Common Mistakes on the GRE (Graduate Record Examination)

Note: The GRE is used for a wide variety of graduate programs (Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering). Unlike the GMAT, the GRE allows you to skip around and go back to questions within a section.

A. Verbal Reasoning: Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence

These questions test vocabulary, but more importantly, they test your ability to detect logic within a sentence.

• Mistake 1: Plugging in Your Favorite Word First

  • Scenario: You read a sentence with a blank. You think, "This sentence is about a scientist who is unhappy, so the word must be 'sad'." You look at the answer choices, don't see 'sad,' and panic.

  • Fix: Read the sentence and identify the structural clues. Look for "trigger words" that indicate the sentence will continue in the same direction (e.g., and, since, because, likewise) or change direction (e.g., but, however, although, despite). Predict the type of word (positive or negative) needed, not the exact word.

• Mistake 2: Ignoring Punctuation as a Clue

  • Scenario: "The politician was known for his _____; he constantly shifted his stance to match the latest polls."

  • Fix: The semicolon (;) indicates that the second part of the sentence explains or restates the first part. The blank must mean something like "inconsistency" or "flip-flopping." Punctuation (colons, semicolons, commas) is a direct roadmap to the answer.

B. Quantitative Reasoning: The "Obvious Answer" Trap

The GRE Math section is often more about logic puzzles than advanced calculus.

• Mistake 3: Falling for the "It Cannot Be Determined" Trap

  • Scenario: A Quantitative Comparison question gives you x > 0. Quantity A is x. Quantity B is x². The student thinks, "Well, if x=2, then A=2 and B=4, so B is bigger. But if x=0.5, then A=0.5 and B=0.25, so A is bigger. I guess it cannot be determined."

  • Fix: That is correct reasoning for that specific example. But the trap is when students pick "Cannot be determined" too quickly. Sometimes, the relationship is actually fixed, but you have to test the extremes (fractions, negatives, zero) to see. The mistake is stopping after testing only positive integers.

• Mistake 4: The "On-Screen Calculator" Lull

  • Scenario: The GRE provides a basic on-screen calculator. A student uses it for a simple multiplication like 15 * 30. They type it in wrong (15*30=450) but because they used the calculator, they feel confident and don't double-check their work.

  • Fix: The calculator is a tool, not a guarantee of accuracy. It is easy to mis-click. If a calculation is simple enough to do in your head (or on paper), do it manually to verify the calculator's result.

C. Analytical Writing: The "Issue" Task

• Mistake 5: Writing a Generic, Pre-Memorized Essay

  • Scenario: The prompt asks you to discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with a statement about government funding of the arts. The student has memorized a generic essay about "the importance of creativity" and tries to force it into the prompt, ignoring the specific nuance about "government funding."

  • Fix: The GRE essay graders are trained to spot "canned" responses. You must address the prompt directly. Use specific examples (historical or literary) that are relevant to the claim. A well-structured, specific essay with a few minor grammar errors will score higher than a flawless but generic essay.