Has anyone taken the GRE test recently?

Question

I need to take this test next fall semester since I will be graduating in May of 2008 and plan to go on to graduate school for psychology. I have heard that this test is brutal, but nothing specific about what kind of questions are on the test. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what types of questions they ask and if there are any books or websites I could visit to prefer for the test.

Thanks!

Answer 1

A lot of what makes it brutal is that its long and you're worried about how you're doing. The questions are not all that different from the SAT, just harder. Everybody who takes the test in the US takes it on a computer now. The questions get progressively harder until you start getting most of them wrong. Once that happens it stays at that level for the remainder of the test. At the end of the test you will be asked whether you want your scores saved. (so if you know you had a horrible day you can bail) Once you choose to save your scores, you will get your quantitative and verbal scores right then. You'll get the whole score (with analytical writing) later.

There are books, which now come with cds with practice tests on them. They will also send you a cd after you register for the test. If you want to play around with a practice test now, the Princeton Review site has practice tests online. There are probably others, but that's the one I used. I'd been out of school for years, took them with pretty minimal prep, and did reasonably well. When I took them the first time, years before while I was in school, I did no prep at all and did much better. The only people I know who did really poorly have learning disabilities or don't take standardized tests well.

I would suggest taking the test in August or early September, rather than later. Grad school application deadlines can be as early as December, so you need to take it early enough to have your scores by then. It'll also just be easier for you if you take it before your fall semester starts or early in the semester, so that you're not worried about the test and senior yr classes at the same time. Good Luck!

Answer 2

Oh, it's not that brutal - just kinda like the SAT or ACT. Overall though, it is very difficult to study for. Either you know the answers or you don't. The hardest part is the vocabulary. They ask you sentence completion questions, and analogies. Several of them are almost impossible to answer correctly unless you have read a whole dictionary. However, it does help to go over common GRE word lists. You might get lucky and recognize a few words on the test. You can get these in the prep books or various sources online.

The math part is fairly easy. Just make sure to review the basic algebra and geometry formulas. If you can do basic college algebra, you should do fairly well.

The writing part can be a little tricky. Look online for writing prompts and practice writing at least 2 essays. The hardest part is managing your time effectively.

I would suggest buying a GRE prep guide from someone like Kaplan. These can be found online and in most bookstores. They will give you helpful hints and practice exams. Most come with online tutorials as well. And make sure to check the GRE website for more practice and tips.

Answer 3

I took the test a long time ago. I didn't consider it "brutal". It was very much like the SAT. You have a verbal section and a math section and also an analytical section, which are logic problems. Get yourself a prep book or some prep software. These are available at any bookstore. You could also sign up for a prep class at a local university. The benefit of the prep class is that you can take some practice tests in the same environment that you will take the real test. Good luck and I bet you do fine.

Answer 4

yeah I taked and I just study for about 1 week