Physics GRE questions...

BlochWave

I guess it's about that time...

I'm two years removed from college as of May (DAMMIT I'm old)

I see my test date choices are October, November, and April of next year. Do you think November is too early if I start studying RFN? I know it's easy to say April to be safe but if I can do it in November, I'd like to do it then. I was a good student and still feel sharp. I see I've got all the way until October to decide if I want to register for that date, but I wanna know if you think it's realistic before I start balls out studying.

I heard the practice book published by ETS or whoever is actually not very helpful, but that was a couple of years ago. Is that still true? I can find sample tests myself, but they're several years old. Anybody take it recently and have any advice or know of any current asking trends? (like they always ask that damned positronium question, I understand). Studying tips, book advice, etc.?

Thanks

Lewisham

I'd do it twice. If it's anything like the Computer Science GRE, it will be brutal.

It may be an idea to not take it at all, if you can avoid it. The CS GRE just hurt my application, and a lot of schools don't make a subject test mandatory.

grungebox

I agree with Lewisham. It's sort of missing the point of your post, but you should see if the programs you're applying for actually require it. For example, Applied Physics at my school doesn't require it, but Physics does. Also, from what my advisor tells me, the international students will generally have you crushed score-wise, based on average year-to-year scores. So if there's a way to not need it, I'd look that way.

That being said, if you are taking it, from what I understand grabbing a few non-standard books also helps. There's a Princeton "Problems and Solutions in Physics" or something like that which is basically their qualifying exam in book form, with solutions. I'll try and remember to ask my labmate who took it what he thought when I get in tomorrow.

HalberdBlue

Forum for the physics GRE in general, which pretty much contains the sum total of the internet's knowledge on the physics GRE: www.physicsgre.com

Website with all 4 released practice tests with answers and explanations on the quickest way to do all of them: http://grephysics.net/ans/

General advice: Something like 60% of the test is introductory level physics at the level of Halliday/Resnick. Most of the modern content is at the level of Beiser. Quantum mechanics goes up through around chapter 5 of Griffiths, with occasional questions on time-independent WKB theory. Know the hydrogen atom and angular momentum like the back of your hand. Electrodynamics goes up through chapter 5 or so of Griffiths, with some content from chapters 7 and 8. Classical mechanics is mostly introductory stuff, with the occasional Lagrangian/Hamiltonian question. Recent Nobel lectures are a common source for questions. Optics at the level of Halliday/Resnick is necessary as well. Knowing the very basics for stuff like particle physics, solid state physics, and astrophysics will snag you a couple of extra points as well.

The key to the test is speed. You have an average of something like 90 seconds per question. You must memorize as many equations as you can, because you won't have time to derive them.

Asiina

I took the psychology GRE and I'm going to assume the general format is similar.

November is not too soon but you definitely need to start now. You'll need to know a basic amount of knowledge of everything. It doesn't look like there's a Kaplan GRE physics book which is a shame, as they're just fantastic. Just use the website to help guide your studying and memorize everything. You don't need to know it well, just memorize it.

As a note, answer every question. You get 1/4 off for each question incorrectly answered, but if you absolutely randomly guess you'll still get roughly 1 in 5 correct. So the one correct answer will balance out the 4 incorrect answers. And chances are there will be very few questions, if any, where you will think all answers are equally possible. You should be able to discount a few right off the bat, giving you a better than average chance of getting it right. They'll try to pressure you not to answer, but answer the questions anyway. The odds are in your favour.

Basically just do every single practice you can get your hands on and use every studying technique you know. Flash cards, word association, acronyms, whatever works for you and just know it forwards and backwards.

God, writing this out makes me so glad that my scores are still good from when I took the GRE before. I don't ever want to take it again.