How should I study for the GRE?
July 29th, 2009 | 
Author:
Looking for info on gre preparation classes, gre preparation courses,gre test course and more?
Hi and welcome to my blog,
I opened this blog to help anyone who is preparing for his GRE exam.
I remember myself when I started - I was so lost and in such a panic.
Luckily I got this great Gre guide that helped me a lot
So study hard and good luck!
Info about me: I have my BA in English with a creative writing concentration and am applying to grad schools hoping to get into a creative writing program. I got a 29 on the ACT and had a cumulative GPA of 3.6 in college.
What’s the best way to study for the GRE? I’m not good at math and I’m not sure what else is on it. Is there a particular book or program that you think is better than another? What helped you prepare?
Thanks so much!
Posted in gre study | 
Tags: ba, concentration, creative writing, cumulative gpa, grad schools, gre, math, writing program
I got the Kaplan book with disk. I also went to the website for ETS, the testing service that GRE is administered through. They have "pre-tests" and other study material. There is math, a verbal section and there are also two analytical writing sections. They have guidelines on how much to study depending on what score you want to get. My graduate program didn’t care as much about the score as other factors. On hint, most programs will allow you to take courses before you get accepted. My school calls these "unclassified students." You can take up to 4 courses before you are accepted, and the tuition is less expensive. If you get A’s in these classes, it is much harder for them to deny you entrance to the school. See if your school has this option.
I am usually an awesome test taker – I got a 31 on the ACT and graduated MagnaCumLaude – and BOMBED the GRE. I had a Princeton Review book but only half-assed studied for it. So definitely do SOME studying! If you can afford it, I’d say take a Kaplan or Princeton review class. Folks I know who took those courses did really well.
Borders or amazon has some test prep, I dont know how much it changes but make sure you have the latest edition, they have practice tests and they go into detail to refresh your memory
I just bought my sister a GRE vocabuary flash card pack. Building your vocab is a good start. I also bought her a book (I forgot the name and she won’t answer, but I found it at Barnes and Noble) that has 6 tests in it plus strategies, and a CD is included with more tests and vocabulary games. This is a really good beginning. Good luck to you!
I know how you feel. I took the MAT and the GRE and the books that helped me the most were from "The Princeton Review".
http://www.randomhouse.com/princetonreview/graduate/?coupon=prbstore&ref=affpr&from=princetonreview
What worked for me was to study in 20 minute intervals with a brief break in between 5-10 mins. Also Barnes and Noble sells study guides. Just ask them where they are shelved and you will have a plethora (GRE word) of options from which to choose.
The Kaplan books are good. If you’re trying to get into a program for English, you don’t really even need to worry about the math. They don’t care, and it doesn’t work like the ACT or SAT where it’s your cumulative score that’s important. All they will look at is your verbal and analytical writing scores. So don’t waste your time brushing up on math (math is easier than high school tests anyway, so you probably won’t even embarrass yourself too much).
I was an English major also, and I ended up doing pretty well. You have to study vocab. There’s no way around it. Find a list of common words (Kaplan includes them) and learn them. The verbal section is way harder than SAT or ACT verbal. If you don’t know the words on the screen, you’re not going to do very well. You can’t know every word, of course, but that’s why I though Kaplan helped in giving you clear strategies for those times.
The analytical writing section–I though–was really easy (for English majors, at least). You should be able to get a perfect score no problem. Verbal’s where to focus your efforts.