRE score, not only are his chances of admission better relative to the other candidates with lower scores, but he will be considered as a much deserving candidate when the university is screening students eligible to receive graduate assistantships. Of course, this is keeping in mind that you submitted the Graduate Assistantship application along with the Admission application during the time you applied to the University. Hence, do your best to get the highest score possible.

From my experience, I'd suggest that the best time to do take your GRE would be during the 3rd year of your bachelor's degree program. This is because, during the 3rd year, you don't have the pressure of completing your thesis work and hence, can devote much more time to studying for the GRE. Secondly, the GRE score is valid for 4 years, so you don't have to worry that your score will be invalid by the time you apply to colleges. So take the GRE during the 1st semester or the 2nd semester of your 3rd year in your 4 year bachelor program.

Start looking up the various Master's programs that you can pursue after completing your Bachelors program. If there is a certain program that is of interest to you, e.g.: Clinical Pharmacology, then you can start looking up the various universities that offer a Master's or Ph.D. program in this field. In case you don't have a clear idea of what course you should pursue, what you can do is look up the various M.S. programs that you CAN pursue, e.g.: Medicinal Chemistry, Toxicology, Pharmaceutics, or I.T., Mechanical Engineering etc. and make a decision on what you want to do. Remember that it is best to do this well before you plan to take the GRE. The reason for this is, once you've decided on the course, you can find out about the average score that candidates applying to this program have, and thus, aim for a higher score when you're taking the GRE test to ensure you're admission.

Every graduate school program has a different understanding of what constitutes a "good" GRE score. As you begin to prepare for the GRE, remember that different schools emphasize different qualifications during the admissions process. Different schools may expect very high scores in one section of the GRE, but will accept mediocre scores in another. Thus your first step should be to research the average GRE test scores of the students who were accepted into the specific universities, departments, and degree programs you're interested in. Most departments publish these numbers online, so find them and take note of the average scores for each section of the GRE. It's a good idea to aim higher than the average to make yourself a competitive candidate for graduate school admissions. Generally, PhD programs will show higher average GRE scores than Master's programs. And technical departments like engineering will expect very high quantitative scores - often the average score is close to 800! - but they will accept mediocre verbal and writing scores.

So find out the average scores for students accepted into the schools you're interested in, and target your test prep to match or beat the average scores for each section. For example, if you see that 84% of admitted students scored >550 on the Verbal section, with an average score of 623, it behooves you to aim for at least 600 to be a competitive candidate.

How to study for the GRE:

Well, there isn't any one way to study for the test that is suitable for everybody. You know how you're tuned, so you'll be the best judge for yourself. I'll just mention though, as to how I did it, so that you can get an idea. By the way, my GRE score is 1280 ( Quantitative-710, 71 Percentile and Verbal- 570, 77 Percentile, Analytical- 4.5 on a scale of 6). I'm not saying it's the best of scores, but it's got me here, to do my Master's in NY, on a teaching assistantship. If you're interested, read on, else device a method that suit's your capabilities.

Verbal Reasoning:

The Verbal Reasoning section of the GRE is multiple-choice. It evaluates your vocabulary and your ability to analyze and understand what you read. You will encounter four types of questions: antonyms, analogies, sentence completions, and reading comprehension. Through practice and strategizing, you can learn to beat these questions. The GRE computer-based test contains one 30-minute Verbal section with 30 questions. The paper-based test has two 30-minute Verbal sections, each with 38 questions.

I bought the Barron's Textbook for the GRE. It has, as I recall, 50 wordlists. Now, I know it looks daunting, but the best way to learn those words is to divide your work over a long period of time. That way, you have time to absorb the words and prevent information overload. The strategy I utilized way, I'd do two wordlists per day. That means, each day, I just memorize words from 2 wordlists. It takes about 2-3 hours if you're not concentrating properly, but if you are, then it can be done much quicker. Now, what I did was, look at a word, read it's meaning, and then, UTILIZE that word in a sentence that I make on my own, which makes sense to me, and not just memorize the sentence in the textbook. How this helps, is that you make an effort to construct a sentence, and since understanding the meaning of a word is much easier in context, it helps you to instantly recall it's meaning. Now, after completing 2 wordlists, I would not go any further, even if I completed the day's task well ahead of time. This is because I don't want to overwork my brain in enthusiasm, and end up compromising on my original task for the day. Now, an important step after completing the wordlists for the day is, DO NOT take the test for that wordlist on the same day!!! The next day, before you are going to start the next wordlist, THAT'S when you take the test for the previous day's wordlist. This is a very effective strategy to brush up your memory, and you'll be surprised on the number of words that you've forgotten from the previous day. In this way, you become much more familiar with the word, and don't' make errors later. Had you taken the test for the wordlist the same day as when you memorized it, you wouldn't be able to gauge how well you can remember the words.

Once you're done with the wordlists, your vocabulary will have improved by a 100 fold, and you've gotten to know words like...lugubrious, which you will probably never use for the rest of your life. However, since you know it's meaning, you know what it's opposite is too. That's why, what is most important is knowing the meaning of the word. Hence, take your time when you're memorizing the wordlist, but do it efficiently.

Having learnt the words, the antonyms should be a piece of cake. Regarding the analogies, sentence completion and reading comprehension, you'll have to start thinking analytically. Since many of you prefer joining an institute to study for the GRE and have this psychological mindset that not joining means you'll not get a good score, I won't stop you from doing so. I do like to point out though, that I did not study in an institution. I did it straight out of a textbook. However, my vocabulary was pretty good from before and I grew up in a foreign country where I had to speak in English a lot, so I won't make a generalization that no one needs to join an institution to train for the GRE.

Quantitative Reasoning:

The Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE is multiple-choice. It evaluates basic math problem-solving skills in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis, most of which you learned in high school.

You will encounter three types of questions: quantitative comparisons, discrete quantitative questions, and data interpretation questions. Through review, practice, and strategizing, you can learn to solve these questions.

The GRE computer-based test contains one 45-minute Quantitative section with 28 questions. The paper-based test has two 30-minute Quantitative sections, each with 30 questions.

The Barron's text book is effective when learning the Quantitative section of the GRE as well. Quantitative has been divided into section and you can work on the different topics chapter wise. Not much to say here because it's math. It requires you do to a lot of practice, until you've perfected your calculating techniques and take the least possible time.

A strategy that helped me a lot: Elimination

Okay, I admit, there are times when a word seems so alien that you begin to consider if the Verbal section is actually in German. That is when you just try your luck and take a whack at the question. Other than situations like that, there are times when you're not sure of the answer. You have a hint of it's meaning, but you can't recall correctly. Eliminating options that cannot certainly be the answer increases your chances of getting the answer right. This is very helpful in Verbal as well as in Quant. The Barron's Textbook gives a very good explanation on how you can go about eliminating irrelevant choices in the multiple-choice options and hence, have a better chance to get the answer right.

Remember that the GRE test is timed, so don't take too much time on any one problem. This is not a time to show that you can stick to one problem and solve it. It's better to just answer it and proceed if you think you cant' lick it.

Analytical Reasoning:

The Analytical Writing section of the GRE requires you to write 2 essays. It evaluates your ability to develop a complex, coherent, focused essay based on sound reasoning. The first essay asks you to present your perspective on an issue. You are provided with 2 choices of topic, and you have 45 minutes (in both the computerized and paper-based test formats) to choose one and develop an essay explaining your perspective on the topic.
The second essay asks you to analyze an argument, and there's no choice of topic. You have 30 minutes (in both test formats) to analyze the passage and evaluate whether it presents a logical argument, whether its reasoning is sound, and whether further evidence may be needed to support the conclusion. This is basically a critique of a reading passage.

The GRE essays aren't scored through a set breakdown in which organization, ideas, and good reasoning each count for a certain percentage of your score. Rather, ETS refers to its essay scoring as "holistic," because your score will be based on the overall impression that your essay leaves on 2 trained essay graders. So, how should this information change your writing strategy?

You can't rely on good organization alone to make up for poor critical thinking, or vice versa. So don't dwell on crafting the perfect, wittiest transition sentences. Rather, think out your essay by first outlining to brainstorm quickly, and come up with a sound flow of reasoning that naturally lends itself to being organized. Then, as you begin to write, consciously strive to guide your reader through your reasoning.

GRE essay graders want to read essays that are easy to follow (i.e. well-organized and well-reasoned), demonstrate strong critical thinking and writing skills, and basically show that you think out issues well. I you can give them that, they'll give you a well-deserved score of 6.

For further Information about the GRE, click here.

Toefl:

The Toefl (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is a relatively much easier test compared to the GRE. The advantage of taking the GRE test before the Toefl is that, when you prepare for the GRE, you improve your vocabulary a lot and this helps you even during the Toefl test.

The toefl is divided into 4 sections; Listening, Structure/Writing, Reading and Essay. Your preparation for the GRE's Verbal should be enough to lick the Structure/Writing, Reading and the Essay sections of this test. For the listening section, you have to learn how to understand the way English is spoken in the U.S. It is not really difficult, but it takes a little time to adapt. The best way to learn is to take practice tests. The National TV network of the country I grew up in had an English channel which aired a lot of American cartoons, and since my childhood, I had heard them speak, so Toefl wasn't really a challenge for me. (My Toefl score is 297; Listening-29, Structure/Writing-30, Reading-30, Essay Rating- 6.0 on a scale of 6.0). So I would suggest that you watch cartoons. (Hehe)

Booking a date for the GRE and Toefl:

The easiest way to book a date to write the GRE is to call Prometric India on (011) 2651 1649.

In order to take the GRE and Toefl, you will require:

1) A valid passport ( You are required to state the Passport number and the Passport holder's name)

2) An International credit card ( You are required to state the credit card number, verification code, card expiry date and card holder's name)

3) You must state when you want to take the exam in terms of time and date.

4) You must give them your mailing address

5) The GRE is going to set you back by $150 as I recall, and the Toefl fee is $140.

Sending Score reports:

After completing the test, you will be allowed to send your test results to up to 4 Universities, without any additional charge. Make the best of this opportunity, and send it to the universities that you had decided on long ago before you took the test.

I like to mention here again that, the Universities that you want to go to should be the first step in your planned effort towards pursuit of a Master's or Ph.D. program.

Institution Codes:

In order to refer to the Institution Codes for the GRE, click here.

In order to refer to the Institution Codes for the Toefl, click here.

University Websites:

I am citing here, all the pharmacy schools throughout the U.S.A. This should be helpful to all my fellow pharmacy students.

Auburn University - School of Pharmacy

Butler University - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Campbell University - School of Pharmacy

Columbia University - College of Physicians and Surgeons

Duquesne University - Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Florida A and M University

Idaho State University - College of Pharmacy