Has anyone taken the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)?

I finally made my appointment today to take the GRE, and I have only about three weeks to prepare. From what I've gathered in talking with other people who have taken it, vocabulary and math are worth reviewing, along with familiarizing myself with the types of questions asked. Today I bought two books: one to help me with vocabulary, and one that will help me quickly prepare for the exam in general. If anyone has any advice for me or what I should review, I'd appreciate it!
Thanks,
DanaK

I took the GMAT more years ago than I care to admit. (Graduate Management Aptitude (?) Test) for my MBA - I worked with a friend of mine - and we just took test after test after test for weeks.

You're not going to get smarter except for probably relearning some math (oh yeah, how did those triangles work?) - you know what you know. But, you can teach yourself to think in terms of "taking the test" - learn how they want you to reason, think, etc. So, when you get a test you're prepared. Time yourself, don't take more than the allotted time, take the tests wearing the types of clothes you'll wear for the exam, etc. - might make sense to go to a library so you're in a similar environment as the exam room with no distractions, etc. Hopefully you have a friend who is taking the exam also since discussing ones you got wrong is helpful.

We started a month or so before and just met every few days - and took exam after exam. And, did get better - ended up in the 95th percentile for the final exam.

Make sure you get a LOT of rest the night before - don't even think about taking a test exam (because remember, you're not going to learn anything or get any smarter, you're learning technique) - remember your ID (something I forgot and had to drive about 70 MPH back to get) and relax and you should do fine.

Good luck and let us know how you do!

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º° Sandraº¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

This message was edited Mar 26, 2005 9:44 AM

Study hard! I took the General GRE's in 2000, and it was computerized nightmare. It was a more horrific version of the SAT's (which I hear now have changed). Lots of "if this word means this, then this word means this" sort of stuff.

What I didn't like was the computerized format. You had to answer the question in front of you - no chance to skip it and come back. If you answered one right, the program would present a harder question. If you didnt' answer it right, you'd get an "easy" one. All that was going on with a timer clicking down on the screen, and a reminder of how many questions left you had to answer.

UGH! That was one of those exams I was glad to have over. The Chemistry GRE was on paper, and while still hard, easier than the Generals.

Sorry if I worry you, but I wanted to be honest.
-Jennifer

Yikes - Jennifer...it has been a long time - I took mine back in 1990 and it was all on paper...Do you really get penalized for a correct answer and have to work harder? And going back (at least within the section) was incredibly valuable - because I remember that keeping momentum was so important - if you were stuck - KEEP GOING, always a chance to go back if there was time because it was better to get the last three done and get THEM right than to miss them because you were working too hard on a particular question.

Dana - are you in a position to take a GRE prep class? As I'm thinking about it - the techniques and pressures that they put you under sound like they might be stressful, so it would be good to take some samples (under similar conditions) so you know what to expect and are more comfortable with them as well as the understanding the style of questions. Are there any web-based sample exams?

groan - I feel so passe'.... It's really not that long ago - and everything is so different. I wonder how I'd do now... :-)

That's why I was so disgusted with the exam - I couldn't skip one, and I never felt like I was working at my pace - I had to answer what was in front of me, and with the timer running, I felt like I had to hurry.
That's why I wrote what I did - not to be scary, but as a warning. I never figured this would be an electronic exam.

Yes, thankfully I am already aware of the format. At least everyone's in the same boat! That will be hard not being able to go back, though.

I'm usually pretty good at standardized tests, so I'm not all that worried, and the school I'm currently applying to doesn't weigh these scores very heavily, but in the future my scores may matter more, so of course I'd still like to do well! However, then I could always take it again, too. Now I mostly just need to get my scores into admissions.

So do you think I'll be on the right track if I become familiar with the test format and review math and vocabulary?? That seems to be the consensus from what other people have said...

And you thought the Chemistry test was easier, huh? I minored in Chemistry, but maybe I'll take the Biology subject test sometime then. Now I'm taking it for a Master's degree, but I'd really like to get a PhD next...

Thanks,
Dana

I took this test sooo long ago that the test has probably changed so much that I can't provide current info. But, I still remember how I worried about it before hand. The generalized test was more difficult than the specific subject matter tests. It is very difficult to study for it because you don't know what areas to study besides vocabulary and math. I scored in the 99th percentile on specific subject matter tests which I did review a lot before I took them. I spent a lot of time learning the test format. When you start taking the test and the question format looks familiar to you, your confidence is boosted which assists you in choosing the correct answers. Also during the test, every once in a while stop, take a couple of deep breaths and look around the room in order to relax a little and give your brain a break. If you are not taking the computerized test that AngelSong took, skip the ones that are difficult or that you are unsure about and put a mark by their number so you can go back to them. Here's a site you might find useful:
http://www.gre.org/practice_test/
I am sure that you will do very well.

Hello,

I think all the GREs now are done on the computer. I'm not sure if this is good or bad (at least we get our scores right away afterward), but at least we're all in the same boat! I guess if I'm studying vocab. and math, and format, I'm on the right track then. Otherwise I'll just have to trust myself that I'll do my best. :) Thanks for the link to the practice tests. I know they also have some software I can download. I suppose I should do that, too. At least I'm finally getting this over with!

Thanks,
Dana

Dana, I know you will sigh with relief when you finish the GRE and get your results. :o)

My son took his a few years back and I helped him work on the vocabulary study book. I thought I had a fair vocabulary until then.

He is exceptional in math and I certainly cannot help there.

My GREs' were ages ago. General tips though-plenty of rest, watch the coffee, comfy clothes.
Is there any other similiar test that you can practice on? I used to take as many tests as possible (PSAT

There are many practice tests in books and online. I haven't taken any of them yet, but I will before my real exam. Luckily my score won't count too much toward my admission to the current program I'm applying to, but I still want to do well for future applications. I'm just trying not to get too phyched about it, though, becuase I think that will make me do worse. I know I need to review vocabulary and math (it's been so long since I've used it!), so I think that will be my best focus for now.

Whew! (Yes, that was my sigh of relief!) Well, it's over and done with for now. I didn't prepare as much as I imagined I would, but I think I did okay-- and especially well in the Quantitative section. I know I did well enough to get accepted to the program at hand. And for many of the PhD programs I'd be interested in, it's the Quantitative score that is emphasized-- yay! If I do decide to take it again someday I'll prepare better for the Verbal section: I think I really could raise my score if I study the GRE Vocabulary book. So I did pretty well, and if I ever decide to take it again I'll know what to expect. Thanks everyone for your advice!

Good show, Dana!

Yes, and my husband just took me out to a nice dinner to celebrate. It's sure a relief having it behind me!

Dana, congratulations for sticking with it and what a nice husband. I bet you can get a good night's sleep now! :o)

Danak,
I have just passed the CET-6 -- an English level test for Chinese Collegue Students,and band 6 is the top level.A month ago before the exam I had a good brush over the latest ten years' original examination papers and it turned out to be a fast way of obtaining higher points.And besides, when taking the exam,I just kept two words in my mind:indifferent,relief.I hope my experience can be some helpful for you.
Jianhua

Jianhua, congratulations on your success! Although I have my raw scores, I'll be interested to see what my percentile is: that will be the true measure of how I did. I found some approximate information online, and at least I did very well in the section that counts for my interests! Can't complain about that. A lot of universities don't even really look at the other section, and even on that I did fine. I'm often too hard on myself-- too much of a perfectionist!

Danak,in order to get a better job in the future,I need the green CET certificate ;and in order to get the certificate,I have to study hard.And only on account of this,I made good preparations for the test.I bought lots of study materials and did plenty of original and simulated test papers.
And every day I put pressure upon myself and forced myself to memorize the required 6000 English words.You can imagine how busy I was during that period.When I knew that I had passed the test,I let out a deep and light breath .My efforts are not in vain.And what is more,I really learn a lot of new knowledge and pick up quite a great many new words.All in all,I get great benifit from the test.

Hey, Jianhua, congratulations to you, too!

Jianhua, I admire your hard work and determination.

Congrats to you both!

Congratulations! I am proud of both of you! See what you want, work your way towards it and make your life much better for it! ~ Suzi :)

Great work from both of you and good luck-certainly have worked hard.