Taking GRE tomorrow, haven't really prepared. Am I screwed?

[Leros]

I was meaning to look over some of the GRE review materials this weekend, but life got in the way. I haven't had time to sit down for more than a few minutes until now.

How hard is this test?

I'm about to start looking at some review materials, but obviously not for too long.

 

[cheezy321]

si.

Just dont study and refresh the front page of ATOT all night. its way more productive.

 

[Brainonska511]

It's not necessarily hard, but you have to pace yourself properly. Practice would have helped a lot.

Math: Don't spend too much time doing computations.
Verbal: Process of elimination can be a big help here
Writing: whatever

 

[Stev]

Depends on what you need from it and how naturally talented you are at tests. I needed moderate scores and I'm moderately okay at these things so I got what I needed. Good luck!

 

[Leros]

Depends on what you need from it and how naturally talented you are at tests. I needed moderate scores and I'm moderately okay at these things so I got what I needed. Good luck!

On the SAT 4 years I made a 730 on the English and a 780 on the math. I've been doing computer engineering for the past 4 years so my English vocabulary has dropped and I'm afraid I might have forgotten some of the basic math that will be on this test.

 

[Schadenfroh]

General GRE is easy, just remember your high school math after all of those years of linear algebra and advanced calculus.

Now if you are taking a subject area GRE, then yes... you are screwed.

 

[Zebo]

General GRE is easy, just remember your high school math after all of those years of linear algebra and advanced calculus.

Now if you are taking a subject area GRE, then yes... you are screwed.

Pretty much.

 

[FoBoT]

it depends

do you know the answers





or not

 

[GeneValgene]

On the SAT 4 years I made a 730 on the English and a 780 on the math. I've been doing computer engineering for the past 4 years so my English vocabulary has dropped and I'm afraid I might have forgotten some of the basic math that will be on this test.

you should be fine. if you want, just take one practice test using that powerprep software they give you just to get a feel for the format and directions.

 

[Jeff7]

Remember to bring a 6" kitchen knife.

 

[Bibble]

Not necessarily. As GeneValgene said, go through the power prep software. If you remember algebra and geometry from high school you won't have any issues with the math section. You have to to have a superior vocabulary to do really well on the verbal (I think I got about a 630 or so and that was 90&#37.

Good luck.

 

[Leros]

you should be fine. if you want, just take one practice test using that powerprep software they give you just to get a feel for the format and directions.

Powerprep won't run on Vista

I guess I'll set up an XP VM really quick

 

[jagec]

Nope, just out a hundred-and-whatever dollars, worst-case scenario. Take it again in a week if you don't like your score.

Math is cake for anyone technically minded, although I'm sure that it sucks if you're liberal arts and haven't taken a class in years. If you have an engineering degree and miss more than a couple of questions on the math section, you should just tear up your degree.

Verbal is indeed tricky. If you read a lot you'll do fine, but remember that the first few questions are somewhat more important than the last ones.

Writing...I'm not even sure if grad schools look at that.

Really your letters of recommendation are more important. Just re-take the GRE if you blow it.

 

[Brainonska511]

Nope, just out a hundred-and-whatever dollars, worst-case scenario. Take it again in a week if you don't like your score.

Math is cake for anyone technically minded, although I'm sure that it sucks if you're liberal arts and haven't taken a class in years. If you have an engineering degree and miss more than a couple of questions on the math section, you should just tear up your degree.

Verbal is indeed tricky. If you read a lot you'll do fine, but remember that the first few questions are somewhat more important than the last ones.

Writing...I'm not even sure if grad schools look at that.

Really your letters of recommendation are more important. Just re-take the GRE if you blow it.

Just FYI, you can only take it once a month.

 

[Leros]

Really your letters of recommendation are more important. Just re-take the GRE if you blow it.

This is the last chance to take it for me, so I have to do decent.

Sadly I can't get any good letters of recommendations. I haven't built up relationships with any of my professors. I never needed to, until now.

 

[jagec]

Just FYI, you can only take it once a month.

Fine, a month. Wasn't paying attention to that part.

 

[Leros]

I just did a powerprep test.

I got a 760 on the quantitative, I sort of rushed myself though.

I only did part of the verbal so I'm not sure. The vocabulary was a bit difficult, there were several words I didn't know the meaning of.

 

[zinfamous]

depends.

the math is 9th grade algebra/geometry. maybe some trig?

the vocabulary can be rough.

the trick to the GRE is knowing how to answer the questions, not so much the material. that's how you should focus your studying when you go to prepare to take it a 2nd time.

 

[zinfamous]

This is the last chance to take it for me, so I have to do decent.

Sadly I can't get any good letters of recommendations. I haven't built up relationships with any of my professors. I never needed to, until now.

damn. why did you let yourself fuck yourself over like that?

I would have punched myself before I stumbled into a no-contact situation like that

 

[Leros]

damn. why did you let yourself fuck yourself over like that?

I would have punched myself before I stumbled into a no-contact situation like that

I never needed to go to office hours or anything along the lines of that. I went to class, did my work, and made good grades.

It never occurred to me that I would need relationships for recommendation letters for grad school. It wasn't until recently that I was planning on going to graduate school right after graduating.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

if i were in your position, even if i took the practice tests and did well, i wouldnt take it without doing a couple months of studying/practice tests

 

[OverVolt]

What is the GRE?

 

[Leros]

What is the GRE?

Its an entrance exam for getting into grad school. Almost exactly like the SAT.

 

[SandEagle]

GRE is fairly easy IMO. i took it without studying one bit for it and got the score i needed to get into a PhD program.

let us know how it goes and good luck

 

[MrMatt]

I was meaning to look over some of the GRE review materials this weekend, but life got in the way. I haven't had time to sit down for more than a few minutes until now.

How hard is this test?

I'm about to start looking at some review materials, but obviously not for too long.

it's the same as the SAT's, with a written portion at the end to assess your logic & ability to argue a point. I didn't study for that portion and got a 6.0 (out of 6). The math section is identical to the SAT's, If you did fine on that, you should get at least a 700 on the GRE's. The english section is a crapshoot. In practice tests I got anywhere from a 590 to a 780. Not even joking.