G.R.E. Test / Desk Jockeys

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Articeluvsmemphis
Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
in Chit-Chat
Thanks in advance. :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy:

I just know some really cool people at boring desk jobs right about now who just came back from lunch should be able to help me out :)

I want to know if anyone actually does well on the G.R.E. I wanna go to grad school, and I have two schools in mind, and want to do my best on this test.

What kind of prep did you do? What were your test results? Are those study books worth it/accurate?

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  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    Sorry not much helpful here, when I started my Masters U of Mich didnt asked for my GRE but I would like to congratulate and wish you good luck in advance though :)
  • Huggenkiss27
    Huggenkiss27 Posts: 59
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    I just took the GRE in October. I didn't decide I was even going to grad school until September so I only had about 5 weeks to prep. I did get 2 of the books, princeton review and kaplan. I found that the practice tests helped me the most to decide what areas to review. I also had a couple of word apps on my iphone and i'd spend a good 10-15 minutes a day flipping through words. I ended up doing pretty good and got into grad school no questions asked.
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
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    The GRE is all about knowing the test and the types of questions that they ask. I used to teach GRE test prep, and honestly its one of those things where you really have to study to the test. The computer based test is also a bit tricky, so taking practice tests is vital - you should be able to access a free practice test on the GRE website. Then, depending on your budget and time frame, taking a practice course and/or working through GRE practice books can be really beneficial.

    Also, please note that the GRE changed format and content SIGNIFICANTLY in 2011, so make sure to get books updated to deal with the new GRE issue.

    Feel free to message me if you have any more questions and I can try to help!
  • fittiephd
    fittiephd Posts: 608 Member
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    I mostly just took the practice tests online to get a feel for the questions and see which topics I need to review. For me it was mostly trig!

    I did well enough on the GREs... I got 161 on both verbal and math. Only 4.5 on writing though, which is ironic because I was an english major for a semester in college ;)

    My scores were good enough to get into BU's Bioinformatics PhD program for this fall, so I guess that's a good caliber of them! I couldn't be more ecstatic! Good luck on your journey to grad school!!
  • Hernandeak11
    Hernandeak11 Posts: 351 Member
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    I have a copy of Barron's GMAT Prep (~$35), and I like it (the grad school I'm looking into requires a GMAT score, versus a GRE).

    There are some poor reviews on Amazon, but there are plenty of in-depth sections on the types of questions, etc. and plenty of practice exams.

    At least for the GMAT, I know you can take one or two practice attempts on the test's website.
  • rebecca_d35
    rebecca_d35 Posts: 131
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    Hey--

    I don't know if this will be any help at all because 1) I took the the G.R.E. 10 years ago and 2) I didn't study, but I didn't find the test too tough. At least, not the language section. I do sort of wish I'd looked over a study guide beforehand, just for the math section. But my grad program only looked at the language part anyway. It was more of a pride thing.

    I wouldn't spend much time studying for the test, but it's good to have an idea of what the test will look like.

    And yes, I did well. :)

    Good luck!
  • apatrick106
    apatrick106 Posts: 68 Member
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    Hello!
    I have not taken the GRE but my last job was with a college program that required GRE scores as well. I think we only had a handful or so of those that did not do well in the 3 years I was there. Are you a Math person or English? If you have not already google GRE and you will find a lot of information and practice test online. As for the books I think it depends on how long you have been out of school.
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
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    Also - if you have schools in mind, find out what types of scores they expect and/or require on the GRE. The scores that they want to see (and how important the scores actually are) vary significantly, both by school and by program. So by taking a practice test to see where you are at, and then knowing the goal that you need to get to will help you maximize your studying.
  • loseiteli
    loseiteli Posts: 242 Member
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    I didnt take the GRE, but i did take the GMAT (my score was around the 70th percentile). They are pretty simular which is why Management programs will take both scores...

    The best thing that I did was doing the practice tests. I bought the study books and everything, but found that the actual application of the time constraints and real questions were the best.

    Best of luck to you!!
  • flobeedoodle
    flobeedoodle Posts: 176 Member
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    I did very well on the GRE (better than 1500/1600.) I feel strongly that it changed the course of my life. My bachelor degree is from a small state university, and I am now in a combined Masters/Doctoral program at a very good private research university. I was accepted into a top 10 school in my field (although they didn't offer to fund me as generously as the school I chose.) I honestly do not think any of that would have happened if I had not done so well on the GRE.

    I enrolled in a course offered by Kaplan. I think it was 6 weeks long, and cost around $1k usd. It was worth every penny, and I will pay for my children to attend test prep classes when the time comes.
  • EllaA26
    EllaA26 Posts: 48
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    Sure, people do well on the GREs. Some of your success comes from your undergrad degree (engr, business, english, etc) and some comes from prep work. Some of it is just pure luck.

    My undergrad was engineering, so I scored a perfect on the math part of the GREs with no prep work - just because my undergrad math courses were far more advanced than anything on the GRE itself.

    The verbal I did above average. I spent time prepping with one of those GRE prep books. I found it useful and thought that it definitely helped me out.

    The written I did really well on. Here I also used a GRE prep book to run through some examples and get a good feel on what the reviewers were looking for. My written skills come from a science background, so I wanted to make sure that it would sound "prettier" to someone with a literature degree.

    All that said, I bought one review book and spent a couple of weekends going through it before the exam. I though it was helpful and would do the same if I had to do it all over again. GRE scores are not super critical, unless you are tying to get into a top-rated grad school and they want their numbers to be high. It is important, though, to make sure that your undergrad work was solid and that you have a well-rounded resume.

    Good luck!
  • bethelcheryl
    bethelcheryl Posts: 199 Member
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    Get the Princeton Review study book. Take a practice test to see where you are now. Then study. Good luck :)

    On any of these tests I always do fantastic in the verbal section but not so hot in math. I took the GRE 3 years ago, and don't remember my exact scores. But I got in the 94th percentile on the verbal section and the 35th percentile on the math. I also had to write 2 essays. I remember I did OK, but not fantastic. I didn't look at the study materials for the essay portion at all. I didn't study at all for the verbal section, but I didn't need to. For math, my score on the practice test before studying was the 12th percentile. For my profession (librarian) I didn't need a really high math score. So I studied a little, but not too much and managed to raise my score.
  • secoke
    secoke Posts: 69 Member
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    I did a Kaplan prep course. Buying the book and doing the practice tests would have been just fine for the math and verbal practice but being in the course meant my writting was critiqued too. Some programs don't look at your verbal score so it is worth it to just do the practice tests.
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 999 Member
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    I didn't do the GRE but i did do the GMAT.

    For someone who never liked math Im amazed i passed..

    Take a course if you can because they teach you strategies that are hard to really take in through a book.
  • SofaKingRad
    SofaKingRad Posts: 1,592 Member
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    Take a lot of practice tests, and most importantly, PACE yourself. I did awesome on the math portion, but totally sucked on the english and writing :-) Good thing I'm an Engineer and not a journalist.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    Thanks guys, I will finish reading through the rest in a bit. :happy:

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