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- Feb 16, 2019
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Hey y'all,
If you have to take the GRE in the future and are on a budget that doesn't allow you to afford an online/in-person course, I wanted to do a really quick breakdown on how to prep via books & free online material.
First step is to buy 2 books. 1 to teach you the fundamentals of how to approach the different questions & 1 to use solely for practice problems. A lot of people make the mistake of buying 1 book that does it all, but I've found that my system costs about the same and gives you what you're looking for much more consistently.
The #1 book I recommend for teaching you the basics is The Magoosh GRE Prep Book ($19). It's cheap, it focuses on teaching rather than just throwing example problems at you, and I've found most people can understand the way Magoosh describes things over other books/courses (they tend to make things as simple as possible).
For practice problems, I have 2 big recommendations. Just buy the one you feel you need more (Depending on how many practice problems you need. More questions = slightly more money.)
For practice tests, use ETS's 2 free tests (ETS is the company that produces the GRE). And if that's not enough, use the ones that come with your Magoosh book. There's no need to take more than 3 full-length practice tests - if you are doing that then you're doing something wrong. Which brings me to my next point.
How to prepare for the GRE:
Start off with reviewing the general GRE layout. Know the different types of questions you can be asked & the sections/timing of the test. Then, break each week down into a M-Sa lesson plan, with M-F focusing on 1-2 key components of the GRE & Saturday focusing on a full or half-length practice test.
Example:
Monday: Geometry
Tuesday: Sentence equivalence
Wednesday: "Issue" essay
Thursday: Data analysis
Friday: Reading Comprehension
Saturday: Timed practice test
Sunday: Off
On these M-F's, initially you'll want to spend more time reading through the Magoosh book & only doing a couple of practice problems, but as you feel more comfortable you will start to reverse that & focus primarily on practice problems with only using the Magoosh book as needed.
Make sure you take at least 1 full-length practice test before the real thing, but don't try to focus on them like crazy. Time and time again I talk with people that ONLY took practice tests to prep, and they never do as well as they'd hoped.
You can't truly learn the material by only taking practice tests. You need to focus on the individual components first. Get good at 1 part of the quant/verbal section every day & over time that will add up to you doing well on the test overall.
If you're wondering how long to prep, I recommend 1-3 months. 3 is preferred, but don't go over that. Less is okay if it's needed, you'll just have to work harder/longer every day.
I personally used this general method to go from my 1st practice test score of a ~145 in the Quant & Verbal to a 159V/161Q/5AW on my first official try (2 months prep time). I ain't some natural genius, I've just had enough experience helping pre-PT's through the GRE to know what works/doesn't work.
So, hopefully that helps you a bit. The GRE sucks, but it's also pretty damn important, so I'd recommend taking studying for it very seriously. It's often weighted the same admissions-wise as your entire GPA. So that's 4 years of hard work equaling 1 test. You can either be scared by this or use this to your advantage to make up for a poorer GPA.
The sad truth is many people will study for the GRE less than they study for a single final. How hard would you study for a test if it determined your entire 4-year GPA? That's what the GRE is. Get on it!
By the way, if you thought this post was beneficial, I'd recommend checking out my Instagram page! I talk about everything related to getting you accepted to physical therapy school & offer some cool free resources that will give you the edge in admissions.
-Brandon
If you have to take the GRE in the future and are on a budget that doesn't allow you to afford an online/in-person course, I wanted to do a really quick breakdown on how to prep via books & free online material.
First step is to buy 2 books. 1 to teach you the fundamentals of how to approach the different questions & 1 to use solely for practice problems. A lot of people make the mistake of buying 1 book that does it all, but I've found that my system costs about the same and gives you what you're looking for much more consistently.
The #1 book I recommend for teaching you the basics is The Magoosh GRE Prep Book ($19). It's cheap, it focuses on teaching rather than just throwing example problems at you, and I've found most people can understand the way Magoosh describes things over other books/courses (they tend to make things as simple as possible).
For practice problems, I have 2 big recommendations. Just buy the one you feel you need more (Depending on how many practice problems you need. More questions = slightly more money.)
For practice tests, use ETS's 2 free tests (ETS is the company that produces the GRE). And if that's not enough, use the ones that come with your Magoosh book. There's no need to take more than 3 full-length practice tests - if you are doing that then you're doing something wrong. Which brings me to my next point.
How to prepare for the GRE:
Start off with reviewing the general GRE layout. Know the different types of questions you can be asked & the sections/timing of the test. Then, break each week down into a M-Sa lesson plan, with M-F focusing on 1-2 key components of the GRE & Saturday focusing on a full or half-length practice test.
Example:
Monday: Geometry
Tuesday: Sentence equivalence
Wednesday: "Issue" essay
Thursday: Data analysis
Friday: Reading Comprehension
Saturday: Timed practice test
Sunday: Off
On these M-F's, initially you'll want to spend more time reading through the Magoosh book & only doing a couple of practice problems, but as you feel more comfortable you will start to reverse that & focus primarily on practice problems with only using the Magoosh book as needed.
Make sure you take at least 1 full-length practice test before the real thing, but don't try to focus on them like crazy. Time and time again I talk with people that ONLY took practice tests to prep, and they never do as well as they'd hoped.
You can't truly learn the material by only taking practice tests. You need to focus on the individual components first. Get good at 1 part of the quant/verbal section every day & over time that will add up to you doing well on the test overall.
If you're wondering how long to prep, I recommend 1-3 months. 3 is preferred, but don't go over that. Less is okay if it's needed, you'll just have to work harder/longer every day.
I personally used this general method to go from my 1st practice test score of a ~145 in the Quant & Verbal to a 159V/161Q/5AW on my first official try (2 months prep time). I ain't some natural genius, I've just had enough experience helping pre-PT's through the GRE to know what works/doesn't work.
So, hopefully that helps you a bit. The GRE sucks, but it's also pretty damn important, so I'd recommend taking studying for it very seriously. It's often weighted the same admissions-wise as your entire GPA. So that's 4 years of hard work equaling 1 test. You can either be scared by this or use this to your advantage to make up for a poorer GPA.
The sad truth is many people will study for the GRE less than they study for a single final. How hard would you study for a test if it determined your entire 4-year GPA? That's what the GRE is. Get on it!
By the way, if you thought this post was beneficial, I'd recommend checking out my Instagram page! I talk about everything related to getting you accepted to physical therapy school & offer some cool free resources that will give you the edge in admissions.
-Brandon
