<p>Hi everyone,
Son just signed up to take the computer based GRE in June. He hasn't taken a math class since high school (his college accepted his AP Calculus score as fulfillment of his math requirement) so he's kind of worried about the quant. section. He's a poly sci major so most of his classes have been in the social sciences and humanities. </p>
<p>He plans on using the Kaplan book, has a set of 500 GRE vocabulary card, and will eventually be sent the powerprep cd from the test company. I think he also downloaded some prep information from the ETS website and borrowed a Princeton Review GRE prep book. Does anyone have any personal tips on studying for the GRE that I can pass on to him? Any computer based test hints that you found most helpful? </p>
<p>Yeah, I would have to second that. If he is really worried, then just do a full review of the math review sections with Kaplan, Barron's and Princeton Review. I also saw the greatest jump in my quantitative score simply by taking as many practices sections and tests as possible (more so then studying the material out of the book). As a side note, I preferred the Kaplan's math review.</p>
<p>I should probably add that for someone on the lower end of the quant curve, Kaplan's probably is better. I think Barron's is best if you're trying to get from around 700 to near 800.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for such quick responses. This is all new to us--we don't have any experience at all with the gre and graduate school. </p>
<p>Any and every bit of help you guys can give is be greatly appreciated. I'm sure others on CC will also benefit from this thread.</p>
<p>Son has a great gpa so far (3.92) overall and a 4.0 in his major. Unfortunately, standardized tests are not his forte.
As a poly sci major with a minor in sociology, I have a feeling that the quant. section is going to be extremely challenging due to not having had much of a college level math background.</p>
<p>Don't worry too much about the math. Your son seems to have taken MUCH more math than I did (got as far as Algebra II in HS, barely got a C in Calc I in college at age 19, took the GRE at age 25) and to just be a way better student than me generally speaking. We have similar backgrounds, he being PoliSci, me being a history guy.</p>
<p>I taught myself all the math needed for the GRE in about a week (not exclusively, cause there's more to the GRE than just math) and managed to pull a 730. So it's really not that hard. Tell him to focus on memorizing his formulas and to think about using them in creative ways, that should get him through everything that isn't simple algebra. The rest of the stuff shouldn't take him too long to go through. Repetition of problems can be helpful as long as you focus on the problem-solving process rather than the answer itself. Other than that, tell him to pay close attention - it's easy to make a slip-up on an otherwise easy problem and cost yourself points, so don't do it.</p>
<p>I did my research on selecting a prep book and chose Barron's, and I'd highly recommend it. Don't even think about using multiple sources other than breezing through the PowerPrep software to get a feel for how the actual test will go. It'll just waste time. I personally wouldn't bother with just a 500 word vocab card set - not nearly in-depth enough. Barron's 3,000 master word list works pretty well if he's willing to study, and given his GPA I'm assuming he likes doing that. </p>
<p>If he's even thinking about studying for the GRE six months before the fact, he's already won half the battle. I imagine he has little to worry about, but in any case he should be aware that if he wants an advanced degree in polisci that a solid program will want to see big numbers on both sides. </p>
<p>The math is really more about consistency -- you could theoretically have been a math major and still fare poorer than a very meticulous tenth grader. The quant section is a lot of application and figuring out their little tricks. After learning how the problems work, most people have no problem getting the upper 700s. On the other hand, the verbal section tends to kill people and that's where the best are going to truly shine because while an 800 (perfect score) on the quant is only around the 95th percentile, a 670 on the verbal would be about the 95th!</p>
<p>To boil it down even further, the quant is really about arithmetic, not math. (Well saying "not math" may be a bit extreme, but you get the point.) You have to practice a lot of computation either on paper or mentally. Math, engineering, physics, etc majors can bomb the quant if they are used to using a calculator and don't brush up on their arithmetic.</p>
<p>Thanks. He left today and headed back for his Spring semester (a long 8 hour drive). Packed somewhere in the luggage and bags is the 2009 Kaplan Book, the 2009 Barron's Book, and the 2009 Princeton Review Book. In a few weeks, he should receive the PowerPrep practice CD. Now all he has to do is unpack the stuff and start studying. I passed on to him the suggestion to study lists and lists of vocabulary. For the math, he'll just have to review and practice and hope for the best in June. </p>
<p>He spent most of his winter break working on two political research papers (for fun--not for any particular assignment). It sure isn't something I would choose to do for fun. I think his plan is to submit them in the hopes of getting published.</p>