Okay! so you are planning to study at the United States of America - “the land of the free and the home of the brave”.

First of all congratulation for making the decision! I know sometimes it becomes really hard just to decide whether to go for higher studies in a completely different country, especially when you are comfortable with a predictable comfortable life. But here you are taking a leap of faith and ready to jump to an unknown world that is -  graduate study. Whether you are want pursue Masters or Phd, the first step is to take GRE and TOEFL, and you really want to get good score on these two exams. Therefore, without further ado here is my experience of these two exams:

Disclaimer: I am not associated with the following product in any manner. The reviews are solely based on my experience. I wrote my GRE (score: 323) and TOEFL (score: 114) on October 2015.

GRE

I am not going to explain where kind of questions will come to GRE and how much time each section will have. Duh!! you can find all the information online on the ETS website.

Well there are two ways - The hard way, and the smart way. First, I blindly gone for the hard way (studying every other book that I found, trying to memorize every other word lists!) and end up getting only 315, but not satisfied with the score I decided to write GRE again, but only this time with the smart way. You already got the idea - It worked! I got a score of 323 a whooping 8 point jump from the previous one in just one month. So here is the smarter approach to crack the GRE:

Magoosh: Really the best resources that I had used.  They have plenty of questions that you can practice. With all the practice questions there comes a timer (and I highly recommend to use timer for every questions you practice), so you can master your time management. Moreover,  they provide you graphs and charts on your performance that can be used prudently to find out your week points. Then all you have to do is practice more questions on those sections till you master them. Voila you will see your scores increasing in no time. So my suggestion is to take the online subscription and use the software to strengthen your weakness.  Also, they have nice GRE plans varying to 1 month, 3 months to 6 months plan. The only downside of Magoosh is it does not provide you with a essay grading service.

Apart from Magoosh, books that I referred to: 1. The Official Guide to the GRE Revised General Test: Mainly to give mock exams. Even the practice questions I timed it and did. 2. Manhattan 5 LB : A good (and fat!!!) book to practice questions. 3. Manhattan Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence : I used it as I was weak in Verbal section of the GRE.

Study tips (This is the real GOLD):

  1. Write plenty of mock exams (simulating the actual exam condition).
  2. Always try to find the week points and practice questions on those areas more. Do not waste time on practicing question on areas where you are already acing. 
  3. Time everything!! Even the practice questions. Time management is one of the big challenges in the GRE.
  4. Write as many essays you can if your analytical is week. Follow a essay structure (can be easily found on any GRE book) and stuck to it. Get it reviewed by your friends.

TOEFL

I just read the official ETS TOEFL book and practiced question from online.  Find on the TOEFL website how the test is structured.

Study tips:

  1. Reading:  Although a bit lengthy compared to the GRE essays, these are easier. 
  2. Listening: You wont have much problem if you have studied in english medium school / university. Youtube has really a good collection of listening practices. Time it and practice. 
  3. Speaking: Again the key is practice. I recorded my answers  and analyze if its clear and concise.  All the speaking section should have some formats that you may want to follow. Again check on Youtube and stick on a particular format. 
  4. Writing: Easier than the GRE writing. Follow a format and practice a couple of essays. 

Make sure you give the TOEFL after 1 week of writing GRE exam. In that way you will be in a flow and will easily manage the exam.

How important is GRE and TOEFL: Lot of people will tell you its not, but they are wrong!! These exams are very important, especially now when lot of students are applying for grad studies. These are the initial cut off criteria that the universities will see unless you have a real connection with the university professor.  If you want that fellowship that your friend got and bought a car while doing a Phd, get a good score in GRE (in all THREE sections) and TOEFL!

I hope you got a good idea how to organize your preparation. I cannot emphasize less on timed practice and continuously improving your week areas.

Congratulation again for making the decision. All the best your exam!