So I’m finally taking the GRE. I’m getting it done. I have been studying for a long while for it and I feel prepared. I have taken the practice tests. I have done practice problems. I have relearned math concepts that I had forgotten. I have learned strange new words.
So I’m probably not.
I don’t want to take it more than once, so what can I do to make sure that I will do well on it the first time?
I know that many many Dopers have taken the test, and that many have probably aced it. How’d you do it?
I aced mine by taking the practice tests again and again. For the subject matter one (psychology), I read a freshman level general textbook. Five times, cover to cover. I got 780s and 790s on all four. Don’t know if the freshman textbook approach would work for a real subject like math or chemistry, but for psych it was perfect.
Unfortunately, I think my high GREs actually worked against me trying to get into grad school. Again, in a real subject, that probably wouldn’t be the case.
That makes two of us. I am taking mine on Monday as well. I have taken 7 practice tests so far and my scores have increased over 200 points total so far. I am going to take another 3 or 4 tests this weekend to prepare.
Yeah, I’m tryng to get to grad school in Philosophy. Good times. I hope my math scores don’t hurt me too much. I have always been very good at the language part of tests and always very bad on the math parts. We’ll see!
It doesn’t work like that anymore. The test is computer based and you only get to look at a question once. When you confirm you are done with it, that is the last time you see it. Also the test is adaptive so if you keep getting easy questions right, it makes them harder and harder until you start missing some.
Right. Also, the LSAT style analytical questions are gone. Replaced them with an analytical essay portion. I’m not too focused on that as a challenge though since writting is my strong suit.
I took the GRE about 13 years ago and it was a wake up call of sorts for me. I was backing into the grad school idea since I couldn’t find a real job, so I did not studying whatsoever. I had a BS in Math with a minor in “Computing”, so maybe you’d expect me to do well on the, well, math parts, right? Well, my verbal scores were much higher, both numerically and percentilely(sic), than my quantitative, and the analytical score was the lowest. Suffice it to say, I still have just the BS degree, but also a decent job.
Well I took the GRE not so long ago,and I didnt exactly ace it (my score 1300,590 Verbal +710 Quant).
I got some unexpected stuff in my Quant section.I wasnt totally prepared for statistics questions,and from what I hear from friends who have recently appeared, Statistics still does spring in now and then.Make sure you have brushed up your Stats real good.
I was also a bit wary about reading comprehensions in vebal,but since you say it wouldnt be a problem for you I think aceing GRE wouldnt be tough for you.
