Any tips on (seriously) boosting my score?

I'd pick up I think its the Kaplan book as well. I didn't use PR, so I assume it was Kaplan, and it was helpful.

Also, learn an intro to psych book cover to cover as well. That's actually probably the best thing, even better than review books. There might be slightly more detail on the exam than in intro, but I think a good intro book will get you at least into the 70th percentile if you know it well. Peter Gray has a good one, though I think most any intro book would do.

For what its worth, I did really well (96th percentile) and would be happy to send you my study outline (although the first couple of chapters of my outline are more random notes and then it gets more organized later). I was a psyc major, but didn't take courses in learning/memory or personality in undergrad.

I took the October test and started studying about 8 weeks before the test. My study schedule went something like this:

Week 1: Read intro psyc textbook, make list of all areas on test that would be covered, found study materials for each (e.g., undergrad notes and textbooks) and bought Kaplan book (not enough breadth) and the Barron's book (good breadth, not enough depth, but has lots of practice exams that are harder than the actual test). Took ETS's practice exam to get a baseline score

Week 2: Wrote outline for areas in which I was strongest (for me it was abnormal, biological, and researchmethods). WHen outlining, I went by topic and picked out the stuff from each resource material that was unfamiliar/did not know and sought to thorougly understand each issue, while detailing new/unfamiliar names and concepts. THings I already knew got written down too, but were not as detailed.

Week 3: still outlining strong areas
Week 4: started outlining weak areas. took 2nd practice test, went through test to understand each question.
Week 5: continued outlining weak areas.
Week 6: more outlining weak areas
Week 7: finished outlining weak areas. took 2 more practice tests in Barrons
Week 8: Spent each night memorizing a different topic on my outline. names/terms etc. Took a practice exam 5 days before test, another one 3 days before test , and then the day before test I reviewed my outline like crazy and then put it away and did not look at it again.

Something that I think was extremely helpful for me was reviewing all my practice exams and keeping a list of concepts that I got wrong/did not know from them. Then I studied that list in addition to my outline.

Its a lot of material but you can do it! PM me if you would like my outline.

That looks like a *great* way to go about studying.

-t

i wasn't a psych major and also scored in the 96th percentile. here was my study method (i posted this in another link):

i studied for several months in this manner:
1. memorized kaplan book
2. took rea practice test and bombed it - 59th percentile
3. frantically read intro psych text book (you can look back to my zillion posts in sept about this).
4. took the ets practice test, but was still around the 65th percentile.
5. read social textbook, memorized terms in the back of the rea book, took the rest of the rea practice tests


Some other things to mention:
1. here's a link for a rea book since not many people mention it:
http://www.amazon.com/GRE-Psychology.../dp/0878915990
Some of the tests were easier and some were harder than the real thing, but my score on my last practice was almost exactly the same as my official score.
2. TAKE A LOT OF PRACTICE TESTS!!! they suck and take hours, but i really think that is the method that helped me the most. not only do you see a lot of questions, but you learn how to skip and guess.
3. if you can elimiate 2 choices, guess. i think part of the reason i scored so low on my beginning tests was because i was skipping too many. just remember, you're smart, and your guess has a good chance of being right!
4. sorry this is so long...

I used Kaplan, Princeton and Arco. I thought Kaplan was the best although each had something the others didn't. I also reviewed my Intro book.

I took all the practice tests I could get my hands on and used them to identify areas of weakness. I typed up all the questions I missed (with correct answers, of course) and studied those. I looked stuff up online if I didn't understand the abbreviated version of something in a study guide.

I studied the corresponding chapters from the three guides all together and tried to cover one chapter or section a day. I reviewed the material before bedtime since sleep is supposed to help consolidate memories. I worked through the guides cover to cover and then did it all over again.

I studied for about a month, fairly intensively. The time I put in ranged from about an hour a day to four hours. Days when I took practice tests were longer days since they take a couple of hours to do. I would say on average I studied maybe one to two hours a day. It wasn't so bad though because it was concentrated in just a month.

I used both the Kaplan book and the PR book. I definitely though that the Kaplan book was better. The PR book seemed more like a list of terms you should know, with a sentence or two to describe them. In some cases, the definitions were incorrect. Example: PR defined the bogus pipeline as an
"instrument that measures physiological reactions in order to measure the truthfulness of attitude self-reporting". Uh, looks like you missed the "bogus" part of the phrase "bogus pipeline" there, chief.

I thought the Kaplan book was more informitive. It was definitely longer, and written more like a textbook with better descriptions.

I would agree with others that the Kaplan book is a little more thorough than the Princeton Review book, and I don't believe any of the other test prep versions (e.g. Barron's) are worth your time. If you were really reaching for another book, I would go with a good psych text book.

Additionally, here are some things to keep mind:

1) The GRE subject tests are partly about your reading fluency skills. Reading 200 some questions in in less than 3 hours is tough. If you aren't a fast reader or have a reading weakness, it's especially tough. It is easy, when you are reading for speed, to make simple mistakes like missing key words like "don't" or "is not." Plenty of people out there know their stuff well enough to answer many of the questions correctly- but if you can't get through enough of them, or enough of them accurately, it will hurt your score.

2) The GRE subject tests are a formula. 205 - (whatever you skipped) - 1/4(however many you missed)- It can matter less about how much you know, if you know the right amont of questions to answer, if you think they are correct, and how many you can safely guess on. Again, reading fluency comes into play here because if you have barely enough time to get through the questions, good luck trying to sit while the clock tics away and calculate your likely score. If you have plenty of time to take many practice tests, you'll develop a better sense of how many to attempt, how many to skip, and how long it will take you.

3) The Psych GRE is not the deciding factor for admission. If you have a strong GPA, strong general GREs, and good work experience, your psych GRE is just another variable in the mix. Futhermore, it's a little presumptuous to say one bombed the psych GRE at nearly the 60th percentile- it's all relative. It's hard to break a 700 for a lot of people- and for many schools, it doesn't matter that much, nor does every school require it. Even if you take it- you have the option of reporting it- you can send just your general scores if a school doesn't "require" it, especially if it doesn't help you. It's a matter of practice and acquiring the knowledge.

wdd said:

Oh, definitely--unfortunately, I didn't have the sense to cancel my scores ... and my #1 choice wants Psych GREs in the 80th percentile. The good news is that I won't be taking it again till the middle of next year, so I will have plenty more time to prepare.

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You don't have to cancel your scores though- I meant that when you sign up for the test, you don't HAVE to pick four schools to report to initially (although this does save you some money). After you get you scores, then you can choose to report those scores to whichever schools you want- does that make sense? Then, when you contact ETS to send out score reports, you could choose to send only your general scores, if your subject scores were low, and you were applying to schools at which subject scores were optional.

I am applying to several schools that require similar percentiles for the psych GRE, and I don't have score anywhere near the 80th percentile, but I don't care. I can't win them all. And you're right- the good news is that you have lots of time to study. Frankly, I made the psych GRE sort of a low priority because I knew I was better off bumping up my general GREs- my subject test scores suffered some, but I knew it won't be the only thing that keeps me from being admitted.

I'm sure you'll do really well once you get some time to study over the coming year, and you won't have to worry about it anway! Good luck!

This spring I took the test and score 490 with a percentile of 14, and a formula score of 79%. I am dejected with my poor score yet at the same time more confused what this formula score means? Can anyone please explain asap?

I did my masters about 20 years back and have been teaching psychology as adjunct faculty since 1987, I don't have the time to retake the exam this year, can anyone suggest, if I qualify for a decent PhD school here?

I am emotionally wrecked and devastated.

Thanks

Albert

Albert Stevens said:

This spring I took the test and score 490 with a percentile of 14, and a formula score of 79%. I am dejected with my poor score yet at the same time more confused what this formula score means? Can anyone please explain asap?

I did my masters about 20 years back and have been teaching psychology as adjunct faculty since 1987, I don't have the time to retake the exam this year, can anyone suggest, if I qualify for a decent PhD school here?

I am emotionally wrecked and devastated.

Thanks

Albert

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I don't know/ can't remember what the formula score refers to, sorry. But, as for getting into a Ph.D program, there are plenty of schools that don't require the Psych Subject GRE even from people who have been out of school for a while. Just don't send your scores.

Thanks a zillion, Killer Diller


Actually my current routine at the college and my family responsibilities have robbed me of a decent preparation time for even GRE general test. I would be thankful to you again, if you suggest schools which offer admission to their PhD programs with no requirements for GRE general as well as GRE subject.

I live in maryland and would ideally opt for a good school around the DC Area. Any school that would give me a full tuition waiver would fit the bill.

Thanks again, hope there are schools out there for working professionals who cant score high in these GRE subject as well as general tests.


Regards

Albert

I would check that out but right now the only time I have is to 10 to 15 minutes of attention span for my GRE and PhD survey. I am sure there must be some schools which don't require GRE from their PhD Candidates. Also, being a novice when it comes to computers and internet is there any website which specifically lists down Schools that offer PhD in Psychology?


Thanks

I owe this forum a lot more, at least I feel am not alone.

Albert Stevens said:

I would check that out but right now the only time I have is to 10 to 15 minutes of attention span for my GRE and PhD survey. I am sure there must be some schools which don't require GRE from their PhD Candidates. Also, being a novice when it comes to computers and internet is there any website which specifically lists down Schools that offer PhD in Psychology?


Thanks

I owe this forum a lot more, at least I feel am not alone.

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Check out the sticky at the top of the thread, there is a map that lists all of the sites.

As for schools not taking the GRE....you won't find any legitimate programs that waive it. Everyone knows the GRE isn't that great of a measure, but they still use it as another data point to compare applicants. Supposedly The Wright Institute doesn't consider it for admissions, but they still use the data for their outcome #'s.....though YMMV, as this was what they did when I applied (5ish years ago).

Yeah, I don't know of any funded Ph.D/Psy.D programs that don't require the general GRE, sorry. On the other hand, the good news is that many/most such programs don't require the psych GRE. I know that only 2 of the many schools I applied to required it a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, I didn't end up applying around the DC area and don't know much about any of the programs around there. Your best bet will be to look at individual schools' websites to read about their GRE requirements and average scores.

Thanks Again Killer Diller and Therapist for Change

I owe you guys a big thanks, am overworked and have little time to even rest and I feel, an admission to a decent Psychology school for a PhD can help me get me out of the current tough situation, I would look forward to any school who would admit me to their PhD program with min of GRE Scores. I would request you people,what is the min level of acceptance for a Psychology School in Maryland area. I had a GPA of 3.6 when I did my masters and I know my GRE wont be more than the min score of say 900. So any chance, what do you say?

Thanks again

Why don't you look at programs that don't use cutoffs? I'm pretty sure that both the University of Kansas and the University of Seattle don't use them.

Thankyou very much cara susanna

I would look into these programs but was ideally looking for a maryland or any place near maryland where I can at least drive back to my home over the weekend.

Thanks again for your help and support, I love you guys and I owe you a big one.

Markp said:

Judging from what I experienced, University of Kansas picks top applicants and that includes GRE scores. It's certainly not the only metric they use but you better have an otherwise stellar application.

Mark

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Right. I'm applying to some programs that profess not to use cutoffs, but then you look at accepted student data and they still have GRE scores above 1200.

cara susanna said:

Right. I'm applying to some programs that profess not to use cutoffs, but then you look at accepted student data and they still have GRE scores above 1200.

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Yeah, what's up with that? I spoke to the dean of our graduate school about this and he said that programs will say that to not discourage students from applying that don't meet a certain cut-off point but have other strong credentials. I still wonder how much truth that holds. It is amusing to see a program that states, "we don't use strict cut-offs for quantitative measures (i.e. GRE, GPA)..." but the average GRE for the past 6 years is 1350 and GPA 3.8... I really like full disclosure data.

myelin said:

Yeah, what's up with that? I spoke to the dean of our graduate school about this and he said that programs will say that to not discourage students from applying that don't meet a certain cut-off point but have other strong credentials. I still wonder how much truth that holds. It is amusing to see a program that states, "we don't use strict cut-offs for quantative measures (i.e. GRE, GPA)..." but the average GRE for the past 6 years is 1350 and GPA 3.8... I really like full disclosure data.

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It's not like it's hypocritical of schools to do this. Just because they don't toss out your application right away for having a combined GRE of <1000 doesn't mean they don't look at your scores at all.

KillerDiller said:

It's not like it's hypocritical of schools to do this. Just because they don't toss out your application right away for having a combined GRE of <1000 doesn't mean they don't look at your scores at all.

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Yes I see your point, but what does it mean to not have a cut-off point for quantitative measures of aptitude when the scores of those accepted are clearly above a certain point year after year? If you have n=8 accepted students and their average V+Q is 1350 and the median is 1400, what does that tell you about how the majority of those students who were accepted scored? But still, we don't have SDs so we can't fully interpret the means. We don't know if there are outliers in there (a GRE of 1000 being pulled up by a 1600?). So I'm not sure what is happening, but still, I find it interesting.

wdd said:

Totally--what I was saying, though, is that I didn't opt out (by crossing the school codes out on my registration sheet) of sending my first test's scores to the four schools I had listed when I registered for the test. Next time, I'll refrain from picking any schools, then send the results in my app if they've greatly improved. Sorry if I wasn't very clear.

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i read an intro to psych book back and forth, checked out the zimbardo videos on the history of psych and the mit intro audio lectures when i was at the gym, eating lunch at my computer, doing dishes, and then went through the princeton review book. i learn best when i combine reading and note taking with audio or hands on experiments, so reinforcing my studying though the audio materials (easy to find on google) really helped the material to stick.

i did this in 3 weeks (20+ hrs a week) due to poor timing on my part of my regular gre in oct and then the november psych right after (this years applicants --DO NOT DO THIS! space your gres out i was way stressed!) and i got a 730 -- i think 90th or 91st percentile.

also, i learned how this test is scored, and since i finished the question before time up, i went through my answers and did a rough scoring, so i could see if i wanted to report my score. my official score ended up being higher than what i estimated (i think i estimated a 680) but regardless it helped me make that final nerve-wracking choice.

good luck!

Does anyone know how many questions you can skip without it hurting your score? I think on my practice test, I skipped too many questions, which led to me scoring in the 500s (I hadn't studied yet, either, though).

Markp said:

It tells you that the competition is pretty damn stiff, and often there is no reason for a school to take someone with a poor GRE score when other equally qualified or even more qualified people scored higher than you. That's the reality, you might not like it, but it's the truth. When you go to interviews you'll learn how incredibly well your peers have prepared and the great lengths that they went to in order to assure their acceptance into these programs. I remember how outclassed I felt at a number of interviews and knew that given the company I was keeping that I would be lucky to secure admission anywhere, and my stats were pretty decent.

It's not all about the GRE, but your peers are preparing equally hard, they don't want to fail any more than you do. So if you have a low GRE you better be thinking of how to set yourself apart in a rather extraordinary way. This is a rather brutal wakeup call for some, I know that, I feel for you as you struggle to overcome yet another obstacle to achieving your personal goals. Don't give up, but be realistic and realize that the system is not likely to change... why? Because it appears to work and every year competitive programs have near 0 difficulty filling EVERY slot.

Mark

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This isn't directed toward you Mark, but the GRE doesn't give us much else other than a GRE score. The proof is in the data, located on the ETS website.

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/...toid=b3c146f1674f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD

One study found that 3% of the variance in 2 year graduate student grades could be explained by the GRE. Or if you look at it from ETS's point of view, a study of 12,000 GRE test takers revealed that 12% of the variation in first year graduate student grades could be explained by GRE score.

I have no problem with the GRE being used as another data point, but using the score as a point of decision isn't what the test was made for (as stated by ETS).

myelin said:

This isn't directed toward you Mark, but the GRE doesn't give us much else other than a GRE score. The proof is in the data, located on the ETS website.

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/...toid=b3c146f1674f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD

One study found that 3% of the variance in 2 year graduate student grades could be explained by the GRE. Or if you look at it from ETS's point of view, a study of 12,000 GRE test takers revealed that 12% of the variation in first year graduate student grades could be explained by GRE score.

I have no problem with the GRE being used as another data point, but using the score as a point of decision isn't what the test was made for (as stated by ETS).

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The thing about the GRE is that it is rarely or never a point of decision in favor of applicants, but it is often used as a deciding factor against them. That is, faculty members are not likely to be saying to themselves "My, this applicant scored a 1580 on the GRE, I better interview him/her despite the fact that there is only a very tenuous research match". On the other hand, however, if there are 10 applicants in a given year whose research and experience match with a faculty member, the applicants with the low GREs and GPAs aren't going to make the cut for the interview.

Also, we should keep in mind the limitations of studying the GRE. The data collected for these studies was of admitted applicants who, in all likelihood, had high scores on the GRE, thus truncating the data range. I'd be willing to bet that the predictive power of the test would go up if you could see how the majority of people who score very low on the test would fair in grad school.

Anyway, I guess my last point that is that even though the GRE may not be the most sound metric possible for gaging future success, until an alternative is presented, there is no impetus for schools to use anything else.

Markp said:

Agreed, the GRE by itself only explains a small amount of the variance, but this is a flawed analysis. It suffers from a restricted range issue. Is it surprising that only 12% (or 3%) of the variance is explained in scores ranging from 1200-1400?

Mark

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Dang, beat me to it.

Yes I am aware of the restricted range issue. However, regardless, we still do not know what would happen if PhD programs routinely admitted those with GRE scores of 1100 or less.

Although this isn't apples to apples, we could look at PsyD programs that have been known to admit students with relatively low GRE scores compared to PhD programs. It seems to be a sensitive subject from what I've seen in the past though.

A side note: I was looking through the ETS research and found this article to be of interest. If you've got a few, take a look. The article asks the opinions of graduate school adcom members regarding the GRE and what they look for in a potential graduate student. Contrary to my belief, it's not all about GRE score.

http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/RR-02-08-Walpole.pdf

btw, if anyone in the brooklyn area needs some psych gre prep books (or a verbal gre prep book) and can pick it up lemme know!