Submitted by John Sutherland
After such a long absence from the world of Academia, getting ready for the GRE has been no walk in the park for me. For those of you who don’t know how it works, the test is broken down into three major parts with limited time to finish each section. The sections are as follows; Quantitative Ability, Verbal Ability, and Analytical Writing Ability.
Quantitative is a 28 question section that draws from all of your High School Mathematics knowledge such as Algebra, Algebra 2, Geometry, and a wee bit of Trigonometry depending on how well you are doing. The tests are now computerized with no proctoring (chaperone) these days. The way the system works is, it starts off easy and the better you do, the harder it gets. Now if you are a Math wizard or you majored in Mathematics, Physics, Engineering and so on, you probably won’t need much help getting ready. I, however, come from a Liberal Arts background and I find the thought of the Quantitative section none too pleasing. I am basically relearning Arithmetic and Mathematics from the ground up.
Verbal Ability is a 30 question section that tests your vocabulary and word logic, complete with analogies, antonyms, sentence completions and reading comprehension. To me personally, Verbal doesn’t scare me so much because the typical words found on the GRE are cake. Basically, if you can read on a 10th-12th Grade level, you’re in good shape. If your reading and vocabulary isn’t so hot, you will need help. But help there is, which I will talk about soon!
Finally, there is the Analytical Writing Ability section. To many of you, this may seem quite daunting if you have trouble formulating opinions and explaining them through. There are two parts to this test. The first is one 45-minute “Present Your Perspective” task, and one thirty-minute “Analyze an Argument” task. If your spelling is bad, not to worry! If you can form a sentence, you’re in good shape! This part of the test is grading on a 1-6 scale and most schools require a 3. All you have to do is be able to argue concisely and to the point. For practice, ask someone you know for assignments and get to practicing!
Now there are a TON of books and programs out there to help you and that’s what I’m going to talk to you about next. A really good place to start in general is the Research & Education GRE General Test book or REA for short. This whopper of a book clocks in at $35.95 U.S.D. at your typical Barne’s & Noble but the best thing about it is it comes with a CD with three sample tests and six more written ones inside the book! As a general place to get started, I highly recommend this book. However, there are weaknesses.
The Arithmetic Refresher section was very useful. I wrote every rule on flashcards and just outright learned them. However, when I came to the Algebra and Geometry sections, they were sorely lacking. So here is my advice to you; don’t be afraid of “Dummies” books! They are extremely useful. If you’re too embarrassed you’re a dummy at something, just use Amazon or something similar. The absolute best book I found on Algebra is a book called Algebra Demystified : A Self-Teaching Guide, written by Rhonda Huettenmueller and printed by McGraw Hill ($19.95 U.S.D. retail). This book is fabulous and does not cut corners! You LEARN algebra. I also purchased Geometry for Dummies (2nd edition) by Mark Ryan ($19.99 U.S.D. retail) but haven’t made it that far. But I’ve used Dummies books before and they are quite useful!
Now as for Vocabulary, there is an outstanding book of flashcards entitled Research & Education Association GRE General Test Vocabulary Building Flashcards. (REA again) In my opinion, the words aren’t too bad. But I’m a writer. What are you gonna do? Just make sure you get the “Premium CD Edition” which includes a CD-ROM complete with games for vocabulary building! This infinitely useful book runs at $15.95 U.S.D. retail and I feel it is an indispensable asset.
Now if you want to get crazy like me, which I doubt you will, because, well, after all I’m…well…er…crazy, you can read the hardest, oldest books you can get your hands on and highlight every last word you don’t know, make your own dictionary, and further your vocabulary that way as well. A word of the day on your website isn’t a bad thing either, but the words are generally stupid and useless. Read philosophy, particularly anything written before the 1700′s. Those guys were wordy and they liked to show off!
Now one more thing, if you have any leftover Undergrad English and Math books, and hopefully notes, dig them out. I’m using my Writer’s Handbook from Freshman Year (way back in 1989!) and a copy of The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing. Remember, if you are weak in ANY of the above categories, get to practicing! The best thing is, you can retake it. But don’t dilly-dally. The test is only good for five years then you have to give it another go if you take a prolonged break from Graduate School.
Oh, and start arguments with a sound leg to stand on. Just bring up anything; politics, religion, current events, even play the Devil’s Advocate! Start learning to formulate constructed thoughts! This will be a great help to your Analytical Ability section.
