General Admissions & OTCAS GRE Prep Course vs. Individual Studying

[WanderlustOT]

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I am debating whether or not to pay a few hundred dollars for a course, or to just study on my own. I know people have been successful studying on their own with discipline. But has anyone tried doing both and saw any differences, if any, between results of either method?

 

[futureOT2094]

I took a prep course at my local community college for a couple hundred dollars and honestly didn't think it was all that helpful. They gave helpful strategies for test taking, but nothing that couldn't be found online / in prep books. We mostly worked on practice problems, which could be done on your own time with proper discipline

 

[scubagator87]

If you have someone to help tutor you in areas you're weak in, that can be just as helpful, if not more than an expensive prep course. I was really weak in math so my boyfriend tutored me a couple hours a week for about a month. I bought the Kaplan test prep books on Amazon and that worked just fine for me. I honestly don't think a class would have raised my math score any higher. Got a combined 305 the first time, combined 320 the second time and a 5 on the writing. Studied for about a month beforehand both times. If you're not disciplined enough to structure a study system for yourself, a class may be worth it, if only just to keep you on task.

 

[WanderlustOT]

Thanks for chiming in! Has anyone found it to matter if an older version (2014 for me) is used?

 

[SoCAL_OTS]

I used the Magoosh Online Prep Course (it was on sale for less than 100 dollars) and it really improved my qualitative and writing scores. Probably would've helped with quant too if I put more effort in.

 

[mcOT16]

I agree with @SoCAL_OTS ! The GRE materials available through Magoosh are super helpful. I haven't taken a math or English course in over 10 years, so I knew that I would need to seriously refresh my skills. I studied for a few months and was able to score very well on the GRE. Definitely take advantage of the practice tests offered through Magoosh, if you choose to purchase it!