Do you have any practice tests to work? I highly recommend at least a couple, and don't go back to work any problems (to simulate the electronic exam). Also, try one of the tests without second guessing any of your first-choice answers, and see how well you do. For the other, make your second-guesses, and label them as such. This will help you figure out whether to trust your first instinct, or your thoroughness. It's usually your first instinct though.
My problem isn't usually from second guessing. It's from super retarded mistakes, like forgetting a - sign somewhere or something of that nature.
What would be an effective way to raise my verbal score without having to memorize 5000 useless words? Plus I have a little less than 2 weeks till the test, I don't think I can memorize that many words.
Ah, gotcha. I don't know how exactly to prevent that sort of thing. Do you typically finish the Quant sections with plenty of time? You may want to double-check answers as you go, and just try to keep a good pace besides. A lot of answers can be plugged back in and confirmed.
As for verbal, you're not going to like it, but that's exactly what I suggest you do. Google search for a list or two like this and make flash cards immediately. Once you have finished with all (or with just a really good-sized set), go through and start testing yourself on them. Make a pile for Wrong and Right on your first time through. Then when you're done, shuffle the Wrong pile and go over them again; see if you can get any right this second time. Be absolutely, brutally honest with yourself, and make sure that you don't just remember a card because you saw it recently on your previous runthrough. You need to be able to remember it after more than just a thirty-minute span, so don't cheat yourself. If you get them right, put them in the Right pile.
When you're done, shuffle and then go through the Right pile, and see if you still know those cards. If you get them right a second time, set them aside into a Finished pile - you're done with them for the time being. Good! If you get them wrong, send them back to the Wrong pile. Continue these Wrong-Wrong-Right checks until everything is in the Finished pile. Now, finally, take a break, and then go through the Finished pile and see how many you knock out straight away. Whatever's left is going to be your challenge to remember.
The reason why you have two Wrong checks between each Right pile check is to give your mind an interval where you either remember your Right cards or you realize that you've forgetten them. This gives a more accurate assessment of whether you truly know them or not, IMO.
Does that make sense? Trust me, I know making flash cards sucks. But unless you're already some kind of vocab star, it is a relatively easy way to directly improve your score. You often can't answer problems if you don't know what all of the answer choices mean.
edit: Also, after you've gone through several runthroughs of your Wrong pile, if you're anything like me, you're going to start guessing answers verbatim because you've seen the backs of certain cards so many times. You might even get them right on a guess! Don't put them in the Right pile, and take a break, because at this point you're not processing, you're regurgitating.
The GRE is very format-dependent. The best thing to do is buy several prep books and take the tests. For verbal, the analogies take a very specific and unnatural kind of thinking -- it's not what I'd call "just thinking logically" -- and prep can help with that.
Math, statistically, is easier than verbal to improve your score on standardized tests. It sounds like your problem is nerves. I'm not sure how to explain what a "good" testing mentality is, but I've always had it, and it helps. The best analogy is popping bubble wrap. You want to move through the test methodically, getting a sort of satisfaction from each question. Like "Yeah, nailed that one." Like a really satisfying bubble-wrap pop. Allow yourself to enjoy the test. I know that sounds weird, but when you're in that mindset you're a lot less likely to make stupid errors.
Screw ETS. I had to take PRAXIS tests in undergrad, they've already robbed me enough. I am elated I don't need to take the GRE for any of the grad schools I'm looking at.
AWinnerIsYou on
"It's like a pterodactyl from a gay Jurassic Park."
So, uh, yeah. I'm about halfway through my penultimate semester of a bachelor's in Political Science from Virginia Tech. Since my sophomore year sucked (didn't realize for a while that I didn't want to do CS), and I only have three years of college, my GPA is, as of after my internship this summer, 2.43 total, 3.33 in-major. I'm thinking I want to try to get a job with Robin Carnahan's campaign for Senate in Missouri next year, and maybe get a master's in something like government or campaign management afterwards. Any ideas/tips?
MorgensternICH BIN DER PESTVOGELDU KAMPFAFFE!Registered Userregular
edited November 2009
Don't need no stinkin' masters up in this bitch. Engineering undergrad for life, dawgs.
Morgenstern on
“Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among seaweed and whitened timbers like the homesick refugees of a long war.” - Loren Eiseley
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MrMonroepassed outon the floor nowRegistered Userregular
For people that are applying, deadline for Fall '10 admission is in a couple of months. Let's talk about where you want to go and what you want to study.
For people that are already in grad schools, talk about how awesome your applications were and where you were accepted/rejected
Personally, I want to get in to do comp sci MS at Berkeley or Stanford, but I'm probably not competitive enough.
Undergrad school: large state university, 2nd tier.
GPA: 3.84, ranked 1st in major, easily top 10% of the university. Graduating with distinction.
GRE: fucking horrible
Experience: Internships with Intel and Garmin
Research: Doing undergrad research assistant work. Will have 1 year of experience when I graduate.
LOR: one from the professor I'm doing research with, one from my undergrad adviser, one from my manager at Intel.
What do you think of my chances?
itt smart people only
Thought about the University of Illinois? It's not as glamorous as Berkely or Stanford but it's #5 in the country for comp sci graduates and I like to think we have a pretty good Master's program. We've got a relatively new building, some good staff on hand (I've had about 2 years of classes with one of the original Gang of Four) and some bitchin' supercomputers if that's your thing. Microsoft pulls more of its employees from U of I than any other school, and I have plenty of friends with swank jobs at MS, Google, Amazon, etc.
Don't need no stinkin' masters up in this bitch. Engineering undergrad for life, dawgs.
engineering is probably the degree where you gain the least from postgrad, employment wise
The only people in my faculty that I graduated with that went on to post-grads in engineering were either software engineers without a hope of getting a job anyways with an undergrad, or people who wanted to go into research and development. The rest of us are in fields where an MBA would give us much more of a career bost than a MSC in Engineering.
Morgenstern on
“Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among seaweed and whitened timbers like the homesick refugees of a long war.” - Loren Eiseley
Don't need no stinkin' masters up in this bitch. Engineering undergrad for life, dawgs.
engineering is probably the degree where you gain the least from postgrad, employment wise
The only people in my faculty that I graduated with that went on to post-grads in engineering were either software engineers without a hope of getting a job anyways with an undergrad, or people who wanted to go into research and development. The rest of us are in fields where an MBA would give us much more of a career bost than a MSC in Engineering.
On the other hand my brother is currently doing his masters and gets to make and launch his own rockets.
Posts
nov 4
freaking out.
I don't really care about verbal that much, I just want to get a better score on math.
And I know that math is easy, and I can easily get 800. Except I'm terrible in standardized testing situation and will more than likely fuck up.
What would be an effective way to raise my verbal score without having to memorize 5000 useless words? Plus I have a little less than 2 weeks till the test, I don't think I can memorize that many words.
As for verbal, you're not going to like it, but that's exactly what I suggest you do. Google search for a list or two like this and make flash cards immediately. Once you have finished with all (or with just a really good-sized set), go through and start testing yourself on them. Make a pile for Wrong and Right on your first time through. Then when you're done, shuffle the Wrong pile and go over them again; see if you can get any right this second time. Be absolutely, brutally honest with yourself, and make sure that you don't just remember a card because you saw it recently on your previous runthrough. You need to be able to remember it after more than just a thirty-minute span, so don't cheat yourself. If you get them right, put them in the Right pile.
When you're done, shuffle and then go through the Right pile, and see if you still know those cards. If you get them right a second time, set them aside into a Finished pile - you're done with them for the time being. Good! If you get them wrong, send them back to the Wrong pile. Continue these Wrong-Wrong-Right checks until everything is in the Finished pile. Now, finally, take a break, and then go through the Finished pile and see how many you knock out straight away. Whatever's left is going to be your challenge to remember.
The reason why you have two Wrong checks between each Right pile check is to give your mind an interval where you either remember your Right cards or you realize that you've forgetten them. This gives a more accurate assessment of whether you truly know them or not, IMO.
Does that make sense? Trust me, I know making flash cards sucks. But unless you're already some kind of vocab star, it is a relatively easy way to directly improve your score. You often can't answer problems if you don't know what all of the answer choices mean.
edit: Also, after you've gone through several runthroughs of your Wrong pile, if you're anything like me, you're going to start guessing answers verbatim because you've seen the backs of certain cards so many times. You might even get them right on a guess! Don't put them in the Right pile, and take a break, because at this point you're not processing, you're regurgitating.
Math, statistically, is easier than verbal to improve your score on standardized tests. It sounds like your problem is nerves. I'm not sure how to explain what a "good" testing mentality is, but I've always had it, and it helps. The best analogy is popping bubble wrap. You want to move through the test methodically, getting a sort of satisfaction from each question. Like "Yeah, nailed that one." Like a really satisfying bubble-wrap pop. Allow yourself to enjoy the test. I know that sounds weird, but when you're in that mindset you're a lot less likely to make stupid errors.
http://numberblog.wordpress.com/
Also I think I'll try taking my beta-blocker before I take the exam so I don't get nervous during it and make mistakes.
Highschool is for gays.
here are ~4600 words for you, enjoy
muahahahahaha (fuck ETS)
I wouldn't be surprised.
Fucking ETS.
helllooooo, endless revision
i've missed you so much
man, fuck that
just get drunk and mail that shit out
engineering is probably the degree where you gain the least from postgrad, employment wise
kpop appreciation station i also like to tweet some
Thought about the University of Illinois? It's not as glamorous as Berkely or Stanford but it's #5 in the country for comp sci graduates and I like to think we have a pretty good Master's program. We've got a relatively new building, some good staff on hand (I've had about 2 years of classes with one of the original Gang of Four) and some bitchin' supercomputers if that's your thing. Microsoft pulls more of its employees from U of I than any other school, and I have plenty of friends with swank jobs at MS, Google, Amazon, etc.
Actually it's not, I kind of enjoy it when I get into it, but there's just so muuuuuuuch
The only people in my faculty that I graduated with that went on to post-grads in engineering were either software engineers without a hope of getting a job anyways with an undergrad, or people who wanted to go into research and development. The rest of us are in fields where an MBA would give us much more of a career bost than a MSC in Engineering.
Fellowships all done & applied for.
FEED ME, UNCLE SAM!
http://numberblog.wordpress.com/
what kind of prep system are you using
i hope it's powerscore
It is, I've got the Logic games bible and the Logical reasoning bible. They're actually really good, I can feel my logicalness growing.
They are some gigantic fucking books though, I tell you what.
I think you get something from the DOE just for you.
http://numberblog.wordpress.com/
it's going to be done tonight, but i still love the extra breathing room.
UBC hooooo!
The Department of Energy. The Givers of Grants. The Mighty of the Earth.
http://www2.krellinst.org/csgf/index.shtml
It is for PhD programs though.
http://numberblog.wordpress.com/
I applied to MS programs.
On the other hand my brother is currently doing his masters and gets to make and launch his own rockets.
kpop appreciation station i also like to tweet some