How hard is the GRE?

[StellaBlue]

I am thinking of taking it over the next couple of months. I got a 1350 on my SAT with no prep and I have a BA and an MA. If I brush up on my math formulas, am I likely to do well? Is it really hard? I am talking regular GRE, not subject tests (those are impossible, in my experience!).

Should I buy some GRE-prep books, take a class, do nothing?...

Any insight greatly appreciated.

[undeterred]

1. Its been a long time since I took it

but I remember it as very hard. Its not just the questions themselves but the fact that its a timed test. I found that I could get through all the questions and do very well if I had 40 minutes. But you only get 30 minutes. At least that's how it was way back when I took it.

So I would advise doing a test prep book at least- not so much for the content as for practice answering quickly. For me the analytical questions just took more time and I as I improved my speed at taking them my practice scores got a little better.

[liontamer]

2. not so much hard as confusing

you're probably out of practice with that type of test taking skill. You should sign up for a date a few months in advance and practice with the cd they send. Then you'll see if you need a book or a class. Doing nothing is a bad idea. Not only is the test timed, it's computerized and you need to get used to how that makes the test different.

[JVS]

3. Get the prep book so you can be familliar with the format.

I got one with the interactive CD ROM. Of course, I was pissed because I found a typo on the practice test. I just made sure that I would know what kind of questions to be ready for and what segments and how long they would be. I looked at the stuff for maybe 2 hours a week before the test. I got a 1490, with perfect math and 690 Verbal. strangely enough a perfect math was only 92 percentile and 690 verbal was 97th percentile. If you were weak in geometry as a kid, you might want to review that.

[hfojvt]

20. what about analytical?

RU talking about the SAT or did they change the GRE or did you get a 0 on the analytical?

[JVS]

27. The GRE now has math, verbal and a written analytical section that...

is scored on from 1 to 6 in half point increments. It sucks, no more fun puzzle problems, instead you have to write about some lame passage.

[Dangerously Amused]

4. If you are at all worried about it, take a test-prep class.

Yeah, I know it's expensive, but you can console yourself that it's a once-in-a-lifetime expense... which may pay for itself down the road if you do well on it. And it is worth the peace of mind both going into the test and after you get your score, as you will always know you did everything you could to perform your best.

I was out of school for awhile before returning to grad school. I took Kaplan, and I'm glad I did. It helped a lot not just with the test subject matter, but with test-taking strategy. I never really though about test-taking strategy before then, but it makes a difference.

Good luck!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. get the princeton review book

and follow their instructions

i got a 750/710 ....their method works

[hopein08]

6. Get the books and read them over a few times...

I had two books, Barron's and the Kaplan one, I think. I tooky mine last December. I just read a chapter or so a day for a month or two before the test. Then I got all panicky about the math section...I hate math with a passion! But when I took the test, I ended up with a much better score than I thought I was going to get while taking the test. Definitely sign-up for your time well in advance to get the time you want and get the practice CD. I signed up five weeks before and got the dumb CD two weeks after I took the test! And then they sent me another one!

But here's a hint. You will see in the books, etc. that there are three graded areas...writing/analytical, verbal, and math/quantitative...but you will actually have to do four sections. The extra verbal or math is a test run for them to figure out which questions work for future tests but you won't know which one of the two is counted so pay attention through the whole thing. I got two verbals, which I was thankful for, but the second one was so much harder than the first I got a bit worried about it! As it turned out, either I knew it way better than I thought or the easy one was graded because I was very happy. My sister took her test the same day and had the same issue.

Sorry if this confused you! Good luck studying and if you need to know anything else, I'd be happy to help!

[brentspeak]

7. Well, it's kind of like taking the SAT -- but with a degree

The best advice is to take one or two practice tests, familiarize yourself with the format and the time constraints. Do it on the computer, not from a book, because the test is administered on a computer.

[suzbaby]

8. One of the things I found most difficult about it

was the fact that it was computerized. Most people have a test taking method where if there's a particularly hard problem, you skip it and come back to it later. I tend to do that with tests.

But the GRE is computerized and the test adjusts as you take it. Meaning that if you get a question right, the next one will be more difficult. There's no going back to a problem, you must answer the one in front of you and go on to the next.

I found the prep books to be useful. Also, I don't know how recently anyone on this thread took the test but the format changed recently to include an essay section. You have to write two essays for the test in a timed setting. So if your typing skills aren't great you might want to brush up or see if it's possible to do it hand written (I think it's possible, but special arrangements must be made in advance).

Don't bring a mechanical pencil to the test....they won't let you take it in (for writing on scratch paper that they provide).

Good luck!

[hfojvt]

22. that was the part that spooked me

I was doing the math, answered a question, and then got a really easy question. I was, like, 'omigod I must have gotten the last one wrong'. I was surprised by my score, or maybe I have a different idea as to what constitutes an 'easy' question.

[suzbaby]

26. I ran out of time for the last 8 questions

in the math section. So I answered the last ones randomly and miraculously ended up doing better on math than english....which is unheard of for me! I always have preferred english to math.
In fact, I've often thought of math as my arch-nemesis. So you can imagine my shock at having a higher math score than english. :shrug:

[StellaBlue]

9. thanks for the responses

very helpful...

how far in advance of my application deadline should I try to book a test date?

my application will be due like March 1st, I think, for regular admission

[suzbaby]

10. I just thought of something else.

I don't know if it will help but I thought I would give you the heads up. The GRE always includes a test section. You may have been expecting one math section, one english, essays and then you're done. But I would hate for you finish those three sections, breath a sigh of relief at being done, go to grab you coat, and then *blink* up comes another section of the test.
There's always an extra section of either english or math (no essays thankfully) and you'll never know which one is the test and which one counts towards your score. So you'll have to put just as much energy into the test section as the other because you'll never know which is which.
So, prepare for the marathon. It's exhausting. :hi:

[Fox Mulder]

11. I had some friends tell me don't even worry about it.

They said they found the time prepping for it--reading all the books out there and whatnot--was a waste of time.

So I don't know. I can't give you any useful information here. I plan on taking it this spring and I'm going the no-study route (how do you study for a test like this anyways?). :shrug:

[suzbaby]

12. Brushing up on math skills is always useful (nt)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

13. i strongly advise you to take a prep course or atleast look at some

books...like princeton review

[LisaL]

18. How do you study for a test like this? Just like for any other

test. Read the book, take sample tests. Doing nothing is not going to help you.

[LostinVA]

14. Easier than it was when I took it -- there's an ESSAY now

This English/History major had to sweat through three math sections that Had stuff I'd never even seen before. The essay would have been a SNAP. So, there's now three sections: language skills, written, and math.

[Glenda]

15. Get the prep book, even from the library if they have it...

and do the practice tests, first to feel comfortable. Then do several and time yourself.

At first you might do them too slowly. But then you start to feel the pace. And you can also decide on strategies that make sense to you.

[Left_Winger]

16. Definitely take the prep tests

Although it has been 15 years since I took it, I can say the prep tests helped especially in the logic of how the test worked and this is where I was able to adjust to the timed aspect.

As a coach would say, "It's definitely wise to take a practice run or two over the course before you run it for record."

[LisaL]

17. I studied for my GRE with a book. I didn't take any classes.

I would definitely recommend books if you want to do well. Doing nothing is not going to help you, as you must understand yourself.

[hfojvt]

19. I have smoked the GRE twice now

but I did not get a 1350 on the SAT (or maybe I did, I got a 710 in math, but I do not remember my English score, I am pretty sure it was less than 640, now even 710 does not seem high). I got 800 on quantitative and 790 in analytical (and, yes a mere 640 in English).

The 2nd time I took it, I realized how out of practice I was, but I still kick its a$$. The day before I had gotten up at 8 o'clock and worked until about 10:30 PM to replace a water heater. I was totally wrung out by 11 that I was naseous and had to elevate my feet and close my eyes to keep the room from spinning. Then I had to get up early and drive 120 miles to take the test. Thank the gods for instant scoring because I did not feel like I was doing well.

The test prohibits me from revealing its secrets, but they include a sample in the package (which I also aced). I would advise you to get a book of logic puzzles and work through them. Doing a few practice tests should not hurt either.

[jobycom]

21. Buy a book. There are some basic formulas to brush up on

I aced it with just a book, no class. And like you, I scored well on the high school standardized tests without any prep. (I took the ACT instead of the SAT). I couldn't have done as well on the GRE without prepping, just because of the basic question structures I wouldn't have been ready for. They were the type of questions I could have figured out, but I would have run out time if I had not prepared for them.

[lakemonster11]

23. Definitely do some preparation.

I didn't look at the writing section at all (I think I had gotten about a 790 on the SAT II Writing test with no preparation) and my housemate, who is a much worse writer than I am (and I would know---I had to edit his thesis for him! :eyes:), prepared for a week and got a perfect writing score, while I got a more middling score.

It turns out that once your grammar and style is good enough to score a 4 or 4.5, your score is basically judged on length (this is according to a GRE Prep book that I read after the fact). That sucked for me, since I like concision, and worked out really well for him. Anyway, I took it again after having looked over a GRE book and got a much better score.

My least favorite thing about the GRE? They don't let you have any water with you in the testing room. To me, this is cruel and unusual---I'm a water fiend and always have some with me. Plus, the first time I took it I had a cold and was dehydrated. I was just miserable.

If I were you, I'd at least buy a prep book and do the exercises. I think they send you a CD-ROM when you sign up for the test that has some practice tests on it, too. If you work better with someone telling you what to do (and you don't mind the time and expense), you could take a class.

[StellaBlue]

24. Thanks!

You are all making me feel more confident. I am going to set a date... how long should I allow for practice time? My application will be due about March 1, like I previously mentioned.

[EstimatedProphet]

25. You'll ace the GRE

I had about the same, and got 1430 (V700/Q730/A690) by just going through the practice tests provided with registration. The math is not real math either; a lot of it is things like comparing x and y as values, not in equations.