Wednesday's the Day -- any advice regarding the actual taking of the test?

[objectivityofcontradiction]

Just curious as to how the 4.5 hrs actually feels while you're in the test center... and any advice people might have that doesn't involve test content but the experience of taking the test.

[vertices]

Getting to the test center early no only means not worrying about being late, but gives you some time to learn the layout to the building--I knew how to get to the restroom and/or water fountain and back no problem so I didn't have to worry about whether going all the way out there and back and/or getting lost during a break was going to get me into trouble.

My test center had lockers for my stuff. They gave me a key for the time I was there. You might want to call your particular test center and see what their options are for storing your stuff and plan what you take with you accordingly. (It was just the proper papers, cell phone and ID for me as someone dropped me off/picked me up so I didn't need car keys. I wouldn't plan on accessing your stuff between sections. That might not even be allowed.)

Dress comfortably but don't over think it. Some test centers will want you to pull out your pockets every time you enter and leave the room, so you might want to keep that in mind. However, I think comfort trumps ease of turning out pockets. The time difference isn't really that great. My center had that pocket rule but didn't enforce it. They could have probably seen if anything was in my pockets.

Have layers of clothing available in case the testing center's temperature is not to your liking. I had a hoodie with me the entire time and used it sometimes and had it tied around my waist at others.

If you can, just take each section as it comes and don't think about the others until they are upon you.

[TropicalCharlie]

Get a good night of sleep. Eat a decent meal before the test. Low blood sugar will impair your thought process. If you're unfamiliar with the location of the test center, do a trial run before the day of the test and become familiar with parking, building location and such. Like Vertices said, layer up. My test center was freezing, and I kept my hoodie on the whole time.

Good luck!

Edited March 26, 2012 by TropicalCharlie

[rockhopper]

Everything that Vertices said is good advice.

The test feels way different than the practice tests but I don't know how you did those practice tests. It was different for me.

I ate a good breakfast that morning but by the time I could take a break I was STARVING so I went to a vending machine and ate an entire package of Oreos in 5 minutes. It gave me a bit of extra sugar for the end of the exam but I wouldn't exactly say that this was the healthiest/most efficient coping method...it was probably stress/hunger driven lol.

For me the hardest fricking thing about the test was my EYES would get so tired from reading all of the passages and staring at the dumb computer screen. I wear contacts so it's not like I could just take my glasses off or anything. Best advice about this is to bring saline solution/spare contacts with you to keep in the locker in case you want to switch them for a fresh pair. Or bring eyedrops for breaks.

RELAX and READ EVERYTHING CAREFULLY. I had more time than I needed and I'm a fast reader so taking my time and reading the questions all the way through were big issues for me. I was/am very proud with my score and REALLY glad I didn't have to take it more than once. I'm sure this is because I forced myself to read things slowly and fully understand the question that was being asked.

Good luck!

[seasel]

My biggest mistake was that I got so keyed up I skipped one of the built in breaks. It felt like a good idea at the time but half way through the third section I got really overwhelmed. So even if you think you're on a roll I would take advantage of the time they give you to relax a little.

That’s my advice at least, but everyone is different. If the test center will let you bring a granola bar or something it might be a good idea to have something to eat as well. When I skipped my last break I got really overwhelmed and then hungry and that was incredibly distracting.

[unforth]

I'll second the advice on breaks. I wish I'd taken mine, but I was so "NO MUST FINISH" that I didn't and ended up taking two sections needing to use the bathroom the whole time.

[edgirl]

My test center was pretty strict about clothing -- I was wearing a sweatshirt, and the staff told me that if I went into the test room with it on, I had to keep it on; unlike Vertices, I wasn't allowed to take it off and put it back on during the test. As it happened, my test center was really warm, so I ended up putting the sweatshirt in my locker and just leaving it there. Might want to ask your test center what their policy is on that, since I was surprised (and annoyed -- really, Prometric, you can't trust me even after you've wanded me and checked all my pockets?).

[tcable7127]

Well I have taken the GRE three times now (1 Old, 2 Revised) and the best advice I could give you is:

• Take advantage of your breaks like said above. Use every one (even the 60 second ones at the end of each section)
  
• Make sure to do your best on the first section for the Verbal and Quantitative (The test will adapt based on these sections).
  
• If you do do well on the first couple sections, realize that the test will get significantly harder (so don't get bogged down on any single question in later sections)
  
• And to get your best score I would reccomend treating every section like it is the ONLY section on the test
  

[StephanieJ]

Agree with the break suggestions. The whole thing wiped my brain out...