₦airaland Forum

iCool:
I haven't registered yet, not in so much of a hurry (working towards Summer 2017 admissions) and I am also watching the dollar cos I will be paying for the toefl also.

@safex101 and helenmi, the books are to large to be attached to my mail, I have tried severally. That was why I offered giving it in person. Its about 110mb for them.

There's a better option. Please upload the book to dropbox or google drive and share the link.

MonsieurCoder:
Please I sent you a blank email about a week ago but no reply.

Drop your email and i would send you a copy directly.

Gratefulaheart:
Hi guys. IELTS or TOEFL, which is easier? I need opinion from those who have experienced both exams. Thanks

I can only speak for TOEFL. Its not difficult but you need to be prepared to understand the nature of the questions as well as the appropriate answers required. I spent less than five days preparing for the TOEFL and made a 100+ score. I would add that writing the GRE before taking the TOEFL was a big plus since the TOEFL was like a subset of the GRE plus the speaking session.

If i may ask, where do you intend to study?

Additionally, North American schools have a preference for TOEFL, while European schools prefer IELTS.

codexgigax:
Anyone with materials (most especially software and videos) on GRE and TOEFL preferably in Lagos? I need them urgently. I am willing to come over to get the materials.

My External HDD just crashed and lost all my stuffs.
Thanks.
Danjaninja
Ipledge01
Kaima2015
Pennstate
Nastydamus
Babisho
Sirriddy

start by sending blank mails to: Selfstudy.version2@gmail.com and selfstudy360@gmail.com

ipledge01:
I've searched through the files in that link but couldn't find Manhattan 8booklets

You would find Manhattan by sending blank mails to Selfstudy.version2@gmail.com and selfstudy360@gmail.com

drhopeful:
Thanks Kaima. University of Pittsburgh is one of my prospective schools.

You cant go wrong with University of Pittsburgh. Amazing school it is.

DanjaNinja:
There's a better option. Please upload the book to dropbox or google drive and share the link.

Several links are available within the last 10 pages for most of the materials.

I did a 'dropboxing' for the Manhattan yesterday, someone else dropped a more recent version.

kaima2015:
sent mark alan stewart s book

Kaima, pls send to me too. Thanks.

looking4mercies@yahoo.com

...

DanjaNinja:
I can only speak for TOEFL. Its not difficult but you need to be prepared to understand the nature of the questions as well as the appropriate answers required. I spent less than five days preparing for the TOEFL and made a 100+ score. I would add that writing the GRE before taking the TOEFL was a big plus since the TOEFL was like a subset of the GRE plus the speaking session.

If i may ask, where do you intend to study?

Additionally, North American schools have a preference for TOEFL, while European schools prefer IELTS.

Ok. Great then. I will choose TOEFL. It's actually for chevening scholarship and they require either of the two. Thanks so much

??

pls send to me too, segzy4christ2009@gmail.com

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drhopeful:
Kaima, pls send to me too. Thanks.

looking4mercies@yahoo.com

sent.....and also to all who requested

DanjaNinja:
My GRE Experience: Lessons Learnt - J.

General Tips
#Tip 1: Don’t rely on any one single book.

Each book has its strength and weakness. Combine them all for maximum impact.

#Tip 2: What books do I need?

1. Grubber 2015
2. Barron’s GRE
3. Nova GRE Math Bible
4. Kaplan
5. Princeton Review

#Tip 3: How can I get these books?

If you can afford physical copies of these books – Sweet, go head and buy them all. But If you can’t afford any or you’re a ijebu madam like the lovely,intelligent MsNas or like myself, simply send a blank mail to selfstudy360@gmail.com or selfstudy.version2@gmail.com for soft copies (Pdf’s). #MoneyMustNotWaste

(a) selfstudy360@gmail.com contains:

• Barron's New GRE 19th Edition
• Cracking the GRE 2013
• Gruber's Complete GRE Guide 2012

While

(b) Selfstudy.version2@gmail.com (New*) contains:

• Gruber's Complete GRE Guide (2015)
• Mahanttan Prep - 5* lb. Book of GRE® Practice Problems (2013)
• Nova’s GRE Math Bible (2008)

#Tip 4: When should I take the GRE?

Take the exam at least 4 months before you plan to send your admission applications. That way, if you don’t meet your targeted score (not your portion…Oya say Amen!), you would still have enough time to retake the exam without duress. For example, if the deadline for admission application is September 15th, the ideal time for taking the GRE should be by May. The reason for this is simple: If you don’t meet ur target score, you can retake the GRE by June thereby providing ample time for sending your application. This is not a rule but a suggestion.


#Tip 5: How much time would it take to prepare for the GRE?

Minimum: 2months @ 4-5hours per day.
Note: The number of hours do not really matter, it’s the amount of problem solving skills learnt per unit time that counts. Some people learn quickly while for others, it might take longer to read and understand new concepts. So remember, 4-5hours are just recommendations, whether u spend more or less time – ultimately, it doesn’t matter. What matters is how much u learn and how fast you can correctly answer questions. If it takes u 4-5hours per day to achieve this goal, so be it. If it takes u less time, so be it. If it takes you more time, so be it. No one cares. Ultimately it’s your scores that matters.

#Tip 6: Can I prepare within a month?

Yes u can, but it’s not advisable. You need time to internalize and completely memorizes the GRE strategies.

And lastly,

#Tip 7: Don’t be deceived by your score on POWERPREP II.

You took the sample test on PowerPrep II, you had an average of 160-165, you feel good and cant wait to take the actual test. Truth is Powerprep II does not compare to the actual test. On a scale of one to ten, one being very easy and ten being very difficult, Powerprep is a 4.5 and the actual test is an 8.5. #OkBye

Now for the part you’ve been waiting for: My GRE Experience.

This is a summary of lesson learnt from my personal experience, please feel free to add your insights and contributions. Sharing is caring.

You probably know this already but just to refresh your memory - The GRE is made up of three parts: Analytical writing, Verbal and Quantitative.
1. Analytical Writing
2. Verbal
3. Quantitative

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO ACHIEVE HIGH SCORES.

FOR ANALYTICAL WRITING:

Books and Resources needed for Analytical Writing:
Official GRE Topic List (30%) + Kaplan (60%) + Barron (10%).

(a) Official GRE Topic List: GRE maintains a list of every possible topic that you will find on the actual test date!!!!!! It’s totally legal and you can find the list here:
Pool of Argument Topics: https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/argument/pool

Pool of Issue Topics: https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/issue/pool

The list is quite exhaustive: 200 issue task topics and 200 argument task topics. Once you have the list, group the topics into categories and proceed to (b). I believe if u know the possible questions, your chances of success should be up 30%.

(b) Get a copy of Kaplan’s New GRE Premiere and head to the Analytical Writing Section. Read, digest and understand the essay development template for both the issue task and the argument task as discussed on chapter 15 – Chapter 21 (New GRE Premiere - Kaplan 2011-2012 edition. Newer editions should be better). Don’t bother reading anything else on Kaplan, the rest of the book is useless. With the Kaplan template, you can begin to draw up possible responses to each topic category from the GRE topic list that you obtained from the GRE website. That way, on the test day, coming up with responses won’t be all that difficult because you’ve seen it all – abi how una see am?

(c) Get a copy of Barron: While this may not be compulsory, it will help you in paragraph development. Read and understand the “Claim, Grounds and Warrants” development on chapter 6 (Barron’s New GRE 19th Edition).

The last and most important step is to PRACTISE, PRACTISE AND PRACTISE. Practice using the available topics from the GRE list in a timed mode – your practice should mimic the real test. For the GRE, its 30minutes per writing task but for you, its 22 minutes. Why? It’s always better to practice with less time – It makes you stronger.

Practice with POWERPREP writing platform or Notepad to get a feel of the nature of the typing platform. Don’t practice with Microsoft Word.

One Again, PRACTISE AND PRACTISE. It’s ultra-important you do so. You can only write well by constant practice.

My Experience: I didn’t practice enough. Truth be told I practiced only once and the end result was abysmal. I could only manage one sensible paragraph for the issue task – Big Poo. The way time flies when ur messing up is simply amazing. The argument task was much better, I wrote 4 sensible paragraphs –all within 23 minutes.
Score: Surprisingly,I scored a 3 on the writing section. since the total score is the average of both scores, I assume I made a 5 on argument and a 1 on issue…lol..just my opinion.

Generally, Argument tasks are easier than issue tasks – for Argument tasks, an essay or issue with faulty premises is given; your job is to identify and logically explain them while for the Issue writing Task, you have to develop your own argument from scratch. Finding faults is easy (argument task), writing from scratch is less easy (issue essay). But for you reading this right now, a minimum of 4.5/6 should be perfectly achievable. Why? Cos you know every possible topic, you have pre-planned responses and your “hand dey hot” due to constant writing practice.

One last tip: As soon as you are done with a particular section, whether you performed well or not, it’s best to completely ignore that section, it belongs to the past - it doesn’t matter anymore. Whether you did well or not, does not matter and if you believe you didn’t perform well, it still doesn’t matter. Focus completely on the next section – You have seven (7) more sections to deal with and you need a focused, optimistic mindset to proceed successfully. There’s no use crying over spilt milk. [/b]

FOR QUANTITATIVE

Books You Need for Quantitative:

Grubber (25%) + Barron’s (25%) + Nova GRE Math Bible (25%) + Mahanttan (25%).

Do you have to read them all from cover to cover? Not really. Each book has its strength and weakness’s. You want to be prepared for every possibility. Better you write the GRE once than write it twice. Think of the cash - $200. Think of the time spent on preparation – weeks, even months and finally, think of your Goals. So grab does books and study like mad. The end justify the means.

Lesson 1: Study each question category and solve the most difficult questions you can find on that category to re-enforce your understanding of that category.

For example, if you had prepared with Grubber like I did, you will find the data interpretation, graphical and statistical questions difficult. Why? Grubber does not really delve into these sections. Barron in addition with Manhattan and Nova does a better job. So read and understand the underlying principles and skim all books for difficult questions on all topics.
Likewise, if u ignore Grubber’s Data Comparison and algebra strategies, you might not do so well. But then, there are notable exceptions. Individuals with an engineering, mathematical and statistical background would generally do better in the Quantitative section – they’ve been doing these problems for years. Also those with an aptitude for numbers would better. Does that mean those with little mathematically backgrounds would end up with low scores? – Nope. Just read up and practice, you might end up doing better than the so called Math wizards.

The GRE Quantitative consists of two sections made up of 25 questions each. Each section runs for 40minutes – that’s an average of 96 seconds per question – which leads to lesson 2.

Lesson 2: When studying and solving quantitative questions, set a time limit of 50 seconds per question and stick to it. Like previously stated, practicing with less time makes you stronger and faster.

Lesson 3: Solve lots of Quanttitative questions.

Manhanttan and Nova Math Bible offer a huge collection of quality quantitative questions. Solve as much questions as you can on both books. Luckily, if you don’t know the answers, solutions and explanations are provided in both books.

My Experience: I studied solely with grubber. Algebra and data comparison were a walk in the park but “I hear “ween” for Data interpretation/Statistics, Combinations and Graphs. On the actual test, I saw 6 hefty graphical and data interpretation problems and some others I can’t recall @ the moment. Were they super hard? – Not really but “them hard small o”. To answer them, you need to understand the question (30secs), solve for solutions (30-40secs) and compare possible answers (10secs). If u get it wrong, u start all over again. But as you start over, remember Time dey go ooooo!
That’s why you need Lesson 4.


Lesson 4:Someone on this thread advised - if you find any question difficult, simply mark that question and move on to others.. You may return to that question later. Don’t waste time trying to solve one question for over 1 minute, skip and return later. This is so true!.

FOR VERBAL

Books you need: Grubber (90%) + Barron (10%).

Honestly, You can actually survive by using only grubber. The verbal section seems like the easiest section on the GRE but don’t be complacent o! This section is pretty tricky. I remember one particular essay with about seven (7) paragraphs. It was so dense that you could barely understand the content of a single paragraph; It also felt like it was written in another language. It was that difficult.

Also,the verbal section is made up of several subsections all mixed into one. You will find sentence completion (synonyms and antonyms) and essay comprehension all packed into one.
My Experience: I scored a 157/170 – Not bad @ all given that Grubber was the sole book I used. I won’t lie, am an avid reader – I guess that helped. However, if you study the Grubber Verbal Strategies: Latin and Greek Roots, Prefixes and Suffixes; the Most Important/Frequently Used GRE Words and Reading Comprehension Strategies – You should have no problem with the Verbal section. Grubber does an excellent job by building ur vocabulary, teaching new words and providing some interesting strategies for essay comprehension.
There are other books like Princeton Review but since I didn’t use it, I can’t say much about it. This is where external input is advisable. Those who used Princeton, oya speak up.

Final Advice:
Unlike Jamb (wicked people) that provides a single opportunity to write the exam per year, the GRE gives you 5 chances per year to write the exam (better people). But because you can doesn’t mean you should. Prepare well and write it once. A score of 160 per section is totally achievable. Just read and solve a huge collection of difficult questions in a timed mode.

Oya it haff do, una bye bye, I don try.


UPDATE 1: If you had to choose one Book for Quantitative Analysis, Barron's should be it. That Book is the truth. The best GRE Quantitative prep book ever.

UPDATE 2: Listen all, i just found this incredible online resource for GRE materials. Its a facebook group but its by invitation only. So drop ur email addresses or send me a pm and i'll send you an invite to the group. Here's the group link, however it can only be accessed by members of the group:

https://www./newgremaster/

After joining the group, head to the file section and you will find every book and test questions there. #OneLove
.

UPDATE 3: Added Kaplan New GRE to "selfstudy.version2@gmail.com". If you want a copy of the Kaplan GRE book, send a blank mail to selfstudy.version2@gmail.com" .

Pls what is GRE

kaima2015:
sent.....and also to all who requested

Thank you very much!

kaima2015:
sent.....and also to all who requested

pls send to foopinspire@gmail.com

Sbrainy:
pls send to foopinspire@gmail.com

sent

@TheZed pls you can reach me at andico34@gmail.com

Prospective Grad students will find this forum very informative......http://forum.thegradcafe.com....it was recommended by the owner of Magoosh....Chris Lele himself

Graduate Records Examination.
It is a test offered by the ETS testing company and is a prerequisite
for graduate admissions into many universities in the United States and Canada.
You can read more about it here:
ets.org

fabre4:
Pls what is GRE

Pls who knows ow to go about the personal GRE registration online? and the amount if I want to reg by myself??

Thanks kaima

Sbrainy:
Pls who knows ow to go about the personal GRE registration online? and the amount if I want to reg by myself??

Thanks kaima

my two cents.....the best way to register for GRE yourself is to Open a Paypal Account (Nigeria).....Link your Card (ATM) to the Paypal Account... make sure your Card is Internet Banking enabled.....Verify your Card on PayPal.....This is actually done by the withdrawal of a small amount of money from your Account ($2...about 720 Naira) by PayPal which will be returned to your account by Paypal....This should take a couple of days... Then use your Verified PayPal Account to pay for your GRE etc...which should cost you about 80K with bank charges at current rates

So I am planning to rewrite the GRE in the hopes of improved scores. I have a question for the verbal smashers.... For learning vocabulary, should I focus on the high-frequency GRE vocab like the Barron's 331 or should I go with the 800 essential words? I am practicing with memrise. Magoosh did not help me much the last time. Thanks.

drhopeful:
So I am planning to rewrite the GRE in the hopes of improved scores. I have a question for the verbal smashers.... For learning vocabulary, should I focus on the high-frequency GRE vocab like the Barron's 331 or should I go with the 800 essential words? I am practicing with memrise. Magoosh did not help me much the last time. Thanks.

@drhopeful...i have been thinking....i can see that you are worried about your AWA score....graduate review committees care less about the AWA when assessing your writing skills than they do about your research/writing samples.

So in view of this....do you have research publications?...thats a strength to supplement your application...also your research skills/experience in material science as said

my two cents....dont rewrite the GRE if you have research publications and research experence...your scores are great

I currently teach both Analytical Writing, Verbal as well as Quantirative Reasoning targeted at the GRE.

Im aware that the odds against the average Nigerian Student are quite unevenl distributed due to the inconsistent internet access as well as other factors.

GRE hit me a a time when really had no fall back option, hence i gave it my best and went all out within my limited preparation time. i was able to acheive a score above 300 out of 340 (Combaine Quant and Verbal) as well as a score of 4 out of 6 in the Analtical Writing Section.

Haven gotten two Admission offers already, i decided to give back by teaching candidates how to beat ETD gre by preparing he GRE way.

Im open to questions as well as consultations.

Once again pls, this is not a job advert but simply an olive branch to anyone needing help or clarification regarding Blasting the GRE.

kaima2015:
sent.....and also to all who requested

Thanks

GREcoach:
I currently teach both Analytical Writing, Verbal as well as Quantirative Reasoning targeted at the GRE.

Im aware that the odds against the average Nigerian Student are quite unevenl distributed due to the inconsistent internet access as well as other factors.

GRE hit me a a time when really had no fall back option, hence i gave it my best and went all out within my limited preparation time. i was able to acheive a score above 300 out of 340 (Combaine Quant and Verbal) as well as a score of 4 out of 6 in the Analtical Writing Section.

Haven gotten two Admission offers already, i decided to give back by teaching candidates how to beat ETD gre by preparing he GRE way.

Im open to questions as well as consultations.

Once again pls, this is not a job advert but simply an olive branch to anyone needing help or clarification regarding Blasting the GRE.

That you could not tell us the score you have ?

Respectfully.

Tota Score:303

Verbal Reasoning:151

Quantitative Reasoning:152

Analytical Writing: 4/6



Also i forgot to Mention, i graduated with a Third Class Honours Grade.

Imagine my suprise upon realising my GRE scores all but eliminate that disadvantage

Pls Feel Free to reach out: da.zx@outlook.com

kaima2015:
@drhopeful...i have been thinking....i can see that you are worried about your AWA score....graduate review committees care less about the AWA when assessing your writing skills than they do about your research/writing samples.

So in view of this....do you have research publications?...thats a strength to supplement your application...also your research skills/experience in material science as said

my two cents....dont rewrite the GRE if you have research publications and research experence...your scores are great

Thanks kaima2015. Yes I am very worried about my AWA score. I don't have research publications and my only research experience is my MSc dissertation. Lol. I have work experience of 7 years in my area of interest.

Too bad, I have already re-registered. It has pushed me back 2 months in starting my applications, but hopefully I can get my apps completed latest mid-Dec. Thanks for caring, I really appreciate.

josephdukedone:
That you could not tell us the score you have ?

Don't mind the guy. People with score above 330 sef cant categorically say they can teach someone else to destroy gre. He should better find something else to do

The best way to off-set your GRE score is to retake the GRE. While I agree with kaima2015, you need not look back. Prep for the AWA, but NOT at the detriment of the other two. Remember, you can't combine different GRE scores. In my opinion though, you can get it right with the AWA with 1 (or 2 weeks) of focused prep. Ask those who got a 6.0 or 5.5, and you'll see their techniques are fairly similar.

I wish you the best in your applications.

drhopeful:
Thanks kaima2015. Yes I am very worried about my AWA score. I don't have research publications and my only research experience is my MSc dissertation. Lol. I have work experience of 7 years in my area of interest.

Too bad, I have already re-registered. It has pushed me back 2 months in starting my applications, but hopefully I can get my apps completed latest mid-Dec. Thanks for caring, I really appreciate.