Dear All, I am new to this, so take it easy on me. I have a question. What materials would you suggest to score higher on the GRE? My first time out of the box, I scored a 1000. I need a 1200 for A&M and/or Houston. I am trying to get into either program, so I have applied to both. I would love to go to Houston, since it is closer,but I will gladly take A&M if offered. I have the GRE for Dummies and the Barron's Book. I plan to practice test a bunch before I take the test. So the question is...which one is best and how many times did you practice before you took the actual test. Thank you for your help.
I am new to this, so take it easy on me. I have a question. What materials would you suggest to score higher on the GRE? My first time out of the box, I scored a 1000. I need a 1200 for A&M and/or Houston. I am trying to get into either program, so I have applied to both. I would love to go to Houston, since it is closer,but I will gladly take A&M if offered. I have the GRE for Dummies and the Barron's Book. I plan to practice test a bunch before I take the test. So the question is...which one is best and how many times did you practice before you took the actual test. Thank you for your help>>>>>>> There is a great resource called testmagic.com that has a ton of useful GRE prep information. My favorite study guide was Suzee Vik's Idiot's Guide to the GRE and I highly recommend the Kaplan practice tests as well as the powerprep cd ETS sends you when you register. there are also a lot of free vocabulary sections and practice tests as well at number2.com. In my case, I studied fairly evenly the first time--about twenty hours altogether and scored a 1270 (710v, 560q) The second time, realizing it was harder to move a 700+ score than a mid-500s, I focused on the quantitative completely--maybe twenty hours total but very focused and I took a day off when I felt "full" if you know what I mean. The second time I got a 1450 (670v, 780q) so the effort was worth it. I'm also applying to A&M for the fall. Good luck and maybe I'll see you there. Gibson
Buy one of the CD's that has it EXACTLY how you will take it - i.e. on the computer. The test setting can make a difference of up to 100 points. I recommend taking it once, see where you went wrong, take it again.
Also, find out if the schools let you take it more than once and what they do with more than 1 score. For example, if you take it twice and receive a 1000 and a 1200, some schools take the highest, some average. If they let you take it more than once, try it in the real setting once (if you can afford taking it twice).
Houston didnt want me to waste my money on taking it so many times. A&M said sure, take it as many times as you need to hit the mark. I will keep taking the cd and paper versions until I get it right. The weirdest part was the essay. I felt I made a great argument ,but alas... I was wrong. I wanted to thank you for all your help
Houston didnt want me to waste my money on taking it so many times. A&M said sure, take it as many times as you need to hit the mark. I will keep taking the cd and paper versions until I get it right. The weirdest part was the essay. I felt I made a great argument ,but alas... I was wrong. I wanted to thank you for all your help
Gibson, What is your major? Are you working on your Phd or MS? Kristie...much thanks for your information...makes me feel a "little" better about my daunting task. lol
Gibson, What is your major? Are you working on your Phd or MS? > I'm an educational psych major. I'm completing my Masters in May and beginning work on my phD this Fall. Good luck with the history application. Gibson
GRE Preparation I found the Kaplin CD very useful. It comes with several tests and diagnostics all in the same (or very similar) format to what is actually given in the Computer Adaptive Test (CAT). If you are in the US I don't think you have any other option than to take the test using CAT. Its very important to understand that the first problems are the most important to determining you actual score so you should spend a lot of time insuring the first 8-10 problems are correct. If you miss one of the first 3 or 4 problems then your maximum score will be severly limited. Using this CD I easily improved my score about 200-300 points. However, I studied vocabulary over 6 months and practiced my writing over a period of about 3 months (I had most room for improvement on the verbal side.) I spent a couple of weeks on the math, but the Kaplan software analyzes your skills and suggests a study plan.
