GRE: Scoring Big Without Spending Big
The Graduate Records Exam (GRE) is a standard requirement for most graduate programs, with the exclusions of law schools, teaching programs and a few others. No matter how well you did as an undergraduate, study and preparation will be necessary to set your application apart from the others applying for the same graduate degree. In fact, many of the financial awards, such as teaching assistantships and graduate assistantships, are decided primarily on the GRE score. This makes it all the more important to fully prepare for taking the exam. The test itself costs over a hundred dollars, so it is imperative to save money on the preparation, especially if you need to take it a second or third time to achieve the desired score or percentile for your graduate school of choice.
Many companies offer resources to undergraduates preparing to take the GRE. Kaplan offers classes that meet for months leading up to the date of the test. These classes typically cost around $1,000-1,500. This may sound like a lot of money; however, if you are competing for a graduate teaching position with a stipend, the pay off could well be in excess of $30,000 – a 3000% return on investment. These courses will instruct the student in test taking skills as well as offer refresher lessons on mathematics, language and analytical writing.
Don’t have $1,000? There are still many resources available on a tighter budget. Several companies offer books, vocabulary lists and CDs to assist in test preparation with very reasonable price tags. Some books offer definitions to the extremely obscure vocabulary that appears on the GRE test, reviews of the higher mathematics on the Graduate Records Exam and up to four practice tests. Some CDs offer the option to practice both the paper-based test and the computer-based GRE. This will allow you to decide if you work better with paper and pencil or with screen and mouse click.
In addition, you can also find boxed editions of the 500 most frequently occurring vocabulary words. This is particularly helpful if you are crunched for time and unable to make note cards for the vocabulary words listed within the book. This is also helpful if you plan to study as you go about your day or if you are preparing to enter a graduate program emphasizing the language section above the others. This is often the case with linguistics and literature programs.
One company, Princeton Review, has a series called Cracking the GRE. It comes with a DVD to walk you through the aspects and divisions of the test. The accompanying book offers practice tests, test preparation sections and an access code to take tests online for quick scoring. This will allow you to locate the areas for which you need to spend a little more time studying.
Barron’s has been producing test preparation for years and years. It has been a leader in ACT and SAT prep on the high school and has not lessened its quality in graduate preparation. Barron’s offers a CD for computer-based practice, printed practice tests and vocabulary lists for memorization.
Even ETS, the maker of the GRE, offers a free test preparation CD and materials upon request at their website. The only cautionary note is that ETS profits each time a student takes its test, so it may be hesitant to disclose some of the “secrets” or “tricks” to scoring well on the exam. In the end, ETS is still selling a product, the GRE. The test preparation companies base their success on the students’ satisfaction with their own test scores.
Another less expensive option is buying used test preparation resources. These can generally be found for under $40 on websites such as Amazon.com.
Regardless of which test prep route you choose to go, you can feel assured that your score on the GRE will be better for having taken the time and money to plan ahead and study. The Graduate Records Exam is difficult but not impossible.
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