Taking the GRE (Graduate record exam)

[011235813]

This test is easier to take than the SAT though maybe not easier in actual terms. This is because the SAT mixes the difficulty of the questions so you can get flustered on encountering something difficult early on, whereas for the GRE, if you keep a cool head, especially early on, things will go fine. Oh, also: NO BUBBLE SHEETS. I hate those things.

The material itself is about SAT standard so you can know what to expect on that front.

I studied on the train on the way to the test centre and got a 1530. Might have been a fluke but honestly, I knew there was no way I was going to score below a 1500 under any circumstances unless I showed up drunk or something.

On the other hand, there was that 3.5 on the writing section.

Didn't seem to count against me during applications though, even though I'm in the humanities, so [MENTION=4490]Orangey[/MENTION] is right, they look for a certain base score which is actually pretty low for most places. Might be higher for the really top schools but not by much.

 

[Kyrielle]

I just finished registering for this famous test, & was wondering if anyone else here has taken it. Or are about to take it?!? My date is October 20th. The test is the GRE, famous test for getting into graduate school. Do you have to take it everwhere? I don't know. share your thoughts & feelings on the GRE & getting into graduate school, or not getting into graduate school .

My brother just finished his and did very well. Studying for the GRE is a lot like studying for the SAT. Actually, the GRE is like the SAT on crack. Basically, you need to study the test itself and how to guess a correct answer by eliminating the incorrect answers. The other thing you need to do is practice timed essays, as there are at least two essay sections where you are required to formulate an opinion and respond to a logical argument.

And yes, the computer does adjust your difficulty as you go. I would take it as a compliment if suddenly you got slammed with mind-blowingly hard material. It means you were doing really great in the last sections!

Just grab a bunch of GRE example tests and start taking them. Start practicing now and by the time your test comes around, it'll be old hat. Also see if there's an online course you can take that teaches you the fastest ways to eliminate wrong answers. There are a lot of tricks that can be learned. This is one thing you do NOT want to get lazy about doing, because it will stress you out even more if you don't feel mentally prepared.

 

[FunnyDigestion]

well, I've taken a bunch of practice tests by now, & it doesn't seem like this will be too hard. The math & vocabulary questions are pretty easy. Maybe the writing part will be tricky, since I haven't practiced any of the essays. I don't know how you're supposed to practice essays.

 

[FunnyDigestion]

well, I've taken a bunch of practice tests by now, & it doesn't seem like this will be too hard. The math & vocabulary questions are pretty easy. Maybe the writing part will be tricky, since I haven't practiced any of the essays. I don't know how you're supposed to practice essays.

lol, just got genius idea, gonna practice the essay-writing style here on the board. I know all the GRE vocab now, I'm golden. Got a special site for it, check: https://www.msu.edu/~defores1/gre/vocab/gre_vocab.htm (actually (in fact) that was just (merely) the first result given by google... I'm only moments away from curing my laziness though )

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I was going to offer some advice, and then I realized in reading the thread that the GRE now has an essay portion and is taken on a computer. My old ass is going to shut up now.

As an aside, it's kind of scary that the test feeds you new questions of variable difficulty based on your earlier answers. Everyone should be taking roughly the same test. How could you compare scores?

 

[011235813]

As an aside, it's kind of scary that the test feeds you new questions of variable difficulty based on your earlier answers. Everyone should be taking roughly the same test. How could you compare scores?

You do a lot worse if you screw up the easy questions that the test first offers everyone because those questions are weighted more. Even if you get the more difficult ones that the adaptive system throws at you wrong, it won't affect your score that badly because they reward you for getting to that point at all.

 

[mrcockburn]

Took it a while back... 800 math, 740 verbal.

You don't need to study for the math part, since it's pretty intuitive.

But the words they quiz you on are FUCKING ridiculous.

"Diazepam" = "a tranquilizer, known as Valium" (Oh wait, this is useful to know for grad school !!)

"Sagittal" = "Of or relating to the suture uniting the two parietal bones of the skull" ( <--- for fucks sake, that belongs in the MCAT. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on having philosophy grad students performing brain surgery on me)

Study the fucking vocab. If you don't know the jargon of poets, brain surgeons, and lumberjacks (refer to "cord"), you'll never make it as an Econ grad student!

 

[crayons]

Took it this August and I still haven't gotten my official results yet. So far it seemed I did horribly on the vocab and very well on the math. I wish I had prepared more for it by taking tests from a wider range of sources than a 5yr GRE practice book with 1 full length test four days before the exam.