GRE Prep

[dreams1214]

Hello Everyone,

 

I am typically not a great test-taker, and was hoping I could get some suggestions for GRE prep.  I am planning on applying to some big name schools, and really need to improve my past scores to be competitive for funding.  I need to seriously brush-up on math, but I know I would be ok if I practice on verbal.  Do I need to take a course?  Or, maybe one of the on-line Kaplan math bootcamp options.  Or, should I just use the books and self-study?  Which books?  I would be most obliged for guidance!  

[PowderRiver]

I've heard of some students taking one of the Kaplan courses or getting a tutor and thinking it made a huge difference in their scores, and I've heard of others who don't really prep that much at all. If you're not so good at taking tests, you might find any of the books that come with a program that will score your test so that you can get the format down before you start studying.

 

I bought one of those $20 Princeton Review books and worked through one of the practice tests before I took the GRE. I'm not sure it if it helped or not; I have a math/stats background and wasn't too worried about that portion of the test, but seeing the format of the questions was helpful. It's never fun being caught off-guard when in a test.

 

-EDIT-

There's a thread with a ton of GRE information here:
http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/68-gregmatetc/

Edited June 11, 2014 by PowderRiver

[AKCarlton]

Hello Everyone,

 

I am typically not a great test-taker, and was hoping I could get some suggestions for GRE prep.  I am planning on applying to some big name schools, and really need to improve my past scores to be competitive for funding.  I need to seriously brush-up on math, but I know I would be ok if I practice on verbal.  Do I need to take a course?  Or, maybe one of the on-line Kaplan math bootcamp options.  Or, should I just use the books and self-study?  Which books?  I would be most obliged for guidance!  

 

I guess it really depends on how much they value GRE scores. I spoke to every one of my schools on how much merit they place in that, and almost all of them said it wasn't a big deciding factor, "it's just a one-day test, you're GPA, which shows how dedicated you are throughout your academic career seems more valuable to us" -- that was the kind of response I had...and again, my GRE scores weren't that spectacular but my 4.0 GPA apparently helped more...

 

So before you go spending big $$$$ on courses and materials and tutors, I would suggest purchasing their study guide available through the GRE website and starting with that, which is what I did, and actually connect with your schools to get an idea of what scores they're looking for...the test is expensive but may not be worth multiple retaking in the grand scheme of things.