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Introduction

Years ago, during an early gig as a consultant, I sat at a desk that had a For Dummies book on the shelf. The book was something office related, like SQL For Dummies. I took a sticky note and wrote the word Ron with a black marker, then placed the sticky note over the word Dummies on the side of the book, so now it read, SQL for Ron. It fit nicely.

Since starting my test-prep company, I’ve had students who would be my boss in the business world, and many have gone on to have amazingly successful careers. You, too, are in this group of future success stories. How do I know? Because you’re on your way to an advanced degree, which will open lots of doors, and you’re oh-so-close to getting started. You just need to get past this one hurdle called the GRE.

The GRE challenges your ability to conjure up everything you’ve forgotten since high school — stuff you haven’t touched in years. Really all you need is a refresher, some strategies, and practice. This book has all that and more: It goes beyond rehashing what you’ve learned (and forgotten) by providing exam-specific strategies and tips for answering questions quickly and getting through the exam. There are examples, practice questions, and practice exams to help you build your skills, identify areas you need to work on, and build your confidence for test day.

I know deep in my heart that with the right guidance and practice, anyone can do well on this exam. Right off the bat, I aim for 100 percent with each student. You’re a little rusty here, haven’t seen that there, could use a few tips, but you’ll pick it up and do just fine. Succeeding on the GRE is like handling any other task: If you know what to do, and you practice, you’ll be fine. I get you started with some review and guidance, and you take it from there.

About This Book

In GRE 2022 For Dummies, I pretend you forgot everything. I start you at the very beginning to cover all the basic math and verbal concepts, and because you have the capacity, I then challenge you with GRE-level questions. I also show you how to approach these questions, avoid common mistakes, and master the intuitive tricks that help you knock it out of the park.

To earn a top score on the GRE, you have three goals:

1 Know what’s on the exam.Read through this whole book. No matter how well you know a topic, you can discover strategies and common traps, and the GRE has a way of asking a question that’s different from what you’re used to — or what you learned in the classroom. This book will prepare you for this.

2 Strengthen your weak subject areas.Turn to specific sections for targeted information. This book is organized to make it easy to find strategies and practice for specific question types that you have trouble with.

3 Prepare for the test-taking experience.You’ll need the online practice exams to get ready for the experience. ETS offers two excellent online practice exams, free, but you’ll need more than two. Packaged with this book, also free (after you buy the book), are six online practice exams: three in this book, and all six online. When your exam is around the corner, take one or two practice exams in real-life, dress-rehearsal settings. Flip to Part 6, The Part of Tens, for ten ways to get the most benefit from the online practice exams.

Basically, this book does it all: It prepares you for the exam by bringing your skills from the basic level to the GRE level. What else is there?

There’s vocab.

To help you with vocab, as you read through this book, you’ll notice that some words have a style all their own. Each GRE vocabulary word in this text appears in this font, followed directly by its meaning. A good way to learn GRE vocab is to encounter it in a question and see what it means along with how it’s used. When you get stuck on a vocab word, write it down. This is an effective complement to studying from a list or flash cards.

Icons Used in This Book

Although everything included in this book is valuable, some parts call for special attention. Look for these icons to quickly spot the most important information in each chapter.

This icon shows a key strategy and point to remember for an individual question type or the GRE as a whole: These are essential to your success on the exam.

This icon indicates overall knowledge about the exam that is useful when planning your attack on the exam, whether for managing your time or knowing what to expect.

This icon marks a GRE trap or common student mistake so that you can spot it and dodge it on test day.

This icon indicates a practice question for you to try.

Beyond the Book

Besides all the ways this book can help you perform well on the GRE, there are even more online, including these:

 Cheat Sheet: At www.dummies.com, type in “GRE 2022 For Dummies cheat sheet” in the search box and you’ll find the book’s cheat sheet, which gives you last-minute details that you’ll want to have at your fingertips, including a rundown of what to expect when you take the GRE, a list of what to bring versus what to leave at home on test day, tips for taking the computer-based exam, and more pointers for answering exam questions.

 Over 400 GRE vocabulary flash cards: Stock your mental word bank and boost your verbal reasoning score by mastering the meanings of over 400 words that make frequent appearances on the GRE.

 Six full-length practice exams: You’ll find the three from this book along with three more only online to help you build your competence and confidence. Focus on areas where you need practice and make sure you’re up to speed in other areas. You can select the level of difficulty and answer the questions through untimed and timed quizzes, so you can work at your own speed and then practice working under pressure.

To gain access to the online flash cards and practice questions, all you have to do is register. Just follow these simple steps:

1 Register your book or ebook at Dummies.com to get your PIN. Go to www.dummies.com/go/getaccess.

2 Select your product from the dropdown list on that page.

3 Follow the prompts to validate your product, and then check your email for a confirmation message that includes your PIN and instructions for logging in.

If you do not receive this email within two hours, please check your spam folder before contacting us through our Technical Support website at http://support.wiley.com or by phone at 877-762-2974.

Now you’re ready to go! You can come back to the practice material as often as you want — simply log on with the username and password you created during your initial login. No need to enter the access code a second time.

Your registration is good for one year from the day you activate your PIN.

Where to Go from Here

You can approach this book in three ways:

 Read it from beginning to end. For most readers, I recommend this approach. Although prepping to take the GRE isn’t a linear process, I present topics from easy to challenging, so they build on each other as you progress through the chapters. I start by providing a feel for the test-taking experience so you know what to expect when that day rolls around. I continue by providing guidance for each section of the exam — verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and the writing of analytical essays. Practice exams follow, and I wrap things up with some Part of Tens chapters that will stick with you long after you’re done with this book.

 Skip around. Each chapter is a stand-alone lesson on a specific GRE-related topic. If your study time is limited, skip around to focus on areas where you need the most guidance. For example, you can skip to Chapter 6 to hone your skills at answering Argument Analysis questions, or visit Chapter 11 to brush up on geometry. Another strategy is to take one of the sample tests to evaluate your skills and identify areas of weakness and then use that information to develop your plan of attack.

 Use it as a reference book. Whenever you need information and advice on a specific GRE topic or skill, simply flip to the chapter or section that contains the information and guidance you need. GRE 2022 For Dummies offers a refresher course on the topics and skills you need to master the GRE.

As you work your way through the book, write up some flash cards to note key concepts and strategies to get the most out of your review. These cards will serve as a handy reference while you review your notes.

I’ve been helping GRE students beat the test for years, so not only do I know students’ common questions and mistakes, but I also know how to make the math and verbal questions easier for you to answer. This book distills my tricks and secrets, which I’m pleased to share with you. Your success, after all, is why we’re both here.