<p>Hi! I'm a current sophomore but I want to graduate college next Spring (so a year early) and spend my fourth year in grad school. High school prepared me so much for the SATs but I feel like I'm totally on my own with the GREs and I have no knowledge of how the process works. So a few questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I can take the test on the computer at a test location whenever I want, correct? There are no specified yearly test dates? Do I need to call and register in advance and if so, how far in advance?</p></li>
<li><p>How do people go about studying for this? Is it the kind of thing where if you did well on the SATs, you'll probably be fine, or does it necessitate a few weeks/months of in-depth studying? </p></li>
<li><p>When is the right time to take it? I believe grad school applications would be due next Februaryish. Would I take it this summer? Or during the winter? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks SO much! I'm sorry to be really vague but I just don't know where to even start.</p>
<p>For a general idea of what to expect, I’d go to the GRE website at ets.org or one of the acclaimed prep programs like Princeton Review or Kaplan. You can take full sample tests on those sites and gauge for yourself how much you’ll need to study. </p>
<p>I took a 10 week course with PR over last summer and it helped immensely. I would definitely recommend taking one - if you are considered lower-income by your school, sometimes they’ll even pay for it (mine did).</p>
<p>As for when to take the test, absolutely do it when you’re NOT in school so you’re not working on things for classes at the same time. You want to devote your full attention to studying for a least a month before you take it, even if you’re confident that you’ll do well. They charge $160 to take it so you want to make sure that you only have to do it once and get the best score possible. Optimal time is end of summer going into your junior year so that if you DO have to take it again you can do it the following summer before you apply to grad school.</p>
<p>The GRE website has all the test centers and dates. They take place pretty often, but they do fill up quickly so you want to register at least a month in advance. If your major requires a subject test as well, take care of that even earlier. They only offer them a few times a year and if the program you’re applying to requires it, it means they probably place greater importance on the subject than the general. </p>
<p>Also, I don’t know what schools/programs you want to apply to, but a February deadline seems awfully late…everyone I know in various departments needed to turn theirs in a lot earlier - most of mine were due the first week of December. Just be sure to keep track of all your application due dates, ESPECIALLY as it relates to the GRE because it usually takes them 3-5 weeks to send schools your scores, and your app might get rejected if they’re not submitted on time. </p>
<p>Lastly, KNOW which schools you are applying to before you take the test AND the department codes to send them to. You can send the first 4 free but they’re 25 each after that so you don’t want to waste it on a “maybe” school.</p>
<p>Sorry, I know this is a lot but the whole GRE thing was a long and often confusing journey for me so I’m just telling everything I know. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you! That was very helpful. I guess I have kind of a weird case. I want to finish undergrad early and spend my fourth year at the same school’s grad school, so I’d finish along with everyone else but I’d come out with a master’s instead of just a bachelor’s. If I don’t get into the grad school for whatever reason, I’ll just stay to finish undergrad for a fourth year. So I’m really only applying to one school and their deadline is Feb 1st, thankfully. I guess it makes the most sense to take it either this summer or over the winter. </p>
<p>The GREs just seem so confusing! High school really holds your hand throughout the whole SAT process but I’m so lost on even the most basic details about the GREs. Argh. Thanks again, though!</p>
<p>The GRE test site would be for starters. There you can register for the GRE’s, buy GRE test prep books and even enroll in a GRE class I believe. All the information you can ever want will be on there.</p>