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GRE Strut

CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
edited August 2006 in Strut Central
So, yeah, I need to start studying for these. I have always done well in school, but never on standardized tests. My math skills leave a lot to be desired. Who here has taken these and what are some good cost effective ways to study? I can't really afford a tutor, but I could probably swing some books.

  Comments

  • rkwparkrkwpark 915 Posts
    im not what you call booksmart or a good test taker but when i took these like 5 years ago, i just studied the sample questions in the booklet/pamphlet and found some sample tests online.

    from what i remember, the test was on a computer at least i think it was... remember to be familiar with the formats, the time allotment and maybe get one of those princeton review books. i dont know if the gre tests have changed since but good luck.

    btw, i scored fairly okay consdering the amount of time i put in. are you trying to get into teaching? masters?

    -rich
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    im not what you call booksmart or a good test taker but when i took these like 5 years ago, i just studied the sample questions in the booklet/pamphlet and found some sample tests online.

    from what i remember, the test was on a computer at least i think it was... remember to be familiar with the formats, the time allotment and maybe get one of those princeton review books. i dont know if the gre tests have changed since but good luck.

    btw, i scored fairly okay consdering the amount of time i put in. are you trying to get into teaching? masters?

    -rich

    I need it for a masters program.
  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    My advice. Study for and take sample tests under adverse conditions. Take tests in a busy library, a bookstore cafe, small tables, big tables, loud places, cold places, hot places. Also, find out what you are deficient in and concentrate on that area. Even if you score well overall, you need to concentrate on your weaknesses. Just taking tests and scoring well is comforting but it can also be a way to avoid what really needs attention because it makes you feel good about your score but avoids the unpleasant task of focusing on what your missing. But really, the adverse conditions thing is key. I studied for my LSATS always at a big table in my home, or at a library with a big table, and the day of the test I had to sit in one of those tiny plastic chairs with the folding arm writing tablet and it totally threw me.
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    My advice. Study for and take sample tests under adverse conditions. Take tests in a busy library, a bookstore cafe, small tables, big tables, loud places, cold places, hot places. Also, find out what you are deficient in and concentrate on that area. Even if you score well overall, you need to concentrate on your weaknesses. Just taking tests and scoring well is comforting but it can also be a way to avoid what really needs attention because it makes you feel good about your score but avoids the unpleasant task of focusing on what your missing. But really, the adverse conditions thing is key. I studied for my LSATS always at a big table in my home, or at a library with a big table, and the day of the test I had to sit in one of those tiny plastic chairs with the folding arm writing tablet and it totally threw me.


    I remember when I took the SAT in high school and it was the morning after my birthday. I was hung over and a little stoned. I woke up with a cold took some meds which made me have to piss really bad, but I had to wait for a break between sections. I could not focus on anything. That shit was a long time ago, and I don't plan on getting drunk the night before my GRE's.
  • JoeMojoJoeMojo 720 Posts
    I think I used the Princeton Review books... pretty decent, they included a paper test, online test, and CDROM test.

    The verbal section has its own weird logic. Make sure and read the explanation in the study book.

    Make sure and do the practice tests timed. My biggest problem was running out of time on the math section. The math isn't difficult, but if you get hung up on one problem you're going to have to hustle to finish the remaining questions.
  • JoeMojoJoeMojo 720 Posts
    Oh, and ask tripledouble, he killed it...
  • hemolhemol 2,578 Posts
    I wish I could have afforded those multi-thousand dollar kaplan courses, but I used one of the books. It was alright, until I got to the math section and there questions that were formatted enitrely different. I definitely freaked out and felt like i was gonna throw up. I wound up just filling in answers on the last ten or so questions. My advice: be prepared for total fill-in-the-blank math stuff; be prepared for algebra and geometry; get a book that does just vocabulary--THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT. I consider my knowledge of vocabulary far above average standards, but some of the stuff on the GRE's blew my fucking mind.

    Also, make sure you figure out the deadline for the schools that you're applying to and make sure that your scores will arrive in time. I suggest that you also make a list of reporting codes, and be aware that you have to pay extra to report to more than 3 or 4 schools--or maybe it's five, but you get the point.
  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    I wish I could have afforded those multi-thousand dollar kaplan courses, but I used one of the books. It was alright, until I got to the math section and there questions that were formatted enitrely different. I definitely freaked out and felt like i was gonna throw up. I wound up just filling in answers on the last ten or so questions. My advice: be prepared for total fill-in-the-blank math stuff; be prepared for algebra and geometry; get a book that does just vocabulary--THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT. I consider my knowledge of vocabulary far above average standards, but some of the stuff on the GRE's blew my fucking mind.

    Also, make sure you figure out the deadline for the schools that you're applying to and make sure that your scores will arrive in time. I suggest that you also make a list of reporting codes, and be aware that you have to pay extra to report to more than 3 or 4 schools--or maybe it's five, but you get the point.


    I took Kaplan and scored two points WORSE on the actual exam than on the diagnostic I took the very first day of class. Total waste.
  • hsulu_nationhsulu_nation 110 Posts
    I've taken and taught a GRE course and I think they are kind of pointless. Or at the very least not cost-efficient. Especially since some of the companies give you sample exams they've designed to illustrate their zillion-dollar techniques. My advice is just to go through as many actual game-worn exams as possible, hone up on the skill sets that are lagging, etc. Save your simoleons.

    I had the chance to participate in a grad admission cycle once and unless you just completely and utterly shit the bed on the GRE, that actual score matters less than the other components of the package (your personal statement, letters, etc.) ...
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts


    Also, make sure you figure out the deadline for the schools that you're applying to and make sure that your scores will arrive in time. I suggest that you also make a list of reporting codes, and be aware that you have to pay extra to report to more than 3 or 4 schools--or maybe it's five, but you get the point.

    I am not planning to go back to school untill 2008 because my fiance is going back now and one of us needs to work. I am just trying to be really proactive about the GREs because I know for me that will be the toughest part.
  • dreas_heardrumsdreas_heardrums 686 Posts


    I took Kaplan and scored two points WORSE on the actual exam than on the diagnostic I took the very first day of class. Total waste.

    haha...nice.

    i work for kaplan. holler at me if you need some securities or insurance materials
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