Is taking two GRE Prep classes going overboard?

[correlatesoftheory]

Greetings.

 

 

I have the opportunity to take two different GRE prep courses. One is offered through my university from a company called Campus Prep. It's only $300, and it covers all of the subjects tested on the GRE. The Campus Prep course uses the Barron's 20th edition book, but also recommends getting the Official ETS GRE Book. They meet once a week for two hours. I haven't heard anything about Campus Prep, so perhaps someone here might want to give their two cents.

 

The second option is the Kaplan GRE prep course. It's much more expensive (something like $1200), and uses (I'm assuming) primarily the Kaplan GRE prep book. This course meets either once a week for two hours or twice a week for one hour. I've heard pretty good things about the Kaplan GRE prep class, but maybe someone here can also tell me about their experience.

 

I intend to take the GRE in early September. The Campus Prep Class goes from late June to early August. The Kaplan course would meet from mid July to the first week of September. 

 

Money isn't an issue. I'm willing to shell out some extra money if it helps me get an even higher score.

 

Let me know what you think. 

[random_grad]

How fast do Kaplan spots fill? I d say start with one and if you feel you need more by mid July, sign up for Kaplan. If Kaplan uses the same math as in their books, imo it s a waste of money - their math is know to be too easy

(personally I think GRE can be done without courses at all, at your own pace).

Edited June 8, 2015 by random_grad

[bsharpe269]

Have you taken a practice test to see where your scores stand now? They might help you figure out how much prep you need. I think taking 2 classes is going a bit overboard. I would take the cheaper class and if you still need extra prep then I would sign up for magoosh. Its $100 and improved my score quite a bit.

[fuzzylogician]

I think taking two courses is going a bit overboard. I don't even really think one is necessary for most people. You can get the materials and study by yourself; the course is mostly helpful for providing the external motivation and time management support for those who require it. There are some useful techniques you can learn, though I think you can get them from a book and you don't need a class for that. Either way, one course should be enough. Most of the studying needs to be done outside the course setting, even if you do take a course. It's just a matter of time and practice.

 

I agree with others that it'd be useful for you to know where you stand now and how far it is from where you want to be. My guess is that if you're willing to spend a lot of money, you can always find a way to spend it, be it through another class or private lessons. I'd start by assuming that the cheaper course is sufficient and go from there. 

[psycgrad37]

Two courses would definitely be overkill. It might end up confusing you in the end. I have taken a Kaplan course, although it was much cheaper (I think $400) and done online at your own pace. 

 

The main thing I can recommend for studying for the GRE, regardless of what course you take, is to allow enough time to go through all of the material. What I mean is that all of those vocabulary words cannot possibly be learned over a few days. It's important to start looking at those vocab words now and start studying them. Also, if you haven't taken a math class in a while or if it's just not your strong class, it's good to have ample time to go over the formulas and practice, practice, practice.

 

The GRE is a very particular type of test that requires a lot of practice and get used to timing. Taking two courses, I believe, would impede on practice time because you'll be focusing on each of the classes and what's going on in them.  

[astaroth27]

I think you are overvaluing the impact GRE scores have on your application. As long as you are over that school's unofficial cutoff, they don't really help you. You are much better off spending your time getting research experience, perfecting your SOP, and getting good contacts for letters of rec. You have to put some time and energy into studying for the GRE but I honestly wouldn't spend more than it costs to buy the test. Save that money for when you move cross country to your graduate school. That action will set you back thousands of dollars.

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi correlatesoftheory,

 

There are plenty of options when it comes to your GRE prep and many of them are not nearly as expensive as the two that you've named. Before investing in any product(s), it's important to define your goals and timeline.

 

With an early September Test Date, you have almost 3 months of potential study time, which is a lot.

 

1) What is your goal score?

2) When are you planning to apply to School?

3) Do you know which Schools you'll be applying to?

 

It's also worthwhile to take a FULL practice MST Test, so that you can get a sense of your strengths and weaknesses. You can download 2 free tests from www.gre.org. Once you take one of those Tests, you should report back here with your scores.

 

GRE Masters aren't born, they're made,

Rich

[correlatesoftheory]

Hi correlatesoftheory,

 

There are plenty of options when it comes to your GRE prep and many of them are not nearly as expensive as the two that you've named. Before investing in any product(s), it's important to define your goals and timeline.

 

With an early September Test Date, you have almost 3 months of potential study time, which is a lot.

 

1) What is your goal score?

2) When are you planning to apply to School?

3) Do you know which Schools you'll be applying to?

 

It's also worthwhile to take a FULL practice MST Test, so that you can get a sense of your strengths and weaknesses. You can download 2 free tests from www.gre.org. Once you take one of those Tests, you should report back here with your scores.

 

GRE Masters aren't born, they're made,

Rich

Greetings. 1) My goal is 90th percentile in both quantitative and verbal. 2) I'm planning to apply this application cycle (September-December). 3) Yes, I have a pretty good idea which schools I'll be applying to. They're all pretty competitive, but I think I have a pretty good shot at getting into them. I understand GRE scores aren't everything, but it obviously wouldn't hurt if I got high GRE scores. 

Edited June 13, 2015 by correlatesoftheory

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi correlatesoftheory,

 

Since you have a clear sense of your goals, the next logical step would be to take a FULL MST, so that we can get a 'baseline' score and figure out what you need to work on. If you want to do a bit of light study before you take that MST (so you can familiarize yourself with the general content and format of the GRE) then that would be fine, but you should take that Test soon.

 

GRE Masters aren't born, they're made,

Rich

[correlatesoftheory]

Hi correlatesoftheory,

 

Since you have a clear sense of your goals, the next logical step would be to take a FULL MST, so that we can get a 'baseline' score and figure out what you need to work on. If you want to do a bit of light study before you take that MST (so you can familiarize yourself with the general content and format of the GRE) then that would be fine, but you should take that Test soon.

 

GRE Masters aren't born, they're made,

Rich

Sounds good to me. I'll get on it this week. Appreciate your feedback. 

[pinkgirlcollections]

For the Kaplan course you mentioned, it doesn't seem to drive great results according to the data this website collects: http://www.bestgreprepbook.com/

 

Considering it's also very expensive, maybe you should stick with Campus Prep offered by your school and see how well you do first and decide if you need extra help. Unfortunately the above website doesn't have statistics on Campus Prep

[psycgrad37]

Magoosh, from what I'm hearing, has good results and is also much cheaper than other GRE prep courses at only $100 (whereas others are usually $400 and up).