how long does it take to study for the GRE subject test?

[PizzaButt]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I was thinking about taking the April test administration of the psychology subject test. I took intro to psych about 10 years ago. What do I need to study for this test? Are there review books? Do I need to find a good intro psych book? How long does it take to study for this test? Does it only test intro psych concepts? As a non-trad applicant, I feel like studying for this test will be a major undertaking.

 

[sikestudent]

In order to do very well, from my experience you'd need at least a few months and you'll want to memorize a good intro to psych textbook as well as get a good review book. I used Kaplan's and found it to be very good.

I basically memorized these two books and majored in psychology, and there were still several questions I had never heard of on the test.

 

[JockNerd]

There are a bunch of threads on this... here's how I studied (it worked for me):

1. Before doing anything, take a practice subject test.
2. Go back and code the answers for subject area (memory, neuroanatomy, researcher names, whatever).
3. Score yourself on these coded areas.
4. Check out what areas you're weak in, and study those in an intro book and one of the GRE prep books. Try to get as much info as you can--do the chapter questions, make notes, and make questions for yourself.
5. Take another practice test, and go back to 2!

Good luck! 🙂

 

[cogsciapp]

I took the test last April and had about 6 weeks to study for it. (Not by choice; I found out that I would need to take it then because the November test date would be too late for some of my programs.)

I may have gone a bit overboard in my study, but it had been 12 years since my intro class, so I felt I really needed the review.

I used Kaplan and Princeton Review (Cracking the GRE). I would not recommend these as your only study aids as there are some misprints in both books, and the info is just not complete enough if you want a really high score. The Princeton book will prepare you to take the practice test that comes from ETS. Kaplan has a lot more, but be wary of not just typos, but wrong info. The wrong info scared me away from Kaplan as my main tool, but the book gave me a good sense of what topics/experiments/people are the most important to learn.

My second phase of studying was to get a textbook (from the library) for each of the main areas covered: social, developmental, cognitive, biopsychology, abnormal, personality. I read through each of these books--not a straight through word-for-word, but I skimmed through, and then concentrated on those points I knew were important from Kaplan. I managed my time so that I covered two textbooks per week. This really helped me learn the material in a solid way, really understanding the theory behind it and not just memorizing facts. That helped out for the actual test. I also briefly reviewed stats and methods/design. If you've taken these classes recently, or have a basic knowledge of stats, you should be fine.

The bulk of my study then concentrated on Atkinson&Hilgard's Introduction to Psychology (6th edition). I did read through this word for word. I actually bought it, because it's an excellent resource for your basic intro psych. Knowing that book in and out helped me do really well on the test. If you don't have time for anything else, be sure to read through a good intro book when you prepare.

Finally, take the practice test from ETS. The paper based exam takes a little different strategy than the computer based one for the general test.

If you start now, you should have plenty of time to get ready for the psych GRE.

 

[PizzaButt]

So I read on the ETS website that the April administration is April 12. That's coming up fast--do I have enough time, if I start this week, to study for this test? My into class was over 10 years ago, though I recently took abnormal and research methods.

Is 5 weeks too little time for someone coming at this with basically no background knowledge? Should I wait for the October test date?

 

[airmont]

Take the practice test available at the ets website and see if you are ready. Also, the princeton book is excellent.

 

[Ollie123]

Really no way anyone can say how long since it obviously varies by person. I did 3 weeks (or thereabouts) of not particularly intense studying since I was burned out from the general GREs, and still did very well (mid 90's percentile). It had been about 2 years since any psychology classes and 5 and a half since intro, and I had less psychology classes than many people taking it since I was doing a business degree as well so I didn't take any psychology electives beyond what was required.

I know people who studied for months and still struggled. I know people who did better than me with less effort. Its a brute force exam. There are VERY few questions on it that would be considered "Tricky", its just a "Do you know it, or don't you" type test. You have to brute force the material, learn lots of names you probably won't ever need to know again, etc. but there isn't really anything conceptually challenging, just buttloads of memorization. There is some stuff that is more in depth than intro to psych, but at least on my test it was pretty minimal.

 

[schoolpsych]

I took the test last April and studied for it for about a month. I used the Kaplan book, took their practice tests and ETS practice tests, and briefly reviewed an intro to psych textbook. I did very well (even surpassed my target score).

I think that the amount of time you need to study for it depends on how easy it is for you to memorize the information. I did not want to start studying for it too early because I wanted all the information to be somewhat fresh in my mind on test day. I also did not want to start studying for it too late, because I needed enough time relearn a lot of the material.

My best advice would be to create a personalized study guide combining key material from study books and textbooks. I took it with me everywhere so I could study it at work, at the gym, on the train, etc. I made sure to focus on areas that I was not as familiar with.

 

[Jivan]

I think you could do it with the amount of time you have if you created a personalized study guide as others suggested. For example, I set about a week per major topic area, but with a little extra time for physiological psychology because I had never been able to take a class in, so it was a matter of learning rather than reviewing.

I studied for about two months (while studying for the general GRE). Had not taken intro in about 4-5 years, but was taking psych classes leading all the way up to it.

I found Kaplan pretty useful. The info in Princeton Review was helpful, but I did not like their practice tests as much (the ETS practice test is the best gauge, and you should try to take it multiple times). One of my classmates did, though, so it certainly seems to be a matter of personal preference. Heading to a bookstore and taking a look at each (if they have them) would be ideal.

I also read through my intro book a bit, but should have done that more. One of my profs tells everybody taking it that the best thing to do is just read your intro book cover to cover. That is probably the truth.

Still, there were a few questions with info that I had just never seen anywhere before, but they were minimal. I think a prep and an intro book will get you to a pretty good score. I certainly did better than I anticipated.

 

[BorntoRun]

Is 5 weeks too little time for someone coming at this with basically no background knowledge? Should I wait for the October test date?

Depends how long you can devote to studying in any given day, basically. If you can dedicate a significant amount of time each day to studying, 5 weeks should be plenty. However, if you're working full time, raising kids, and doing research/clinical volunteer work on the side... 5 weeks may be pushing it. If you're planning to apply next cycle, it might not hurt to wait until the fall test date to re-take. (My experience has been that, despite the concern about Nov GREs and Dec application deadlines, plenty of students take the November psych GRE and don't run into any problems with their scores arriving on time.)

 

[terrybug]

I memorized the Kaplan book and felt completely unprepared when I took the test. I don't recommend it at all.

 

[PizzaButt]

So basically I just need to find an intro to psych textbook that's good (I don't have mine anymore) and get the Kaplan and Princeton review books. I take it that the two review books contain several practice tests each?

I think I'll try for the April administration, because I'll be needing to re-take the general GRE at some point, and that may end up being in the fall.

I also figure if I don't do well on the April test then I can re-take in the fall. Is that what others did as well?

 

[empathiosis]

So basically I just need to find an intro to psych textbook that's good (I don't have mine anymore) and get the Kaplan and Princeton review books. I take it that the two review books contain several practice tests each?

I think I'll try for the April administration, because I'll be needing to re-take the general GRE at some point, and that may end up being in the fall.

I also figure if I don't do well on the April test then I can re-take in the fall. Is that what others did as well?

The Psych GRE as far as I know is still only available as a paper and pencil test. (This may have changed since I took it in October.) Since there are fewer traditional sites than CBT sites, the sites tend to fill up pretty quickly. What I'm saying is that there's a possibility that all the testing sites in your area may have already been filled. (Actually, now that I think about it, that's not the case for the subject exams, just for the general.) In any event, if you really want to take it in April, register today.

I first took the psych exam in November 1994. I had taken A LOT of psych classes and didn't study for the exam. I scored a 94th percentile. I took it again last October. Even though I had recently gotten an MA in Counseling, it wasn't very rigorous. The first thing I did was take the ETS practice test. I did pretty well on that, so I knew I wouldn't need to study that hard to get a decent score. So I would recommend taking that practice ETS test before you do anything, before you decide to take it in April even. Because when you see how you do you'll have an idea of how much you need to study. The ETS practice test is available on their site for free.

I also got three different intro to psych textbooks from a professor of mine and skimmed parts and read other parts more closely, in the areas that I had not done too well in. I studied for about 20 hours and scored in the 85th percentile. I was happy with that.

 

[JockNerd]

Oh, dur. I posted study advice without saying how long I studied, which was the point of the post.

1 hour per day for each of the GREs (I took them within 2 weeks of each other), 5 times per week, for 6 months. I scored well. 🙂

 

[immortalavalamp]

I took the test this October, in my senior year of undergrad, so I'm not sure how helpful my advice will be.

I studied the Kaplan book front to back, taking the chapter quiz at the end of each section, and then took a practice test. After that, I went through the Princeton Review book. I took a practice test about every two weeks, after the first one (I don't recommend taking a practice test before you start studying--I had never taken sensation/perception, history of psych, physiology, or cognitive psych, and I was taking Personality that semester--so basically, I was learning half of the material from the ground up. It would have been useless for me to take a practice test on material I hadn't even been introduced to).

I studied for about an hour or two a day. I think I ended up taking 3 or 4 practice tests. On the days I took the practice tests, I didn't study (unless I wanted to review something beforehand). So, I was studying between 5 and 10 hours per week. The week before the exam, I just did some review. I took my last practice test a full week before the GRE. I did very, very well,. Good luck!

 

[cara susanna]

I think there's one in October and also in November. I'm taking the one in April, probably. I don't want to have to worry about it over the summer. Of course, we'll see how I do. 😉

 

[PizzaButt]

So I started studying this week, and I'm totally overwhelmed. I'm not sure that I have enough time to thoroughly prepare for this test.

As a non-psych major, I am not familiar with the majority of these concepts/subject areas. I have only taken four psych classes: intro, over 10 years ago, and stats, abnormal and research methods recently. I'm okay with the material from those areas, but have never seen the material (most of it) from the other areas. Perception and physiological psych are particularly difficult for me. I have nearly gotten through the Kaplan book. I'm having trouble keeping all the names straight.

Am I being too optimistic to think I can thoroughly study all this, having never seen 85% of this material before, in time for the April test? I want to do really well, since I'll be re-applying to PhD programs next year.

I read over everyone's study plans who posted in this thread, and I am thinking that these would probably be doable in 5 weeks if I'd had some or most of this material before. But to learn all this from scratch in just 5 week's time--especially the idea of reading the intro book cover to cover on top of studying the Kaplan book, etc. has me feeling overwhelmed.

Should I still try to do this--or wait for the October administration of the test?

 

[KellienComplex]

I don't see the necessity of taking the test ASAP. Distribute your study time over the next 6-7 months and kill it; otherwise, anticipate a poor score because of your relative lack of foundational knowledge. To be sure, it is a challenging and often esoteric test.

 

[cogsciapp]

So I started studying this week, and I'm totally overwhelmed. I'm not sure that I have enough time to thoroughly prepare for this test.

As a non-psych major, I am not familiar with the majority of these concepts/subject areas. I have only taken four psych classes: intro, over 10 years ago, and stats, abnormal and research methods recently. I'm okay with the material from those areas, but have never seen the material (most of it) from the other areas. Perception and physiological psych are particularly difficult for me. I have nearly gotten through the Kaplan book. I'm having trouble keeping all the names straight.

Am I being too optimistic to think I can thoroughly study all this, having never seen 85% of this material before, in time for the April test? I want to do really well, since I'll be re-applying to PhD programs next year.

I read over everyone's study plans who posted in this thread, and I am thinking that these would probably be doable in 5 weeks if I'd had some or most of this material before. But to learn all this from scratch in just 5 week's time--especially the idea of reading the intro book cover to cover on top of studying the Kaplan book, etc. has me feeling overwhelmed.

Should I still try to do this--or wait for the October administration of the test?

Hi,
It seems that there are a couple of things to consider. First, do you NEED to take the test? Only a few programs require it. If you are not applying to a place that requires it, or you are but that school is near the bottom of the list, then I would not worry about the subject test and only apply to places that do not require it.

Although the subject test might be helpful for some admissions committees when they decide on non-psych majors, I think a low score will hurt more than a high one would help. They look at many things as part of the application, especially research experience and the general GRE.

Also if you have already signed up for it, you cannot get your money refunded if you want to take it in Oct/Nov because they consider that another test year.

Also, I was many years out of intro psych, and far away from many of my psych classes except for the two I was taking during the semester I took the exam. So I also had little immediate foundational knowledge beforehand and did very well (97th %). It is a hard test though; and I dedicated 2-3 hours each day to study.

If you need to take it, you don't mind handing ETS a little more money, and you're quite sure that you can't be prepared by April, then I think take it the first fall date that is offered. Let your programs know that they will receive your scores 6-8 weeks after that date.

It IS a lot of info, so I understand that it is overwhelming.

 

[PizzaButt]

It's funny--I know that not that many schools require it, but nearly all the schools I wanted to apply to this year required it. I applied to some of them anyway, but understood that my app would probably not even be considered. I was rejected from all of them.

So pretty much 70% of my schools require the test.

I have not yet registered for the test--I wanted to see how a week or two of studying went first.

I guess I feel overwhelmed because I have not seen most of the material, and I really need to get a great score on this test (particularly because I need to re-take the general GRE's because of a low math score). But I'm just wondering if I can really get a solid grasp of the material in just a month really.

I think also being out of the school environment makes it harder to study for such an open-ended test material-wise--creating structured study time is more difficult when you're working, in my opinion. Because the advice is to memorize an intro psych book, and not just rely on the review books, I'm feeling overwhelmed about that too--how to create a structured study plan in just 4 weeks.

 

[cogsciapp]

It's funny--I know that not that many schools require it, but nearly all the schools I wanted to apply to this year required it. I applied to some of them anyway, but understood that my app would probably not even be considered. I was rejected from all of them.

So pretty much 70% of my schools require the test.

I have not yet registered for the test--I wanted to see how a week or two of studying went first.

I guess I feel overwhelmed because I have not seen most of the material, and I really need to get a great score on this test (particularly because I need to re-take the general GRE's because of a low math score). But I'm just wondering if I can really get a solid grasp of the material in just a month really.

I think also being out of the school environment makes it harder to study for such an open-ended test material-wise--creating structured study time is more difficult when you're working, in my opinion. Because the advice is to memorize an intro psych book, and not just rely on the review books, I'm feeling overwhelmed about that too--how to create a structured study plan in just 4 weeks.

I agree. It's a lot harder to find the study time you need if you are working. Well, since you wouldn't lose any money, and it's a lot to cover in four weeks, I'd say take it in the fall, and let your programs know that the scores will be coming. If it's an October date, there should be no trouble. It might be trickier for a November date with early December application deadlines.

 

[cara susanna]

I'm taking it in April, but a lot of the material is very fresh in my mind. I plan on taking the practice test that ETS sent me and devising a study plan during spring break, which starts a week from Saturday.

 

[bludreamz]

I know this thread is a few months old, but just wanted to say that the website posted the next test dates

Oct 18, 2008
Nov 8, 2008
April 4, 2009

So, If I want to take the November test, and the application deadlines are December, they will wait for the scores??

 

[psychwanabe]

I know this thread is a few months old, but just wanted to say that the website posted the next test dates

Oct 18, 2008
Nov 8, 2008
April 4, 2009

So, If I want to take the November test, and the application deadlines are December, they will wait for the scores??

Yep. I took the test in Nov. and had mostly December due dates for applications. Everything got to my schools on time.

 

[Yttrium]

In order to do very well, from my experience you'd need at least a few months and you'll want to memorize a good intro to psych textbook as well as get a good review book. I used Kaplan's and found it to be very good.

I basically memorized these two books and majored in psychology, and there were still several questions I had never heard of on the test.

I agree, that's pretty much what I did. Since my BS was in computer science and not psychology, I had to just read as many psych text books as I could get my hands on!

 

[bludreamz]

Yep. I took the test in Nov. and had mostly December due dates for applications. Everything got to my schools on time.

Thanks for your answer psychwanabe.
I have a few apps due Dec1 (the bulk is Dec 15 and later) so I was worried.