securitynut

The thing that helped me was the Kaplan Math Section workbook. I went through each section and re-taught myself all the math I'd forgotten since I hadn't taken a math class in about 6 years. Then I went through all the practice problem types, just as it's layed out in the book. I managed to score a 710 on the Quantitative section, which I would think would be a perfectly acceptable score for someone seeking a non-math degree (like myself).

A lot of it is simply budgetary - Pitt still has a great reputation and a great program for security studies, but Pittsburgh itself (the city) is cheaper and the program is less expensive as well, and I think I'll have a better shot at getting funding there. In addition, I spoke with the head of admissions at Pitt at an APSIA grad school fair and he gave me a really great impression of the school. To be honest, there's not a large degree of difference between any of the programs on my list (with the exception of American since their program doesn't have as strong a focus on intell), so I'll be happy with whichever programs I can get it into (especially with funding).

I'm also applying to security studies programs - though my list is a little different. In an approximate order: University of Pittsburgh (MPIA in Security and Intelligence Studies) Georgetown (MA Security Studies) George Washington (MA Security Policy Studies) Institute of World Politics (Strategic Intelligence Studies) University of Denver (MA Intl Security) American (MA US Foreign Policy) Pittsburgh is my clear #1 choice, with everything else being about the same (except for American, which is a little lower due to a lack of emphasis on the Intelligence side of things)

I took the test on Oct. 23 and had a clearly indicated experimental verbal section as the last section.

If you are looking to increase your vocabulary quickly, I really recommend studying in word groups and studying the word groups. I did this the two weeks before the test and significantly increased the scores I was getting on practice quizzes. I second the recommendation to just relax the night before the test - at that point, you're really not going to learn that much more, and it's better to just sit back and rest and get a good night's sleep.