The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
GRE and Me
Slider
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm scheduled to take the GRE on Wednesday and need to figure out the best way to study for this thing. Being that I'm absolutely terrible at Math, I need to devote more of my time to this particular subject; especially since it's been well over 10 years since I've taken a Math class.
Have any of you taken the GRE? What did you do to prepare for this test?
Have any of you taken the GRE? What did you do to prepare for this test?
Slider on
0
Posts
then work on vocabulary
dog is to cat as mouse is to _____? and then a list of words I'd never heard of. (not a real question just a top of the head type example)
Rat? So, anyway, when I took the WEST-B last year I sought the help of a high school student to be my Math tutor. Unfortunately, this particular student is now in college up at UW and currently unavailable.
The math portion isn't bad. Like MTS said, brush up on basic math up until trig, and familiarize yourself with the types of questions that will be on the vocab portion. Then study vocab. I made a ton of flash cards for vocabulary (several hundred) and studied those for a few months.
I highly recommend heading to a bookstore and getting a study guide. It will help you with all of the above.
Grab a GRE book and just take tests over and over again.
The flip side of this of course is that I reminded someone off hand ("yeah I'm taking the GRE next week") that they needed to do it and they only studied for 2 weeks and got a 1400. Guess it depends on how well you test?
Good luck though, it's a slog.
This. The GRE is pretty intense--long, hard, tedious, and it's really difficult not to think about how much of your future is riding on the outcome. Since a lot of test taking is that sort of psychological stuff, reducing stress should be your current goal.
The creators of the GRE have a free practice test program that is IDENTICAL to the test itself. I took the two included practice tests on that about 5 times, and it drastically decreased my anxiety and stress leading up to the test. (that, in addition to taking a full 3 month course in preparing for the test...)
Studies on the GRE show it's a test that you actually can improve on by studying for (unlike IQ or some other achievement tests)--I'd postpone the test date (you should be able to reschedule through the test administrating company) to give you more time to study.
Although, in the interest of full disclosure, I took the practice tests PRE-preparation class and then again AFTER the prep class and my scores were literally unchanged. Definitely could have paid more attention to the prep class' recommended studying schedule, though...
Hoooly shit. You are taking it in less than a week and are just now starting to study for it?
Just go to bookmans or some other used book store and pick up a GRE prep book. It's seriously the best way to study for one of these. Good luck on the vocabulary as well.
No, but universities definitely look at your GRE closer if you've been out of school for a while. Start with the free practice test and then zero in on the areas you need the most work on. You'd be surprised how difficult it's going to be to finish all those multiple choice reasoning questions, so don't forget about your timing.
Timing will certainly be a factor. Thanks for the reminder.
I took a graduate course last year, so it hasn't been too long.
I just went through some of the practice questions. Based on my results, I'm going to fail miserably.
Again, studying for the GRE can improve your score. Postponing it a week or two to get a better score is well worth it. Graduate schools rely on the official GRE scores for actual admissions--but since those often lag behind application deadlines, they'll likely look at your self reported/estimated scores (which you'll get as soon as you hit the "Finish" button on the test) with the same amount of weight for whether or not they'll interview you.
Then you want to practice like crazy while you can. You don't want to half-ass it because it doesn't apply to your program (although with vocab, math, and writing ability I don't see how one of those CAN'T apply). A bad score can definitely keep you out even of all of your other stuff is good.
On the bright side, I started studying two days before I took it. The first practice test I took I scored around 300. Total. But on test day I scored 1190. Not great, but not cringe-worthy either.
This is the best thing ever and I thank you profusely for linking it.
I'm in the same boat.
Seriously, apply for next year. This shit is important.
There is a $50 fee for rescheduling.
I'm hoping my history and past experiences get me accepted, because (I'm assuming) my GRE score won't be any help.
I was supposed to go last year and would prefer not to delay another year. I'm not getting any younger...
a week is probably fine if you put in the effort. go pick up a GRE book, read up on the basics of math , nothing harder than trig remember. than alternate between that and flash cards of vocabulary. during this week take some practice test to get a handle on the type of questions.
yes its a big deal but its not rocket science
I understand, and as someone who fucked up his apps again this year, I'm waiting.
I have a good friend who "rushed it" like this. He is now attending a poor school (for his subject) and will be many more mountainloads in debt than he needs to be.
I changed my program. Instead of teaching, I'll be studying counseling. I decided to attend Eastern, because apparently they have a decent Counseling program.
Some of those Math questions are ridiculous. I'm betting that this will, yet again, be the first and last time I'm required to perform Math of this magnitude.
A more helpful comment is probably to just point out that you shouldn't go for the sake of going" and if you're faced with less options or poor financial decisions, waiting a year is always the safe route.
But good luck!
Do you apply directly to your program, or do you apply to a graduate college that then funnels your app to your program for consideration?
If it's the latter you should consider rescheduling, because if your GRE doesn't meet a certain threshold your graduate program might never see your application at all.
Two separate applications.
Okay, then definitely take it seriously. What that says to me is that while your program of study will focus on prior experience and writing sample, the other app will focus on your GPA and GRE scores. You'll likely have to pass both before being admitted.
But again, a few days can make a huge difference if you use them wisely.
PSN Hypacia
Xbox HypaciaMinnow
Discord Hypacia#0391
GRE is the general, and what most social sciences require. There's also the GMAT, which (I think) a lot of the real sciences require, I know a lot of MBA programs do.
I think there's a few more... I mean, you could also lump the MCAT and the LSAT in there as well, for Med school and law school respectively.
I took a look at the wiki page, and I guess the logic question section that was part of the GRE when I took it 10 years ago has been replaced with a writing section.
For instance, looking at schools in Massachusetts to pursue my Masters in Education - English, most require the GRE, the GRE:Literature in English, as well as MTEL. Some allow substituting the Miller Analogies Test for the general GRE.
GRE is the general test (think SAT 2) and pretty much every non-specialized program wants it, whether they are social or hard science. GMAT is MBA specific, don't worry about it unless you're aiming at an MBA. There are also GRE subject tests in specific areas, but again unless you're subject specifically requests it (ie Math for Math) you won't need them - and if you do they almost always want the general score as well.
Yeah, brushing up on trig is kinda annoying after not doing it for 10 years, but the GRE math tends to be more logic intensive than formula memorization. As always, practice makes perfect and the questions will be much less intimidating when you are comfortable with their style.
For reference, I took both the GRE general and GMAT last year. I used the Barron's GRE book and it was pretty decent for coverage of problem types and practice tests, though make sure you use the free resources from ETS as well. I used McGraw-Hill's GMAT book and it sucked balls - typos and mistakes in the book and incorrect answers in the practice tests, I definitely recommend using another resource.
My GPA is terrible and I'm assuming my GRE score will be, too. My only hope is that I haven't used up all of my luck and the school will give me a chance.
That said, I think taking a couple weeks to study first is probably worth it- there are certain types of questions where it will help you to relax if you know what to expect.
(Also, the physics GRE is frikking hard.)
In the Barron's book there is a section titled "Math Review" that will go over the things you need to know. Dig out the sections that are specific to the things you didn't get right, read it, then do the practice questions at the end of it. This is really good because it means instead of taking a ton of practice tests and screwing up the same questions over and over again you'll be able to really focus and get some intense practice on the ones you're messing up immediately after reviewing how to answer them.
From there you can find more practice questions in the tests they give you or online, again focus on the parts that you aren't as good at.
The GRE is a pretty easy test that is pretty much the old school SAT except with a different scoring system and the set of questions with the "A is bigger than B" "B is bigger than A" "the same size" "none of these" batch of questions in Math. In the GRE, you're taking it on a computer and depending if you get a question right or wrong, the next one will be harder or easier. This is where you can really get yourself fucked. If you get a bunch wrong in a row, you've basically just ruined your score and you can sometimes tell if you are getting the harder questions. So basically I think your score starts at like 400 and builds/declines from the first question to the last. This is both for vocab sections and math.
I studied for the GRE for about a month I think. I went overkill on it because I could. I don't remember what I got in vocab, but in math I got a 780/800. The math is very VERY basic math. There is no Trig, only Algebra and basic Geometry. The only "hard" math questions are the ones with the graphs because you need to fully understand what info the graph is giving you and what it isn't. Like I said, I can't remember what I got in reading but it was like 620 (damn vocab, so dumb).
Basically... the GRE is the SAT. If you told a highschool kid who scored high on the SAT to take the GRE the next day he/she would probably get the same score (excluding essays) which is why I think the test is really stupid. The essays are also stupid easy and have a basic formula setup where you could just plug in words if you wanted. The essays give you like an argument and you have to take a side. There is only ONE side you can correctly take for the most part. I actually scored higher in my GRE then my SATs (this is pre big SAT changes that happened in like 04 or 05).
don't sweat it. Get a Kaplan book or a Princeton review book. Do the whole book and have the test scheduled like a day or two after. Do some warm ups before taking the test and you'll be fine.