Taking the GRE (Questions, rants, advice, etc)

[jaydog12]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Let me start off by saying that I tried to study 20 words a day for the vocab and spend an hour or two a day looking over math and reading comprehension. I used Kaplan, Baron's GRE, and some down loadable program called GRE Bible. I spent six months preparing for this damn exam only to get a 1050. What is the lesson here................ try harder next time or hope to God that a vet school is not into GRE scores all too much (Missouri hint hint).

 

[dpcdoc]

you might want to check out www.number2.com it is a free online test prep site and I found it very helpful, especially with the vocabulary. Best wishes to you.

 

[MooSuga]

I use Number2 website and it is quite helpful, it shows me the area I have difficulties in and help review questions if you got it wrong.

 

[rara avis]

.

 

[jst2185]

Hey guys,

I just took the GRE, and wanted to go it alone and save the money I'd spend on a course. I ended up getting talked into a course, and took Kaplan here in NYC. This is not an advertisement. The course was just great. The online study materials and explanations were excellent, and the test yesterday went excellently. If you're able to spend the money, I'd definitely recommend it. Just wanted to share b/c a few months ago I wasn't sure how to approach the test.

 

[sumstorm]

The value of a course will vary by the individual.

What, exactly, did you have issues with? Pacing? Particular question types? certain math skills/tricks? Vocab?

ETS will, for a fee, send you an evauation of your exam. It might be worth it.

Did you actually take practice exams? Were you familiar with/comfortable with the computerized format?

You will need to figure out what went poorly to figure out how to fix it.

I find the most useful stuff from the books are the strategies to solve problems quickly and efficiently. Also, be sure you are using books about GRE cat, rather than just GRE.

 

[Bob2]

I used the princeton review book and i basically just read through it once before i wrote it and did alright. I scored 800 on math, 500 on verbal, and a 5 on the essays. I wish my verbal score was higher but i was still fairly satisfied with my results.

 

[LivestockDoc]

I used the princeton review book and i basically just read through it once before i wrote it and did alright. I scored 800 on math, 500 on verbal, and a 5 on the essays. I wish my verbal score was higher but i was still fairly satisfied with my results.

Wow, I wish I could borrow your math sense. I've been studying off and on since September, and I still don't feel anywhere near ready. I still encounter questions that bewilder me. I could spend a half hour staring at them and still not be able to figure them out. I'm good at the verbal portion, but the vet schools don't seem too concerned about the verbal score. GRE math makes me feel ******ed.

 

[sumstorm]

If you look at a question and don't have a clear idea of at least how to figure it out, look at the answers and see if anything makes sense or leads you in a direction (ie solving in terms of pi is easier than solving using pi)

I think you need to have some of the geometric formulas down pat.

I have Kaplan's math flashcards on flashcard exchange which go over all of the basics of math (they are free for anyone to use.) Also GRE for dummies covers a lot of the 'tricky' math questions with fast, easy solution. from that book I created a study card of basic things I needed to remember (probably 20) that weren't really ingrained in my brain. I scored in the 700's.

 

[StillDreaming]

If you can motivate yourself to study, then i wouldn't pay for the course. I have found that my friends who took the course had opinions that it just gave them the motivation to study and get the book done. It's a great course, but in my opinion not worth the price if you can study yourself.

I jsut bought the kaplan book (for all three sections) and then the top 500 word book that is kind of like notecards. I went through the book and did all the practice problem sets and it definitely helped me out in the long run. If you are poor on the math section, iw ould also consider investing in the math workbook. My friend did this and it improved his score by 200 points on just the math section.

Good luck!

 

[LivestockDoc]

Hey Sum,

Since I'm not the OP, I don't know for sure if your comments were directed specifically at me, but I appreciate them!

I know when I'm testing and I get stuck, I will just look at answers and can eliminate some obvious traps. When I'm just practicing, sometimes even looking at the answers doesn't give me a clue! I'm using books by the top names, so there are usually thorough explanations given, but sometimes I look at the explanation and I see what they did, but would never be able to come up with that strategy myself. Frustrating.

The '09 GRE For Dummies was just released. Heading out today to see if I can find it at B & N. I'll take all the help I can get!

I heard there's a free practice test on the Princeton Review website. Going to try it today, and see if I'm improving at all.

 

[DVMorBust]

I know when I'm testing and I get stuck, I will just look at answers and can eliminate some obvious traps. When I'm just practicing, sometimes even looking at the answers doesn't give me a clue! I'm using books by the top names, so there are usually thorough explanations given, but sometimes I look at the explanation and I see what they did, but would never be able to come up with that strategy myself. Frustrating.

The thing that helped me *so much* was switching the way I thought about the math section. Instead of jumping right in to the math, I would look at a problem and the first thing I'd try and figure out is 'what are they testing me on right now'. Being able to pick apart whether it's a simple arithmetic question, a question with a trick, more logic-based, etc. helped me really speed up the problem solving, and made it less about math.

Another thing that helped was going back and doing the questions from a practice test over using the methods the book said to use (I used Princeton Review). I found that, especially when I did this for questions I'd gotten right, other ones I may have gotten wrong were easier to pick apart. There's a ton of overlap in the types of questions they ask, so when I hit something I didn't recognize I'd just throw *strategies* at it, and usually something would click.