GRE Prep

[bek4389]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I took the Gres Feb 2007 as a test run and am now planning to take it again. I'm applying for PhD programs Fall of 2010. I received a 1260 without studying, but I'd like to get a much higher score.

Should I take a prep course, and if so, which one?
Or what are other ways to study for the test? I did much worse on verbal than on the quanitative section. Thanks!

 

[deleted176373]

Personal opinion... and you can't change what you did now.

You should NEVER take the GRE without prepping for it as "practice". There are plenty of prep tests and tools out there. Ok, that's for the benefit of the people who have not taken it yet.

Personally I found that my money was best spent on the review books and personally investing time into improving my score. There was another thread with a link to the GRE test analysis online to show where your weak and where you are strong.

Raising the vocabulary is the more difficult of the two scores to raise, so good luck working that part of the test, the easy money is in the math section. I have heard as far as prep courses that Princeton is better, I have not taken one, but I did prefer their math review as provided in the book. It really raised my math score dramatically.

Good luck, with some prep you should raise your scores. However all your scores will be reported when you apply.

Mark

 

[cara susanna]

I'm taking a Kaplan prep course this upcoming weekend and then the GRE itself in March, so I'll let you know.

 

[BorntoRun]

I'm taking a Kaplan prep course this upcoming weekend and then the GRE itself in March, so I'll let you know.

Neat - I've never spoken to anyone who's done a GRE prep course, so please do report back - I'm really interested to hear what they're like and if they are as valuable as one would hope. G'luck!!

 

[cara susanna]

Thanks! I've tried every prep book in the business and a ton of different practice tests, including Power Prep. Nothing's helped raise my score to what I need it to be, so this course is a last-ditch effort. I will definitely let you guys know if it was helpful or not.

 

[kyril]

i am a good tester, so i do believ the expereince of kaplan clourses for good testers may be really different than for those that have more trouble with standardized tests. i found the kaplan a waste of 1000. in many sections i was not having any problems, and of course the class was focused on the problems of those that did. in certain math parts i could get individual questions right untimed, but when i'd take a computer practice test, i'd totally bomb, and the classroom environment was no help there. the book itself had the same materials as the 25 buck kalan books i got at B&N. if i had it to do over, and i had unlimited funds, i'd get the basic online course, because kaplan does provide tons of online practice quizzes and problems, and that is nice (though they were often straight out of the aforementioned B&N book, so maybe i'd do the books from princeton and the online resources of kaplan, or something, practice lots, and then if i still wasn't getting the scores i wanted on the ets practice tests (for me, the most accurate ones) i'd hire a tutor who scored really well in the areas i'm weak in to help me out for a few hours. just my 2 cents, gleaned from spending considerably more on gre prep. i got a 1390, about 50 points higher than my practice test pre 1000$$$ course, and i think with targeted tutoring, i could have pushed it higher.

 

[psychdude5469]

Just my opinion: I believe that test prep courses are not worth the money. I got a 1340 (770 quant/ 570 qual) on the test without a course. What I did:
-bought a "Barron's" GRE test prep book (~$30)
-went through the entire math section, doing all the practice questions. For the questions that I missed the first time around, I waited a little while and did them again until I could answer them correctly.
-I initially started trying to memorize the entire "commonly used GRE words" (a list of about 3500 words). I stopped doing this as I thought it to be absurd. I spent some time learning root words instead.
-I wrote out essays, from prompts that were in the book, for the analytic section. One of the practice prompts was on the actual test! 🙂
-I took all the practice tests that were in the book. I did this alotting myself the time that I was going to have on the actual test. When taking practice tests it is important to make it seem as if the practice test were the real test. (quiet room, no distractions, specific time intervals)
-I reviewed the practice book thoroughly for about 4 or 5 months. Of course, this wasn't an everday occurance because of classes, honors thesis, and work.
-I took the GRE in early August, right before school started. I really believe that this is the best time to take it because you can study all summer with minimal distraction and also because it is unlikely you can get any real studying done once classes start.

Reviewing and studying is extremely important. I knew a few people that thought they could prepare for the test in a few weeks and did horribly on the test. Although only a protion of what acceptance committees consider, a test score is extremely important. Keep this in mind when your studying for countless hours.

 

[Thrak]

I did the Princeton Review condensed course, which was twice a week for about a month. It was good, but condensed is not the way to go. Too much to do in too little time.

That said, I got a 1450, with a fortunately balanced 730V/720Q, so I was happy overall. It was worth the grand.

If your main issue is verbal, try to find a verbal-only prep class. Vocab is essential, but some things like reading comp, I honestly don't know how that can be taught. I tuned out during that section of the class.

 

[cara susanna]

psychdude: I've tried seriously all of those things. I've been studying for this thing for two years. I'm just not someone who can teach herself, I guess.

I also may have to accept that the 200 points I brought myself up are as far as I'm going to go, but in that case I won't be able to get into a program. So accepting that isn't my best option.

My issue is actually with quant. Verbal I'm golden.

 

[LGymnast]

I took the princeton review course, and thought it was very helpful for those who have no idea what the test is even like (which was myself). If I had already taken the test, knew the format, etc. I would say to focus heavily on learning vocab and practicing reading comp. As far as the quantitative section, I don't really have much advice... I found that just doing some practice problems got me a score I was happy with.

 

[EspressOself]

I took the Princeton Review course which cost about $1,400 and took the GRE and wasn't too happy with my score. I reviewed on my own for a few months using the Kaplan Math, Verbal, and Vocab review books and raised my score about 200 points. I personally thought the Kaplan books were wonderful, make sure to get the book of vocab words...VERY HELPFUL!! In the end, I think it's all about the effort you put into it...nobody can implant vocab into your brain or show you how to do every math problem. I think the prep courses give you a false sense of security. But maybe that was just me!

 

[cara susanna]

I'm actually not taking it this weekend because I have the flu! And the course was cancelled, anyway.

I'm just going to try to prepare on my own further until the big day comes (bought an actual math book this time, not a GRE math book) and try my best. That's all I can do, right?

 

[bek4389]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I don't think I'm going to take a prep course. I think I'll try out the studying on my own. It's verbal that killed me on the quantitative section. I guess it'll be memorizing tons of vocab word.

 

[socialcog]

I think I'll try out the studying on my own. It's verbal that killed me on the quantitative section. I guess it'll be memorizing tons of vocab word.

😕
wha-huh? I don't follow. If you mean the vocab on the verbal section....you would not the alone in that complaint.

Good luck.

 

[bek4389]

Ooops I meant vocab on verbal section....

I should stop trying to sneak on these forums while I'm at research...oops

 

[myelin]

I'm in the process of studying for the GRE as well. I'm scheduled to take it in August.

I've looked over a ton of GRE study websites out there and all of them sugggest different methods of studying. Some suggest the "big book," some say stay away from the Princeton Review book, while others highly recommend it. I've also read quite a few people stating that the Princeton books give people a false sense of security because the preparation problems are too easy. Can anyone validate this statement?

Also, can anyone suggest any unique ideas to stick to a study plan? Right not I'm shooting for 1 hour a day devoted to studying. I'm using the 2008 Princeton Review book. I'm just having a difficult time sticking to a study regimen and I need something to motivate me. Thinking about getting into a PhD program usually motivates me, but sometimes it doesn't. Any suggestions or ideas out there from those who took or are going to take the GRE?

To be competitive among the schools I'm applying to, I need to increase my score by at least 300 points.

 

[ny1020]

I can't recommend any help with the verbal section (570 for me!)- but I used the Barron's for the math and it was great. I went through section by section, made study sheets with all of the formulas and made sure that I could answer every question. It totally worked!

 

[Thrak]

Can anyone validate this statement?

To be competitive among the schools I'm applying to, I need to increase my score by at least 300 points.

Yes, I can validate that statement. I took a condensed PR course for the GRE. They had me pegged at around 780 for Verbal (I got a 730) and 750 on the Quant (I got a 720). They can get your score up, but if you're honestly shooting for a 1500+, you're not going to have enough hard prep questions.

For my vocab prep, at one point I started making mp3s of me reading vocab words, and listening to them on my ipod during my commute. You can improve your vocab in a few months, it's quite possible.

300 points though? It depends on your current breakdown. If you're scoring like 650 in verbal and 450 in quant, you can probably do it. If you're at 780 in quant and 300 in verbal, you may need a tutor or something.

Just my opinion.

 

[LGymnast]

I've also read quite a few people stating that the Princeton books give people a false sense of security because the preparation problems are too easy. Can anyone validate this statement?

I can't speak for the book-store-purchased book questions, but as far as the PR course practice questions go, they had me pegged to score around 800-900. Thankfully, I did significantly better on the actual test. I felt that the powerprep software gave me a much more accurate estimate of what I was going to score.

 

[cara susanna]

Yes, I can validate that statement. I took a condensed PR course for the GRE. They had me pegged at around 780 for Verbal (I got a 730) and 750 on the Quant (I got a 720). They can get your score up, but if you're honestly shooting for a 1500+, you're not going to have enough hard prep questions.

For my vocab prep, at one point I started making mp3s of me reading vocab words, and listening to them on my ipod during my commute. You can improve your vocab in a few months, it's quite possible.

300 points though? It depends on your current breakdown. If you're scoring like 650 in verbal and 450 in quant, you can probably do it. If you're at 780 in quant and 300 in verbal, you may need a tutor or something.

Just my opinion.

I actually disagree; I raised my quant score from 300 to 500 using the Kaplan math workbook. Of course, now I'm having trouble raising it from 500 to 600. e_e

Granted, these are practice tests scores. Maybe I'll do better on the actual test... I hope.

 

[Thrak]

I actually disagree; I raised my quant score from 300 to 500 using the Kaplan math workbook. Of course, now I'm having trouble raising it from 500 to 600. e_e

Granted, these are practice tests scores. Maybe I'll do better on the actual test... I hope.

Math and verbal are very different animals, and the CAT really does try to force you to the midrange of scores. A lot of math is techniques and rules, especially for the GRE CAT. I can tell you I was absolutely horrible on geometry before I pounded away at it in the workbooks, and I had a very limited understanding of things like exponents and rules for factoring. Plus, even working in things like "plugging in" and "estimating" can raise a score a solid amount, as well as the pacing issue of focusing most of your time on the first third-to-half of the test. The further up from 500 you're looking to go, the more likely you're going to get complicated geometry and prob and stat questions, which tend to get scant attention at least in the PR books.

Verbal is vocab and reading. If you have a poor vocabulary, you can raise it over time. If you are a very slow reader, I don't know how easy that is to remedy. It really all depends on which 300 points are needed to go up. is it 350V, 350Q, aiming for a 1000 combined? That may be doable. If it's a 640V, 640Q aiming for a 1580, well, that's a different story.

This is part of the reason I hate the CAT. The paper version was nice... 1/3 easy, 1/3 medium, 1/3 difficult. I could have aced that hands-down. With the CAT, it could start you with a "medium" sentence completion, but if it happens to be with words you're not familiar with, your score already takes a major hit.

Oh, and general rule... the CAT hates hates HATES unanswered questions. Apparently you get a lower score for "unfinished" questions than ones you guess on. Just what TPR told me.

I friggin hate the GRE.

 

[cara susanna]

Ah, I see what you mean. I've tried all of the tricks and strategies, I just suck at it. I've resigned myself to my score with the hope that I'll do better on actual test day.

I hate it, too! It's so upsetting that three years of hard work could be completely wasted just because of a stupid test.

 

[myelin]

Ah, I see what you mean. I've tried all of the tricks and strategies, I just suck at it. I've resigned myself to my score with the hope that I'll do better on actual test day.

I hate it, too! It's so upsetting that three years of hard work could be completely wasted just because of a stupid test.

I couldn't agree with you more on that one. Regardless, it's a necessary evil that we all have to deal with and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon.

As far as my GRE score, I scored a 930 the first time around without studying (420V 510Q 5.0A). I'm looking for a 1200+ score and I take the test in August of this year.

As a side note, I have a 3.9 in my clinical psy MA program and 3 publications in preparation - 1 as principal investigator, 1 as second author, and 1 as third. While the GRE may be able to predict graduate school success for some, there are still outliers that the GRE does NOTHING more but keep good candidates (i.e. those that don't do well on std. tests) out of graduate school. I find that interesting because according to an undergrad advisor at my undergrad institution, I had "no chance of being admitted to or succeeding in graduate school." Also, I was told by the first undergrad institution I applied to that I had "no chance to get into a 4 year school with my SAT/ACT scores, we can't do anything for you." My highschool advisor told me that I should look into trade schools, as I just don't have a chance in college. Standardized tests have wreaked havoc on my life, but I haven't and won't let it stop me from making my dreams come true.

 

[cara susanna]

That's so sad 🙁 ACT kept me out of my #1 choice college, but I'm happy with where I am. Plus, I didn't study for it. So GRE I've been studying like mad.

I'm wondering if I would be okay if I got 500-something Quant and 700-something verbal (making a 1200 total). It'd be much easier for me to raise my verbal score than my quant score, which I don't think is going to go up anymore than I've raised it.

 

[thewesternsky]

That's so sad 🙁 ACT kept me out of my #1 choice college, but I'm happy with where I am. Plus, I didn't study for it. So GRE I've been studying like mad.

I'm wondering if I would be okay if I got 500-something Quant and 700-something verbal (making a 1200 total). It'd be much easier for me to raise my verbal score than my quant score, which I don't think is going to go up anymore than I've raised it.

That would be okay for the schools that have cut-offs, but I do want to caution you-- 700 on the verbal section is about 98th percentile and will likely be extremely difficult to attain. That said, if you can do it you'll meet cut-offs, though you may be asked to explain your lower quant score in interviews.

Good luck!

 

[psybee]

As a side note, I have a 3.9 in my clinical psy MA program and 3 publications in preparation - 1 as principal investigator, 1 as second author, and 1 as third. While the GRE may be able to predict graduate school success for some, there are still outliers that the GRE does NOTHING more but keep good candidates (i.e. those that don't do well on std. tests) out of graduate school. I find that interesting because according to an undergrad advisor at my undergrad institution, I had "no chance of being admitted to or succeeding in graduate school." Also, I was told by the first undergrad institution I applied to that I had "no chance to get into a 4 year school with my SAT/ACT scores, we can't do anything for you." My highschool advisor told me that I should look into trade schools, as I just don't have a chance in college. Standardized tests have wreaked havoc on my life, but I haven't and won't let it stop me from making my dreams come true.

i work with someone who has an ok gpa (did really poorly one year early on, which brought down the rest, but last two year gpa is great) amazing research expereince, and tons of it, presentations, pubs, and possibly below 1000 on the gre. they still got into a phd program, thanks to the research expereince and the networking and connections they made through it. granted, if that gre was higher, even a 1200, thier application expereince would have been much better (only got into the program with the most connections to her current lab), but it can happen without the gre. good luck!

 

[cara susanna]

98th percentile? Eek! Well, I haven't studied at all for verbal and I'm getting 600's on the practice test, so if I study more vocab I may be able to raise it. It seems more likely than raising my quant, anyway.

A lot of programs list their average quant as 600's or 700's and average verbal as 600's or 500's. It's sad that the one I'm best at counts for the least. :/

 

[deleted176373]

That would be okay for the schools that have cut-offs, but I do want to caution you-- 700 on the verbal section is about 98th percentile and will likely be extremely difficult to attain. That said, if you can do it you'll meet cut-offs, though you may be asked to explain your lower quant score in interviews.

Good luck!

Umm ya, my wife walked in cold, 730 Verbal, 710 Quant. Not one day of preparation... I felt like an IDIOT, although I still beat her on the Quant by 30 points. Needless to say, her verbal was 98th percentile. Meanwhile I prepped for 6 months and got a 1300!

Mark

PS - Cara, you can improve that quant score, keep the faith and keep working it! I would also rather have the high verbal and low quant.

 

[empathiosis]

That's so sad 🙁 ACT kept me out of my #1 choice college, but I'm happy with where I am. Plus, I didn't study for it. So GRE I've been studying like mad.

I'm wondering if I would be okay if I got 500-something Quant and 700-something verbal (making a 1200 total). It'd be much easier for me to raise my verbal score than my quant score, which I don't think is going to go up anymore than I've raised it.

I got 720 on the Verbal and 560 Quantitative. As to whether it hurt me ... I applied to 8 schools and only got two interviews. Could I have not made cuts due to the low quant score? It's possible, but I'll never know ... I think whether or not you make it in depends on several factors, research experience and match being most important.

 

[cara susanna]

My brother didn't study for quant at all, minus looking over his math notes the night before, and got an 800. He stole my math skills! Granted, his verbal was in the 400's. If we could team up to take the exam, we'd be all set.

Mark, I've tried everything that I could think of, sadly: Barrons, Kaplan, Power Prep, this software I bought that I can't remember the name of. I studied for 2 years and brought my score from the 300's to 500's, but I can't break past 600; I've only reached above 600 on two Kaplan prep tests, and I've heard those inflate your score. I think I'm doomed to have a quant score in the 500's, unless like I said, I luck out on test day. But if I can offset it with a 700's verbal, it sounds like my app at least won't be thrown out right away. I'd be okay with getting only two interviews.

empathiosis: Did you get in anywhere? If not, are you going to retake it before you apply again?

 

[empathiosis]

empathiosis: Did you get in anywhere? If not, are you going to retake it before you apply again?

My second interview is next week. I should hear from the first interview by tomorrow.

I'm not sure I'll be applying again. I'm older and I've got other options. I'm just not cut out for applying and reapplying. I think I will go for an MSW instead.

But you will be FINE if you get to 1200. If other parts of your app are strong it shouldn't keep you out. Do you know where you're applying yet?

 

[cara susanna]

Yeah, I have a list of programs with about 9 that I want to apply to for sure, and a few I could go either way.

Guess I'll work on vocab then! I'm still actually working on quant, too--I got a new prep book that's actually math-centered rather than just test strategy-centered. But I'm not going through the entire thing, just the areas I know I need work on (like coordinate geometry).

Good luck with your interview and hearing back! If not, MSW would be a good route; a lot of my friends are doing that because they dislike research and/or don't want to take the GRE. I'm just a research nerd. 😀

 

[dontknowitall]

Okay, I am not sure the policy on putting links on these forums, but it just dawned on me for people studying for the GREs that there is a great little free vocab game you play online called www.freerice.com and every time you get an answer correctly the site donates 10 grains of rice to end hunger. I think it is actually legit and they have some good words. I definitely did it while I was studying and I did quite well on verbal.

Also, I teach for Kaplan, so if anyone has any questions about Kaplan and test prep or even working for Kaplan (I plan on doing this during grad school) feel free to pm me. One thing to keep in mind is that Kaplan frequently offers free practice tests. Look online or call your local center. They are trying to get you to enroll in a class of course, but you are not required. AND, if you are planning on taking a class anyway, they usually offer special discounts at those practice tests.

Also, sorry if it is not okay to put a site link on here. It really helped me and I even sent it to all of my Kaplan bosses and they sent it out to there students.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

That's okay with me (the link) and if people have questions, you just can't solicit business/clients and the like. I'm sure some will find the vocab app useful....as there are only so many flashcards a person can look at before wanting to run screaming into the hills.

 

[SeaSquirt]

I took Kaplan prep classes last summer. They gave us a diagnostic test in the beginning. I scored 480 Quantitative and 500 Verbal - ouch!

After completing the course, I took the real test and got 720 Quantitative and 600 Verbal. I also had a 5.5 on the writing component. I was able to put it behind me and get plenty of interviews, which were followed by acceptances. 🙂

I highly recommend the Kaplan prep classes. They improved my scores tremendously and undoubtedly helped me get interviews.

 

[megmont]

raised my quant score 200 pts. by studying the mcgraw-hill gre math workbook. as for verbal? vocab, vocab, vocab! i related my friends to my vocab by saying such things as "cygnets can live in aviaries!!! what is this?? an esoteric enigma?? i think not, you dolt!"


j/k 😉

 

[futureapppsy2]

Has anyone had the GRE Q/V split be the opposite of what they've expected? On the three practice tests that I've taken, my Q has been higher than my V, which is really surprising, given my ACT/SAT scores and general strengths. However, I guess that's good for clinical/counseling programs, as it seems like generally they give higher importance to Q scores than to V scores. This is going to be an *interesting* test!