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Sample Revised GRE Comprehensive Syllabus
16 Sessions
Student: Nick Carraway
Tutor: Jay Gatsby
Required Texts
OG: The Official Guide to the GRE Revised General Test, 2nd Edition (ETS)
PB: Practice Book for the Paper-Based GRE Revised Test PDF (ETS)s
CC: Cambridge Coaching Vocabulary Lists (Cambridge Coaching)
MP: Manhattan GRE Strategy Guides (8 books), 2nd Edition (Manhattan GRE)
Optional Texts
Princeton: Cracking the GRE 2013 (Princeton Review)
1,014: 1,014 Practice Question for the New GRE, 3nd Edition (Princeton)
Kaplan: New GRE 2011-12 Premier (Kaplan)
Barron’s: Barron’s New GRE, 19th Edition (Barron’s)
Nova: GRE Math Prep Course, 2011 (Nova) Overview
This syllabus offers complete coverage of the GRE: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing.
General test strategy and time management techniques are built into each session and specific to the content covered.
This syllabus includes 9 practice exams: 2 PowerPrep exam distributed by ETS in OG, 2 paper-based exams distributed by ETS in OG, and 6 computer-based exams produced by Manhattan Prep.
Before the First Session
• Read OG the introduction to the GRE revised general test (1-9)
• Read MP (9-24)
• Complete the free Manhattan Prep practice test: http://www.manhattanprep.com/GRE/?9gtype=search&9gkw
=manhattan%20prep&9gad=20610664791.1&9gpla=&9gag=3904830231&gclid=CJaU76zSmbICFQdnOgodS
X0AxA. Complete the test under timed/test conditions.
• Provide your login and password to your tutor so that he/she can review your test before your first session and
make adjustments to your preliminary syllabus
• Enter your incorrect answers into the shared online template
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Session One: Introduction, General Strategy, and Algebra (I)
In session
• Walk through syllabus and discuss student’s academic/GRE history and goals. Finalize session cadence and
scheduling through test date
• Vocabulary building methodology (student will have received the CC List via email) and daily reading schedule
(30 minutes, uninterrupted, begin with e.g. Jared’s Diamond’s Guns Germs and Steel or Stephen Hawking’s A
Brief History of Time)
• Introduction to equations and quadratic equations
Homework
• OG: Read 222-247
• MP: Problem sets: Ch. 1-3 in algebra
• MP: in guide 8 (Text Completion & Sentence Completion) read 121-134 on learning vocabulary
• Optional: Begin 1,014 algebra practice problems and Nova algebra practice problems
Session Two: Algebra (II)
In session
• Review of equations
• Introduction to inequalities, absolute value, formulas & functions
Homework
• MP: Complete algebra problem sets
• Optional: Complete 1,014 algebra practice problems and Nova algebra practice problems
Session Three: Reading Comprehension (I)
In session
• General reading comprehension methodology
• Passage types (long vs. short) and question types
• OG: begin easy and medium reading comprehension problem sets
Homework
• OG: complete easy and medium problem sets
• MP: Read Ch. 2-5 reading comprehension, complete drills
• Optional: Kaplan reading comprehension strategies practice set (Ch. 7)
Session Four: Fractions, Decimals and Percents
In session
• Fractions, decimals, and percents introduction
• Manipulating and converting FDPs
• Common GRE fraction, decimal, percents problems
Homework
• MP: Read/review guide 4 and complete all problems not covered in session
• Optional: 1,014 fractions practice problems and Nova fractions practice problems
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Session Five: Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence (I)
In session
• Introduction to text completion and sentence equivalence
• Single/multi blank text completion technique and standard sentence equivalence method
• Complete OG verbal reasoning questions
Homework
• MP: Complete text completion and sentence equivalence drills (Ch. 2 and Ch. 3)
• Optional: Kaplan text completion (Ch. 5) problem set and sentence equivalence problem set (Ch. 6)
Session 6: Number Properties
In session
• Introduction to divisibility and primes, odds and evens, positives and negatives, exponents, roots, consecutives
integers, number lines
Homework
• MP: Read/review guide 4 and complete all problems
• Optional: Nova number properties practice problems (not explicitly identified explicitly in table of contents)
Session 7: Geometry (I)
In session
• Introduction to primary geometry problem types: triangles and diagonals, polygons, circles and cylinders, lines
and angles, coordinate plane
• Deep dive on triangles and diagonals, polygons, circles and cylinders
Homework
• MP: Complete triangles and diagonals (Ch. 3), polygons (Ch. 4), circles and cylinders (Ch. 5) problem sets
• Practice test #1: MP computer adaptive exam #1 under timed/test conditions. Note that you will need to register for the exam using the “scratch off code” on the inside of the back cover of any MG book. You can register
at: http://www.manhattanprep.com/gre/access.cfm
• Optional: Princeton geometry problem set (265-298)
Session 8: Word Problems (I)
In session
• Introduction to the word problem format: algebraic translations, rates and work, ratios, and statistics
• Selected review of Practice Test #1 (focus on word problems)
• Drill problems from MP: Ch. 2-5
Homework
• Practice test #2: MP computer adaptive exam #2 under timed/test conditions.
• MP: Complete drill problems from Ch. 2-5
Session 9: Quantitative Comparison and Data Interpretation (I)
In session
• Introduction to the quantitative comparison format: algebra, FDPs, geometry
• Selected review of practice test #2 (focus on quantitative comparisons)
• Introduction to data interpretation
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Homework
• Practice test #3: MP computer adaptive exam #3 under timed/test conditions.
• MP: Complete drill problems from Ch. 3-5 and Ch. 8
Session 10: Reading Comprehension (II)
In session
• Detailed review of practice test #3
• Review strategies for short and long passages and question types (MP: Ch 7 and 8)
• Introduction to argument structure (MP: Ch. 9)
• Begin hard reading comprehension OG problem set
Homework
• Practice test #4: ETS paper test #1 under timed/test conditions.
• OG: complete hard reading comprehension problem set in guide 7
• MP: complete all remaining reading comprehension problems
• Optional: Princeton reading comprehension (80-136)
Session 11: Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence (II)
In session
• Detailed review of practice test #4
Review text completion and sentence equivalence methodology
Complete OG verbal reasoning questions
Homework
• Practice test #5: ETS paper test #2 under timed/test conditions.
• MP: read and complete all remaining sections of guide 8
• Optional: Princeton text completion and sentence equivalence (43-78)
Session 12: Geometry (II)
In session
• Selected review of Practice Test #5
• Review geometry problem types: triangles and diagonals, polygons, circles and cylinders, lines and angles,
coordinate plane
• Methodology and practice: deep dive on lines and angles, coordinate plane
Homework
• MP: Complete lines and angles (Ch. 6), coordinate plane (Ch. 7), geometry Problem solving (Ch. 2), and drill
sets (Ch. 8) problem sets
• Practice test #6: MP computer adaptive exam #4 under timed/test conditions. Optional: Kaplan geometry
problem set (199-213), 1,014 problem set, Nova problem set
Session 13: Word Problems (II)
In session
• Introduction to remaining word problem question types: combinatorics, probability, and minor problem types
• Drill problems from MP: Ch. 6-10
Homework
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MP: Read and complete drills from Ch. 6 and Ch. 10
Practice test #7: MP computer adaptive exam #5
Session 14: Analytical Writing and Verbal Review (I)
In session
• Selected review of practice Test #7 (verbal focus)
• Introduction to GRE essays
• Review verbal portion of wrong answer template
Homework
• MP: 191-231 in guide 7 (reading comprehension and essays) on GRE essays
• Practice test #8: ETS PowerPrep #1
Session 15: Quantitative Comparison and Data Interpretation (II)
In session
• Detailed review of practice test #8
• Introduction to remaining quantitative comparison format: number properties and word problems
• Review data interpretation methodology and problem types
Homework
• Practice test #9: ETS PowerPrep #2
• MP: complete drill problems from Ch. 6-7
Session Sixteen: Final Review
In session
• Detailed review of practice test #9
• Review wrong question log
• OG: complete drill problems (53-142)
• Test day strategy
Homework
• Review wrong question log
• OG: complete remaining drill problems
Demolish the test!
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