The analogy questions on the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) test your ability to determine relationships between words. Analogy questions require you to choose the pair of words that most closely matches the relationship between the given terms. Review your vocabulary as well as usual contexts and subtexts of words to prepare for analogy questions.
Instructions
1. Memorize as many of the high-frequency vocabulary words as you can. GRE study guides have a list of these words. Review this list to help build your vocabulary.
2. The common relation types used in the GRE can be found in GRE study guides and online. Common relation types include definition, synonyms, worker and tool. Review these relation types to become familiar with the types of analogy questions you will encounter on the test.
3. Define the relationship of the words in question for yourself before reading the answer choices for an analogy question. Defining the relationship first will help keep you from falling for a trick answer.
4. Eliminate answers that are only loosely related as you read the answer choices. The correct answer to an analogy question will have an equally strong link as the words in question.
5. Return to the words in question if you feel that more than one answer is a match. See if they can be defined in other ways or if there is a more narrow relationship between them. Return to the answer choices after redefining the relationship.
6. Use GRE practice tests and sample analogy questions to become familiar with analogy question types.
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