Need to take the GRE test, how should I prepare?

[OneOfTheseDays]

For those who have already taken this and done well, I need to take this test before next year. Just the general test, not any specific subject oriented part of it is required.

How should I prepare for this one? Just buy a prep book and have at it, go take a prep course? How hard is this test?

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Depends on a lot of factors. What do you want to study in grad school? Are you looking at MS/A or PhD programs? What are the typical scores of previously admitted students? How do you usually fare on standardized tests?

If you're looking into humanities/liberal arts programs, they'll want high verbal scores and might not give two shits about your quantitative score. Sciences usually like high quantitative scores with solid verbal scores. MS/A programs usually don't demand scores as high as those of PhD programs.

Keep in mind that high scores on the GRE won't get you admitted to a program, but low scores will get you rejected. That is, a good GPA, a good undergraduate program from a good school, good letters of recommendation, and relevant experience (like undergraduate research in the sciences) usually count for a hell of a lot more than the GRE. If you went to a less rigorous school, high GRE scores can illustrate that you made the best of your opportunities. But low GRE scores can indicate that while you might work hard for good grades, you simply won't cut it at the graduate level.

And unless you're considering huge programs that will treat you as a completely faceless applicant, I can't overemphasize the impression an impressive personal visit can make.

 

[Brainonska511]

I just used a prep book with some of the online practice tests that came with the book.

 

[mrjminer]

For those who have already taken this and done well, I need to take this test before next year. Just the general test, not any specific subject oriented part of it is required.

How should I prepare for this one? Just buy a prep book and have at it, go take a prep course? How hard is this test?

You should really get the information straight from the college on this. They'll have a lot of resources available and those should give you a good idea of what you should acquire independently.

Also, look for graduate student employees. They probably wouldn't mind taking five minutes to give you a quick idea and study material/prep recommendations.

 

[esun]

If you're in math/science/engineering, take a practice test or two, then go in and ace the quantitative portion. Get anything decent on the verbal stuff and you'll be fine. If you're not in math/science/engineering, memorize as many words as you can and get 700+ on the verbal section. Ignore the quantitative section.

 

[postmortemIA]

Apparently foreigners can buy books with actual solutions...

 

[preslove]

Get as many practice tests as you can find. The sort of places that allow you to download free movies, music, and software also have GRE practice test software...

 

[Brainonska511]

Get as many practice tests as you can find. The sort of places that allow you to download free movies, music, and software also have GRE practice test software...

Really? Advocating stealing practice test software?

Just pick up a review book or two. Princeton Review includes 5 practice tests online with their GRE book.

 

[GregGreen]

I just took two practice tests from the review book I got and that did enough to get me into all the programs I applied to.

 

[RedCOMET]

Get a prep guide and read it over. do the exercises in the book. What I did was read a study guide and do the practice problems in the book and on the cd that came with the book. I also did online practice drills and full length test. I did my best to learn vocab words, but I focused more on my strengths which was the quant section and the response essays.

Also, goes without saying.. for what ever grad school you apply to, make sure you have good references and even better essays.

 

[Leros]

If you're in math/science/engineering, take a practice test or two, then go in and ace the quantitative portion. Get anything decent on the verbal stuff and you'll be fine. If you're not in math/science/engineering, memorize as many words as you can and get 700+ on the verbal section. Ignore the quantitative section.

This is true. If you're in science/engineering, most of the grad students are foreign and don't even know English too great so colleges don't generally look at it. The math section is 8th grade Algebra I questions, so you'll ace it if you do any math at all. The free practice prep online should be enough to make you feel confident that you don't need any other prep.

If you're not science/engineering, I have no idea.

 

[Elbryn]

go to the library. do a search for gre books. check out the ones that fit the most current exam. read. take tests. if there are a couple you like, dont return them and pay the fine. it's still cheaper to pay the fines than it is to buy the book typically.

 

[SP33Demon]

Give yourself at least 3-4 months to prepare. I used Kaplan Vocab in a Box + 2010 Princeton Review (learn tricks that improve speed) + ETS's Powerprep software (especially for math). Master those and you'll be fine.

 

[bignateyk]

I did about the same on the GRE as I did on the SAT. Almost perfect on math, and mediocre on verbal. I didn't study at all (for either).

 

[tatteredpotato]

The math (quantitative section) is designed to test your though process more than your knowledge. All the math is high school level, so just make sure you know your basic trig identities and whatnot. Get some practice tests to look over to know what to expect too. I didn't do much of any preparing and I got a 790 on that section. The verbal is much more difficult (IMO) with a lot of obscure words that I didn't know. Only got about a 450 on that section, however my major (EE) the verbal isn't much of a factor.

 

[bignateyk]

The math (quantitative section) is designed to test your though process more than your knowledge. All the math is high school level, so just make sure you know your basic trig identities and whatnot. Get some practice tests to look over to know what to expect too. I didn't do much of any preparing and I got a 790 on that section. The verbal is much more difficult (IMO) with a lot of obscure words that I didn't know. Only got about a 450 on that section, however my major (EE) the verbal isn't much of a factor.

That's pretty much exactly what I got. Honestly, I thought that it was pretty similar to the SAT in terms of difficulty. The math wasn't any harder, and I suck at verbal anyway, so who knows on that. (im also an EE)

 

[tatteredpotato]

Also keep in mind that the computer based test gives questions based on your performance. This means if you miss an easy question or two at the beginning, you may never see some of the more difficult ones. This means that it hurts you much more to miss early questions than late ones.

At least thats how the test was explained to me.

 

[tokie]

For verbal, get a giant word list with flashcards and go to town for 2 months. This is where I made my mistake and took it easy.

For quantitative, get one of the review books which cover all the necessary stuff you need to know. Do problems of every type for a few weeks and you are set.

When this is all done, do the 2 computer practice tests to see where you need to study more. I ended up getting 800Q/600V, but I should have practiced much harder for the verbal since I likely needed a 700+. There is just no way you can study for the verbal in a few weeks, you need a few months.

 

[datalink7]

I just came across an opportunity that I can apply for but I need to take the GRE.

I literally just got word of this on Wednesday. Application is due no later than 15 December.

I'm about to go on vacation for two weeks to Spain come Monday.

I know you can only take one test in a 30 day period. What is the best way I should approach this?

I could:

1) Take a test at the end of this month after I get back from Spain. I would only have about a week of prep-time. After seeing how I do and what I need to study on, I could schedule another test for the end of November.

2) Schedule just one test for the end of November and put in max study time for that one test.

Also, since I will only have 4-6 weeks max to study, what is the best way I can approach this?