BrianM

I have no clue but honestly its just a cash grab. These companies are disgusting money hungry animals and will do anything to steal your cash so I would say stick with the older books. I took the GREs back in 2010 and used the Princeton Review general book. The "revised" 2012 Princeton Review book has a handful of errors and is exactly the same thing w the exception of a few sections removed and added to accommodate for the new test.

Is anyone familiar with this course: http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=98 It seems like a great deal and it is taught by Ph.D's in Psychology(great for me since I am going for a clinical psych program but also bad bc it doesn't make sense as to how the prof would know how to teach math or english.). Has anyone heard anything about this course?

I am in the same boat as you Taylor. Finished my Masters last week and will be applying to PhD programs in Clinical Psych. Most of the schools I see have a 1200 as a cut off. My girlfriend finished her PhD process a few months ago and it was hell, but worth it. She got into two schools out of 25, so it is extremely competitive. Basically the more you have to offer the better. Like BR said, lots of competitive schools have cut offs for the GREs and generally do not look your package if your GRE score is lower than the cut off.

I too will be applying to clinical psych programs. I think your doing well. Some programs would want 600 on each sections, which I think is about 156 or something on verbal and Q. But they should be looking at your overall package unless you apply to a school that gets hundreds of applicants. Then some schools, I have heard, use your GREs as a cut off.

Thanks for the help! The problem is that I get so frustrated right away! These are terrible...but practice makes perfect....maybe not here but it sure doesn't hurt .lol

So I am having a horrid time with reading comp, as well as the whole test. I was wondering what techniques besides the crap ones these books teach you were used by some others here? Anything successful? I am taking a course at Farleigh Dickinson from Sexton. A month long course that teaches you everything about the gres so hopefully that will work out well.

Thanks for the reply. I need an 1100, or a 1200 for some programs. But generally 1200 is the main score. Most of the universities have not updated their gre requirment scores for the new scale. I am terrible at this test and math, the english is just ridiculous but I can do it. The reading comp is a nightmare and hopefully guessing gets me somewhere.... anyways my target score is a 600 on each. I am studying now and understanding the actual processes of problems, and not just the POE or w.e they teach b/c to me I feel safer knowing how to solve it. And since I go beyond these books and find more practice problems for similar problems, I can learn how to solve them easily and quickly.

bump, anyone?

I have decided that just POE or Ballparking is a complete crock of sh*t and a waste of time, so I have been looking up videos on youtube and getting help from my gf who is a math wiz. Instead of learning these stupid techniques taught by the Princeton Review, I am learning the actual process so that I know I get the answer right. What do you guys think about this form of studying? I feel a million times better knowing how to do a problem, even if there is not an example of it in the book, I am just getting enough knowledge of various types of problems bc not everything from the book is on the test. Also how good is the Kaplan math courses? I am taking one this summer, then planning on taking the exam a day or two right after. Has anyone had experiences? I heard the verbal class is a waste....

I had the opposite happen, I studied about 400 words and not ONE was on the test. Honestly I would say study latin roots, and forget about the "common words". I think its a waste of time.

What field are you in? That would be amazing if I heard that lol. How did you hear that the gres wasn't such a big deal?

Thanks, and you guess correctly! I am planning on taking the Kaplan course but I don't know how helpful it is.

Hey all, I applied to my M.A in clinical and counseling psych at William Paterson and got in 2 years ago with an 840 total score. Although I had integrated myself and been a teacher's assistant, researched, etc. Now I am freaking out about the new gre...I am worried I will not do well even with the Kaplan class and studying with the book. By the time I apply to Clinical PhD programs I should have a new GRE score, 4 researchs(1 presented at a conference that I helped a prof with, and one she is helping me with that will be presented hopefully) Also I plan to work with a highly renowned Schizophrenia researcher for the next year, so that would be 5 total. My GPA should finish at about a 3.5 or a 3.6. I am finishing my internship now also. So I have a lot going for me, the only thing that would hurt me is the gres. Any opinions? What would be the equivalent of a 1200 on the new score? Thanks!

I made it to my masters program 2 years ago with an 840 combined. But I had done a lot of extra work in my field to make me stand out. A girl in my masters program never did anything that I did such as T.A or research but her GRE scores were a 1200. So it depends on the committee looking at your scores. I heard that the cutoffs for the PhD programs are 1100, and if you don't make it you will be automatically cut out.

Since you are applying to a masters program I wouldn't worry too much. I was worried sick last year, and did TERRIBLE on the GRE, like a total of 850 combined! But I still got into ALL the schools I applied too. I was shocked but I had a very similar background to yourself, research, etc. Although I did no thesis, so that is great for you. Again, don't worry too much!

Well I just finished with a wonderful 390-V and a 440-Q I'm sure I did well on the analytic... So all this studying and nothing helped, just a tiny bit for math but the english section is a joke... I'll try not to stress too much as my undegrad record is really great and so are my LOR as my writers told me.

I can't put it off until then, the programs have a deadline of May 1. Right now I don't want to enter a PhD program. I hate research so its not something I look forward to. I'm applying to mostly LPC programs. BTW- Only William Paterson and Montclair state 500 as the minimum scores for V and Q. No other school states a minimum score.

Hey all, I've been stressing a hell of a lot about the GREs which I am taking in a day and a half, eeek! So I've been wondering about my chances of being accepted into grad school. I'm honestly not expecting more than a 850 or a 900 combined on the GRE...yes I said combined. So anyways, here is a rundown of my undergrad record: 3.871 Major GPA (Also minored in History) 3.62 Overall GPA In Psychology I have: been a teacher's assistant interned at a hospital participated in research(1year) graduated with honors been inducted into the Psi Chi society. I obtained this little bit of info from Montclair's website- Average test scores: (enrolled Master degree students) GRE Verbal: 446 GRE Math: 511 GMAT: 479 Now with that stated, if I receive somewhere around a 500 for the verbal and math section(or lower), would the undergrad record be more important? I know that my record is very strong but what worries me is if someone else has a similar background and we have to be differentiated by the GRE scores. I also speak fluent Portuguese, Spanish, and elementary Japanese if that counts for anything And here the schools I am applying to:(All M.A programs) William Patterson Montclair Seton Hall The Chicago School of Prof. Psych Kean U. Thanks!!!!

So I just took the Princeton Review's practice exam and got a 390 V and 490 Q. Strange because I guessed on almost all the math section as the questions really made no sense as compared to the Powerprep software which has questions of all types but at least I can work them out. So have you guys found the PR's practice GRE helpful?

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll take it once and that'll be that, I won't have time to take it again cause some my schools I'm applying to have a deadline of May 1. I took just the verbal practice today and raised it by 80 points so four days after having taken that horrid first practice test, I think its a great imporvement in only 4 days. I also raised my math score just by guessing, 100 points higher, cute huh?

Yea I'll be taking the pc version. I'm already registered for April 7, and want to register for March 31, so there shouldn't be any conflict right? Yea its only a week apart but technically they are two different months:P So if I dont tell them what schools I want to send it to I'd have to waste 100 bucks total cause I'm applying to five schools, anything to rob a buck huh? What if I want to choose 5 instead of 4 schools before the test? So the scores would be automatically sent after the first test to the schools and I cant replace those scores with the gre grade I would get the week after?

Im thinking of taking the gre in 2 weeks and then the week after, is this a good idea? I just want to see if I can manage a better score out of one of the 2. What I want to know is when I finish the first test do I HAVE to send the scores out or do I just get emailed and mailed the scores? Thanks!

Lilly, no reason to apologize! I've had a grad student at William Paterson tell me I would have a great chance of making it even with low gre scores, same with montclair. HelloKaty-None of the programs I am applying to require it so I'm not bothering, I think my undergrad record speaks for itself. And AnxiousApp- Thanks for the dose of reality! That sucks, what was your major!? Your GPA is phenomenal, I'm surprised it didn't get you in!

No I'm not a foreign student. I know someone who used to work in the Montclair U. graduate committee and he said with my undergrad record I should be fine, even with a less than stellar score...I'm sure on my analytical section I did at least a 5.0. I'm very good at writing so I hope that can be seen as a strong point.