Who has recently taken the GRE & what are your thoughts about it?

SGT Dave Tracy — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 12:00:29 -0500

I'm applying to Grad schools & I'm set to take the GRE in 2 weeks. I have been doing some test prep for it & will be ramping up the time and intensity the closer I get to test day.
I know the GRE changed its format a couple years ago, so if you have taken it in the last 2-3 years, what were your thoughts about it? What was easy & hard? General test impressions? What advice do you have?
Thanks!

Response by SFC Justin Scott made Mar 3 at 2016 12:02 PM

SFC Justin Scott — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 12:02:49 -0500

I took it without prepping and did well, though I think I'd have done far better if I actually opened the study book I had purchased. The hardest part for me were some of the obscure authors brought in the test. Overall, however, the test wasn't as hard as I expected.

Response by SFC Justin Scott made Mar 3 at 2016 12:08 PM

SFC Justin Scott — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 12:08:54 -0500

My best advice is to keep doing what you're doing. I like my score, but I know that had I done what you're doing I'd have scored higher. Secondly, don't get stressed out over the test, you'll do fine by doing exactly what you're doing!

Response by CPT Mark Gonzalez made Mar 3 at 2016 12:09 PM

CPT Mark Gonzalez — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 12:09:11 -0500

I took my GRE a year ago and probably studied 40-50 hours total using BenchPrep. I started with an initial practice test. My grammar score went from a 75% to 83%, but my math went from a 40% to an 87%. So my take away is that you use grammar every day, but it has probably been a while since you did algebra or geometry. So familiarize yourself with the format to gain comfort, but focus your efforts on the math. I believe you can make substantial improvements on the math in a short amount of time.
Most schools want at least a 150/150 so do your practice tests and focus your time on your weakest area. However, it is much harder to improve your English in a short period in my opinion.

Response by SSG Drew Cook made Mar 3 at 2016 12:10 PM

SSG Drew Cook — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 12:10:15 -0500

I did really well on the writing portion, but I wished I had studied a bit more using off-the-shelf products rather than the free practice tests the GRE site offers. I found that I was fairly ill-prepared on the quantitative section due to I think the practice tests having been too easy.

On that end, study 11th-12th grade level vocabulary and freshen up on early college-level algebra and trig.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 12:13 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 12:13:32 -0500

Took the GRE for a third time this past December.

If you're just starting to prep now, you're probably a little late. They say a good 6 months of prep is required. The two times I've prepped well in advance, I got the scores I wanted.

The format is the same as the last time I took the test (2009). The scoring is different, though. I get different scores every time I take the test.

The math was harder for me this time around. The verbal and the essays were the same, it seemed.

Advice: get a good night's sleep, have a big breakfast, stay hydrated, take breaks during the test.

Response by SPC Joshua Heath made Mar 3 at 2016 1:17 PM

SPC Joshua Heath — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 13:17:29 -0500

It wasn't easy, take more time on the essays than you think you need. I feel that overall I'm a pretty good writer and I still only got a 4.5 on the essay section.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 1:49 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 13:49:21 -0500

I took it last fall so it is all still pretty fresh in my mind. The test is adaptive so I wouldn't really say it's hard or easier. It used to be adaptive between questions, but I believe it is now adaptive between sections. For example, the first verbal section is somewhat middle of the road. If you do really well the next section will be harder or vice versa. I did pretty well on the verbal section and I could definitely tell that the 2nd section of the verbal was more difficult. My prep sounds somewhat similar to yours. I studied a little bit over the course of several months, but I really clamped down the last few weeks. I'd just moved across the country and didn't have a job yet so I was able to study pretty much all day. If I was taking the test again I wouldn't go that route, but I think that you can still get a good amount of prep in if you make test prep your #1 priority for the next couple weeks.

As far as prepping for the verbal I don't think memorizing a whole mess of words is all that effective. You really need to see the words in context to develop a true understanding (connotative vs denotative, etc). The best way to do this is find reading material that might normally be outside of your comfort zone vocabulary wise. Honestly at this point I'm not sure how much you can bolster your vocabulary all that much.

Personally I found the quantitative section to be more difficult, simply because I hadn't studied math much since high school (15 or so years ago). It took some time to refresh my memory. Once you start practicing everything it starts to come back. There were a couple of question types that I still struggled with, but it was stuff that I probably never really mastered in high school either.

Put yourself in the mindset of the test writers. They have certain tricks and traps that they like to incorporate into the test, particularly in the Quant section. I didn't really figure this out until the last week or so before the test. Once I figured that out my prep was much more efficient.

Finally, take at least one practice test in realistic conditions. Try to find an area where you won't be disturbed, start the test about the same time of day when you real take the real thing, and take breaks only when you would during the real test. The test is LONG and you want your mind at its peak. I had to push my test out until I could find a time in the middle of the day. I am worthless in the morning and I knew I would be fading toward the end of the test if I took it after 5 PM. I think I took it around 11, which was perfect for me. Also make sure you eat a good meal. I had a nervous stomach and I didn't eat near enough. I was getting some brain fog on the last section, which also happened to be the only section I didn't complete. With a better meal I think I could've bumped my score up a point or two. By practicing in realistic conditions you can get a feel for how your body will react on test day.

I'm not sure what your timeline is, but if it doesn't go well you can always retake it later. I waited until the last minute to take mine and I didn't have time to redo it before my application deadline. I think with the experience of taking the first test under my belt I could do much better now and bump my score up a point or two to get into the 320s. I am slated to find out tomorrow if I was admitted to grad school. If I don't get in I might be back in your shoes again very soon.

Good luck!

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Mar 4 at 2016 9:08 AM

SGT Dave Tracy — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 09:08:56 -0500

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the input-really, I do. And the advice I will keep in mind.

Edit 7March16: I didn't realized my autocorrect "fixed" a misspelled "Thanks" and replaced it with "That's". Apparently it was decided for me that no one else need comment! Apparently the program was written by Porky Pig "That's all folks!" LOL