The Big 3 letter word GRE...

It's increadible how much one can accomplish with a strong will and/or concentration especially in my case when other things in life seem to be slowly dissolving. I find that concentration is key!

So, let's get started- for those of you  that don't know: GRE- General Record examination is required for most humanities graduate programs (MA or PHD). Now of course there are several other tests out there like the LSAT (Law School), MCAT(Medical School)...and probably some other ones that skip my mind at this moment, but the point is they are all standardized tests with slight differences.

For our purposes we will focus on the GRE which measures verbal, quantitive reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills. As for any standardized test there are study guides, books and CD's out there, but after my significant research this one seems to be the most comprehensive (designed by the makers of the GRE):

http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-revised-General-Test/dp/0071700528/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1298718397&sr=8-2

This is of course the new Computer based test effective August 2011.

For the older or paper based tests you can check out the official GRE website where you register by the way when taking the test too:

http://www.ets.org/gre/

Now although I could go on and on about the different information on this site I think it is more useful just to explore it yourself. I will just mention two important factors:

a.) GRE is expensive! ($160), but if you take the new test between  Aug 2011- Sept 30th there is a 50% discount!!! (so it will only be $80). So, this is both a great opportunity for those applying for fall 2012 programs as well as early birds who are just trying it out. That way if you end up taking it twice you will end up paying 50% less!
b.) For the new Computerized test there are links and software that is really helpful even before purchasing a GRE Study Guide. So take advantage of all the online resources!

As for me I have decided to do just that: To get a first hand preparation with the online resources, then purchase the ETS study guide (mainly  for the detailed math and vebal sections). Aug 2011 is the perfect time to take the test if you  need the scores after Nov.- which is the case for me!

And on a last note: no Antonym or Analogy questions- for those of us that hate those from our SAT days!

So, good luck and good studying!

P.S-  For Humanities GRE scores are really not the most important factor but good scores do help the application significantly!

Till next time...

K