Preping for the GRE

[history_geek]

I plan on applying to graduate schools in Fall of 2015. Currently, I'm looking at taking the GREs twice before the start of next semester. I would take them in late May or early June then again in early August. First, is this a good idea to take the GREs twice? The advisors at my school have suggested that it is a great idea to take them more than once and to take them before the actual applications are due. Second, is it plausible for me to study through May then take the GREs? I fear that it is too short of a window to study for them properly and prepare myself fully.

 

On another note, I'm looking to get my PhD in History. I have been told that as long as I don't bomb the math section or the writing section, I will be okay when applying. Is it crucial for me to do well on the GREs since I have to submit several papers and do interviews?

Edited March 19, 2015 by history_geek

[perpetuavix]

The GREs are expensive and annoying enough to take that I wouldn't say it's a good idea to plan to take them twice, no matter what you score. It might be a good idea to give yourself enough time for the option to take them twice, though, in case you are unhappy with your first score. A month is a reasonable amount of time to spend studying, if you can devote substantial time to it (maybe an hour a day). How much you need to study also depends on what score you want and where you are right now. if you're trying to maximize your verbal, you might want to start working on that now, before you formally begin studying, because vocab takes the most time to improve. Make a point to write down words you come across that you don't know the definition of, look them up, and write them down. You can make flashcards to help you remember them. There's also a lot of GRE vocabulary apps out there (I like Painless GRE; not sure if it's only for Android). If you improve your vocabulary slowly over the next few months, you'll be in a better position to study for the rest of the GRE in a shorter time frame. 

As to how important GREs are, the answer is usually not very important. This varies a lot by department and by who is on the committee; some departments and admissions committee members think GREs are very important, although it seems that most would say they're not that important. You can always ask the schools you're most interested in how they evaluate GRE scores, but the reply will almost certainly use the word "holistically". Try to score as high as you can the first time, and retake the test if you know you can score higher. 

[_kita]

First off, take a practice test to determine your level of "is this feasible." Decide what score range you need for the programs you're interested in. For most programs, it's a factor, but not something that will hamstring you. Off of that practice test, come up with a study schedule. You need to be able to know, and practically use the information. So flashcards only gets you so far. 

 

I know some people that take the test cold and score well enough. Others, they study for months and can't succeed. You need to know your strengths/weaknesses and focus on them before any concrete timeline can be given. For me, Now until may is plenty of time for the verbal session touch-ups. However, my math, I'm giving myself 5-6 months. Simply because I need to relearn basic math skills. 

 

Also, why do you want to immediately sign up for two test sections? That's a lot of money going out. Unless you're spending money on a test-prep guarantee program, that will probably be shelling out a ton of money without any major score change in between the two. 

[pwe5000]

I second what the above responders have said, but I'll add: Some programs use the GRE (among other things) to making funding decisions. What I've heard most often about the GRE from multiple sources is that a good GRE score won't guarantee you admission, but a bad GRE score might knock you out of the running (for admission and/or funding)

 

I also advise against automatically planning to take it twice. Take it once, see how you do, and go from there. If you're applying to top-tier programs in History, they will probably expect 80th+ percentile GRE scores. It would probably be good to decide what score (or score range) you are aiming for BEFORE you take it so you can make a better decision about retaking that's not clouded by post-test anxiety, second-guessing, etc.

 

My experience, for what it's worth: I studied for 3 months (~5-8 hours/week), took it once, and met my goal. I used an online service called Magoosh, and no other resources (except for AWA, which Magoosh doesn't offer practice for). You can find out plenty about Magoosh on this forum - it has video lessons, lots of practice questions, and 2 practice tests.

 

General studying advice: hit the practice questions hard (with whatever resource you're using), brush up on your weak spots with content-type studying, and take plenty of full-length practice tests, starting after you've studied for a few weeks.