Taking the GRE
Taking the GRE is sometimes one of the most stressful parts of the application process. You do not have to have taken the GRE before you submit your PTCAS but your scores do have to be submitted before the Dec. 15th deadline. You are allowed to take the GRE as many times as you like but only 1 attempt per month and I believe 4 attempts per year. I have heard that some schools will look at your highest score, while others will simply look at the most recent attempt, so again, know what your programs do. Note that not all schools require the GRE, be sure to inquire as to which schools you are applying to do and don't. Remember that it takes a few weeks to get your official scores so don't put off taking the GRE until the last minute. Plus the earlier you take it the less you have to worry about it while your taking care of the other parts of the application.
Verbal Section:
-No more antonyms and analogies
-More reading and reasoning questions
-Grading scale changed from 130-170
Quantitative Section
-Calculators will now be allowed
-Questions will be geared more toward reasoning skills than memorizing/equations
-Grading scale changed from 130-170
Analytical Writing Section
-No obvious changes
You will also be allowed to skip questions and come back within a section which means the revised test won't be computer adaptive.
Verbal Section:
-No more antonyms and analogies
-More reading and reasoning questions
-Grading scale changed from 130-170
Quantitative Section
-Calculators will now be allowed
-Questions will be geared more toward reasoning skills than memorizing/equations
-Grading scale changed from 130-170
Analytical Writing Section
-No obvious changes
You will also be allowed to skip questions and come back within a section which means the revised test won't be computer adaptive.
Study Material
There are tons of different study guides and study material out there. The main three are the three companies listed below. If you talk to three different people about which book they used to study for the GRE you would probably get three different answers. Get what seems best for you and fits your budget. There are also study courses available. I have heard different opinions on these, some say they work great and others say they were a waste of time and money. If its in your budget and you have the time, it might not be a bad idea to do it.
With the revised test I'm not sure how the new study material will be available. I have heard the ETS has online tests to practice and some companies are already making study books for the revised test.
Princeton Review
Barron's
Kaplan
Refer to the Poll section /polls.html to see which guide others have used and prefer.
With the revised test I'm not sure how the new study material will be available. I have heard the ETS has online tests to practice and some companies are already making study books for the revised test.
Princeton Review
Barron's
Kaplan
Refer to the Poll section /polls.html to see which guide others have used and prefer.
Sending Scores to Your Programs
After you take the test you can go onto ETS's website and make a free account (http://www.ets.org/). When you have your account it will allow you to go in and select all the schools you want your scores sent to. There is a fee for every different place you have your scores sent to. Once you have sent you scores, wait about a week and then call all the schools you had your scores sent to and personally verify that they have received your GRE scores, this way you eliminate any possibility of a miscommunication, and if something did go wrong, you can catch it early. Because it takes about 2-3 weeks to get your official scores (with the analytical writing section) you may have to wait this time until your programs get your scores.
Desirable Scores
Although the minimum scores that each program is looking for vary there are certain standards that you should aim for. The higher you score above these numbers the better off you are.
Verbal- ~400-600
Minimum Quantitative- ~400-600
Minimum Analytical Writing- ~3.5-5.0
The Verbal and Quantitative scores are added together for a total score. A total of 1000+ is a good score so if you score low on one section you can make up for it on the other section. But, some schools only look at the verbal or the quantitative, usually because the verbal is much harder so it gives a better idea of how you take tests like this.
Verbal- ~400-600
Minimum Quantitative- ~400-600
Minimum Analytical Writing- ~3.5-5.0
The Verbal and Quantitative scores are added together for a total score. A total of 1000+ is a good score so if you score low on one section you can make up for it on the other section. But, some schools only look at the verbal or the quantitative, usually because the verbal is much harder so it gives a better idea of how you take tests like this.