teh GRE

ski · #1 10-21-2006, 02:40 AM

Taking the GRE within a month.
Want to get into a top 20 school for philosophy.

Any good resorces? Anywbere that compares applicants GRE+ GPAs with the schools they did and didn't get into.

FWIW on the practice test I got near perfect on Quantitative but a 530 [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] on verbal, mainly because I had no idea what most of the words they were using meant (any good ways to fix this?)

I want to be a philosophy prof but if I end up not doing that anyone know if employers will give a [censored] about my degree?

EDITED for dawyn and me realzing how much I hate those posts.

daryn · #2 10-21-2006, 02:51 AM

did you seriously just use the "i got xxxx on my SAT/GRE/whatever but i was soooo stoned/drunk/tired" excuse? LOL

mason55 · #3 10-21-2006, 02:59 AM

Take lots and lots of practice tests. Buy a prep book. I am not a studier, esp for tests like SAT/ACT but I decided to put some serious study into the LSAT and increased my score by a lot. Even more than SAT/ACT, the LSAT is about learning to take the test and it sounds like the GRE is the same.

Triumph36 · #4 10-21-2006, 03:24 AM

I have no clue how people 'study' for the SAT/GRE verbal - to me, the best way to study would be simply to read, and look up any words you don't know - that's how I learned them.

BTW, philosophy professor is a hell of a hard racket to get into from what I'm hearing from people who would like to do similar things.

'Chair · #5 10-21-2006, 03:07 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I have no clue how people 'study' for the SAT/GRE verbal

[/ QUOTE ]

a stack of about 500ish notecards with a word on one side and a definition on the other were left sitting on my dresser collecting dust when I left for college. Not sure what happened to them. I started with 25-50 and incrementally added to it and obnoxiously tried to use the words in everyday settings. The increase in SAT verbal was substantial.

But after 5 yrs of college I will admit that I am still as inarticulate (sp?) as I was before learning those words - and probably couldn't tell you what 15% of those words mean.

MikeNaked · #6 10-21-2006, 03:19 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I have no clue how people 'study' for the SAT/GRE verbal

[/ QUOTE ]

a stack of about 500ish notecards with a word on one side and a definition on the other were left sitting on my dresser collecting dust when I left for college. Not sure what happened to them. I started with 25-50 and incrementally added to it and obnoxiously tried to use the words in everyday settings. The increase in SAT verbal was substantial.

But after 5 yrs of college I will admit that I am still as inarticulate (sp?) as I was before learning those words - and probably couldn't tell you what 15% of those words mean.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm an SAT tutor, and this is how you do it. Google "Sat Vocabulary lists" and make flash cards with at least 1000 new words. I guarantee your score will jump, though as this poster said, you won't experience long-term retention unless you read.

It sounds like you don't. Go to your library and pick up some classics. I always give my students P.G. Wodehouse novels.

xorbie · #7 10-21-2006, 03:30 PM

ski,

i just took it. only way to prepare is to memorize a lot of word lists and work through a few practice tests to familiarize yourself with how to guess well, if that's not the sort of thing you're naturally good at.

also i would recommend reading a few of the essya prompts and essays that score well (even if fictional), jsut to know what to expect on that section. i was definitely a little underprepared for that, although fortunatly it doesn't matter all that much.

lippy · #8 10-21-2006, 03:44 PM

The Dorm.

However, good luck.

econophile · #9 10-21-2006, 07:33 PM

a couple of the responses here are on track. i took the GRE several years ago and i've also taught GRE classes at Kaplan.

the highest return on your verbal is to study the "reading comprehension" section. there is a methodical way to approach these that should help you score higher. it's worth buying some book by kaplan or princeton review for $20 and following the advice.

the next thing to do is build vocabulary. i wouldn't use an SAT wordlist, as the GRE tends to use different words more frequently. but again, a test prep book will list 1,000 or so words that have appeared most often in recent GREs. just make a bunch of flash cards and learn the words.

if you got a 530, you should focus first on the really high-frequency words. some books will list 100 or so of the most important words. make sure you know those.

lastly, make sure to practice taking actual GREs. you can download these from the GRE website IIRC. when you practice, make the conditions as close to an actual test as possible -- no distractions, no breaks that are longer than permitted, etc. if you work hard, you should be able to noticably raise your score.

Isura · #10 10-22-2006, 12:09 AM

[ QUOTE ]

I have no clue how people 'study' for the SAT/GRE verbal - to me, the best way to study would be simply to read, and look up any words you don't know - that's how I learned them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Any recommendations for books to read? Reading 2+2 and ESPN isn't really improving my vocabulary [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

OP,
I got the Kaplan book which is decent for getting you used to the basic format. But I don't see any way to quickly improve a verbal score, as I'm in the same situation as you.