Applying students- have you taken the GRE yet?

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I have been preparing my applications for a few months but I have so much on my plate I haven't looked at the GRE yet. I definitively need to take it and am wondering how long most people studied for it. I'm currently taking 2 classes and working 45+ hrs. Is the GRE difficult or basically like the SAT? I'm trying to see if I can take it mid-November if I start studying end of this month.

I would buy one of those practice books with some practice tests so that you can do some problems in the beginning and determine how much you will need to study. I think you'll need to study a good amount so you feel comfortable with the math. For the verbal section, i didn't think the tutorials are much help. I just took the time to study all vocab list and did some practice questions. The practice questions are good to do (and look at the answer explanations) so you are familiar with what kind of questions they ask and how the makers of the GRE think. This may sound weird but I would also practice reading faster. I got a 149 the first time i took the verbal section then I got a 158. My practice with reading faster and still understanding what the passage is saying I think really helped me.

Thanks! I bought a few books including one solely for Math so hopefully I don't get too bad of a score.

Kaplan offers free online tests that include the math and verbal, but not the analytical essay. They do an introduction where they offer testing tips and then you take the test in sections. It does a pretty good job of giving you the feel of test day. They also offer a free session online called "The Tough Stuff," which has some of the harder questions and they give you strategies for dealing with them. If nothing else, it can help you feel comfortable with the testing format and let you know how much test-taking endurance you'll need.

Also, practice writing a couple of the essays. 30 minutes for each essay seems like a lot of time, but it was a little short for me.

I got pretty hungry during the test, too, even though I ate a big breakfast. The 10 minute break halfway through was barely enough time to run to the restroom and a vending machine.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by daedal

Kaplan offers free online tests that include the math and verbal, but not the analytical essay. They do an introduction where they offer testing tips and then you take the test in sections. It does a pretty good job of giving you the feel of test day. They also offer a free session online called "The Tough Stuff," which has some of the harder questions and they give you strategies for dealing with them. If nothing else, it can help you feel comfortable with the testing format and let you know how much test-taking endurance you'll need.

Also, practice writing a couple of the essays. 30 minutes for each essay seems like a lot of time, but it was a little short for me.

I got pretty hungry during the test, too, even though I ate a big breakfast. The 10 minute break halfway through was barely enough time to run to the restroom and a vending machine.

Good luck!

Thank you for the tips! I will definitely check out the site so I know what area to study more in depth. Now that applications are due I am getting really nervous and feel unprepared but i have to apply! ha

You need to identify your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the test. Personally, I am a horrible standardized test taker and I get really bad anxiety. Therefore, I knew I had to practice practice practice.

I spent about 3 months studying for it. For the vocab, I got Kaplan's vocab book and pretty much memorized as many vocab words as possible. For the quant section, I found Barron's GRE book extremely helpful. As for the writing section, I went to ETS' website and I printed out every single issue essay possibility and grouped the similar ones together. Then I would practice writing out essays and post them to forums for other people to grade. In total, I spent about $80 on practice material.

The number 1 tip I would give is to practice taking the test. My library offers free GRE tests to practice on, plus Barrons gives you CD-ROMS with 2 free tests to practice on.

Most importantly, relax and breath. It's not that difficult. If you did well on your SAT, I suspect you have the test taking skills to do stellar on the GRE.

Originally Posted by Marie1441

You need to identify your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the test. Personally, I am a horrible standardized test taker and I get really bad anxiety. Therefore, I knew I had to practice practice practice.

I spent about 3 months studying for it. For the vocab, I got Kaplan's vocab book and pretty much memorized as many vocab words as possible. For the quant section, I found Barron's GRE book extremely helpful. As for the writing section, I went to ETS' website and I printed out every single issue essay possibility and grouped the similar ones together. Then I would practice writing out essays and post them to forums for other people to grade. In total, I spent about $80 on practice material.

The number 1 tip I would give is to practice taking the test. My library offers free GRE tests to practice on, plus Barrons gives you CD-ROMS with 2 free tests to practice on.

Most importantly, relax and breath. It's not that difficult. If you did well on your SAT, I suspect you have the test taking skills to do stellar on the GRE.

Thanks. I have the Kaplan GRE, Cracking the GRE Princeton review and a math review from Cliff Notes. Gonna study as much as I can!

I was working full time and volunteering part time when I studied for the GREs. I studied on and off for the entire summer before I took the GRE and then I took it right before I went back to school. Even if you're good at verbal tests, study for the GRE because that is my strong point but a huge part of it is vocabulary and a lot of it can be very obscure. I also would start out with an easy book so you don't get discouraged in your studying and then work your way to a harder book. I think I would have been more motivated to study in the beginning if I hadn't started with a really hard book. I chose the Norton prep course for their hard math section, the Barron's flash cards, and the Princeton Review book as my easy book.

I used the flashcard sets on quizlet.com for vocabulary. Took two practice tests. One online through Princeton Review's website and one through ETS itself. And took practice writing sections with the E-rater. About one month of half-hearted studying and one month of hard core studying. Like 15-30 minutes on vocabulary every night.

My Quantitative and Verbal were both in the 160s, but my Analytical Writing only came out as a 4.

Princeton Review Cracking the GRE was helpful, but I didn't really have time to read the whole book.

Originally Posted by CurlyHairedGirl

I used the flashcard sets on quizlet.com for vocabulary. Took two practice tests. One online through Princeton Review's website and one through ETS itself. And took practice writing sections with the E-rater. About one month of half-hearted studying and one month of hard core studying. Like 15-30 minutes on vocabulary every night.

My Quantitative and Verbal were both in the 160s, but my Analytical Writing only came out as a 4.

Princeton Review Cracking the GRE was helpful, but I didn't really have time to read the whole book.

Thanks. I am giving myself a couple of months. I went to the SMU info session and they said that they weren't looking at the writing part.