Best advice for improving GRE scores?

[BEAtheSLP]

Hello everyone, I am in need of some advice. I am horrible with standardized tests...I become incredibly anxious,  and stressed (and the time limit certainly does not help). The first time I took the GRE's I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't do so hot, even with studying for several months, so I decided to take them again. So I studied again, this time knowing what to expect. I didn't feel as anxious or nervous so I was certain I was going to do better. WRONG. I did A LOT worse. I am starting to become really depressed because these scores are in no way a reflection of my intelligence...I simply don't test well. I should also add that I am 25, and have not taken geometry in about a decade, which makes it that much harder. Does anyone have any advice on how to improve GRE scores? I feel like I am prepared each time but the actual GRE is way different from the practice questions/ tests/ material I studied. What tools worked the best for you? Are there certain books or other materials that you found more beneficial than others? If you paid for a class/ prep program, which one and would you recommend it? Thanks in advance, I appreciate any feedback! 

[lyrehc]

When I took the GRE I found that GRE for Dummies was the most helpful.

 

How are you studying?  Are you taking practice tests?  Are you using flashcards to review concepts you miss when you practice?  Are you asking friends/family to quiz you on concepts?  Are you taking the time to read ideas/say things aloud?  Are you writing concepts?  Are you making up a dance or workout routine that you discuss/associate with concepts?

 

The more learning styles you hit while you practice the better you will retain the knowledge and the easier you will find accessing that knowledge during stressful situations like testing. 

[GeoDUDE!]

Just to be clear, if you get all the geometry questions wrong, you would still score in the high 150s maybe even low 160s ( 160 ~ 75%) 

[ellieharb]

I find watching youtube videos very helpful. Especially when you can just follow along and listen to them explain how they're finding their answers.  Even listening to the vocab, rather than just reading it, seems to help as well. 

[Missthang]

I purchased a couple of the GRE strategies books off of Amazon, basically 1 from each of the 3 main companies (Princeton, Kaplan, and I can't think of the other one off the top of my head but it was basically GRE for dummies). I really didn't see much of a difference between any of them, but it was nice to see different problems and how they each explained the strategy to use for that particular type of problem. The GRE is all about strategy; how to find the answer the quickest without doing tons of work, how to skim quickly for information without getting bogged down reading a huge passage, and how to argue for/against a scenario and back up your thinking for the writing portion. I joined the page on facebook for the GRE and they posted a question daily and you can also sign up for daily questions to be emailed to you. It was nice to at least work 1 or 2 problems a day on the days that I knew I didn't have time to hardcore study. I also participated in a couple of the free boot camps that were offered online, where there's a live instructor showing how to work different problems and your group use a chat room to stop him/her and ask or answer questions. Definitely try to take at least 1 practice test before so you have an idea of how it will feel on the official day you go.