Gre

[cornflakegirl]

alright, for those who have taken it. was the vocab section as horrible as the prep books lead me to believe?

for people with average vocab, how'd you do?

[MollyMe]

It was pretty hard. I just focused on strategies vs trying to learn words.

[ywt]

From what people tell me my vocabulary is average to a bit above and I had a really hard time on the GRE section.

There were some analogies where I didn't know either of the words in the first half (question part) of the analogy, nor any of the 8 words making up any of the choices.

[yankeeyosh]

My vocabulary is above average in breadth, but there were a lot of words that I was quite unfamiliar with. I made a gajillion flashcards, and tried memorizing them. But you know what? Just like the S-A-T, you might see only two or three of those words...at the most...on the actual exam. I would concentrate more on the analogies and reading comprehension (although the latter is pretty hard to study for).

[gradgirl]

I would say my vocab level is pretty average. I would recommend buying one of those gre prep books (I think I used the one by Kaplan), and using their strategies for getting questions right.

[cornflakegirl]

i am taking a prep class, but i am just not devoting energy to learning all these words. i'd rather study the other stuff.

oh well, i'll see in 2 weeks.

[RaeRae]

Get the Barron's GRE Prep book and learn the "frequently used words list" completely - ever word on my test was from that list.. I was completely shocked, but happy, too!

[CityGal]

Get the Barron's GRE Prep book and learn the "frequently used words list" completely - ever word on my test was from that list.. I was completely shocked, but happy, too!


Study the frequent words list and try to read as much as possible. As most those books state, it is nearly impossible to learn all those words in such short amount of time. What I did is make little cue cards and carry them with me everywhere and try to use at least one of those words in a sentence.

Recalcitrant- unruly, dextrous- skillful, gesticulations- gestures

[MrNCG23]

I heard the vocab sucked.

[wordsmith]

I think the vocab was by far the easiest in any of the prep stuff, but that's how my brain works, and I have a ridiculously massive vocabulary.

[kdhmps]

I took the GRE my senior year of college, after electing NOT to go to law school. (Mistake on my end b/c I am reconsidering law school and have to take the LSAT again since my score is 5 years old.)

Anyhow, the GRE was not difficult when I took it four years ago. Do the work in the Prep books, and I think you will do well on the exam. Graduate school isn't all that difficult to get into (unless it is Harvard), and for the most part, the GRE is just a formality.

I hope this eases your concerns!

[EmberMae]

My vocab is above average, but the words they use are so obscure, I felt like I was guessing on almost every question. I must be good at guessing because I got a decent score. I don't remember the exact number but it was in the 92nd percentile. My math score was actually higher but I was only in the 70 something percentile because the math part is easier. I didn't study at all for either part, but I do read often. it helps a bit.

[sondra_finchley]

Is anyone else sick of being tested on the same crap over and over again? First we took the PSAT, then the SAT, ACT, now the GRE and its the same tests over and over again- same words, same problems, same everything. Exactly how does learning to 'beat the test' translate into me being a better graduate student than someone else who didnt read the test book and didnt know the tricks the testmakers put in there? I know its only one part of the decision, but plenty of places put a bit of emphasis on the score especially when doling out assistant positions.

Sorry for the rant.

[kdhmps]

Sondra,

Thanks for the rant. My score on the GRE did not predict my success in graduate school. Standardized tests are intimidating, and yes, sometimes I am sick of tests. I guess I thought the GRE was a breeze compared to the LSAT, though. Many of the vocabulary words in the GRE prep book appeared on the GRE exam. I just memorized the ones I did not know, and it helped.

[EmberMae]

Thanks for the rant. My score on the GRE did not predict my success in graduate school. Standardized tests are intimidating, and yes, sometimes I am sick of tests. I guess I thought the GRE was a breeze compared to the LSAT, though. Many of the vocabulary words in the GRE prep book appeared on the GRE exam. I just memorized the ones I did not know, and it helped.
Wow I thought the LSAT was so much easier than the GRE. The GRE is the only standardized test I really didn't like. I really enjoyed the LSAT. I enjoy most standardized tests actually. I don't know how to describe why, but they don't stress me out at all, and I get into this zone where I'm totally focused, and the tests are so clear, right and wrong answers, multiple choice...so much easier than real life. So yeah I don't think they're an accurate predictor of success, but I do not mind taking them.

[victoria.o]

Hey, in preparing for the GRE, I would have to heartily recommend: Barron's How To Prepare For The Gre, 14th edition. This book is great -- it has a word list section of commonly used Gre words, it has great strategies for the verbal section (and answers with explanations), the math review was broken down into 14 different sections (arithmetic, algebra, word problems, geometry, etc) and each section had about 20 practice problems (again, with answers and explanations). And good writing section help. This book is sooo great. It also has SIX practice tests (add that to the two available on GRE.org and you'll be totally prepared). I studied about 7 weeks, on average 20 hours a week (with this test, it's NOT about how smart you are, it's about how much TIME you put in) and I totally rocked that Gre. So, if it's not too late, get that book, it's less than 20 bucks, and if you put the time in, you'll pass that test with flying colors. You could def average a 700 score for the quant and verbal.