General Admissions & OTCAS GRE

[lao27746]

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My GPA is average so I need to do well on the GRE. For students who applied to schools that require the GRE, how did you study for the GRE? I'm considering signing up for a Kaplan GRE prep course but it costs over $1,000. Did any of you sign up for GRE prep courses, or did you only purchase prep books and study from those. What's the most effective way to study for the GRE?
Thank you!

 

[Prospective O T]

I found that using Manhattan Prep's 5lb book of gre problems, combined with watching Magoosh's online videos helped a ton. I would say that I studied for a solid 3 months and got a 160 verbal / 153 quant / 5.5 on the written portion. Some people need more or less time than others (depending on work/life obligations and what not).

 

[aliq]

I used a Kaplan GRE course that I was able to get for free. I personally wouldn't pay to take a course, but I'm very motivated and able to study by myself. If you think you won't get as much done self-studying, then I'd recommend taking a course because it offers structure and will "force" you to stick to a study schedule. I've heard really really great things about Magoosh. I also used Barron's GRE Flash Cards and went through all of the vocab and math problems. To study for the written portion, I read a lot of different examples, and then outlined what I would write for different prompts. The most effective way to study depends is really dependent upon the person. If you feel you can make a structured schedule and stick with it, then I think you should just get prep books and flash cards. I studied for about 3 months and got 165 Verbal; 159 Quant; 5 Analytical Writing. Good luck!

 

[Sk8OT52]

I got magoosh at a discount and found it to be a pretty affordable and easy way to do it!

 

[LeyanaLey]

Bump for magoosh.
Magoosh for diagnosis and practice problems, Khan Academy to "go back to school" and re-learn basic math concepts that I had looooooonnnnggg since forgotten.
Magoosh is also great because it teaches you how to "short cut" many math problems--the biggest issue on the math portion is TIME. You have like, 30 seconds a question, so it's really important to figure out what the question is asking and the fastest way to get the answer.
I did 60 days of magoosh and a few practice tests, and pulled a 160 M 168 V, even though I haven't taken a math class in a decade.
I will add, though, that I was already pretty solid on verbal beforehand--if you are not, give yourself extra time, and start memorizing words like crazy.