freerice and GRE scores

[NervousNellie]

Is freerice really a good study tool?

I am curious. How many of you who have taken the GRE studied with freerice. If you did, what was the highest level you acheived at freerice and what was your related GRE score?

[tarski]

I'm curious about this as well. I haven't taken the GRE yet, but I just did PowerPrep and got 760 V, and my FreeRice score usually hovers around 44-48. However, the FreeRice words seem way more obscure than anything I just encountered on PowerPrep.

(and this makes me think maybe I should focus my attention elsewhere, like more in depth definitions and syns/ants of more common words)

[celph]

I am an international student so take what I will say with a grain of salt. I'm studying for the GRE (have been studying for a couple of months, not systematically but generally going through the trouble of looking up words I don't know). I gave freerice a try and I was moving around levels 40-44. Having said that, the words that appear in freerice I think are far weirder than what you encounter in GRE. Off the top of my head: "telamon". I study classics so I figured it out, but I'm pretty sure that at least 90% of the people who live in the English speaking world do not know what it means and in fact have never heard/read it, and it's highly unlikely that you'll find that in a GRE exercise. Same goes with words like "menhir", or "taiga". They can't ask you what the opposite of "taiga" is. Worst case scenario: taiga will come up in a text about forests, but when they're in a text more often than not you can figure words out even if you don't know what exactly they mean.

I scored 660 in a Barrons GRE verbal test I took. Not dissapointed, but I'd like to score a 700+.

Also, "chanterelle". What the hell is that about. I cook, so I know what it is, but words like that don't constitute the familiarity with a language, but more like your general and encyclopedic knowledge.

My advice: Use freerice for fun, GRE tests for properly studying.

[natofone]

I got a 720 V on the GRE several years ago and I'm in the upper 40s on this.

[charles mingus]

i agree that freerice words are more gamey-obscure and less actual vocab words. i've found the vocab builder at number2.com to be more in the vein of GRE type words.

[BrandNewName]

i like using freerice, both my partner and i did it together, most often at the upper levels while attempting to recognize roots that could help us decipher something unknown should we encounter it on the gre.

that being said, we also purchased kaplan's gre flashcards and learned all 500 - it took about two days and a boatload of pneumatic devices, but there were at least 20 words that i wouldn't have known had i not used the cards. kaplan knows the majority of the words that will be on there and the contexts in which they are most often used - i highly recommend the flashcards, i got a 710V and wouldn't have without them.

[jasper.milvain]

it took about two days and a boatload of pneumatic devices, but there were at least 20 words that i wouldn't have known had i not used the cards.

I know you mean 'mnemonic devices', but I love the image of using jackhammers and air compressors to learn words.

[rogue]

I'm a big fan of freerice, and I started using it more regularly when I began studying for the GRE. My best level was 55, but I was mostly in the 48-52 range, and I got a 770 on the verbal section. I know a few of the words came up on my test, but I don't recall exactly which ones now. I also noticed that some of the words in my Kaplan card deck and Princeton Review book showed up on freerice.

[BrandNewName]

I know you mean 'mnemonic devices', but I love the image of using jackhammers and air compressors to learn words.

doh. in my defense, i must have been translating when i was posting on the boards...i do german to english translations in the field of construction and general engineering. embarrassing. though, i guess, in some way i do use jackhammers and air compressors to learn new words...they just happen to be german and totally useless for my everyday life.