Motivation to Study for the GRE Needed!

[ew2u09]

Hello All,

I am a prospective MPH student who is planning to tackle the GRE sooner than later. I have taken it once before but over-analyzed the whole thing and did terrible. I recently met someone who is studying to get into a residency program and she said that she found a 'study partner' through a forum and they have been encouraging each other to stay on task with their studying. I would be interested in something like this for the GRE. 

A little background on myself:

- Received a BA in History from Ohio State (GPA: 2.85)

- Completed an AmeriCorps term through the Illinois Public Health Association (term just ended last month)

- Currently taking a public health graduate course at Ohio State

- Have volunteer experience in public health 

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi ew2u09,

Regardless of whether you find a study partner or not, we should talk about your prior GRE experience (so that you can make the necessary adjustments and improve).

1) When did you take the GRE? And what were your scores?

2) What practice materials did you use? And how long did you study?

3) When are you planning to take the GRE again?

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

Rich

[ew2u09]

Hi ew2u09,

Regardless of whether you find a study partner or not, we should talk about your prior GRE experience (so that you can make the necessary adjustments and improve).

1) When did you take the GRE? And what were your scores?

2) What practice materials did you use? And how long did you study?

3) When are you planning to take the GRE again?

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

Rich

1) I took the GRE in March 2014. My scores were 141 Quant, 132 Verbal, and 3.5 for the writing portion.

2) I used materials from my local library and I purchased a Princeton Review Practice book. I was studying on and off from June 2013 up until the time I took the test. It wasn't until a couple of days before my test date that I found out that it is best to study for about a month.

3) I was planning to take it next month, but have not even started preparing for it yet...If not next month then some time before the end of the year.

[slporbust2016]

I think everyone has different things that motivate them. I took the GRE once a couple of weeks ago, and I got a score that I'm happy with. I bought Magoosh and used it. I knew that if I paid $100 for something, I'd feel really bad if I didn't use it, so that was my motivation--not wasting my money. 

Have you taken the free ETS tests? How similar are the scores to what you got? If you're not going to make time to study, and they're about the same, then taking it again is probably a waste of money.

Good luck!

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi ew2u09,

Since a strong GRE score can help get you into a "better"/higher-ranked School (which would have a big impact on your career and future) and could potentially get you Scholarship money, I would expect that the motivation shouldn't be too hard to come by. With those motives in mind, I have a few additional questions:

1) What Grad Schools/Programs are you interested in?

2) When are you planning to apply to School?

3) What is your goal score on the GRE?

For what it's worth, the amount of study time can vary greatly from person to person. Some Test Takers need 3 months (or more) before they hit their 'peak' scores, so you shouldn't base your overall timeline on what one particular person did while studying.

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

Rich

[ew2u09]

slporbust2016

- Thank you for your comment. I have taken the free ETS test and the free GRE tests on Princeton Review's website, and I want to say my scores were slightly better than what I got on the test. But I agree, I just need to make the time study to make it worth it.

 

EMPOWERgreRICHC

- I want to get into OSU college of public health, but my back ups as of now are the northwestern Ohio consortium of public health and Northern Illinois University.

- I am planning to apply to school between the end of this year and early next year.

- My goal score would depend on what the average scores for each school is, but I think I would aim for OSU's requirements and that would be sufficient for the other two. The average score of those who were admitted to OSU's MPH program in 2014 were in the 58th percentile for the quantitative portion and 64th percentile for the verbal portion. The average writing score was 4.11. 

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi ew2u09,

Raising your GRE scores to this new level will take some serious work, but the GRE is a predictable, standardized Test, so you CAN train to score at a higher level. You'll likely need to invest in some new resources though (and learn/practice some new Tactics).

1) Do you know the exact application deadlines that you're facing?

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

Rich

[cb1214]

Hi!

I completely understand the lack of motivation - studying for the GRE is beyond boring. One thing that I did to stay motivated is pay for one-on-one tutoring, once a week, for 2 months. Like another poster said, I knew if I was paying for something and taking time out of my day to meet with a tutor, I would have to stay on top of the studying. Also, meeting with the tutor gave me incentive because if I met with her with no studying done, it would be a wasteful session and therefore a waste of money. 

I recommend Manhattan Prep materials - they are the best and really coach you through each topic, whether it be reading or math.

[ew2u09]

Thank you for this, cb1214! How much was the one-on-one tutoring that you signed up for? I understand that having someone go along this 'journey' would help in keeping you on task with preparing for this test, that is why I am looking for someone whose kind of in the same boat as me. I'm planning to use online and possibly library resources to get ready for the GRE so it may be a challenge to push myself to do this. But I believe I can:-)

Rich, the deadlines that I am looking at are in the spring of 2016 so I'm thinking this December would be a good time to take this. I've Googled some tips on how to study by using online resources so I will plan to do that. Please let me know if you have any additional tips/advice in regard to this. Thanks!