Help!!!! GRE :(

[csierrah]

Hi Everyone!

Let me first explain my situation. I recently moved to Canada from a non-english speaking country. I've finished two majors (Psych and Soc) and now I've decided to go for a masters degree in Clinical Psych. As many of you know, these programs are VERY competitive and so far my application package is not the best. I'm now turning to the GRE. I have to do very well on it so that my application package could become competitive.

As I explore the test I realize that I should know most of the math that is on the test. That being said, it has been over five years since I took a math course and I feel very very rusty. I was hoping that you guys could recommend any book(s) that provide a good (in-depth) review of the math needed for the GRE. I've looked at the books targeted for the GRE but most of these books focus only on GRE strategies and not on the content you should know. This is where I'm lacking knowledge.

Also, I'm trying to figure out if it is a good idea to take the courses that Kaplan offers. There is one course that is about CN$1200 and takes a week to complete. I've inquired about the depth of the course and the sales rep told me that it is just what I needed to refresh my math skills. I want to know if anyone has taken this course and whether or not it was helpful. If not, why?

My vocabulary is growing since I've started studying those difficult words and I guess that I only need time to learn vocab. I've been using flash-cards (Princeton Review) and they seem to help. Any other suggestions?

I would appreciate any other suggestions about the most effective ways of studying for the GRE. I am hoping to write the exam on October. That should give me enough time to study and to submit my score to the schools I am applying to.

Thanks so much for all your help and time.

Carlos

[milestones13]

For content review, have a look at "Total GRE Math" by Jeff Sackman. I found this guide better to be than all other math workbooks on the market. You can take a look at it here:

http://www.totalgremath.com/

It's very good for content review a lot of "drill" problems and transitions into actual GRE problems....but doesn't offer much strategy, which is good because it doesn't distract from learning what you need to know to solve problems. After this guide, you want to work on Kaplan strategies as a back up (especially important for the quantitative comparisons). Kaplan seems to have the best strategies on the market but they assume a lot of prior knowledge on both quant and verbal.

I plan on taking the GRE in August and so can't say yet that this guide has helped me on the actual test or not...but, I feel a lot more confident in content review having gone through it once. But knowing the math content is only a necessary but insufficient condition for doing well -- you also need test taking strategies, so you'll need either Kaplan or Barrons for that (or both). Also, go through the ETS math review problems (which is free on their website) as well as the powerprep software (also free) where you can take free practice test problems. If you do all this, you should be fine. In the last two weeks before the exam, focus solely on taking mock tests.

Good luck on whatever prep material you decide on. I'd strongly advise against shelling out money to take a prep course but that's my opinion... clearly, others disagr$$.

[csierrah]

Thanks for the reply Milestones13.

So, after reading a bit on the forums this is what I'm thinking of doing to tackle the GRE (before your suggestions, that is).

1. I will brush up my math skills. I found a couple of basic math reviews that might help me in this aspect, one of them being Cliffs notes Math Review for Standardized test. This book seems to be really basic but I think that is what I need before dealing with the GRE strategies taught by Kaplan and their friends.

2. I haven't quite decided about my second step. One option is to buy two or three GRE study Guides that wil help me to learn the strategies needed to be accurate and fast at the GRE. The second option, which in theory will help me in achieving the same results as option one, is to take a Kaplan course ($1200!!!!). As I said, I haven't decided on either of these options so any comments, opinions, or experiences you guys have had with these options are more than welcome.

3. Do a lot of practice tests (CAT is possible).

The one step that would linger throughout this whole process is learning vocab. I've started studying Princeton's flash cards and I am trying to somehow carry them everywhere and learn them as accurately as possible.

Please, if you think I would be fine doing this let me know. If to the contrary you think I should change anything (or your opinion on step two), pleas let me know as well.

Thanks!

[csierrah]

Hi again,

I forgot to add something on my last post. I will write the GRE on the last week of Spetember. This means that I have a bit less than four months to complete the steps I outlined above. That being said, what do you think of my steps?

Thanks again!

[Branwen daughter of Llyr]

Can't help you much with the math, but for the Verbal do the following (I studied this way for 4 weeks, 3.5 hours a day, and scored a 720):

Buy Barron's Essential GRE words, and work through the book unit by unit (including the section on roots).

Use Princeton's "Cracking the GRE" for strategies in tackling analogies, antonyms, and reading comprehension questions (also arrives with 4 CAT tests online with registration). This book also helps with the math somewhat - I raised my score by 120 points, and I didn't really focus on the math at all - just by reviewing some basic math info (and I'm not very good at math).

Use Kaplan's Advanced Verbal book (after you're done with the Princeton book).

Download a piece of shareware called "Vocaboly" (doesn't cost much). Practice with it every day. It comes with a 1200 GRE word database. Has multiple choice quizzes and memory games for studying purposes.

Read The Economist, Scientific American, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, and any other vocab-heavy "intellectual" magazine you can think of on a daily basis.

Do every single CAT GRE on the download from ETS (free when you register for the test).

I wouldn't bother with a course - just dedicate yourself to the cause and solve LOTS of tests.

Good luck!

[csierrah]

Thanks Branwen dauther of Llyr. I appreciate your reply and I will look into the study guides you mentioned. They should help me a lot.

It seems that most of you are against the Kaplan courses. Other than knowing that they are about $1200 I don;t know much about them. Do you guys think that they are useful? do they porvide anything not included on the GRE study guides? (especially for the quantitative section)

Thanks,

Carlos