Have any of my lovely, wonderful, talented contacts or other R&S regulars and irregulars ever taken the GRE?

Question

I realize this question is better suited elsewhere, but I just like R&S better so I'm putting it here. :)

Have any of you taken the GRE? How'd it go? Can you give any advice to a girl preparing to take it?

I'm not at all worried about the analytic/verbal parts, but the last time I took a math class was in high school, seven years ago. Any suggestions of reading material, or maybe even a website with exercises I can do to brush up? Thanks.

Answer 1

I took the GRE general test in May of this year with decent results, at least decent enough for someone notoriously bad at standardized tests. Like you, I wasn’t too concerned with the Verbal and Analytical portions, so I concentrated on Math and vocabulary. Now, I regret not taking preparation for Analytical writing seriously.

Regrets aside, I suggest buying a guidebook to help you become familiar with the type of questions on the GRE. Personally, I prefer Barron’s guide; I think the questions are harder than on the exam. However, the Kaplan guide is far less intimidating and offers clearer methods for tackling the questions. I used both and merged their advice in my notes.

Like you, I hadn’t studied Math in ages. I picked up The Ultimate Math Refresher for the GRE, GMAT, and SAT to get started. Although this book is lean on description, it gets right to the point with clear explanations on mathematical principles. I found the sections on geometry particularly useful, given it was my worse subject in grade school. Combine this guide with the tips on handling GRE quantitative questions, and you should do well.

Here’s some general advice.

-Study consistently. Try to study every day. Take flashcards with you and review them in your spare moments.

-Focus on your weakest areas. If you don’t like, say, word problems, you probably need to study them and study them and study them. If your weak area is fractions, you should spend more time with fractions than building your vocabulary or working on analogies.

-Test yourself under the GRE conditions. Get some practice exams and see how you do within the time constraints. By the day of the test, you’ll know how to stay focused and keep a steady pace without burning out early.

-On test day, bring a snack. I suggest something healthful without a lot of sugar. You don’t want to crash out during an impressively long reading comprehension passage on meteorites or the French Revolution, do you?

-Be aware of any changes to the test. I know that ETS planned on implemented new changes to the test soon, and this might condition how you approach your study.

-You might want to try this website: 800score.com. I hear this helps test takers get good results.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Answer 2

Yes.
Study the Math...Study it all. Get a Kaplan or Princeton Review book and expect to score better than the test scores you (their books sell their courses.) It had been oh gods...15 years since I took the level of Math that's on the GRE, and you forget stuff...especially if, like me, you were doing Calculus et al, not algebra.

And here's some advice. I got a T on the MCAT writing sample (99.9 percentile.) I scored "average" on the GRE writing sample (Which my gradadvisor thought was hillarious.)
It is possible to OVERWRITE your GRE essay. If your discussion of an argument includes any Latin, you will score lower...so even if it IS argumentum ad nauseum, don't say so.

If my Ph.D program didn't take my MCATs, too, I would've taken it again just for the writing sample.

Oh...and I used a Kaplan (I think) CDRom to study the math, and it gave you 20 minutes...when I got to the real GRE, it seemed like I had YEARS to study each question.

Answer 3

I didn't find the GRE particularly challenging. They realize not everyone is coming from a math background. I took one stat class in college and did just fine.

I used The GRE For Dummies and I think a Kaplan GRE book that someone gave me.

I also just happened upon this one while looking up the books I had:
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Math-Refresher-GRE-GMAT/dp/0967759404/ref=pd_bbs_sr_6/102-1181218-8236910?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192115991&sr=8-6

I also did the practice tests on the GRE website.

Answer 4

Yes I took the GRE in 1989. Aced the verbal/English part. Not one error, believe it ot not. My daughter was pleasantly shocked. Did not do so well ( ha ha) in the math part, but my grad. school major did not call for expertise in numbers. I recommend that you study very hard, which I did for several months. I'm sure that others can recommend a helpful website. Good luck!

Answer 5

Back when I took it there was no history questions (insert rim shot here). The test may very well have changed, for me the toughest questions were "If Jane enjoys Bach but not Bachman Turner Overdrive and Joan enjoys hot dogs but hates dachshunds what is Judy's mother's maiden name?"

There are prep courses to take, but this takes lots of time and money. I bought a book of sample practice tests. This will give you good preparation. Be sure to do the practice tests just like you will be taking the tests. Make sure you time yourself, and set aside time with no distractions to take the test.

Good luck!

Answer 6

I'm preparing to take it too.

The GRE website has some free review materials. Here's a link to the math stuff.

I'm not good at the verbal because I can't remember big words.

Answer 7

There are actually a lot of helpful practice websites that you can take practice exams on for free. Don't waste your money on the books and what not because there literally are countless of other resources that are just as helpful and cost nothing.
I've not taken the GRE.. I can't bring myself to do it - mainly because the idea of tacking on student loans for another 3 years makes me snarl.

Answer 8

I don't Have a Suggestion, but I Have, I Remember Only a Score From an Additional Biology Subject Test.

Answer 9

I took a Kaplan practice test and bombed it due to the math portion. That gave me the last push I needed to take the LSAT and go to law school instead.

My suggestion is to take a timed practice test to see where your weaknesses actually are. It might turn out that your math score would be great except for one or two concepts, and you should focus on those.

Answer 10

I had to take it years ago to get into grad school. There was a study guide back then, I used it and it really helped me brush up and do well. You can get one at Barnes and Noble (and such bookstores). I think it's worth it.