When to take the GRE

[dairyvethopeful]

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So I'm a sophomore undergraduate and I'm wondering when I should take the GRE. I know that you have to study a lot: practice exams, books, programs, etc. What is your advice? Should I wait another year before I take the GRE or should I take it once to see how I do, then re-take it. I know that it cost a good deal to take the test.

 

[twelvetigers]

It's like $140. I would plan for time to take it twice, but whether the two times you take it are a year apart or two months apart is up to you. Just check the date that the school(s) will need the scores by... and try to schedule it when you won't be bogged down with a million other things. 🙂

 

[bunnity]

I found that a month of studying (during school and significant work) was all I really needed for the GRE. Of course YMMV but I don't think my score would have improved if I had studied for longer (it might have gone down as I began to forget the math tricks...). I think there are diminishing returns after a month or two of studying for the GRE, so just try to plan a time when you'll have a couple months beforehand to study a little each day.

I found the Barron's GRE book very helpful for the math. I did not study much for the verbal (I think verbal is a lot harder to improve) so I am not sure how good it is for that.

 

[jesiah]

actually the test costs $150. you get to send your scores to 4 schools for free, then it's 20 bucks/school.

i would shoot for taking it once and getting it over with. i studied on and off for two months just using www.number2.com (it's a free gre prep website) and the ets gre book and that was sufficient enough for me to get a good score. i heard mixed things about the kaplan book, so it's up to you really. i don't think the workshops are really worth it. it costs a lot of money. but if you have the money/time, then go for it...i hear it helps.

take it at a time where you have at least a month to prepare for the test. i'd suggest memorizing a few words every day to make the verbal section easier

 

[NStarz]

Hey all. Thought I'd revive an old thread for this question.

I am applying to veterinary school this coming cycle (applying Fall '10 for matriculation Fall '11). I know that you shouldn't wait to take the GRE until right before (like September), but whenabouts should you take it?

I am planning to take it twice, but that may change once I get my scores. Would once in April of this year and once in July of this year be a good time table?

Thank you!

~NStarz

 

[luplodw]

Well you can take it once a calendar month so if you started taking it in June, you'd have 4 opportunities to take it. I took mine in June then in July

 

[GellaBella]

Haha I took mine in September, are you saying that was a bad idea?!

Seriously though, yeah, earlier than Sept is prob better simply because I was worried some of my schools wouldn't get my scores on time (NCSU requires scores to BE there on Oct 2nd so that was scary, I took the test on Sept 11th which cut it kinda close).

I knew I was only going to have one shot at taking it and I would say I probably studied about 2 months for it mostly reviewing math and going over the top words and took many many practice exams.

worked out okay for me but I think if you want to take it in June, start studying in late March/early April and then you'll have plenty of time to continue studying if you need to take it again in July or August.

 

[NStarz]

Thanks for your responses guys! I was freaking out for just a few days because, for some reason, I thought I needed to take it like next month. *Phew*

 

[Coquette22]

Just make sure there's enough time for unforeseen circumstances. ETS sent my scores to UPEI on Dec 18. By Jan 5, UPEI still had no record of them. Had to have ETS send them again, and UPEI finally received them on Jan 18.

 

[cooniexp]

The good thing about the GRE is that the schools take the best scores from each section (verbal and math) rather than the best overall score (unlike the SAT).

For the current cycle, I took mine in August and September. It wasn't too bad/rushed, but to be safe I'd advise taking it earlier. For me, I retook it because I tanked the verbal the first time, so I wasn't too stressed out my second time around since I was focusing on the verbal section (I did better on math as well anyway).

I think this factor allows you more freedom to take your time and actually prepare for it instead of thinking that you need to take it really early when you have other things going on (midterms). Goes without saying, but it's better to study really hard and only take it 1-3 times rather than thinking that you can take it many times just because they take the highest score from each section.

Not advising that you procrastinate, but I did okay with taking the GRE close to when applications were due. I did self-study with Kaplan books (two, one for verbal and one for math) and I felt it was a lot better than the Princeton Review book. I would also strongly advise doing practice quizzes/tests that mimic the actual exam and actually time yourself, so that when you're taking the real test none of the format would be foreign to you -- then you can focus on the test rather than compromising your concentration figuring out/getting used to the format.

Phew, that was really long and I got off on tangents, but hope it helps.

 

[luplodw]

The good thing about the GRE is that the schools take the best scores from each section (verbal and math) rather than the best overall score (unlike the SAT).

This isn't necessarily true. I know that for UTK they take the score from your latest test. So if you do worse the 2nd time, they will use the worse score. So I think it depends on the school

 

[racccjlm]

I definitely recommend taking the GRE early so that you can retake it if you need to. Due to many circumstances, I ended up taking it mid September this year. I still managed to make it work, but it was a seriously stressful time period!

 

[twelvetigers]

The good thing about the GRE is that the schools take the best scores from each section (verbal and math) rather than the best overall score (unlike the SAT).

Relatively few schools use this method, actually. Most take your best overall score. Just do some research on your specific schools, or plan on doing well overall so it's not a concern. 🙂

 

[deleted266066]

Is it weird that I took the GRE in summer of '09 and won't be applying until fall of '10? Seems like everyone here took it a few months (at most) before all the stuff was due, but I figured I'd get it out of the way nice and early so I wouldn't be dealing with filling out applications *and* stressing about preparing for the exam.

 

[racccjlm]

Is it weird that I took the GRE in summer of '09 and won't be applying until fall of '10? Seems like everyone here took it a few months (at most) before all the stuff was due, but I figured I'd get it out of the way nice and early so I wouldn't be dealing with filling out applications *and* stressing about preparing for the exam.

There's nothing wrong with that 🙂

 

[cooniexp]

Relatively few schools use this method, actually. Most take your best overall score. Just do some research on your specific schools, or plan on doing well overall so it's not a concern. 🙂

Oops.. sorry! Probably just got lucky with the schools I applied to then.

 

[that70sfan11]

I took it the last Saturday of spring break.

Pro: I had the whole week to study for it (with no classes or work to bother me), and that was plenty of time for math. (NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR VERBAL) Hence my scores... 530 V 780 Q 5.0 W haha. start studying vocab now!

Cons: My spring break was spent being lame and feeling guilty when I wasn't studying.

Pro: Now that its my senior year, I'm making it the best spring break ever so it's all good!😀

 

[dgm]

I took the GRE in August of the year I applied (I believe it was towards the end of August - just wanted to make sure I left myself another chance to take it in September, if necessary). I blew through two GRE study books in the two weeks prior. My score in August was fine, so I didn't need to retake it. I think the most important thing is to schedule it for when you'll have time to do some intense studying for a few weeks before it.

 

[NittanyKitty]

Take it when you feel ready to do well and not before. I am halfway through my "year off" of school - this was a planned event on my part to work and focus on applications. My undergrad years (particularly the last two) were swamped with a VERY full course load, activities, and research and I never found as much time as I wanted to prepare for the exam. After graduation I took a solid two months to prepare for the test, took it in late June, and was very happy with my score. Had I not been, I would have taken it again in late July after another month of preparation.

 

[luvgoldens482]

Be aware that some schools have super early GRE deadlines (i.e. Illinois.) Make sure to check the requirements at each of your school. I know that some schools also have a limit on how early (in years) you can take the test.

 

[PetPony]

So, I couldn't find another thread about this, so I guess I could put it here..?

What is the earliest time you can take the GRE so that vet schools consider them? Can you take them as soon as you want, like first or second year of college, so it'll be out of the way?

I heard it's much like the SAT, so wouldn't it be smart to take it earlier than later because you might remember more from the SAT and studying for that one? Also it'd be out of the way then and you wouldn't have to worry about it during applications..

 

[NStarz]

I don't really think it matters when you take it, so long as it meets the guidelines of the specific vet school (some want to have scores in by XX date). Taking it early could be a good thing, but you also have to keep in mind that some schools won't take a GRE score from over 5 years ago. I myself thought I was applying directly out of undergrad and life took a turn, so I'm not applying a year later. If you take the GREs super early and then decide to take some time off, they may start to expire.

Also, the math on the GRE is easier than on the SAT 🙂. They are further changing the format in August of 2011, so check it out and see which would better benefit you.

 

[PetPony]

So, in case I would get accepted right after undergrad (everyone has their dreams and hopes hahaha) then most likely they'd still take them, right? Unless of course they say otherwise in their requirements..
And if anything happens that would change my (hopeful) plans, then I could take it later again and stress about it with everything else going on then. Hahaha.

I really hope it'll be easier cuz I didn't do too bad on the math part on the SAT, so that's be great. 🙂

 

[lifeofmalaise]

I took it the last Saturday of spring break.

Pro: I had the whole week to study for it (with no classes or work to bother me), and that was plenty of time for math. (NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR VERBAL) Hence my scores... 530 V 780 Q 5.0 W haha. start studying vocab now!
!

Those are some nice scores with only one week of studying!

I just took the GRE but I'm not planning to apply to vet school until 2012. Take it when you're ready or when you have time. But i would agree with plan to take it at least twice also. The 2nd time you just feel more relaxed because you've done it once before and you know what to expect so you would do better. I would highly suggest doing vocab now though. Do 2 words a day or something..

 

[PetPony]

I know we've talked about this before, but now that I'm actually closer to going to college I just started thinking about it again. So far I don't have anything to worry about (homework, tests, etc).. Do you think it'd be a good idea to take the GRE pretty soon after the summer when I start my freshman year? I understand the whole thing about my scores maybe getting too old and all that. But I know I'll have a lot of free time over the summer, so wouldn't it be productive to study for the GRE now and then take it asap? Then I don't have to study for that AND my classes at the same time..

 

[LittleWiz]

I've been reading a lot about Number2.com, the website with free GRE help. However, I'm a little skeptical about signing up. What's the catch for the company?? How do I know they won't sell my name to third parties?

I know I'm being a little paranoid, but nothing is ever free, and free GRE help seems too good to be true.

Thoughts from those who have used the website would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[twelvetigers]

I know we've talked about this before, but now that I'm actually closer to going to college I just started thinking about it again. So far I don't have anything to worry about (homework, tests, etc).. Do you think it'd be a good idea to take the GRE pretty soon after the summer when I start my freshman year? I understand the whole thing about my scores maybe getting too old and all that. But I know I'll have a lot of free time over the summer, so wouldn't it be productive to study for the GRE now and then take it asap? Then I don't have to study for that AND my classes at the same time..

Yes, except the format is changing this August. You'll probably want to take the newest version, so you'd have to wait.

 

[PetPony]

Yea, I saw that. Classes start beginning of August and I wanna wait a few weeks anyways to get used to everything, so I'd be taking it in the beginning of them starting their new format..

 

[twelvetigers]

Okay, that's fine then. But it might be hard to get good study material for the new version for a while, so consider that as well.

 

[PetPony]

I have a few word lists that I'm studying now, but besides that, do you think there'll really be a big material change?

 

[twelvetigers]

The words may not change much, but the analogies will go away. Any study book will focus heavily on those, so that would be different. And I do think the math will change quite a bit - your ability to use an on screen calculator will make the problems... I hesitate to say 'harder'... maybe just different.

And, all around, the format will change. So not knowing what to expect... that kinda sucks.

So, short answer: the material probably isn't going to be terribly different, but it will definitely be presented in a different way that could alter some study strategies. No one here knows for sure.

On the plus side, the test is 1/2 off in August if you decide to take a crack at it.