GRE help!

[CaramelLatte]

Hi all,

 

I've been noticing some people's stats with really awesome GRE scores. This has been my first year applying and I'm starting to think that maybe my rejections have to do with some mediocre GRE scores. If I don't get in to any of the remaining schools I applied to I am thinking of re-taking the GRE. Can anyone share any study tips or things they did in order to do well on the GRE?

 

Thanks so much 

[SLPtoBEweee]

I used the books (kaplan or one of those) and studied on my own.  VOCAB VOCAB VOCAB.  That's what helped me do really well on the verbal.  It's amazing how many of those "common words" they have in there actually show up on the test!  Good luck!

[mystiqueSLP]

My GRE scores aren't too great (159V, 157Q) but I used CliffNotes Math Review for Standardized Tests which I found to be really helpful for the math section. And practicing the test on the ETS software was useful.

[maggiebSLP]

I went nuts with the vocab. I got the WordSmart book and made cards for all of the words that I didn't know and those I kind of knew, which left me with at least 150 cards. I broke them into ~30 word sets alphabetically and drilled them constantly. Considering I kept losing most of my verbal points on the sentence completions, this helped me tremendously.

Edited April 4, 2013 by maggiebSLP

[JJ11211]

I know a non-native speaker who got something like a 10% on her first GRE verbal; she cried for about a week over it.  Then she studied 8 hours per day for almost two months, with a couple of guide books and no course.  She was at about 98% on her retake.  

 

I raised my own GRE scores by about 15%(V) and 20%(Q) in between my two takes with about a week of study--maybe six hours per day.  

 

Glad to be done with it myself.    Good luck!

 

EDIT:  The point I meant to make is to just put in your time and hard work studying.  I used flashcards for verbal and just worked through the free Q guide that ETS has or had on their website.  

Edited April 4, 2013 by JJ11211

[SLPSteph]

I think I used a Kaplan book.  It broke down all of the types of problems you might see on the test and included several practice tests.  It also included some of the most common vocab words.  I would agree with the others - learning those vocab words is huge!!  I know Kaplan offers prep courses in a lot of areas too - you might check to see if there's one available near you, although I never took one, so I can't say for sure how helpful it might be.

 

Just put in the prep time and you'll do great  Good luck!

[midnight]

I suggest Powerprep, the ETS GRE book, and Barron's Six Practice Tests.

[clydeyo12]

I used the Princeton Review GRE book and it helped me bigtime, especially with the verbal section. Whoever said "VOCAB VOCAB VOCAB" was totally right, in my experience. There were words the PR book had that I had literally never heard once in my life (and I've always had a pretty good vocabulary) and sooo many of them were on the test. Good luck!

[puertosurf]

I like online programs and used Barrons because it was the cheapest. Looks like they're on sale today for 69. They have a ton of practice sets, that adjusts to your skill level and what you've learned, and a pretty accurate score predictor.

 

http://barronstestprep.com/gre/#2

[CaramelLatte]

Thank you everyone! 

[birdy-bear]

I've just begun studying for the GREs myself... I have a stack of books by my bed five high from my housemates (all grad students) and the library!  I've only been using the 2013 Kaplan book so far, and it's great.  (A word of caution if you check books out from the library: any books from 2011 or before will be outdated, even if they say "NEW GRE" right on the cover.  Harrrumph!)

 

If folks are right about VOCAB VOCAB VOCAB, my favorite study tool so far have been Vocab Cartoons. My seventh- and eighth-grade teachers used Vocab Cartoons with SAT words, and every single one of my former classmates (myself included) can still remember a handful of vocab words and their word associations.  I'm using the $2.99 Kindle version for GRE words (available here).  However, if you don't have $2.99 or a Kindle, they're easy enough to make on your own by simply hooking each vocabulary word to a similar-sounding word in a sentence.  e.g. Draco Malfoy absconded to his quarters with Harry Potter's wand.  

[CaramelLatte]

I've just begun studying for the GREs myself... I have a stack of books by my bed five high from my housemates (all grad students) and the library!  I've only been using the 2013 Kaplan book so far, and it's great.  (A word of caution if you check books out from the library: any books from 2011 or before will be outdated, even if they say "NEW GRE" right on the cover.  Harrrumph!)

 

If folks are right about VOCAB VOCAB VOCAB, my favorite study tool so far have been Vocab Cartoons. My seventh- and eighth-grade teachers used Vocab Cartoons with SAT words, and every single one of my former classmates (myself included) can still remember a handful of vocab words and their word associations.  I'm using the $2.99 Kindle version for GRE words (available here).  However, if you don't have $2.99 or a Kindle, they're easy enough to make on your own by simply hooking each vocabulary word to a similar-sounding word in a sentence.  e.g. Draco Malfoy absconded to his quarters with Harry Potter's wand.  

 

Great tips, thanks for sharing!!