<p>Even for science/engineering fields a 750 is generally okay - if your grades, LOR’s, etc are all good they will let that slip by. Adcoms generally understand that it only takes a couple of “tension” mistakes for that to happen, and the GRE is really just to catch “big problem” cases where the test scores and the grades or LOR are seriously out of sync. Some schools post distributions or “average” scores, and even top top top schools let in a bunch of people in the 750 range.</p>
<p>Back in the dark ages when I took the GRE I didn’t study at all. Nobody I knew studied. Either you knew your stuff or you didn’t and like someone said, grad schools want specialists, not generalists.</p>
<p>That being said, I was surprised at the difficulty of the vocab and the reading selections. I did well but I felt sort of stupid. Not surprising, as I had spent 4 years concentrating on music performance, not reading texts. And my math skills had really slipped, but again, it didn’t matter one whit for my field.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure I did well in my subject test (music theory/history.) :)</p>
<p>Well BrownParent,</p>
<p>I guess I would reiterate what I said and say that closing that gap would have made a difference, but I would add that it is definitely not the only way to make a difference. Depending on the strength of the rest of her application, she could have also improved it a myriad of other ways. I can’t really say without knowing specifics.</p>
<p>to BrownParent: I would like to remind you the fact that your daughter is a female, being a lady itself is an advantage in sci/eng, that can make up the below-average Q score, there is absolute no reason not to score 780-800 in her field. Maybe you think it’s bitter talk from me, but it’s the truth</p>
<p>I also used to teach test prep, albeit for the SAT. I started about a month and a half ahead of time, but that’s because my SAT test prep teacher experience and my general prowess on standardized tests (I scored 700+ on ETS-developed practice tests unprepped) lent itself to that. I’d say most students should probably started 2-3 months ahead of time, give or take depending on their individual levels of achievement.</p>
<p>My SAT percentile ranks correlated pretty well with my GRE percentile ranks.</p>
<p>For me I hate flash cards, but I generally don’t have to study vocabulary extensively before these kinds of tests because…well, I don’t know, I seem to retain words pretty well and have developed a rather large vocabular. There weren’t a lot of words on the GRE that I didn’t know. However, when I taught my students I usually advised them that if flash cards worked for them, they should make their own (and not purchase the pre-prepared ones from Kaplan or whatever, because they suck). Making your own is an exercise that will help the examples really stick in your head, since you are writing the sentences yourself. Plus, you will only have the ones that you really need. (Kaplan tends to include only easier words, and only the first definition of those words. High scores on the GRE usually rely on different shades of meaning of higher-level words, which can often mean knowing the second or third definition of a word.)</p>
<p>I also took the GRE a month before my applications were due. I’d say taking it two months before your first application is due is probably better.</p>
<p>not too sure about SAT.</p>
<p>But for the GRE part, there are many practice exams out there. Try a couple, and see where you stand. As far as time is concerned, it depends on the individuals taking the exam. Math should be relatively easy to study; as for the verbal part, if you absolutely suck at it, then you might need a long period of time to prepare.</p>
<p>Hmm. I didn’t study for it much. Just verbal. But still V570 and Q770, which was… oh well.</p>
<p>sporadic–what kind of topic in math were on the test/what should one be really familiar with?? :)</p>
<p>@GradPsych21 I’m an international student, and GRE Quant was pretty much high-school stuff. If you have a strong background in your high school math and are still familiar with quadratic equations, lines, and power laws, you should have no problem. Got confused with the Venn diagram questions and may have made some careless mistakes, which saw me slip down to Q770. But I figure there’s no point in taking another one just to raise it by max 30 points when there is also the probability that it won’t.</p>
<p>On hindsight, the GRE official score report arrived in the mail today. A 5.5 for the AW component 
Happiness.</p>
<p>Nice, good job Thanks for the info–what country are you from, if you don’t mind me asking?</p>
<p>Singapore.</p>
<p>is taking the exam two years before graduation advisable, or is it too early? i am planning to take it next summer, and i will be graduating in the summer of 2012.</p>
<p>I just took the GRE. My “studying” consisted of looking at a math review sheet for about 5 minutes, since I haven’t taken a math course in 5 years. I got 1240. 580 verbal, 660 math. I know this will sound cocky or whatever, but I don’t mean it that way. I’m just trying to be honest. How much you need to study will depend a lot on you. If you are pretty smart and already have the knowledge somewhere in your head, you probably don’t need to study for 3 months or whatever. I guess if you’re trying to go to a school where you need a near perfect score you might need to, but if you normally have scored high on tests in the past (at least 90th percentile)… you probably don’t need to freak out too much.</p>
<p>Hey guys, a lot of good stuff here all ready. Since I just took the GRE earlier today, I thought I’d add my two cents. I have a great method for studying, but it takes a little bit of time, and a group of committed friends (or simply fellow test-takers).</p>
<p>I think that the best way to study for the GRE is to find a group to practice with. Set up a weekly time to meet that works for everyone in the group. Pool money to buy a test prep book (Princeton Review, Barron’s, ETS official, whatever).</p>
<p>And here’s where the interesting part comes in. Everybody should select one type of problem from the test (i.e. antonyms, critical reading, sentence completion, arithmetic, geometry, algebra, issue, and argument). It is your job to create a lesson about the selected topic, as you will be teaching it to your fellow team members. This gives you the opportunity to create a lesson plan, a skill that you will surely find useful in grad school. Each time you meet a new person presents their lesson to the group. </p>
<p>Any GRE book will have practice exams, and these are key to your success in the actual test. Because the test follows such a particular format it is imperative that you take it multiple times, simply to get the “feel” of the test. Take all tests with your team, photocopied out of the book. Select one person to be the timekeeper. He or she is responsible for setting an alarm to demarcate each period of the test. Take all parts of the test, including the analytical writing section. After you’ve finished, feel free to compare scores (or not).</p>
<p>Taking tests as a group ensures that you will stay on schedule, and observe the protocol of the test. When you select a test date, select one together! Again, this is an method of social reinforcement. Plus, it feels good to walk in there with a team!</p>
<p>Usually this project requires some person to step forward as a coordinator as sorts. Take the job if you dare…PM me if you need any help in designing a lesson plan.</p>
<p>Besides that, I wish you all good luck. I got M: 730 and V: 730, which is all right with me. We’ll see about that analytical writing…</p>
<p>I remember when I took the GRE, I did not study, and I was surprised at how difficult I found it. It was a combination of having been a music major and not used/improved my English skills very much for 4 years, and not having used my math skills at all for 4 years. Plus the test is designed for a higher level of test-takers…the upper 1/4 of the class or less that is going on to grad school. </p>
<p>So I wouldn’t be over confident about it. </p>
<p>And I did well enough on the English, but it was tough. OTOH, for me it didn’t matter <em>that</em> much for my grad school app, which was more about performance…didn’t have to write a thesis.</p>
<p>Is freshman year too soon to just take a few practice tests, maybe like once a month? I didn’t study at all for the SAT and didn’t get the score I wanted (I got a 2040…) I’m going to be an engineering major taking one english class.</p>
<p>I winged it once, didn’t like the score, spent 5 additional months studying, got a good score. The idea was that if I winged it and did well, I would not have spent those 5 months studying… but I didn’t do well (didn’t even finish the math section!).</p>
<p>I ended up giving my test in April this year without any real preparation. Just solved both powerpreps. I took the diagnostic test first, and got a 780+650. Despite some rudimentary prep over the next month or so, my final score was almost the same - 800+640. So I don’t know how much prep helps in the exam :)</p>