The Graduate Record Examination ("GRE" for all the swingin' cats) thread

DESTROY the English Subject GRE. Also, are you taking the paper or computer versions of the general exam?

I meant to write, "Any info/advice for those who will be taking this thing?"

The verbal part was harder than the other sections, though it wasn't terrible. I'm probably not the best one to ask about the difficulty on the math portion, since it seems I'm considerably better at it than I am on the verbal stuff.

I didn't do this for the Subject test, which is only offered on paper, and had to sit in a room where the proctor was eating a bag of chips the whole time (crinkle crinkle CRUNCH CRUNCH crinkle), the guy next to me was mumbling ("dang, whut WUZ it. Dang."), and there was some kind of bangin' party going on upstairs (the ceiling would shake and then BOOM! with some "throw your hands in the air!" audible).

If you don't want to do a course, at least get a book with practice tests and do a few. It's worth refreshing the math--most of it is really simple, or just common sense, and whatever book you get will have test-taking tips too if you need them (I did).

It was your destiny. Thus was it written. Peace be upon you.

i'm discovering that most schools don't offer paper applications anymore. i'm feeling a generation gap (this poss. explains my reaction to jon williams).

Heheh, yeah that's probably a good idea. You might end up sitting next to a prick like me who takes the test while sick. I'm sure my coughing and sniffling pissed off at least a few fellow test-takers.

this is classic in the most acute way.

this is why i'm waiting until next year to retake the lsat -- my 2000 score will be wiped off the face of the earth by then.

however, i am determined to take the gre's. i don't mind tests so much, actually.

That's a really shitty thing for them to have done.

for math i just did my best. i suck at math.

do you mean free sites? any tips?
(thanks for all the advice btw.)

DESTROY the English Subject GRE

OMG I got a sub-600 score on this!

Straight Talk About Graduate School

From the Chronicle of Higher Education:

Is Graduate School a Cult?

Deprogramming From the Academic Cult

Advice columns

Then again, if you go to grad school outside of the US, they don't require GRE scores. Nor application fees. Much more civilized.

not if you took the SATs in 1989 and the GRE ten years later

Grad School: Classic or Dud

which means (1) don't look at law school as an "escape option" for grad school; and (2) i may be useful on this thread.

this is standard language for grad schols. but what is a "semester unit"? as an undergrad the only numbers were for how many classes you took--thus, i took about 32 (or 4 per semester, 8 seemsters overall). how many classes add up to 60 semester units?

sorry for the dumb question.

also i might do some research into optics so i should know geometry

I didn't take a course to prepare for the GRE, I just used a few of those big phone-book sized workbooks that have old tests in them and I sat and did those with a timer so that it would simulate the test. It is nerve-wracking, and can feel artificial, but it worked out quite well for me. I think I did this four or five times (this was eight years ago so it's a bit foggy).
The analytic section can be weird if you haven't studied logic or done any word problems recently; you might want to brush up on how to quickly draw up a truth table as it will speed certain problems up.

Anyone got any further views on this, especially on whether a prep course is worth it. I need to do this in about 8 weeks time. (Prep course may well be a moot point as I have a lot of work travel lined up between now and then).

depends on what kind of program you're going to be applying to. some programs (creative writing MFA) your GRE scores don't matter at all, it's the writing sample that counts.

Fuck an mfa, I going to do something worthwhile and productive with my life. Course I want to do is an MS in engineering and techology innovation management and I'm kind of hoping they pay more heed to the gre and work references than to my undergrad, where I kind of came off the rails somewhat.

i did fairly well with buying a study book and making vocab and formula cards when i was preparing for the GRE. the princeton review GRE prep book is good in this regard

gre and work references than to my undergrad, where I kind of came off the rails somewhat.

I was in a similar situation so very freaked out about GREs. I didn't take a prep course but studied my ass off for the math (not my strong point)for about 6 wks prior to the exam and ended up doing really well. How are you at taking exams? Have you done some practice ones?

I have the princeton review book and I'm working through it, going to try a practice exam this weekend. As for exams I am pretty relaxed about them and good at aptitude tests, especially maths ones (no idea what the curve was but I got into the top 3% on the last one I did when I tried to get a job in the timetabling department of network rail).

Any views of the gmat which some of the places I am applying for prefer?

gmat is for mba douches, i think?

but i would say just take a bunch of practice exams and you'll be fine--you don't need a course

my gf took a prep course. from all the course books and studying she did, she substantially improved her score from her earlier practice scores, but she said the physical in-class stuff was kind of waste of time. recommended doing the online version instead (i think it's cheaper?) because you get the same amount of practice but you can do it on your own time.

Does anyone think playing "Professor Layton and the Curios Village" will help prep w/the analytic section? I keep telling myself this as I play it. But maybe I am telling myself a LIE.

Is the verbal part talking to someone? What exactly is it?

CurioUs village

GMAT is for MBA douches (what I might become if I don't get one of these MSs)

you don't need a prep course. it's a pretty narrow-ranging test.

uh i was about to say hey im studying for the GMAT and I realized I remember not math but now Ed is calling my kind douchey :(

need to work on math AND language skills as demonstrated by above statement

hey hs how did you study for the lit subject test?

oh wait it was that d-bag mr que who said it

sorry i started with the d bag stuff :(

max if you are going for an MA why would you need to take the subject test? i thought that was for phd peoples.

id be going for a phd

hi max! i didn't, actually, but i don't recommend that route because it's nice to feel like you have control over the objective criteria for application. people i know who did really well just studied out of the book (i think it's princeton review). also, i would like to take this opportunity to say fuck a GRE subject test in literature.

so you're really doing this, huh? good luck!!! even if you get into a bunch of programs, as i'm sure you will, feel free to do something else!

lol i dont know yet if im "really" doing this, but im going to take the tests this year while all the learning is fairly fresh in my mind. i took a quick practice test for the subject test and didnt do amazing, like a 640 or something--im sort of worried that the classes i took, which tended toward the theoretical and away from the canon, are going to hurt me, so i want to do some studying or something.

and yeah fuck a gre subj test

Mandee, we can be MBA douches together as we roll around in our respective vats of money. (I even have my stripey scrooge mc duck swimming costume picked out)

(Incidentally, you are in CO, aren't you, how is Boulder as a place to live?)

the test changes year to year, so this will be of no help to you, but the canterbury tales was ALL OVER it the year i took it. i was unprepared.

xpost

:-/ maybe i should just get an online phd based on my life experience

oh, as far as how you did on the practice test, just review what the book says about the areas you were weak on--don't read the actual books, sadly--and that will be enough. according to my co-grad students. but i got in, too. i have to believe that that test doesn't matter, because come on.

max you'd be a really excellent scholar/professor. that test is the dumbest.

yeah im not super worried, test-taking is one of my strengths, i mostly just wanted to know if i should just get a princeton review book or actually spring for the classes. thanks for the kind words hs! ur the best :D

aw. <3

ed you would love boulder

you'd fit in like perfectly!

max, my sis took the subject test to get into her phd program and I think she had a helluva time studying -- I'll ask her about it

that would be awesome mandee thanks

Top college towns are looking like Boulder and Pittsburgh for me at the moment, but I should check out some more stuff.

I didn't take a class, but studied with a book (an REA book with graphic design straight outta 1991) for about 4 weeks beforehand. I'm not sure how a class would help, other than it would sort of force you to study, write practice essays, record your progress, etc. If your work ethic is low, than a course might help. I was really pumped to study at the time for some reason, and I ended up raising my scores on the practice exams by about a 100 points for both the quantitative and verbal sections. Studying for the verbal section is really weird. It basically involves endlessly staring at a long list of "common GRE words", prefixes and suffixes. Somehow it helped.

Unfortunately, I was so nervous the night before test that I only slept about 2 hours, and threw up all of my breakfast. So I probably could have done better than I did. Plus, I feel like I got docked .5 on my essay because I used "specious" completely inappropriately.

hey ZS are you in Boulder yet ?

Nope, not yet. I will be around the week of May 25th though. I'm STILL working on getting a sublease. My standards are so relaxed (place has to be within walking/biking distance of Broadway and Baseline, furnished, and not mega-expensive), but somehow it's taking forever to work out.

where is your internship at again??

Western Clean Energy Campaign, which is part of the Western Resource Advocates non-profit, which is headquartered at the corner of Broadway and Baseline. Know anyone with an extra room?

GRE done and dusted. 680 verbal 720 quantitative, a little dissapointed as I had got 760 on both sections in practice tests, but not on the same test. Whatever they say the luck of the draw on questions can move you up or down within a range. Nonetheless should get me to where I want to go, TBH I don't think the admissions people for my course are that interested in GRE, its just a university requirement; in any case done and done adequately.

hahaha i finally registered to take these

i had to get drunk and have a depressing conversation about jobs with jordan sargent to do it

This is fun to prepare for. Sit down one evening, put some quiet music on....and take some practice tests! Why people fear the GRE is beyond me. Getting a high score on your practice test is a real ego boost.

Plus...math. Is fun. It's good exercise for the mind. And no math teacher mind games when you "do the problem wrong"!