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Replies: 17
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All-In [46800]
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Has anybody had to take the GRE Test
Jan 13, 2016, 8:03 AM
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I am about to go back to get my Masters and have to take the GRE General test. Did anybody have to take that? What do you remember about it and what tips do you have for it?
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Heisman Winner [135650]
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manage your time and practice
Jan 13, 2016, 8:09 AM
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Take free practice test somewhere like here https://www.number2.com and then work on the stuff you have forgotten
Closer to the time take practice tests to work on the timing.
Good luck
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All-In [46800]
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Re: manage your time and practice
Jan 13, 2016, 8:37 AM
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I'm going through the sample questions on here now. I know NOTHING about math anymore.
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All-Conference [442]
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Re: Has anybody had to take the GRE Test
Jan 13, 2016, 8:18 AM
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It's a breeze. If you've been out of school for refresh yourself a bit, but if you just graduated, don't sweat it.
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Legend [15907]
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Ask a financial planner
Jan 13, 2016, 8:21 AM
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Orange Blooded [2663]
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Re: Has anybody had to take the GRE Test
Jan 13, 2016, 8:30 AM
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If it's still done the way it was done the last time I took it, every section of the GRE is ordered from easiest to most difficult question, and the questions come in 4 question blocks. So one strategy is simply to realize that if you are in the middle of a section, or towards the end, and the answer to a question seems blindingly simple to you, proceed with EXTREME CAUTION, because in those places, the way the test designers trip unwary students up is to offer what seems like a simple obvious answer to a question that does not have a simple obvious solution.
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Standout [344]
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Re: Has anybody had to take the GRE Test
Jan 13, 2016, 8:47 AM
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In my study back in 2008 I focused on the math portion which (as I recall) emphasizes a wide and thorough understanding of the basics but doesn't have a whole bunch of questions that would take a long time to complete. I took as many practice tests as I could find.
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Mascot [22]
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Re: Has anybody had to take the GRE Test
Jan 13, 2016, 9:02 AM
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It's been a few years now, but I had to take the GRE when I decided to leave my job and go back to grad school. For me, the hardest part was the timing. I'm pretty good at math, but apparently not as fast at it as I should be - at one point during the test, I realized I had very little time left but a bunch of questions left. I just flew through the remaining questions in a sort of PANIC mode...no idea how many of those I got right or missed...you do NOT want to be doing that. So, I would say: review your math, but also take many practice tests so you have a good idea of the pace at which you need to be completing the problems. The practice tests will also serve to help you cover all the concepts that are tested. Lastly, I highly recommend finding a list somewhere online of the X number of most common words used in the verbal sections (maybe top 100 is a good place to start). Study them and try to use them in real life at least a few times, that'll help their meaning stick. Good luck!
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Athletic Dir [865]
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Re: Has anybody had to take the GRE Test
Jan 13, 2016, 11:07 AM
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Yes I took it before I went to get my MA in Econ. The math section is not too bad advanced arithmetic and geometry is the most complex thing you will see. The English section is more difficult you'll want to refresh your vocab and analogy skills. What are you looking to study?
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All-In [46800]
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Re: Has anybody had to take the GRE Test
Jan 13, 2016, 12:06 PM
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Sports Management/ Coaching
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All-In [46800]
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Re: Has anybody had to take the GRE Test
Jan 13, 2016, 12:08 PM
[ in reply to Re: Has anybody had to take the GRE Test ] |
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I honestly don't see how the English can be worse than the math. I have no idea what I'm doing on the math part.
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110%er [5887]
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Re: Has anybody had to take the GRE Test
Jan 13, 2016, 12:45 PM
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I've always been very adamant about learning what the test actually wants you to demonstrate you know rather than trying to master all the subject matter itself. Allow me to explain (not briefly):
- All the folks who write those questions have to follow a certain set of guidelines
- For that reason, there is not as much variance in the questions as they appear at first glance
- Without any additional instruction and access to GRE questions from past tests, the average person can "train" themselves to discard all the distractions/red herring and know exactly what each question is asking
- In a given section and for a given ability that the testmaker is measuring (each subject section normally measures between 2-5 "abilities"), there are 10-15 "templates" that comprise the questions. Learn the templates (i.e. If a train leaves town at 2 pm going 9 mph... --- you know the deal).
YOU ALREADY HAD ALL THE KNOWLEDGE YOU NEED FOR EVERY QUESTION BY GRADE 10. PRACTICING APPLYING THAT KNOWLEDGE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.
It's an aptitude test, but learning the esoteric means through which they measure that aptitude is the trick. It's obviously easier said than done, but I can never believe how many people I see breaking out their old college precal/calculus text books, or using flash cards, to study for the GMAT/GRE.
My strategy has ALWAYS been to PRACTICE QUESTIONS. Don't worry about simulating a test-taking environment, timing yourself, learning "tricks", all that crap. Get a GRE workbook, and obsessively work through whatever number of questions you can in any free time you have. If you're smart enough to apply for grad school, you're smart enough to start seeing some patterns emerging in how the questions are formulated, what red herrings they throw at you, and how they like to position the obviously wrong answers relative to the contents of the question.
Other Obvious Ones:
- Learn how the test is scored.
- Learn how to do a cost/benefit analysis of whether "guessing" on a given question makes sense economically
It's literally training yourself to think like the nerds that write these test banks.
1360 SAT (math/reading --> right before they implemented Writing) 690 GMAT were my scores, and I've never made better than a B in a math class. I literally knew the "formula" for every type of question on the test when I arrived, though. NOTHING felt unfamiliar.
Go to Amazon and type in "GRE Test Question Book". Buy one that's reputable and that has as many questions as possible. Make it a goal to do the whole thing before test day. Don't time yourself. That's more distracting than anything.
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All-In [46800]
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Re: Has anybody had to take the GRE Test
Jan 13, 2016, 1:10 PM
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Yea I've already started noticing that kind of stuff. There's really 2 ways to get the answer on the math part. Either plug in the numbers, or cross stuff out.
For instance say the question is:
3n+2(1-y)=0
If N is a positive integer, find y.
It's pretty much plug and play.
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110%er [5887]
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Re: Has anybody had to take the GRE Test
Jan 13, 2016, 3:29 PM
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The "word problem" varieties and critical reading questions are more the ones that require a lot of repetition to see the patterns. Looks like you're on the right track, though.
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Orange Blooded [2557]
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I don't remember it being that tough. However,
Jan 13, 2016, 1:27 PM
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I did take it directly (or shortly thereafter) after finishing my undergrad. So that could be why it didn't seem as tough. If it has been a while since you were in school, I'd definitely recommend taking the practice test (linked in above post) as many times as possible. Anything you have a tough time remembering is what you need to go back and refresh yourself on. Just take time to study through anything you may not remember off of the practice tests, and you should be fine. Good luck!
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CU Guru [1555]
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As everyone has said - practice tests make the biggest
Jan 13, 2016, 1:32 PM
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impact. On math, most (if not all) the questions can be answered without actually solving the problem. Three of the answers won't make sense based on what the question is asking and you can generally deduce the answer. This takes getting familiarity with the pattern of questions. The test is taken on the computer. You must answer a question before moving on and you cannot return to a question after answering, so time management is very critical.
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Hall of Famer [22965]
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there are all sorts of seminars--online and in-person--
Jan 13, 2016, 2:23 PM
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to help prep for the GRE....and they're not terribly expensive
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Orange Blooded [4896]
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MagooshGRE
Jan 13, 2016, 2:43 PM
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Sounds weird I know but great system and affordable. I used the Kaplan the first time and did slightly below average. Used Magoosh the second time and did much much better. Even if you don't buy their system they have a blog with some study agendas based on how long you have to study until the test. Good luckk!
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Replies: 17
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