GRE

I spoke about taking the GRE at the last bit of the previous blog post, but I want to give you the "real" low down on the GRE not what the ETS website tells us. The very first basic thing you need to know is what is the GRE. Well it is the standardized test that most students have to take in order to be accepted into graduate level programs. You can think of it more or less as the SAT--they just want to make sure that you have kept some of those basic reading, writing, and mathematic skills that we all should have learned in high school.

Let me start off by describing my experience with, that the center I tested at had technical difficulties so I should have known it was going to be not a normal test. I mean Hello! I woke up at 6:00AM to get here thirty minutes early (and I was earlier than 30 minutes) like the website told me and now we can't even start on time because the computer system isn't working?! And then I had to take off my class ring and breast cancer awareness bracelet.

So Chloe's tips on the GRE:

• Show up early but not too early! (8:15 start time--7:50 show up)
• Do not wear ANY jewelry
• If you are not dying of starvation or have to pee--skip the optional break. The test is so long to begin with why make it longer.
• Eat before you go so you do not get hangry(it's a real word and real emotion, trust me)
• Get to bed early the night before
• If you haven't had a math class in three years, you might want to brush up using that SAT study guide you having laying around
• Plan a fun day for after the test so your brain that is now mush doesn't have to concentrate very hard



Some things my friends said about their experiences with the GRE:

"I thought the worst part was how they make you write the confidentiality paragraph in cursive."

"I got one question that was like 'Today my dog is____" A. Happy, B. Sad, C. Angry, D. Lamenting"

and then there is my weird friend Kelsey...

"I loved it, but I've always enjoyed standardized testing. It was a strange experience, having to put everything in a locker."

No-Nonsense Guide to the GRE

How to Study

All in all the GRE is not the most awful standardized test I've every taken, but I'm so glad I don't have to retake it.