I need to pass.

September 9, 2006 8:03 AM

Another GRE question.

I need a score of 840 to apply for a graduate program I am interested in. An application submitted by December 31 is required for Spring admission.

I am sure I could diligently work through a test-prep book, but I don't know how long it would take to feel confident with the material. I haven't even purchased a book yet. Math is one of my weak points, and I would need a lot of review in that area. My sister, who is generally smarter than me, mentioned that several of the English questions were difficult.

I want to score well enough the first time. Would it be in my best interest to hold off and take the GRE with more than a couple months of preparation?

Also, what study book/tutoring services do you recommend? I notice some prep courses cost in the thousands of dollars. I thought it was a typo!

Thanks for any advice.

posted by LoriFLA to Education (24 answers total)

The first thing you need to do is take a practice test on the computer, which you can get by buying any cheap prep book at Borders that comes with a CD. That will tell you where you stand right now.

There are actually three sections on the GRE -- verbal, quantitative (math), and analytic (writing) -- but I'm assuming from the way you phrased your question that you need an 840 combined on the verbal and math sections only.

The math section should not put you off that much. They're not asking you to do calculus, they're mostly asking you to do low-level algebra and geometry. Diligent study of a book and memorization of the formulas it provides should be sufficient here.

Verbal, on the other hand, is much harder than the equivalent section on the SAT. (I say this as an English person who scores well in verbal.) In my experience most people do significantly worse on the verbal than they were expecting to do. A book will help you for this but not as much as it can help you for math.

I don't know if a prep course is worth the expense. What I did to prep for the GRE was take a bunch of practice tests. both the free ones from the college board and from prep books. My scores went up about 100 points between the first and the last, just by getting used to the type of questions asked and the timed nature of the test.

Unlike the SAT, you don't have to take the GRE on any specific day; you can take it more or less whenever you want in a college's dedicated testing computer lab. Just give yourself a cushion of at least six weeks between when you take the test and when the college needs the score; a bigger cushion would obviously allow you the chance to prep and take the test again if you were unhappy with your score.

You have the option to cancel your test afterwards, if you think you've bombed. After you decide whether or not to cancel your test, you get to see what your score was, so that eliminates at least a bit of guesswork for you.
posted by BackwardsCity at 8:23 AM on September 9, 2006

If math is the part you're weakest at, that is good news since it's easily the most coachable part of the test since a lot of the verbal part os vocab which is harder to learn. The math involved in the GRE is, for the most part ninth grade level and a little beyond. I think the most difficult part -- last I checked which was a while ago -- was finding the volume of a cone [hint: it's volume of a cylinder with the same sized base divided by three]. I used to work for Princeton Review a million years ago and I liked their approach. However, depending on whether you need the rigorous structure of a class, you can use their books and a lot of the actual tests [ALWAYS practice on actual tests] and be really strict with yourself and you should be okay.

Only you know the way you approach these things, but assuming you have enough time a few months is actually a completely reasonable amout of time to prep for this. It's a standardized test which means it's the same every time. Also, I'm unclear on the 840 thing. The GRE general test is scored like this

* a verbal reasoning score reported on a 200-800 score scale, in 10-point increments
* a quantitative reasoning score reported on a 200-800 score scale, in 10-point increments
* an analytical writing score reported on a 0-6 score scale, in half-point increments

So I assume you're talking about a subject test? Which subject test? An 840 on the general test is a really low score and should be attainable by you if English is your first language and you're an okay student, so I'm assuming this is about a specific subject in which case my advice may not apply. Drop in a few more details, andI can add more if it's really the general test you'r referringto.
posted by jessamyn at 8:25 AM on September 9, 2006

I just did this with only 20 days to study and take the GREs (my AskMe question).

You can do it. I bought the Kaplan GRE Exam book and also took tons of practice tests, both via the Kaplan book and online. Definitely do practice tests on the computer, it helps tons.

I'm an idiot when it comes to math, but I was able to do fairly well (well enough to be let into my grad school program). Get a book and start reading it and doing the sample tests.
posted by jdl at 8:35 AM on September 9, 2006 [1 favorite]

It's a standardized test which means it's the same every time.

Actually I believe the test is dynamic. As you get more right, the questions will get harder. If you get one wrong it will take a step back and give you an easier one.

I'd suggest seeing if your local library has the practice software. If not you can shell out to purchase it.

For me the hardest part is the analytical. It just takes practice. Studying the vocab didn't help me at all; I never saw any of the words I studied. Brushing up on the simple mass/volume/etc. equations will help you. As will brushing up on your geometry- angle values and relationships.
posted by starman at 8:38 AM on September 9, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks for all of the great answers so far. I need to take practice tests. If I should allow 6 weeks as a cushion, I may not be able to apply for Spring. It is getting close. How long does it take to recieve your official score? My university also offers prep courses at a lower rate than Kaplan, etc., so I will probably take a course with them this month. I am also borrowing my sister's book today with practice tests on CD.

Here is the requirement, my GPA is 3.6, so I just need an 840:

"A minimum score of at least 840 on the verbal-quantitative sections of the GRE or
A GPA of less than 3.0 combined with a GRE of 1000 or above."
posted by LoriFLA at 9:29 AM on September 9, 2006

Don't sweat the GRE, I believe that anyone can do well with just a little concentrated study and practice. I used the Baron's test book and the questions were a little more difficult than the actual test. First, the practice tests help a lot. If you use a timer you will have a good idea of how to pace yourself and what kind of problems you will be experiencing. The verbal section is much harder than the SAT version, but that is because they use such crazy vocabulary. The biggest thing that I did to raise my score was go through the frequently used vocabulary list and make flash cards for all of the words I didn't know. It added up to a few hundred cards, but I was prepared when I encountered words like 'mulct', 'celerity' or 'pulchritudinous'.

Next, I did every math exercise in the book. The point was to re-familiarize myself with the standard math formulas and get back into doing math in my head. Speed is paramount in the math section, so while the math isn't difficult it is useful to get into the right frame of mind quickly.

If you have a lot a self-discipline then a book is just what you need. Study for an hour everyday and have friends administer tests and you will probably do well.
posted by Alison at 9:47 AM on September 9, 2006

You will get your score immediately. That is the beauty of a computerized test.
posted by Alison at 9:48 AM on September 9, 2006

Okay, if you're an okay student, and 840 should be well within your grasp. My suggestion is to take a practice test first -- a real test, under timed conditions -- and see how you do. My guess is that you'll do solidly okay on the verbal part and then you'll have to see how much you need to pick up in the math area to compensate. Since you get a 400 combined just by writing your name down on the paper, you either have to do mostly okay on the whole test, or do very good on a smaller part of the test. A good strategy for taking the GRE is figuring out how to do that second strategy well, and even by reading books by Kaplan or TPR you should gain an understanding of how the scoring works and what you need to do to get to your target score from wherever you currently are.
posted by jessamyn at 9:49 AM on September 9, 2006

Well, the writing score will take a little longer.
posted by Alison at 9:49 AM on September 9, 2006

Something that's really important to remember about the GRE is that since it's "computer adaptive," the first third of each section (writing excluded) is the most important. During the first third, they're trying to figure out what range you're most likely to be in, so the point gains/losses start out high and then even out toward the middle and the end. Someone who blows the first 5 questions is not going to do as well than someone who gets those questions but blows the last 5. (Further proof that what the GRE really tests is your ability to take a test... but I digress.)

One thing the test prep books can also help you with is learning strategies to eliminate incorrect answer choices. With that under your belt, you can feel a bit better about taking a little extra time on questions that stump you in the beginning to give yourself the best chance of guessing the right answer.
posted by Aster at 10:06 AM on September 9, 2006

Sorry to keep blathering on, but I wanted to add a reason to not stress about the writing part. The writing part of the test is a separate score. You get a 1-6. Here is what ETS says about the writing part

The scoring of the analytical writing section is the same whether the test is taken on computer or paper. Each essay receives a score from two trained readers, using a 6-point holistic scale. In holistic scoring, readers are trained to assign scores on the basis of the overall quality of an essay in response to the assigned task. If the two assigned scores differ by more than one point on the scale, the discrepancy is adjudicated by a third GRE reader.

I used to score essays for ETS, though not these essays specifically. If you can write a solid five paragraph essay coherently with solid vocabulary and consistent structure and arguments, it's almost impossible for you to score anything below a four. I know that for the SAT, these essays just barely counted for anything. They may count more for the GRE. Practice writing essays in the amount of time allotted and read up on what makes a good essay, but otherwise spend the least amount of time on this section.
posted by jessamyn at 10:11 AM on September 9, 2006

Before you even buy a book, you can use the GREs offical test practice thingie. Its on the website where you register online to take the test. It is in the same format that the exams go with all the same layouts and buttons. That alone helped me be much less nervous on the exam. Plus it did the adaptive thing, and gave a score right away, which gave me an idea of where i stood before i started studying.

you may also be able to send your gre scores after your application is due. in psychology at least, thats what I had to do. My psych gre scores came in a week or two later than the due date, to no fault of my own. You have to call ETS to send your scores to the schools you apply to anyhow. Most schools want the "official report" so they know you're not inflating your grade. Which is expensive by the way, so if you're applying to 15 schools like I did, start saving ($15 a school)
posted by gilsonal at 10:25 AM on September 9, 2006

When I took the GRE, the only prep work I did was the free tests you can get online after you register. I seemed to do well enough on those, so didn't feel the need to spend a lot of extra money on books and such.

For my college/degree (engineering school), the verbal section was not nearly as important to me as a born-and-raised American. So I didn't sweat that section too much, since I did "good enough" in the practice tests. Obviously, the requirements may differ for your field and/or university.

If I remember right, the math sections weren't too difficult as far as math sections on Big Important Tests can go. I don't remember anything insane being on it like calculus or differential equations. If you got through high school math with no problems and have taken more difficult math classes since then, it should be cake. Just remember your formulas. :)

My personal favorite section was the logic games. You know the type - you draw a big grid out and figure out where everything lines up to get one answer for each row/column. If you love those type of problems, then this section will not only be easy, but actually fun!

You will receive your score right away. They'll give you a chance to write it down and take it with you at the end. You can let your future advisor know right away how well you did, if you like. The "official" scores will be mailed out later.

But don't sweat it too much. If you do well enough on the practice tests to pass with the "grade" you want every time, then you should do about the same on the real thing.
posted by mysterpigg at 11:25 AM on September 9, 2006

Do the practice tests. Download the Powerprep software, which should be free or you can check out a book from the library which has the CD and install it at home(you won't need the CD anymore).

From the practice tests, don't try to memorize the answers to questions, but rather learn the ways in which they'll try to trick you. Most of the wrong answers will be wrong in a particular way, so if you figure out how to generate the wrong answer for a class of, say, algebra questions, you'll know where they expect you to make mistakes, and that defines the most important things to know. Almost all the quantitative questions can be analyzed this way. For the vocabulary, find a list of the 50 most frequently asked vocabulary questions, and just memorize them. There's plenty of info about gre strategies online, but those helped me get a score over 2000.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 12:24 PM on September 9, 2006

Just a quite note: the analytic section people are talking about, with the logic games, isn't on the test anymore. Now it's just verbal, math, and writing.

You can get closer than the six-week window I mentioned by self-reporting your score, but some schools look down on that. Others don't care.
posted by BackwardsCity at 1:08 PM on September 9, 2006

Look at it this way: you only need just above average on each section...they are on a 800 point basis, so you only need 420 on each section. I would memorize some basic math formulas, and take a practice test...you're probably in far better shape than you think.
posted by griffey at 4:08 PM on September 9, 2006

840 is a pretty easy score for these two sections combined. As noted above, use the free online test that they offer on their website, and for me at least they sent out a booklet with 3 or so practice tests in it once I had registered.

The maths is all very easy, there is no need to lose any points, unless you are a slow worker. This is where you should study if you want to greatly increase you score.

(fwiw, I studied for one week and got 1320 combined)
posted by scodger at 4:09 PM on September 9, 2006

Just to echo what's already been said:

I tried to take the GRE without studying and totally blew it on the math - I think I got a 420. I bought the Princeton Review book, did all the practice problems, problem sets, and practice tests, and brought my math score up to a 720.

Some of the math problems on the test were exactly the same as the ones in the practice book. Also, the strategies discussed in the book, like how to guess, were very useful. 840 with studying should be very attainable.
posted by ilyanassa at 5:33 PM on September 9, 2006

It's really nothing to worry about. I scored quite close to my SAT score, with almost no studying. I decided to apply and head back to grad school just before the application deadline, and thus did less than 5 hours of studying (not counting the practice test) and I got a bit under 1400, iirc.

I'll also echo what others said above: be very, very careful on the first few questions from each section, as they have a disproportionate effect on your score. I almost biffed up the second math question, and ended up staring at it for almost 10 minutes, which forced me to rush the later questions. On the computer adaptive tests, this was the right thing to do; had I missed the second question, my score would likely have been much lower. These tests don't allow you to 'come back to a question' the way teachers advise you to take most standardized tests; you have one shot at each question before moving on to the next.

On other hint I found useful for the math section: if you don't know the 'official way' to solve a problem, just plug in all the answers they've given-one of them should fit.
posted by HighTechUnderpants at 6:39 PM on September 9, 2006

As everyone has said, buy a book (I like Princeton Review). Of course, the more time the better, but if you're willing to spend 1 hr a day, then you shouldn't need more than a month. You've already gotten good advice about how to learn what's on the test, and the books will tell you the rest. Don't forget to learn how to take the test.

Think of it like athletics - you're prepping to run a marathon. Once you've evaluated your "raw" score on the practice computerized test with no studying at all, you'll be able to get a better idea of what you need to improve. As people have said it's easiest to jump your math score.

Then you can start your workouts. In terms of studying strategies, test prep courses work because they force you to follow a routine studying pattern and to complete a certain number of practice exercises. There's no magic information that's not in the books. So it's easy to do for yourself. Pick a time to work on this for one hour a day, preferably around the time of day you'll take the test. Five days a week, read a certain target number of prep book pages pages, and do one practice exam section (I advise alternating days between math and verbal, but whatever works for you). On the sixth day, do a full exam with conditions as similar to the real one as possible. On the seventh, don't do anything GRE related.

If you're comfortable going balls-out a few days before the exam (5 practice full length tests!), and it makes you feel better, go for it. But don't worry about it if you'd rather just relax a little before going in.

Good luck!
posted by synapse at 11:41 PM on September 9, 2006

Of course, the more time the better, but if you're willing to spend 1 hr a day, then you shouldn't need more than a month.

An hour a day for a month? you've got to be kidding. She's not looking to do well, she just wants an 840.

Go through at least one old exam to set your mind at ease, but I'm almost certain that if you score that attempt, you'll find yourself comfortably above 840. (unless maybe it's phenomenally easier to get a 3.6 where you went to undergrad than where I've been)

I'd like to stress this comment:
I tried to take the GRE without studying and totally blew it on the math - I think I got a 420.

Ilyanassa didn't study and "totally blew it" on on the math and still got enough on that part to score 840 combined if she had gotten the same score on the verbal.
posted by juv3nal at 12:23 AM on September 10, 2006

Yes, I am terrible at advanced math (never studied it beyond Algebra 1 in high school, and got a lousy grade at that) but managed to get a respectable score on the math GRE.

If you scored well in the SAT you'll probably get pretty close to that in the GRE. The GRE math is supposedly easier, but then again, for most of us it's been a while since we had to take a math class. Scoring an 840 total on the two sections you need should be easy as long as you practice the test a bit so you're comfortable with it.

I did best of all on the logic section, though, so I'm sad they removed that part of the test.
posted by litlnemo at 2:00 AM on September 10, 2006

In response to juv3nal - you're right, I gave the most conservative answer, which certainly could be overkill for this poster. I guess I should have said, it's a good strategy for improving a score reliably. If she scores a 900 on her practice and decides that's good enough, then it doesn't matter. If after a week of studying she takes a full practice exam, and then gets a 1500, of course she can stop there. I have no idea what the question-asker is like. Lots of brilliant people have difficulty taking this particular test, and lots more choke on the exam itself because of the computer format or stress. If she needs to get her score up, and wants to read the whole Kaplan or Princeton book, daily routine practice is the best way to do it.
posted by synapse at 11:01 AM on September 10, 2006

Response by poster: Thank you very much everybody. I am confident I can score at least an 840. I am taking the test in mid-November. My sister loaned me a review book, but it's not the Princeton Review--so I ordered a copy from Amazon.

Thanks again the very helpful advice.
posted by LoriFLA at 2:32 PM on September 11, 2006