Practice GRE subject tests

[Deslok]

Are any of these any good? I'm quite confused because I've been getting a wide variety of results depending on which book I use. I got a 700 on the first Kaplan test before reviewing. Then I made an outline of the whole book, supplemented that with a very outdated Princeton Review book and an intro psych textbook (and a little bit from other textbooks), and reviewed that several times. After that I got a 780 on the second Kaplan test. So far so good. Went to the bookstore the other day and took the test in the current Princeton Review book. There was a bit that I wasn't familiar with, but I got a 750 based on the Kaplan scoring scale. Today, though, I went in to take a practice test in the Barron's book, and I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. There were soooo many obscure questions, and I ended up missing 32 questions in just the first 100. Should I not even bother with these tests (there are 3 others in the same book), or am I just a lot less prepared than I thought I was? I'm saving ETS's practice test for a little later since I assume it's probably the most reliable.

Anyway, any advice would be great. Is there anything else I should do to prepare? Try out another prep book maybe? Thanks.

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[ClinApp]

Barron's book is notoriously awful, primarily because it is too detailed for this test. The best book by far is the Kaplan book. It is very good at identifying the major points of importance. Between that and an intro text, you'll do great. The amazing part about the test is how surprisingly easy it is if you have studied. There will always be a few questions you just don't know, but remember, you don't need to ace it, just aim for a 700 or higher (which you're already scoring, so really, you probably don't even need to study anymore). Most schools don't care about this score, even if it is required., so relax

Btw, if it makes you feel better, I only had a few days to study, used Kaplan and glanced at an intro text, and scored an 820.

 

[lazure]

in my time the ETC published an old test that I found to be a good estimate of my actual score....Good Luck...

 

[twiggers]

I used Princeton's book. I liked it because it broke everything down by subject area, and only gave you information that had been used on previous tests.
Because they broke it down into the various areas I was able to determine my weak areas and focus my studying on just those areas.
I did only study for about a week (shame on me) and ended up with a 680 (around 80th percentile).

I've heard Barron's is absolutely awful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also did the ETS test last....it was a little bit more difficult than the Princeton tests, but not by much.

 

[winnie]

I'm a notorious over-preparer, but this site really helped me brush up on comparative and physiological psych (two areas that are increasingly emphasized) before my test last year:

http://salmon.psy.plym.ac.uk/year1/bbb.htm#BBB13lecture support

Other than that, I'd just suggest doing the ETS practice test, rereading parts of your intro textbook and using your common sense (!). Make sure you know the main concepts thoroughly and can apply them; don't get stuck on details. Most of the questions are pretty darn predictable.