GRE Prep

[dobber]

I just took a free GRE from Princeton Review demo and my scores were:
Verbal: 145
Math: 144
Writing: 4.0

I mean they aren't amazing, and I was youtubing/facebooking/SDNing during the test but for a person who has never even practiced for the GRE I feel like that is a good start. I want to get my grades to the 160~165 range, and up my writing score to at least a 5. I have to start memorizing them fancy words and brush up on my geometry.

I plan on taking the GREs August 1st so I'll take a few more practice GRE tests between now and then.

If you guys plan on taking the GRE, Princeton Review's test is great for preparation.

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[OTBro]

Nice job! What helped me a lot during my GRE studying was to memorize as many of the words commonly found the the GRE. There are tons of "GRE Word" lists online. Also, a lot of the words are similar in meaning, so its useful to memorize synonymous words together as word groups (it help's a lot in the fill in the blank sections!).

For math, just keep doing as many problems as you can..work through practice tests over and over again. The more problems you see, the more familiar you will be on how to solve them. You will start to see patterns on the easiest method of solving certain types of problems.

For writing, I would suggest to just read as many "6" essays online as you can and get familiar with what the have in common. You can also read a list of prompts they can ask you at the GRE website. There is actually a lot of useful GRE prep info at their website.

Good luck studying!

 

[Gemut]

I just took a free GRE from Princeton Review demo and my scores were:
Verbal: 145
Math: 144
Writing: 4.0

I mean they aren't amazing, and I was youtubing/facebooking/SDNing during the test but for a person who has never even practiced for the GRE I feel like that is a good start. I want to get my grades to the 160~165 range, and up my writing score to at least a 5. I have to start memorizing them fancy words and brush up on my geometry.

I plan on taking the GREs August 1st so I'll take a few more practice GRE tests between now and then.

If you guys plan on taking the GRE, Princeton Review's test is great for preparation.

I downloaded the PowerPrep software for the college board as it contains 2 timed and scored exams that mimic the actual test format. This is free and a much better gauge of your starting point than Princeton Review. I really liked PR for other test prep, their cracking the whatever series is usually good. However, their guide for the new GRE is definitely lacking and you would do well to cast a wider net for GRE prep. Manhattan has a great math series, far closer to the GRE difficulty than other sources. They offer 8 online practice exams if you buy one of their books. The best resource I found was Magoosh, which is a fantastic interactive bank of over 1000 test questions which include video explanations for every answer, along with video lessons for every section covered on the GRE. Check out the link here.

https://gre.magoosh.com/?referrer_code=f5366535k1p372

Increasing your score 10 points per section from your initial score is a tall order, so you have set the bar high in looking for a 30 point overall increase. I am sure you can do it, but it will take lots of prep. Check out Magoosh, you will be glad you did. Plan at least 3 months intensive studying to achieve the gains you have set. Good luck.

 

[resot]

This may also be helpful for some individuals: especially for those who have applied more than once or are utilizing the old GRE scores.

http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/concordance_information.pdf

The conversion charts for the new scoring system.

And Gemut is correct. A 10 point increase is a very tall order. For some context: A 166 in the math section is equivalent to a 800 on the old scoring system (a perfect score).

Good luck to everyone taking the GREs!

 

[ExceptionalSea]

definitely study vocabulary. i found the vocabulary on the GRE to be killer.

i used to grade state-standardized tests, including essays. i found that the number one thing that high-scoring essays had in common are length, which obviously means detail and writing as much as you can to support your topic. a lot of the GRE test prep books will tell you the same thing. remember that the graders are grading thousands of essays, so they are trained with a bullet point list of what each essay score should contain and what they look like. they will probably grade your essay in less than 3 minutes.

i didn't start grading state-standardized tests until after i took the GRE, unfortunately, so i scored a 4.5 (still pretty happy with it though). i'm happy with my total GRE score so no need to go back and do it again, but had i known what i know now i would have written a lot more for my essays.

 

[aczerniak]

I need to schedule my GRE test. How long does it take from when you take the test until OTCAS would get it? I don't want to take the test to soon so I can study but I don't want to wait to long and have it hold up my application.

 

[MaverickMikeOT]

Just received my scores...
SCORE PERCENTILE
150 Q 43%
141 V 12%
4.0 A 49%

see here: http://www.happyschoolsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/New-GRE-Score-Converter-Quantitative.png

Last year my Quantitative score would've put me in the 53%, now I'm in the 43%....garbage

It appears a 151-152 is right on average now.

ANYWAY...

Do you guys think I should retake it to raise up my Verbal score?

 

[Gemut]

Just received my scores...
SCORE PERCENTILE
150 Q 43%
141 V 12%
4.0 A 49%

see here: http://www.happyschoolsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/New-GRE-Score-Converter-Quantitative.png

Last year my Quantitative score would've put me in the 53%, now I'm in the 43%....garbage

It appears a 151-152 is right on average now.

ANYWAY...

Do you guys think I should retake it to raise up my Verbal score?

There is absolutely no doubt you should retake the GRE. In visiting OT open houses the word I got is a combined score of 315 is the unofficial baseline. Furthermore, most OT programs weigh the Verbal higher than the Quant. Your Quant score is at a minimum while your Verbal score is not going to get you in anywhere that requires GRE's. This may sound harsh, but I would not even consider applying to such schools with that Verbal Score.

My advice is get yourself to Magoosh and signup for their free one week trial. You need to raise that V score to 155 and your Q score to 155. You have 3 months of solid study ahead to accomplish that. Dowload the ETS PowerPrep software as well. That will give you a good idea where you are at. Don't get discouraged by this but you need to be clear that schools that ask you to take the GRE's are asking for more than a perfunctory excersise in test taking. They use this as a tool to measure your ability to do well on standardized tests, which NBCOTE is one. OT grad schools can have their ACOTA accreditation pulled if their pass rate drops below 70%. This fact has really forced them to select students who do better than average on standardized tests like the GRE.

The sad part is there is absolutely nothing in the GRE that will predict your skill skill as a practitioner of OT. It is simply one of the hoops you have to jump through to get invited to the dance. With that said, good luck with your next GRE.

https://gre.magoosh.com/?referrer_code=f5366535k1p372