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moochachip
moochachip Posts: 237 Member
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Question for anyone who has taken it.

How long did you take to prepare for your GRE?

I am currently studying up on it using the ETS published book, as both programs I am interested in require taking it. I'd love to get a higher school for scholarships and whatnot.

What all did you use to prepare for the test?

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  • Aurora1525
    Aurora1525 Posts: 62 Member
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    I took the GREs in May. I had 3 weeks to prepare since I'd heard about the program I wanted to attend 3 weeks before their May deadline.

    3 weeks was a huge challenge for me. Ideally, I'd say you need about a month and a half to really absorb everything you need to know for the test and remember it! I spent most of my time cramming for the QR section because I was applying to an engineering program and considering I was an English teacher for 5 years, I figured I didn't need as much review on writing, reading comprehension and vocabulary.

    I purchased two books from Amazon - Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE and GRE for Dummies. I personally didn't like the Princeton Review book, but I did like having the access to their practice tests (which were very difficult). I thought GRE for Dummies was a little more down-to-earth and explained things better.

    The most helpful resources I used were ETS' own review .pdfs of each section. They were 90 pages long, but they covered everything and really gave you the best idea of what I ended up seeing on the test. Then I took their PowerPrep II tests, which were FABULOUS!

    Good luck to you!
  • moochachip
    moochachip Posts: 237 Member
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    Thank you for the tips. I am thinking I am going to give myself until September to absorb the information and then take the test.
  • achecubed
    achecubed Posts: 3 Member
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    I bought the vocab flashcards on Amazon. It took me a month to memorize them. I also practiced writing the essays, because it had been 10 years since I graduated college. :)

    Those vocab cards saved my butt on the verbal score!
  • crosbymo
    crosbymo Posts: 15
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    I recommend taking as long as you can--I've heard the recommended is 6 months and I'm pretty sure that's what mine ended up being... I took a Kaplan class and because of somewhat bad timing, I didn't get a TON out of the class (I took it the semester I was graduating, bad plan). So for me, the first 3/4 months I was taking maybe 4 hours out of my week to do the work. For the last 2 months, I was studying non stop and I pushed back my date a month because I knew I wasn't ready. I really recommend using a professional company and following their time line and getting access to practice tests because that's the only way you will improve your score. I needed at least a 1300, which I got. I took the old format though.
  • _Emma_Problema_
    _Emma_Problema_ Posts: 261 Member
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    Honestly, when I gave myself a ton of time to study for it and kind of BS'ed a bit, I didn't do as well as when I just sat down and took a few weeks to study hard. I ended up retaking it and what I realized issue was was that I had read sections of the study book over a month ago and had forgetten bits. I think I was in the 50th percentile for most things the first time and ended up being in the 91st and 78th the second time around.

    But you can't really ask people for advice about studying. Only you know your study style and I would hope that after finishing/being close to finishing undergrad you would know how much time you need to study for exams. The GRE shouldn't really be something you study for in terms of learning things. Most of the vocab and basic math skills should be under your belt. It's really not that difficult of an exam, but it's long and timed. You should base your required study time on your needs for being able to have the way the test works down pat and being familiar enough with the phrasing and types of questions to go through the material quickly.
  • kganc001
    kganc001 Posts: 317
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    I "studied" rigorously for about a month. But my "rigorous" was a few hours reviewing math a week, prolly 1-2 hours/day. Take a practice test, figure out where your weaknesses are, and focus there. Don't sweat it, because it's so much content it'll drive you crazy. Haha
  • kganc001
    kganc001 Posts: 317
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    I purchased two books from Amazon - Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE and GRE for Dummies. I personally didn't like the Princeton Review book, but I did like having the access to their practice tests (which were very difficult). I thought GRE for Dummies was a little more down-to-earth and explained things better.

    I also used the For Dummies guide! :D I hadn't taken math since my freshman year in college and it was "Intro to College algebra" so I was REALLY unprepared for the math section. All-in-all, I scored in the 71st (i think) percentile. :)
  • char316
    char316 Posts: 72 Member
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    I took an online class through Community college. Good for the writing part, not so good for the math part. Interestingly enough, I guess on 75% of the math questions and did much better than anticipated. I took about 6 months to study and still felt totally unprepared. The vocab flash cards were most helpful for me. When I compared by scores later with those admitted to grad schools, I was surprised to find myself average. I should tell you it was about 20 years since I had English and Math classes. Good luck!

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