GRE Word Roots: Gaining PERspective

English is funny, isn’t it? And in a lot of ways. Like, why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways? How in the world can inflammable and flammable mean the same thing? And why does no food soar skyward when we eat something up?

Today, we’re focusing on that last question. Sure, English is funny sometimes, but it’s not unique.That up is a particle that serves to intensify the verb. It doesn't actually mean “up”; it means something more like “completely.” Intensive particles are used in many, many (I hesitate to say “all,” but would bet money it’s darn near close) languages, and it’s their presence in Latin that will help us on Test Day.

We’ve discussed several times that word roots are the quickest way to a giant vocabulary with which to destroy the GRE Verbal section, but I’m sure you’ve noticed during the course of your studies that sometimes everything doesn’t quite add up. Let’s start with what we PERCEIVE.

Or, rather, let’s start with our PERCEPTION. The trained eye will be able to separate this into two roots, PER, meaning “through,” and CEPT, meaning “receive” or “catch,” as in capture. (Sometimes vowels get self-conscious between consonants and need to change their clothes.) So, I guess, root wise, this word means “catch through”? Through what? How can we apply direction to catching? Exactly. We don’t. This is the intensive PER, so PERCEPTION is what you’ve “caught completely.” Totally got it, yeah?

How about PERFECT. We see PER, and we see FECT. Applying the same vowel change in PERCEPTION, we realize that this is actually FACT as in factory, meaning “make.” And “make through” doesn’t really make sense, but “make through and through; make completely” does! No problem.

Here’s a tough one: PERTINACIOUS.

What’ve we got? PER, which you’ve probably guessed by now, is intensive in this instance, and TINAC? Is that a root? Let’s take a breath and realize that -CIOUS is an ending in itself (DELICIOUS, EFFICACIOUS, MENDACIOUS), so how about TINA? Not quite, but could the vowel have changed like above?

Yes!

If we figure it to be TEN, meaning “hold, keep,” then we end up with “keep complete hold of.” And a PERTINACIOUS person gets something in his head and sticks to it.

Here’s one hard word and one possibly unexpected word to look up for homework:

PERFUNCTORY

PERMANENT

Last one: Let’s use what we learned back in Word Roots, Part II: Double Vision to crack 

PELLUCID.

Of course, it looks weird at first because PEL doesn’t seem to be a friendly root, but if we figure it used to be an R that really liked L’s style, then we’ve got PER-lucid, or “totally clear.” And LUCID, by the way is from our old friend LUX, possessive LUCIS, “light.”

More on other intensive prefixes to come!

And P.S. – because driving used to be a real treat, parkways used to be very nicely landscaped.Like parks. Two mysteries for the price of one.

(Written by: Beau Henson-Kaplan test prep)

GRE Word Roots, Part II: Double Vision

Word roots can be sneaky. Like, really sneaky. Like PLAIN. SIGHT. SNEAKY.

Now that I either have your attention or have lost it forever, let me direct your attention to the word attention. Double t. Huh. Okay, pause that.

I know that sometimes the vocabulary the GRE employs can be a source of suffering for — hold on. Double f? Pause on that, too.

What I’m trying to say is that it can be tough to acclimate to the — gee whiz! Double c? What is going on?

Take a look at attention. How can we break this up? Where does on root end and another begin? Is it just one piece? Let me ask you this: have you ever seen a word in ANY language outside of Star Trek that starts with a double t? You haven’t. But you HAVE found the seam in this word.

See, our mouths don’t work as fast as our brains, and sometimes we struggle to get all the sounds out even when we don’t realize it. This is how The Black Eyed Peas can release a song called “Imma Be” and have everyone understand what they mean. For another example, try saying “going to” without saying “gonna.” See how much work that is?!

Since our mouths have always been abacuses (abacuses, abaci — whatever suits your fancy) attached to supercomputers, this natural slurring inevitably creeps into the language. At this point let me introduce you to our root friend AD. AD can mean a lot of things — near, to, at, about — but all of these carry a general meaning of “motion toward.” Let’s put AD in front of TENT, which means “stretch” or “aim.” After we add -ION to show it’s a noun, we’re left with ADTENTION, and, since that’s hard to say, we end up after a century or so with ATTENTION. Phew.

Take SUB (”under”) and FER (”bear, carry”) and make SUBFER (”undertake”). Tough on the tongue, huh? Well, SUFFER isn’t!

AD and CLIM (”region”), after we make them easier, give us ACCLIMATE (”to approach [one's comfort] region”).

This process is called ASSMILIATION, itself an assimilated form of AD and SIMILAR. Neat, huh? “Turtles all the way down,” as they say (look it up).

One of the most important skills in word dissection (after building your database of roots, of course) is the ability to see where one root ends and another begins. Knowing about assimilation will save you valuable seconds by keeping you from asking what ACC- or ALL- mean. And, for that matter, it will reduce the temptation to see the ALL- in ALLITERATION as the English/Germanic word all. Of course, mixing languages in one word is mostly a no-no, anyway, but that’s a topic for another day.

(Written by: Beau Henson-Kaplan test prep) 

The GRE® Analytical Writing Section

At a Glance

• Time:      75 minutes
• Format:  One 45-minute essay, one 30-minute essay
• Tests:     Grammar, writing ability, data interpretation, and analytical reasoning

The Basics of the Analytical Writing Section

The goal of the GRE's Analytical Writing Section is to gauge how well you can provide cogent, written responses to complex ideas and issues. It tests the kind of high-level thinking and writing skills that viewed as essential for success in most graduate school programs.

Two Types of GRE Essays

The Analytical Writing Section consists of two analytical writing tasks.

1. A 45-minute "Present Your Perspective on an Issue" task. The "issue" task states an opinion on an issue of broad interest and asks you to address the issue from any perspective.
2. A 30-minute "Analyze an Argument" task. The "argument" task requires you to critique an argument by discussing how well reasoned you find it.

Each essay will be scored from 0-6, though students will only receive a single score for both essays; individual essay scores are not reported.

The GRE® Quantitative Section

At a Glance

• Time:      45 minutes
• Format:   28 questions
• Tests:      Basic math, mathematical concepts, quantitative reasoning

The Basics of the GRE Quantitative Section

There is one scored math section on the GRE consisting of 14 quantitative comparisons and 14 problem-solving questions, of which 3 or 4 will be graph questions. If your experimental section is also quantitative, you will have two quantitative sections, only one of which will be scored.

Quantitative Comparisons

Quantitative comparisons do not require you to solve for a particular value; rather, they ask you to compare two quantities and try to determine which, if either, is larger. Each quantitative comparison displays two mathematical expressions in boxes—one in Column A and one in Column B. Sometimes additional information is provided.

Problem Solving

Problem solving questions test various math concepts, including percentages, simultaneous equations, symbolism, special triangles, multiple and odd-ball figures, mean, median, mode, range, and probability. Several problem solving questions test your ability to read graphs, interpret data, and solve math problems.

GRE Word Roots, Part I

Remember Legos, fellow GRE-nauts?  More specifically, remember when a set of Legos was just a mass of blocks in different sizes, with nary a specialized “windshield” or “leg” piece to be found?  Sure, you might not have been able to exactly build the Millennium Falcon, but that was made up for by the fact that you weren’t held back by any specialization.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to do that with words on your GRE Antonyms and Analogies?

Of course it would.  And you can!  We can break words down into their component parts, called “roots,” and roots, my friends, are totally radical (from RADIX, possessive RADICIS, meaning “[tree] root”).  With a good, strong knowledge of word roots, you never have to be afraid of big – or small, for that matter – words again.  Say we’re in the middle of the analogies section and get this:

SYNCHRONICTY : SIMULTANEOUS

OK.  Synchronicity.  A seminal album by The Police.  What’s that got to do with SIMULTANEOUS?  They all worked together on it, I suppose, though, with recording that’s not a “must”….  If we know our word roots, this is no problem.

SYN, we know, is a Greek root for “together” or “with” and also appears in words like SYMPATHY, and SYNTHESIS.

CHRON means time, because we remember the CHRONOMETERS from when we used to wear wristwatches.

And ICITY just makes a word a noun (which we could also guess from the answer choices).

So SYNCHRONICITY is time-together-ness, which is a noun synonym (SYN again!) for SIMULTANEOUS (from SIMUL, meaning “at the same time,” in case you were wondering), and we’re off to the races.

Remember, on the GRE Verbal section, the quickest way to the answer is just to know the word, and building words from the ground up with roots is like a “Buy One Word, Get 200 Words Free” Sale.  Pay attention to etymologies, ask yourself which words look similar and why, and you’re on your way to an 800.

(Written by: Beau Henson-Kaplan test prep)

GRE® Verbal Section

At a Glance

• Time:      30 minutes
• Format:  30 multiple-choice questions
• Tests:     Reading, analytical reasoning, and vocabulary

The Basics of the GRE Verbal Section

There is one scored verbal section on the GRE with approximately 7 sentence completions, 7 analogies, 8 antonyms, and 8 reading comprehension questions. If the experimental section is also verbal, you will see two sections, but only one will be scored.

GRE Sentence Completions

Sentence completion questions test how well you can determine the logic of a sentence. You are always shown a sentence with either one or two words missing. Your job is to pick the answer choice with the word or words that best fill the blanks. You won't need any outside knowledge to answer these questions. All the information you need will be in the sentence itself.

GRE Analogies

Analogies on the GRE test your vocabulary and understanding of word relationships. You'll see a pair of words in capital letters that are related in some way. For instance: AIRPLANE : HANGAR. These are referred to as the "stem words." There are five answer choices, each consisting of another word pair. Your task is to identify the answer choice with the word pair that is related in the same way as the stem words.

Try to establish the relationship between the stem words before looking at the answer choices. For instance, an AIRPLANE is stored in a HANGAR. Likewise, money is stored in a vault. A choice likepropeller : flight would not be correct, since the relationship is different—even though the words are related to the general subject of planes and flying.

GRE Antonyms

Antonyms present you with a single word followed by five answer choices containing words or short phrases. Your task is to find the answer choice that's most nearly opposite in meaning to the original word. These questions test vocabulary, so for your maximum score, you will need to maximize your vocabulary.

GRE Reading Comprehension

You've probably seen reading comprehension questions before—especially on tests like the SAT. Expect GRE passages to be tougher. The passages are taken from social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. "Reading Comp" tests your ability to understand written material and make some quick conclusions about it. You'll see questions about the main idea of a passage, its inferences, arguments, tone, or about specific details in the passage.

The Business School Application Process: Applying for financial aid

Let’s be realistic: business school ain’t cheap.

Now that you’ve completed the applications for admission at each of your schools and programs, you’re almost done. You’ll still need to pay for school, and in order to obtain scholarships and loans, schools require you to submit financial aid applications.

Apply for financial aid and scholarships.
In order to apply for financial aid, you’ll need a massive stack of information. Perhaps most crucial in that stack of information: your taxes.

The Business School Application Process: Making it official: the applications.

You’ve researched. You’ve planned. You’ve taken your tests. Sent your transcripts. Gathered your letters of recommendation. Written your application essays and personal statements. Now it’s time to make it official.

Complete and submit your applications.
Good news: you’re just moments away from becoming an official business school applicant. The hard parts are finished, and by now, you should have a stellar application packet almost ready to go… it just needs an official application form to introduce you to the admissions committees who will soon be reviewing your file.
And more good news: there’s not much you can do to screw this part up, but there are a few pitfalls you must absolutely avoid at all costs.

The Business School Application Process: Essays and Personal Statements

You know yourself.

Adcoms, however, don’t know you. All they have to go on is your GPA, some test scores, some letters from some people who know you, and these: your application essays and/or personal statement. With that said, your essays and personal statements are, well, personal. So I can’t (or won’t) tell you what you should write.
What I can–and will–tell you is what characteristics your essays should and should not have. There are reasons adcoms ask specific questions: 1) to figure out how well you can follow directions, 2) to learn more about your writing and communication skills, and 3) to find out more about your specific qualifications for their programs.

Here’s a good starter list of dos and don’ts:

The Business School Application Process: Recommendations

People dig you.
Well, let’s hope they do, at least, because once you’ve requested that your transcripts and documentations be sent to schools, it’s time to find a few people who are willing to vouch for your aptitude for graduate business studies:

Solicit and obtain letters of recommendation.
Adcoms (admissions committee members) don’t know you. Some MBA programs don’t even offer interviews, though most of the top ones do. In most cases, all they’ll see of you is a short stack of paper, and they’ll probably have hundreds or thousands more very much like yours from other applicants who want to get into their program just as much as you do. Standing out from the pile can be difficult, but it’s absolutely crucial to gaining acceptance (and, perhaps, scholarship offers) to your desired program(s).

The Business School Application Process: Transcripts and Paperwork

The proof is in the paper.
Wait, that’s not how the saying goes? Well, in relation to business school applications, that’s how it should go. Once you have your test prep study plan in full-swing, you’re ready to start the next phase:

Get your transcripts and other academic documents sent.
For some of you, the process of sending your transcript(s) to the MBA programs you’re applying to may be an easy process. If you only attended one undergraduate institution, didn’t dual enroll during high school, don’t have any blemishes on your single transcript, and are only applying to one program, then your process will probably be relatively painless. And if so, I envy you. The rest of you, be forewarned: this can be the slowest and least controllable element of your application.

The Business School Application Process: Test preparation

You’ve decided you want to go to business school. You’ve done your research. You’ve created your own system to manage your application process. Next, it’s time to get the biggest hurdle out of the way:

Prepare for and take the appropriate tests (GMAT/GRE and or TOEFL).
I could write about test prep all day, but the goal for this entry is to help you setup a study-and-execution plan for tackling the GMAT.

The Business School Application Process: Managing the application process

If you’ve completed your research, you should be ready to move on to the next step and begin some real work. But before you start plugging away, it’s smart to organize your application process.

Manage the application process.
Managing the process– much like you might manage a project at work– will help ensure you meet all deadlines and obligations while maintaining high quality standards in your applications. Here are the most important elements you’ll want to be sure to work into your routine:

The Business School Application Process

Okay, so you’ve decided you want to go to business school. Now what? This blog entry and the following seven will build and flesh out a “To Do” list for you, helping you find answers to questions from “What should I study?” to “How can I get financial aid?” Each entry will focus on one step of the process so that you know where to start and what to do next.

I strongly recommend starting this list a year before you plan to start business school, but this can definitely be done in six months or less; you’ll just need to be more resourceful in some steps. Here’s a good ordered list of things to do to get yourself started (we’ll fill in notes on each step in this and subsequent entries):

TOEFL® PBT, is it still exist?

Banyak sekali kebingungan yang masih tergambarkan di wajah para calon pelamar beasiswa atau penerima beasiswa. Kebingungan terjadi ketika mereka menerima syarat TOEFL score yang tertera pada lembar aplikasi dari Universitas yang bersangkutan. Syarat TOEFL score yang diberikan oleh Universitas di Luar Negeri, mayoritas menuliskan syarat "...menyertakanTOEFL PBT score atau TOEFL iBT score". TOEFL PBT score yang mana yang sebenarnya diinginkan oleh Universitas tersebut? bukankah TOEFL PBT sudah tidak ada lagi karena sudah digantikan dengan iBT?

IMPORTANT NEWS: The GRE General Test is Changing

On August 1, 2011, the GRE^® revised General Test will replace the current test and features a number of enhancements. Here’s what you can expect:

• A new test-taker-friendly design lets you edit or change your answers, skip questions within a section, and more — giving you the freedom to use more of your own test-taking strategies. There’s also an on-screen calculator for the Quantitative Reasoning section.*
• New types of questions in the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections, many featuring real-life scenarios that reflect the kind of thinking you’ll do in today’s demanding graduate and business school programs.
• Special savings of 50% when you take the GRE revised General Test between August 1 and September 30, 2011. The 50% discount means big savings for you — and another big advantage to taking the GRE revised General Test.
• Important score reporting information you need to know: If you take the GRE revised General Test during our special discount period of August – September 2011, your scores will be sent by mid-November. However, if you need your scores before November 2011, take the current test before August 2011.

*For those taking the paper-based GRE revised General Test, calculators will be provided at the test center for use during the test.

Why the TOEFL® test is best: 6 facts that can make all the difference to you.

Once you decide to study overseas at a university that requires strong English skills, you have another important decision: which English-language test is the right one to help you get there?
Only one is the most accepted, most respected English-language test in the world. And it’s the TOEFL test. Here are 6 very important ways this matters to you:

It’s preferred by 4 out of 5 admissions officers over any other English-language proficiency test*. Here’s why:

1. The TOEFL test does the best job of assessing your English-language skills.
2. It provides more accurate scores than other English-language tests — which are more useful in making admissions decisions.
3. The TOEFL test is more available and accessible to test takers worldwide.
   

How much time should you spend studying for the GMAT exam?

Berapa lama waktu yang diperlukan untuk melakukan GMAT Preparation? Pertanyaan ini sering sekali diajukan oleh para calon peserta GMAT test. Namun sepertinya tidak jawaban yang mudah dan tepat untuk pertanyaan tersebut. Tapi berdasarkan sebuah research yang dilakukan oleh mba.com memberikan gambaran besar tentang berapa lama peserta test GMAT lainnya melakukan GMAT prep sebelum menjalankan test.

Berdasarkan data yang dikumpulkan dari kurang lebih 8,000 peserta GMAT test, diketahui bahwa 44% peserta test menjalankan waktu preparation paling tidak selama 51 jam.  65%  peserta memulai preparation paling tidak 4 minggu sebelum jadwal test. Mereka yang memiliki hasil GMAT lebih baik cenderung menjalankan preparation lebih lama dari 51 jam.

(grafik dan bagan dari officialgmatblog)

Grafik tersebut di atas, tentunya tidak dapat dijadikan sebuah kesimpulan mutlak. Belajar 160 jam pun juga belum tentu menjamin anda memperoleh score rata-rata 600 (penelitian ini adalah penelitian pribadi, bukan penelitian ilmiah yang sebenarnya—tiap peserta test memiliki kemampuan yang berbeda sehingga mempengaruhi perkiraan waktu belajar yang sebenarnya bisa dicapai).

Semua keputusan diserahkan pada pilihan anda pribadi, berapa lama seharurnya anda menjalani GMAT Preparation, tapi saran ahli adalah anda harus menjalani GMAT preparation sebelum menghadapi GMAT test. Karena hasil test akan dipengaruhi oleh kemampuan (skill) dalam menjawab test bukan hanya sekedar berbekal pengetahuan anda tentang apa dan bagaimanana GMAT test itu. Berikut ini adalah saran dari Gregg Schoenfeld, Associate Director, Research of GMAC:

§   Buat diri anda familiar dengan test GMAT. Tipe soal seperti apa yang ditanyakan dan bagaimana format soalnya? GMAT memiliki soal-soal yang tidak dimiliki/ditanyakan oleh jenis test lainnya seperti TOEFL. Untuk soal Data Sufficiency , sebagai contoh, anda hanya perlu menentukan apakah ada informasi yang cukup untuk menjawab pertanyaan. Jika anda tidak mengenali (familiar) dengan tipe soal ini, anda akan menghabiskan banyak waktu sia-sia untuk menyelesaikan soal.

§   Lakukan Practice Test / Simulation Test. Oleh karena itu akan lebih baik jika anda melakukan GMAT Prep pada lembaga prep yang memiliki GMAT software sebagai media pembelajaran atau yang menyediakan GMAT Practice Test / Simulation Test.

§   Fokuskan waktu latihan lebih banyak pada area kelemahan anda. Apakah anda ahli pada bidang mathematical reasoning? Maka anda tidak perlu menghabiskan banyak waktu mempersiapkan diri pada sesi quantitative dibandingkan dengan sesi reading and writing. Di sisi lain, jika anda ahli pada bidang bahasa Inggris dan pada creative writing. Maka anda lebih baik fokus lebih banyak waktu pada sesi quantitative dalam menjalani GMAT Preparation.

§   Setelah melakukan practice test / simulation test, lakukan evaluasi terhadap diri anda sendiri. Seberapa baik anda menjawab soal? (berapa banyak soal benar terjawab) Apakah ternyata anda memerlukan waktu lebih lama untuk menyelesaikan soal? Apakah anda sudah berhasil mendapatkan perkembangan pada area kelemahan anda dan apakah anda berhasil memperkuat area kekuatan anda?

§   Lakukan practice test/simulasi test beberapa kali sesuai kebutuhan anda, atau paling tidak sampai anda berhasil mencapai 90% jawaban benar. Akan lebih baik jika anda melakukan preparation dengan seorang tutor (bukan mandiri), karena anda bisa melakukan review (ulasan) atas perkembangan anda dalam practice test.

Perlu diingat bahwa GMAT mengukur kemampuan reasoning—bukan test tentang kemampuan reading atau mathematical. JIka anda telah merasa nyaman dengan bentuk, tipe dan format soal yang akan muncul di hadapan anda dan anda telah meluangkan waktu untuk preparation sebelumnya, anda bisa relax, duduk di bangku test dan lihatlah kemampuan anda menunjukkan hasilnya.

Best GMAT Prep Center in Surabaya.

Contoh TOEFL® ITP Score Slip

Seperti yang telah diinformasikan sebelumnya tentang TOEFL® ITP, bahwa score ITP tidak bisa dipergunakan sebagai admission requirements ke universitas di luar negeri adalah fakta. Jika pun scholarship foundation mempersyaratkan ITP score, maka score itu hanyalah syarat untuk foundation tersebut, bukan syarat untuk masuk ke Univ yang dituju. ETS bahkan menekankan peringatan ini di dalam score slip ITP. Perhatikan contoh TOEFL®  ITP Score Slip di bawah ini:

GRE® Subject Test Materials

Untuk materi GRE® Subject Test, diberikan Subject Test practice book yang berisi tentang soal-soal test secara kesuluruhan, kunci jawaban dan strategi test. Silahkan download materi GRE subject test sesuai dengan jurusan yang anda harapkan:

• Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology (PDF)
• Biology (PDF)
• Chemistry (PDF)
• Computer Science (PDF)
• Literature in English (PDF)
• Mathematics (PDF)
• Physics (PDF)
• Psychology (PDF)