GRE - classes, self-study, etc

[simplyjean]

Hey all!
How did you prepare for the GRE? Have you paid for a class at your university or taken a Kaplan GRE class? Did you study by yourself, and if so, what tools did you use? Any favorite test-prep books or websites?
I took the test once already just to see what it is like, and I want to spend next semester doing some serious prep work before I retake it.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thanks

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[farmgirl1992]

I really liked the Manhattan books, they come with an online code for practice exams. I starting by taking a practice exam to see where I was then studied each subject accordingly. I also did tons of practice problems and flashcards. The best thing was to just take practice exams. I think I ended up doing about 10 of them. For the last few I was doing a test "simulation" i.e. using the full time, no breaks, etc....Hope that helps! (My test scores went from the mid 150's to the mid 160's!)

 

[ChittyBang]

I used Princeton Review, Bench Prep and Kaplan on my own, and hope to never have to look at anything GRE related again. I've always been a poor standardized test taker and while my scores went up a nice amount the second time I took the test, I still couldn't break 160. A course may have helped me, but so would have the money needed to take it

 

[equineconstant]

I took a Kaplan class online. It helped me do a lot better on the written, but that doesn't matter at all. It was helpful to see the standardized math stuff again, but what helped most was how many practice exams I had to take for it. They were all on the computer and exactly like the real thing, so when I took the actual test I was too over it to be stressed out.

 

[that redhead]

I think it depends on your style of learning. I self-studied with a generalized book that had something like six practice tests in it (probably the most valuable tool, in my opinion) and bought an extra math book because I'm awful at math. I was able to work on it at my own pace, when I had free time and didn't have to shell out the money for a class and dedicate a specific time each week. For some people, that kind of routine/schedule and having someone forcing you to learn/study for a certain amount of time each week may be beneficial.

Looking back, it may have been good to take a class because they tend to emphasize the "tricks" to taking the test (which I still don't get!)

 

[simplyjean]

Thanks everyone for your replies!
Yeah, the structure of the classes sounds really helpful, but I don't know if I could shell out the money for it.
I haven't started studying at all for it, how many weeks/months of effort did you put in before taking it?

 

[dvmhopeful2018]

I used this book: http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-Revised-General-Edition/dp/007179123X
It's put out by ETS and includes the free PowerPrep software that you can take untimed and timed MC and writing practices on. I found it to be very helpful as far as simulating the test experience.

I started studying about 2 weeks before my test (granted, during the summer, not the school year) and worked through all of the review sections with the easy, medium, and difficult questions within the sections. Then, about 3-4 days before my test I started taking timed practiced tests in the book and on the computer and reviewing the answers I got wrong. This way I could go back and look at the section again and not have to take more than 1-2 practice tests per day.

Hope this helps! I found it to be very similar to the SAT (which I only took once) and not at all like the ACT. Something that I didn't know going in was that you have a total of 5 MC sections-either 2QR and 3VR or 2VR and 3QR. One of the sections of the 3 is a beta section and isn't scored, but they don't tell you which one, so you have to treat every section like it's the real test.

 

[ChittyBang]

I forgot, I used the ETS book as well and found it helpful.

 

[StartingoverVet]

I used Princeton Review and really studied verbal a lot. It helped me to an awesome score back in the day. A huge improvement from before I started.

 

[anesthtc]

I spent about 3 weeks studying with the Kaplan book and the Princeton Review book and about 4 days before my exam date I was taking 1 full length practice exam each day. Got mid 160s.
I'd say the Princeton book more closely resembles the actual exam, but I don't feel like the questions push you like the Kaplan ones do. Of course the main reason was that the Kaplan tests have some rather strange questions with odd reasoning, and after taking several of them you become a bit paranoid about catching the stupid little things they base their answers on. Turns out the actual GRE is much more straightforward, but I felt like I was anxiously scrutinizing questions at a level that I wouldn't otherwise because of the Kaplan questions. Just be sure to note how questions appear in the Princeton Review book since they do a better job at showing how the questions will actually appear.

 

[Future_vet_Jewel]

I am so glad this was posted! I am going to be studying for the GRE pretty soon (sometime this month) and I really needed hints and advice on going about it. I plan on taking the GRE next year in the fall. How early did you guys start studying for your GREs? I have been hearing from a good bit of people that have already took the test and they have told me that it would be best if I start studying for it a year or a couple of months prior to taking the test...

 

[farmgirl1992]

I am so glad this was posted! I am going to be studying for the GRE pretty soon (sometime this month) and I really needed hints and advice on going about it. I plan on taking the GRE next year in the fall. How early did you guys start studying for your GREs? I have been hearing from a good bit of people that have already took the test and they have told me that it would be best if I start studying for it a year or a couple of months prior to taking the test...

I would take a practice test and see how you do. If you get a really good score you might not need to study for more than a few weeks. But, for example, if your verbal score is not so good you might want to break out some vocab flashcards now. Overall though I would say it can't hurt to study sooner rather than later. I studied for about 2 months for about 8 hours a week and then 20 hours a week for the last two weeks.

 

[anesthtc]

It really depends on how satisfied you are with your performance on a practice exam. I would get a practice book early and just take one of the practice exams. If you do pretty well, don't bother taking a year to study for it. After a while you're going to hate looking at anything GRE, so don't burn yourself out in the beginning only to study very little in the weeks before your exam.

 

[Rainheart]

For me, I took it twice, didn't study, did poorly- then I took one of those classes from Kaplan (I commuted an hour and a half to get to one, because I knew online wasn't for me) and did the princeton book. That did improve my score (it was never a great score, though) but enough to get me in.

 

[Cyndia]

I self studied, but I've always been lucky enough to be fairly good at standardized testing. The best tool for me was practice tests - I was stupid and didn't actually do any on the computer before mine, but the ones in the books were still helpful. I can't remember exactly which ones I used, but I definitely had an ETS test bank, one of the Princeton Review ones, and also a Barron's? I didn't do any heavy blocks of studying because I was interning the summer I took the GRE, but instead spread it out over a good 3 months or so. I took one practice test a week in the beginning (took two towards the end - though not necessarily all in one sitting, I'd just do a section or two whenever I had time) and would then make up flashcards of any vocab I didn't know 100% and look over math things I screwed up.

 

[eddiepbauer]

Self studied 2 months prior to the exam with the Manhattan Prep books - awesome series along with their 5Lb book of practice questions and verbal flashcards - The series was different from the other prep books in that it really broke down the basics for you instead of regaling you with just test taking tips as in other books (which it also does). Went over the entire series of books 3 times: 1st to learn, 2nd to review, 3rd to cement everything as well as did their simulated exams. Simulations predicted 160s - Real score was 160s. Highly recommended.