Noob Questions - GRE

[oneday6]

Noob Questions

 

This is my first day of researching the specifics of the GRE. I want to get started on the studying asap. I'm not working right now and will be taking one class during the summer session. I have about 3 months to study for this exam.

 

What should I do first? From what I've read around this forum, it seems like I should first take a practice test to get an idea of where I stand. My question is, which practice test should I take to achieve this? Preferably a free practice test or a practice test from the materials I already have(See below).

 

 

I have this attitude of perfecting the GRE. It might not be possible, but that's just the mindset I want to establish from the start.

 

I have the following materials that have been given to me from a friend.

 

 

Material:

 

Kaplan New GRE Vocab Flashcards 3^rd Edition

 

 

Barron's New GRE 500 Flash Cards (vocab and math stuff)

 

 

Kaplan GRE Premier 2011(book, cd rom, online test)

GRE For Dummies 7^th Edition with CD( I can't tell if this is tailored for the New GRE)

 

Any other materials you guys STRONGLY recommend? What material is great for quant? Same goes for the Verbal.

Is that 5lb book worth it? It seems affordable and a few posters here seem to recommend it.

 

My reading comprehension wasn't that great 9 years ago with the SATs. I would like to think that it has gotten better since then, but I just don't know. I never had an issue with reading in college. My major was Microbio. Same goes for writing. I lack confidence when it comes to writing.

 

Any advice on how to improve on these areas for the GRE? Remember, I'm just assuming that I'll be weak in these areas.

 

 

Thank you!

[quilledink]

Just going to chime in and add that I would also appreciate any advice regarding this as well! I completely freaked out when it came to taking the GREs in the fall (thankfully, I didn't wind up needing them) because I decided not to prepare until the week before. Needless to say, my panic was so great that I cancelled the test... so I'll be retaking them in the fall, and would love to know what people recommend re practice tests and material! Thanks for posting this, oneday6!

[smaudy]

I really liked Kaplans! I studied both from Kaplan and princeton review - I think the Kaplan practice tests prepared me much more for the GRE. The questions were about the same difficulty so I was well-prepared. Princeton review's tests were a bit easier in my opinion. So I'd go with Kaplan. Also the vocab list is amazing!!! I literally made flashcards about the most common words that appeared on the GRE and learned the prefixes/suffixes, which helped me so much on the Verbal section!  

 

p.s. - oh and I got the books from the library. I hate paying money for books so I just keep renewing it. 

[midnight]

Materials that I strongly recommend--

 

-Barron's 6 Practice Tests (great realistic practice based on current GRE content)

-The ETS GRE book

-The Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE

-Magoosh's free PDF materials

 

Highly recommend by others--

 

-Manhattan materials

 

 

A good baseline test is one of ETS's own Powerprep practice tests *or* a test from the ETS GRE book *or* one of the Barron's 6. Manhattan's tests skew a bit harder and the verbal isn't as accurate in my opinion; Kaplan's tests skew easier.

 

The GRE can be annoying, but it's really not all that bad. It's more exhausting than horrible. Don't psych yourself out. Study, review, and get acquainted with the test format and question types. Practice! You will be prepared more than many other test-takers if you do those things.

 

For analytical writing, look over the essay prompts, make sure you understand the instructions, and do a few timed writing exercises before test day. You don't need to write a masterpiece, just a serviceable, formatted, thorough essay. If you can write lab reports and were able to pass an intro college comp course, you can do well enough on the AW.

 

And most importantly, don't stress too much. You'll be fine!

[oneday6]

Materials that I strongly recommend--

 

-Barron's 6 Practice Tests (great realistic practice based on current GRE content)

-The ETS GRE book

-The Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE

-Magoosh's free PDF materials

 

Highly recommend by others--

 

-Manhattan materials

 

 

A good baseline test is one of ETS's own Powerprep practice tests *or* a test from the ETS GRE book *or* one of the Barron's 6. Manhattan's tests skew a bit harder and the verbal isn't as accurate in my opinion; Kaplan's tests skew easier.

 

The GRE can be annoying, but it's really not all that bad. It's more exhausting than horrible. Don't psych yourself out. Study, review, and get acquainted with the test format and question types. Practice! You will be prepared more than many other test-takers if you do those things.

 

For analytical writing, look over the essay prompts, make sure you understand the instructions, and do a few timed writing exercises before test day. You don't need to write a masterpiece, just a serviceable, formatted, thorough essay. If you can write lab reports and were able to pass an intro college comp course, you can do well enough on the AW.

 

And most importantly, don't stress too much. You'll be fine!

 

Exactly what I was looking for Midnight!  As far as vocab is concerned, which one should I go with?

 

From my research,  Manhattan's Flashcard, Barrons Word List(I hear it's a lot of words) and Kaplans Flashcard(500) seem to be the most mentioned by posters.  Let's just say my vocab is ever so slightly above avg.  Is 500 words enough?

Edited April 15, 2013 by oneday6

[midnight]

Exactly what I was looking for Midnight!  As far as vocab is concerned, which one should I go with?

 

From my research,  Manhattan's Flashcard, Barrons Word List(I hear it's a lot of words) and Kaplans Flashcard(500) seem to be the most mentioned by posters.  Let's just say my vocab is ever so slightly above avg.  Is 500 words enough?

 

I'd say so. Quite honestly I don't think that the vocab on the new GRE is much of a bear; I have a decent vocabulary and had no issue with any of the words on the current test. My weakness was reading comprehension.

 

Keep an eye out for any repeat words you see during practice. Also, lump together synonyms in your mind whenever you can.

Edited April 15, 2013 by midnight

[Brent@GreenlightGRE]

If you're looking for a game plan, we offer a free, 3-part Study Guide. 

Here's the overview page: http://www.greenlighttestprep.com/study-guide/overview

 

Cheers,

Brent