WilliamTell Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Basically I'm tired of my job. I graduated college with a Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration nearly 5 years ago and I cannot find a job that deals with my major. My current job has extremely low pay and no room for advancement. It's just time to change things for my career and since I live in small town Iowa, finding a job related to my field is extremely hard. Getting my Master's has always been something I wanted to do so I feel this would be a good time to try to achieve that goal. My question is what's a good website to take practice tests for the exam? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 (edited) There's a couple free ones through the ETS website. I am taking the GRE tomorrow and have been using Kaplan's prep. I paid roughly 30 bucks for a textbook that came with an extensive online deal. I think there are 7 full practice tests included, can be taken timed or untimed, plus a ton of 20-question practice sets. Kaplan's math review was skimpy, so I bought a CliffsNotes math refresher that has been more helpful. Edited July 29, 2013 by Jake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 It was a while back but the best purchase I made was a tutorial book by Barron's, including a long vocab list, math examples, and example essays. I copied every word I didn't know from the vocab list onto flash cards and that occupied a couple months. Kaplan was a utter waste of money. Anything that has full practice tests is a good thing also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamTell Posted July 29, 2013 Author Share Posted July 29, 2013 Thanks both of you! Jake let me know how it goes tomorrow. Best of luck to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabiness42 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 I don't think I studied at all for my GRE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jul 29, 2013 -> 07:44 AM) I don't think I studied at all for my GRE. Did a couple practice tests to make sure I was ready for the math and the writing sections (that's doing the full test), but knew I wasn't there for the Verbal. Really did a lot to make sure I could get a passable score on the vocab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabiness42 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Did a couple practice tests to make sure I was ready for the math and the writing sections (that's doing the full test), but knew I wasn't there for the Verbal. Really did a lot to make sure I could get a passable score on the vocab. There was no writing section when I took the GRE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 I was the opposite. I haven't done any quantitative work in any way, shape, or form since high school and hadn't done the basic algebra, geometry, etc since I was a freshman in high school. That's a long ass time. I've had to relearn a lot of math and I'm still not going to be much better than 50th percentile in quantitative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Slightly related, I just started preparing for the Professional Engineering exam. The 1500 page reference manual is a bit intimidating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 I am taking the GRE this fall. I like this thread. My gut tells me I should be intimidated but it's a standardized test, how hard could it be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jul 29, 2013 -> 01:46 PM) I am taking the GRE this fall. I like this thread. My gut tells me I should be intimidated but it's a standardized test, how hard could it be. You're right. It's a standardized test, it's manageable. But also remember...the more you pretend to be intimidated going in, the more you're going to prepare. Even if you shouldn't be intimidated, if you really want a top level grad school or money from the school, whatever...you want to be overprepared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 29, 2013 -> 01:36 PM) You're right. It's a standardized test, it's manageable. But also remember...the more you pretend to be intimidated going in, the more you're going to prepare. Even if you shouldn't be intimidated, if you really want a top level grad school or money from the school, whatever...you want to be overprepared. Of course preparation is the key for any test. I'm not saying to walk in there cold turkey, plop down, and expect to ace it. I just will put forth a adequate amount of time studying for it. I'm not pulling an all nighter like it's a final exam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptatc Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Jul 29, 2013 -> 01:40 PM) Of course preparation is the key for any test. I'm not saying to walk in there cold turkey, plop down, and expect to ace it. I just will put forth a adequate amount of time studying for it. I'm not pulling an all nighter like it's a final exam. For some applicants trying to get into our program it's the make it or break it part. I always suggest to applicants that they should take the practice exams and focus on thier weaknesses. It sounds simple but even a point or two on the revised exam can make a big difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 I've bought the book and am taking a look at the math - learning the Geometry will be a bit annoying but it shouldn't be too difficult. I would have been really good at math if my teacher in middle school didn't misplace me. Anyway, I am looking into taking the GRE this fall so that I can obtain a Master's in Counseling Education. My job isn't too bad but it doesn't help me meet my 40K a year by 30 goal and has low advancement. Plus I'd like to get up and do something I love for a change. That said this job is the best job I have ever had - HR is much easier than PR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 163V/161Q today in Joliet. Verbal was the lower range of what I was hoping for, quantitative was at the high end. Most schools in my field don't give two s***s about GRE scores (Communications/Media Studies/Film Studies), but it's nice to have a decent enough score that it shouldn't raise any flags. Especially since I go to a small liberal arts school and thus have a non-amazing GPA (3.75), it's all about just hedging bets. My money will be made on SOP, LOR, and writing sample though. My work experience in TV probably helps too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 (edited) Did anyone take the GRE in Chicago at the University of Chicago? That is their subject test. Edited October 1, 2013 by pettie4sox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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