GRE Preparation

International Gateways
San Jose State University
Term: Fall 2015

Instructor: Sabina Simon

Class Day: Friday

Email: Sabina.simon090@gmail.com

Class Times: 8:20 10:10

Classroom: SH 344

Course Description and Goal

GRE Preparation course is designed to improve the strategies and study habits that you use to
prepare for the GRE, as well as provide information about the Analytical Writing and Verbal
Reasoning aspects of the exam. The GRE is a six-part standardized exam offered both on the
computer and in paper-based format that is comprised of two short essays, two verbal reasoning
sections (including vocabulary and reading comprehension), and two quantitative reasoning
sections.
The goal of this course is to learn strategies and practice content that aid students in reaching the
highest score possible on the Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing portions of the GRE.
Therefore, this course will be broken into two halves: Analytical Writing, and Verbal Reasoning,
with some Quantitative Reasoning vocabulary included in the Verbal Reasoning section. The
Analytical Writing section will focus on aiding students in understanding the prompt, organizing
a response, and checking for grammatical/structural errors after writing. The Verbal Reasoning
section will include strategies to increase and promote reading comprehension, as well as teach
relationships between word families and roots in order to aid in the acquisition of vocabulary.
Course Objectives
Learn the structure and question types that are present on the GRE
Analytical Writing:
- Recognize the two types of Analytical writing tasks
- Learn strategies for responding to each type of writing task (an Issue Task and an Argument
Task)
- Understand what each score requires and how to achieve each score
- Learn strategies for reading and analyzing two kinds of texts
Verbal Reasoning:
- Learn the three types of GRE Verbal Reasoning questions
- Understand different strategies for answering each question type
- Gain strategies for aiding reading comprehension (open reading and focused reading)
- Understand connections between word families, roots and vocabulary

Quantitative Reasoning:
- Recognize quantitative-specific vocabulary that students will need for the quantitative
reasoning test
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course according to their ATP-OC level students will be able to:
Identify the structure and question types that are present in the GRE
Analytical Writing:
- Recognize the two types of Analytical writing tasks
- Learn strategies for responding to each type of writing task (an Issue Task and an Argument
Task)
- Understand what each score requires and how to achieve each score
- Learn strategies for reading and analyzing two kinds of texts
Verbal Reasoning:
- Learn the three types of GRE Verbal Reasoning questions
- Understand different strategies for answering each question type
- Gain strategies for aiding reading comprehension (open reading and focused reading)
- Understand connections between word families, roots and vocabulary
Quantitative Reasoning:
- Recognize quantitative-specific vocabulary that students will need for the quantitative
reasoning test
Course Materials
The Official Guide to the GRE revised General Test 2nd Edition ETS: McGraw Hill Education.
ISBN: 978-0-07-179123-6
Class Participation and Team Work
In class you will often work in groups with your peers. You are expected to participate
fully in class, small group and paired activities because these communication and team
work skills will be very helpful for your future study and career.
Course Requirements and Expectations
Academic Honesty: It is helpful to study outside class with other students and share
ideas. However, it is wrong to copy homework, help or cheat on a quiz or a test, or talk
during a quiz or test for any reason. Also, if you copy materials from someone else and
submit that as your own work, you have committed plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious
offense at the university and SAL teachers will not accept plagiarized work.

Attendance: Regular attendance is mandatory. Low attendance will affect your F-1
student visa. I take attendance at the beginning of each hour, so I take attendance twice
per day.

Course Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need
special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please see the Associate
Director in the Gateways main office in IS 227 to establish a record of your disability and
determine appropriate services."
Classroom Standards/Rules
Part of your Academic Readiness grade (described below) involves being ready for each class
and paying attention in class. So please, no cellphones (unless I ask you to get them out). I may
not say anything in class, but it will reflect in your Academic Readiness grade.
Make sure you also bring your textbooks with you every day to class, and come with a
notebook/paper and a pencil/pen. This is really important; in the US you are expected to bring
these things to class with you.

Make-ups/Late Assignments
If you are sick, you need to provide proof of a doctors visit to the International Gateways office.
You should also tell me ahead of time (an email is fine) just letting me know that you wont be in
class on that day, so that I know why and I can send you any assignments you will miss.

Grading
Academic Readiness
Homework
Assessments/Tests
Projects

10%
35%
35%
20%

Academic Readiness: Each week, I will assign you a grade on Canvas about how prepared you
were for each day that week. This grading includes:
o Attendance/Tardiness: Student comes to class on time, and comes back to the
classroom after break on time.
o Preparedness: Student is prepared with textbook, pencil/pen, handouts and
homework each day.

o Classroom Etiquette and Participation: Student speaks only English in class, does
not use cell phone in class, participates actively, and is respectful.

Homework: I will assign homework (almost) every day in the form of different writing
assignments and verbal reasoning assignments that we will go over together as a class. Some
assignments may not seem directly related to the GRE, but will be skill-building or competence
building exercises.
Assessments/Tests: I will assess you with practice GRE exams as well as practice analytical
writing tasks. Most of these will be done in class, but I will also give you short quizzes to be
completed on Canvas as well.
Projects: As a part of this class you will complete 1 mini presentation about a word group of
your choice (beginning Week 3) as well as a timed in-class essay sometime near the middle of
the term, used to assess your writing skills.

Tentative Class Schedule*

Date
Week 1: 1/26 & 1/28

Analytical Writing
- Elements of Issue and
Argument Task
- Review Common Issues in
Argument Task
- Organizing your Response

Week 2: 2/2 & 2/4

Verbal Reasoning

Important Due Dates

- Sample Presentation
Typing Test Homework 1/28
- Approaching
completion/
equivalence task

a text
sentence

- Introduction to word roots

and word families

- Article Explanations

- Reading
Comprehension note-taking
- Presentation(s)

- Identifying flaws in an
argument

- Components of a passage
(Summarizing a text)

- Crafting a Thesis Statement

- Word roots continued

Bring an article to class due

2/2

Vocabulary Quiz 1 2/4

- Sentence equivalence
strategies
- Presentation(s)

Week 3: 2/9 & 2/11

- Transitioning between
points
- Identifying flaws in an
argument

Week 4: 2/16 & 2/18

- Strategies for long passages

- Strategies for Sentence
Equivalence and Text
Completion
- Presentation(s)

- Identifying flaws in an
argument

In class writing midterm

2/18

- Word roots practice

Vocabulary quiz 2 2/16

- Organizing your response

Week 5: 2/23 & 2/25

- Improving the argument

(flipping the flaw)

- Strategies for short

passages
- Sentence equivalence/text
completion practice

- Avoid getting stuck

- Timed reading practice

- Issue and argument practice

- Word roots review

- Organizing your response

- Successful guessing
strategies

Week 6: 3/1 & 3/3

Vocabulary quiz 3
3/3

- Self-editing strategies
- Root words
- Conclusions
- Word families
Week 7: 3/8 & 3/10
- Review techniques
- In class writing practice

- Successful guessing
strategies
- Root words

Final Exam 3/10

- Word families