the GRE - for postgrad admission into US degrees

[Eriny]

Hey,
I was wondering if there was anyone else out there interested in doing an MA/PhD over in the US and therefore needs to sit the GRE.

I put myself in this category, although I'm leaning more towards applying for universities in the UK such as Oxford and Cambridge and the LSE or even universities in Europe but I'm still not sure at the moment. I'm thinking I might have to sit the GRE as a 'just in case' thing.

In any case, I'm not really looking forward to it because the GRE is notoriously difficult on the language section (i.e. the section most relevant to me) because it's basically a vocabulary test. I'm not sure if the best way of studying for it would be memorising long lists of vocab or if it would be better to learn more about languages in which English derives from so as to gather the tools to guess what a word might mean. Or maybe if it's not worth worrying too much about it given that I'm not sure I even want to apply to the US and I'm also not even sure if I want to be starting a postgrad degree in 2012.

[darlok]

I'm thinking of taking the GRE at some stage, although I'm slightly worried because the general test is changing in August. This means that the amount of relevant past material will be drastically reduced and it will probably make my result be more random. Luckily (or maybe unluckily) the quantitative section is more important to me, and as the highest score is only the 93rd percentile, it shouldn't be too difficult to max it. I say maybe unluckily because it means that full marks is pretty much an expectation from top grad programs, and you can't really distinguish yourself with an 800Q. Now that they are bringing in the new test, I may wait a couple of years before taking it.

[MuggedByReality]

     I had a look at the list of GRE words; for an Arts student (or well-read Science grad) few should appear particularly arcane. That said, though, you have to be careful in making sure you know a word's exact meaning and where/when to use it.

[appianway]

Is it recommended to take the GRE more than once?

[Gloamglozer]

The Melbourne Graduate School for Business and Economics (GSBE) requires people who have completed their undergraduate degree more than 18 months after applying to sit either the GMAT or the GRE.

I was thinking of sitting the GRE but after reading this, you're scaring me Eriny.

[Eriny]

    I had a look at the list of GRE words; for an Arts student (or well-read Science grad) few should appear particularly arcane. That said, though, you have to be careful in making sure you know a word's exact meaning and where/when to use it.

I've also been told that they sometimes use more obscure definitions of words or that they don't really capture the definitions of words in the answer choices but you just need to pick the one you haven't completely ruled out. I should probably actually pick up a practice paper and try it out rather than just read about it on the interwebs.

Is it recommended to take the GRE more than once?

I'm not sure. I don't think so.

I was thinking of sitting the GRE but after reading this, you're scaring me Eriny.

Oh dear, I'm sorry! You should take it anyway, you'd probably do well.

In any case, I don't like standardised tests that you need to study for I miss the GAT.

[Gloamglozer]

I should have probably added that you've scared me in a good way - so now I know what's going to hit me. 

Maybe I should stick with the GMAT instead...  I'm not that good with vocab.

[Eriny]

Okay, so I've started looking at GRE stuff (as in, for the New GRE which comes into place this August). I'm sitting it in November this year (about a month after my thesis is due) so then I can apply to graduate schools in January-March 2012 for Admission in September 2012.

I have to say that I prefer the format of the New GRE, it seems to be more about reasoning rather than memorisation (but there is also still a fair bit of that too, for instance, it is likely that I will have to memorise the quadratic formula - now there's a blast from the past!). I'm just frustrated that I have to re-learn VCE Methods (though no calculus) plus some other geometry stuff that I don't remember actually ever learning, in order to enter into a degree programme that will have almost nothing to do with quantitative anything! Though I am suprised at how much I have retained somewhere in my head.

Also, a lack of past materials is a mixed blessing. At least it limits how much preparation I could do for it (at the moment, I'm just looking at quantitative questions once or twice a week. I'll probably start looking more at the verbal in August).