Introduction
GRE test takers come from all walks of academic life and ultimately
venture out into a wide variety of careers. Perhaps you’re seeking a masters or
doctoral degree in literature. Maybe oceanography is your game, or the
socio-political dynamics of ancient Rome. The bottom line is that if you’re
planning to attend graduate school in any field other than business, law, or
medicine, you’ll need to take the Graduate Record Examinations General Test as
part of the admissions process. If you find yourself overwhelmed by this
prospect, a healthy dose of perspective is in order:
The GRE is a means to an end.
That’s it. The GRE is not an IQ or personality test. It
doesn’t measure intelligence, creativity, or talent. Rather, the GRE is a test
that you can study for, much like you would study for a biology or history test.
That means you can learn what’s being tested and how to answer the questions
correctly. That’s why we wrote this book: to help you face the GRE without fear
and get into grad school.
In the following pages, you’ll find a brief summary of the GRE to
familiarize you with the basic components of the test. The chapters that follow
will provide a much more detailed profile of each of the three sections on the
test, along with the tips, strategies, explanations, and practice questions
you’ll need to raise your score on the GRE.
