Study Materials for GRE

[brrnieha]

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Does anyone have specific study materials they thought were effective in taking the GRE? Also, what average GRE scores do most DPT programs look for in acceptance?

 

[vapt]

I just bought a Kaplan book from Barnes and Noble, which came in handy more for the vocab. They give you a list of the most popular words used, and a lot of them came up in the exam. I found that the most useful for the quant. section was the powerprep software you download for free from the gre site. The math from the Kaplan book was far more advanced, and it didn't show up as much as problems from the powerprep did (though if you're doing really well, they might, as the gre gets harder or easier depending on right/wrong answers). Most schools look at the quant. score more than the verbal; look on PTCAS's program directory to see ind. school's averages. If it doesn't say, try and shoot for 600 or better on quant. to be competitive. I remember being in your shoes last summer....Good luck!

 

[9433]

I used both the Kaplan and the Princeton Review books, cover to cover. I thought the Princeton Review as A LOT better.

You can look up the average GRE scores (as well as GPA, pre-rec) of a bunch of programs on PTCAS.org. Average GRE seems to be around 1100 or better and ~4.0+ on writing.

 

[oregonprept]

The other people have good ideas. It's kind of pointless to buy GRE prep books though. Why not rent them from the library? Public libraries usually have them. Surprisingly my university didn't have any current editions. In my opinion the quantitative is much easier to study than the verbal, just because its vocab.

 

[Muscles00GT]

I bought the princeton review to brush up on math. i started studying about a month before the GRE. i spent 95% of my time studying quant. because i felt as though with my limited time, i'd benefit more out of studying quant. than verbal. needless to say, it definitely helped me brush up on old skills. as for scores, im not sure. the general concensus is if you break the 1000 mark, you're fine...and as long as your quant. score is relatively high (600+), that should be good. i butchered the verbal (410) , but did decent on the quant. (640)

 

[Karbo]

I used the Kaplan review book and it really helped me brush up on my math skills and get familiar with the weird format for some of the math problems. I also bought the flashcards for the 500 most commonly used vocab words and not 1 of them was actually on the test! That was a waste of time.

 

[Lizarde]

I bought a book with 800 GRE vocab words, learned the first 400, and there actually were a few on the test... you never know I guess.

For math, I took the GRE right after finishing Physics I and thought that was more helpful than the Kaplan GRE book I reviewed.

 

[unlikeall]

My advice is too take as many practice tests as you can. Princeton review books are pretty handy with with qant portion ( they show you a lot of tips tht will help you cut time). Flash cards help with verbal a lot. Keep those things on you at al times and when your bored take them out and study. Writing portion is cake, just have good structure and flow.

 

[coconuthead]

Major books I used when studying for GRE were (1) Princeton Review book for GRE (2) GRE: Practicing to take the General Test 10th Edition by ETS. (3) Any of GRE high frequency book.

I used Princeton's Review book to brush up my math, learned tricks and tips for verbal section and literally memorized all the vocabularies found in the back of the book. Throughout my preparation, I made sure I practiced all the tests in the GRE book by ETS. Days before the test, I took the free computerized test on ETS website and the ones came into your mail after registration .

Good luck

 

[lknight]

I walked into barnes and noble.....and just felt overwhelmed by the different GRE prep books. I saw Barron, Princeton Review, and Kaplan. Kaplan is the one I hear the most about. But, I was wondering which one would suit me best. Also, I saw a seperate vocabulary book too. Before I buy a single prep book I wanted to hear any suggestions.

I heard Kaplan.....assumes you know most of the basics and focus on difficult questions.

Princeton.....mainly concerned with strategies/tricks

Barron....haven't heard much about this company.

 

[jbizzle]

Actually I studied using the Kaplan books and I was like wow the GRE is going to be easy. Then my friend gave me his Barron book and I was like, Oh S#it, Let me push my test date back. I would use a combination to get a more practice from different sources and Kaplan and Barrons actually has different tips/methods geared for the GRE. I think using both Kaplan and Barrons helped tremendously I think.

 

[BumpTest]

Almost ditto of the above. I bought the Kaplan Math Workbook and the vocab study cards and then borrowed a Kaplan Verbal Workbook, a Kaplan general GRE book from 2008, and a Princeton Review book from my local library. Couldn't have imagined a better way to study because there were concepts I couldn't get with Kaplan that Princeton Review explained better and vice versa. Got respectable GRE scores(570 both V and Q and 4.5AW). I was also working right up until I took the test so time management is critical. This method worked for me better than plunking down $1000 or whatever it is a prep class costs.

 

[LaSasi]

Almost ditto of the above. I bought the Kaplan Math Workbook and the vocab study cards and then borrowed a Kaplan Verbal Workbook, a Kaplan general GRE book from 2008, and a Princeton Review book from my local library. Couldn't have imagined a better way to study because there were concepts I couldn't get with Kaplan that Princeton Review explained better and vice versa. Got respectable GRE scores(570 both V and Q and 4.5AW). I was also working right up until I took the test so time management is critical. This method worked for me better than plunking down $1000 or whatever it is a prep class costs.

So prep classes aren't worth the money?

A friend of mine highly suggested I take a prep course, but of course, if most here don't find it necessary I'd prefer to save $1000.

Anyone out there take a prep course and thought it was worth while?

 

[Mansi123]

HOW ARE you guys studying for the verbal part of gre? princeton and kaplan books have lots of words? is it worth memorizing all ?

 

[jbizzle]

You have to remember that the verbal part has reading also. So don't be stressing on just vocab. For the analogies, Kaplan list the 4 different ways the GRE makes the analogies so that helped me a lot. I really didn't know some of the words on the test when I took it but I was able to cancel out the wrong ones and could make a good guess on it. Aren't there antonyms and synonyms on the GRE I don't remember. So you can make a guess on those too with the strategies Kaplan has. I mean it wouldn't hurt to memorize the 500 words that are commonly used on the GRE (because I did-but didn't see much of it on the test) but you shouldn't be stresses out on vocab because there are strategies for the different parts of the verbal section and there is reading involved also.

 

[JustPassin]

One of my professors told me just start doing a bunch of reading instead of trying to memorize all the vocab. He said that helped him increase his score by ~150 points from the first time he took the GRE.

So now, I read a book and when I don't know the word, I google it. Seems to be working well so far.

 

[dazzledpetsy]

If you're an independent learner, don't take the Kaplan course. You can get the study aids at Borders for about $25 (as opposed to $1000+ for the course) and you can study on your own time. If you feel best you work with a tutor and have the money for it, then feel free to take the class. However the books are just as effective but cost considerably less.

Princeton Review has the best books. I suggest "Cracking the GRE" and "Word Smart for the GRE". Also, take advantage of the free online practice tests, and take a look at the analytical writing topics so you get a feel for how to analyze them. I got 1400 (690V, 710Q, 6W) and feel as if I could have personally done better on the math section. The GRE is all about practice, not studying! if you familiarize yourself with the test, you'll do much better. It's all about what makes you comfortable.

Good luck!

 

[DeepSouthPT]

I spent about 4 or 5 weeks going through Barron's GRE (2009), Kaplan's GRE (2009) and Kaplan's Math Workbook. I also used Kaplan's Vocab in a Box. I think using both the Kaplan and Barron books was really beneficial since they are quite a bit different. I was only able to get through about half of the vocab words, but it made a huge difference for me, I only wish I could have learned them all in time.

I ended up getting a 750 Q, 600 V and a 4.0 W. When I started the test prep I was making around 580 Q, 460 V on the practice tests, so I really think the books and practice tests work. Especially for people who haven't had a math class in several years.