For starters, you should know that the GRE is not just about how good you are with your Quant or Verbal. It is also about how well you know the test and its pattern.

There are two phases to prepare for the GRE: one is to understand the question types and learn the strategy to answer them, the other is to know what tools you can use to give the test.

The biggest yet most underrated challenge is the clock that never skips a tick-tock.

So if you aspire to get your dream score, you need to get familiar with using these tools and have a perfect game plan.

Now, our free online GRE practice tests would help you gather the gear to take the tests. So take them on to step up your game.

Before you embark on this arduous journey to prep yourself for the GRE, first get clear about what these things actually are.

What is a GRE diagnostic test?

As the name suggests, a GRE diagnostic test is supposed to help you practice on the questions, question types, and the actual test itself.

There are ways in which you can practice:

1. You can practice individual questions to understand the question types and how you can get maximum right answers.
2. You can take targeted practice tests i.e. online GRE practice tests for Verbal questions specifically. Or, similarly,  GRE practice tests for Math questions depending on your strengths and weaknesses.
3. You can practice a paper-based test to master the question types and strategies to answer or you can take a computer-based test to get a hang of the tools and techniques to taking the test.
4. You can practice taking the timed GRE online test and get used to the ticking of the clock.

Why should you take an online GRE practice test?

A 4 hour GRE online test will tend to drain you out if you are not used to practice sitting in front of the computer and get you eyes adjusted to it.

And given that the computer-delivered GRE® General Test takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes, this practice will absolutely serve you well.

With timed GRE practice tests, you could monitor and manage your time effectively to score high in the test. Many test takers feel tensed and get nervous while attending for the exam even though they have prepared well. Taking more number of GRE mock tests will boost your confidence and attend the exam with ease.

There are three separately timed sections in GRE practice tests : Verbal Reasoning — There are two 30-minute sections, each containing 20 questions. Next, Quantitative Reasoning — There are two 35-minute sections, each containing 20 questions. And finally, the GRE Analytical Writing Assessment Section consisting of two essays, for a total of 30 minutes.

If you are expecting the GRE diagnostic test scores to be an accurate or even an approximate prediction of your actual GRE scores, then you are only in for disappointment. The GRE practice test questions you’ll encounter on the diagnostic tests are simply to give you the feel of the real GRE and the techniques.

If you master the techniques and are able to get maximum right answers, then your actual GRE score will be what you dreamed of.

The primary aim of taking online GRE Practice Tests should not just be to predict your score but rather to prepare better for the grueling test day.

Your aim should be to dissect your practice tests and identify your weaknesses. Then you need to work on those weaknesses before moving on to the next set of GRE practice tests.

A score can dip from one GRE practice exam to another even with the same amount of knowledge or even the same percentage of incorrect/correct answers.

Where you make errors? How many mistakes you make? The difficulty level of the incorrectly answered questions: all these factors can affect your GRE test score.

Overall, when a student wants to know where he/she stands, the best way to do so is to take the average after a few GRE practice tests. This should get you to a fairly close estimation of where you are at.

Is there a fixed number? We don’t think even experts can answer that. However, it all depends on how many practice tests you take to get familiar with the format of the GRE test and its question types.

You may take as many GRE practice tests as you need to master the techniques and understand how the GRE study plan should look like. The key here is to start early.

Do not wait until the last few days to practice for the GRE as it is not an overnight thing to achieve. You need to go steady and go long. The more you practice, the better.

GRE Study Guide

It’s not like you take the question sets and go about answering them randomly. The first thing is to draw a plan and to do this you first need to know about the test and identify your strengths and weaknesses with respect to the test.

So take the free GRE diagnostic test and focus not just on the scores but on your entire test-taking experience. Where did you panic, where did you feel confident, what words sounded like Greek and Latin to you, and what problems seemed impossible?

Draw up a study plan.  Strategize and practice keeping your dream score in mind. Strategize and work to achieve the target score. Concentrate on areas that need more practice, however, do not ignore your areas of strength based on the results of you GRE practice exam.

For example, if you find RC passages difficult but are very confident in Quants questions, give more time to practice RC passages but do not ignore your Quants questions. You don’t want to be surprised on the test day right?  

Start with individual sets of GRE practice questions. Address each question type separately and apply the techniques to arrive at the right answers. Practice using these GRE sample questions till you have mastered the techniques and get maximum right answers in a set of GRE practice test questions.

Then, start taking the free full-length online GRE sample tests and time each section to get used to the time factor. It is really recommended that you take the computer-based tests, as many as possible.

There are plenty of options available for practice and it is advisable to use these resources exhaustively. There are official free GRE practice tests given by the Educational Testing Service – ETS (The GRE PowerPrep tests) but they are very limited number of free GRE tests.

Coming to GRE study guides, you have the option of using the ‘Official Guide’ written by the test makers themselves, the ETS. This guide has separate exercises dedicated to individual question types.

Our 65-minute diagnostic practice test will give you an idea about where you stand. Plus, receive a detailed report on your GRE readiness, strengths and weaknesses.
Furthermore, GRE app has a bunch of free GRE practice tests that will give you practice on individual question types.

The GRE mock test will assess your current skills and develop a study plan that is unique to your individual abilities. Detailed analytics includes the types of questions you answered correctly and incorrectly, organized by skill area, and time spent on each question.

Like TOEFL practice test you don’t need a headset since there will be no speaking or listening sections in GRE exam.

Preparing for your GRE General Test with Practice Tests is a great approach.  The benefits of using GRE practice test questions include the following:

Ability to solve problems – GRE Test measure your ability to solve problems, not just memorize information.  To do well on GRE questions you will need to have problem solving capabilities.

When you take our GRE practice questions, pay special attention to the answer rationales presented in your score report to help improve your problem solving abilities.

Be comfortable with the test format – The GRE, like most standardized tests, has its own unique format (way of presenting the questions).

As you take more and more GRE sample tests, you will begin to see a pattern in the way the questions are written.

Once the actual test day comes, you will feel comfortable and have no surprises.

Improve your pace – GRE test is timed. As a test-taker, if you want to do well on the GRE General Test, you need to keep a strong steady pace going.  Practice taking online GRE exams in a timed format to help improve your speed and decision making.

Focusing your study time – One of the biggest advantages for to taking sample tests is learning what you are good at and what you are weak at. You can then concentrate your study time on your weakest areas.

By taking the practice tests you can improve the chances of getting a good GRE score. These GRE score are imperative in scholarship decisions sometimes.

Preparing for the GRE online has fast become the popular option. This is owing to several reasons the most obvious being – the GRE is (for the most part) administered as a computer-based test. Preparing by taking GRE practice tests online thus gives you the full experience before you even take the real test!

Besides this, there are a host of advantages that online GRE preparation offer over the traditional book-and-pen route.

For starters, there’s greater flexibility with online courses. You can literally prepare from the comfort of your home. No need to travel to distant classrooms! No need to worry about missing a class either! Everything you need is available to you on your laptop, whenever you need it.

With Galvanize Test Prep’s online GRE course, you get the highest-quality practice questions and problems along with subject experts to answer your every query! Can a book do that? We think not!

In addition, when you prepare for the GRE online, you can be sure you’re getting the latest content. It’s much easier to roll out any updates to the test material or pattern on an online platform than it is in a book.

When you take a full-length GRE mock test with Galvanize, not only will you get a predicted score, you will also get personalized feedback on your performance. This will clearly illustrate to you how you can improve your score. It bears repeating that a book, unfortunately, cannot do this.

These are just a sample of the reasons that you should prepare for the GRE online instead of using books having practice questions. But you can see for yourself that online GRE preparation is fast becoming the number #1 choice for learners – and with good reason.

Take the GRE Practice tests under GRE-test like conditions: Set aside 4 uninterrupted hours to complete the full length online GRE practice test, preferably around the time of day that you’ll be taking the official GRE.

Find a place to work where you won’t be disturbed, preferably where it’s quiet. Turn off your cell phone—no, you know what? Leave it in another room to really minimize temptation.

Ensure you take the full length GRE practice test at one time, rather than attempting different sections at different times. You won’t be able to leave and come back to the test on the official exam, so don’t let yourself do so now or you won’t get an accurate picture of where you are score-wise.

It may be hard but avoid the temptation to skip the questions. Attempt the best GRE practice tests and finish all sections. You need to concentrate more on the quantitative reasoning and verbal reasoning sections.

Also, don’t skip the AWA section! While it may not be as important to most schools as your multiple-choice scores, remember: there’s no escaping that section on test day, and it can tire you out.

Otherwise, take a ten-minute break between the first GRE Verbal section and the second GRE Quant section. No less, no more. And finally, remember to eat healthy snacks before sitting down to practice.

Other Useful Links:

• [FREE GRE Email Course] Discover the Hidden Tips & Strategies Recommended by the Pros to Dominate the GRE.
• [FREE Admissions Email Course] World’s Top Admissions Consultants have Built this Course to Get You into Top High Schools of your Choice!
• [Galvanize Events] Attend Galvanize Powered Webinars for FREE.
• [GRE App] Get the most awesome GRE practice app  with 100’s of GRE style questions, excellent explanations, GRE Score Predictor & more!
• [Vocab App] The Ultimate Vocabulary Builder is a unique learning tool: far from being forced to study a long and boring list of English words, here you will experience a gamified vocabulary journey.
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