I feel like this picture above is the perfect example of how we feel about the GRE or Graduate Records Examination. The GRE is required for a lot of graduate programs, from accounting and MBA programs to the sciences (PT, SLP, PA, and fortunately OT). Now, when I was looking in to OT programs, there were actually some programs that did not require the GRE. And there are some pros and cons to consider when thinking before taking the GRE and applying to those schools that do require it. I’ve made up a list below:
Pros to taking GRE:
- If you’re a good test-taker, it could be a positive addition to your application
- If you’re GPA or experience/volunteer/shadowing hours are below the minimum, it may give you that extra look you need to be considered for an interview/admittance
- The GRE test scores are applicable to a lot of graduate programs, so if you change your mind on OT, you can use the same scores to apply for other programs (good for up to 5 years)
- Some programs require it, so you don’t have a choice
Cons to taking GRE:
- The costs
- The test itself (as of October 2016) is $205.00. Register through https://www.ets.org/ to order your test
- For qualified individuals, you can request a GRE fee reduction where you only have to pay 50% of the test price. Here’s how: https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about/fees/reductions
- Study materials can range all the way up to thousands of dollars (not kidding)
- The test itself (as of October 2016) is $205.00. Register through https://www.ets.org/ to order your test
- Energy and time invested in studying for this test may require you to study for months prior to taking it (I took 3 months to prepare)
- Having to wait for scores to be received (verbal and quantitative reasoning scores are immediate but analytical writing portion takes about 10-15 days)
- Some OT schools don’t require the GRE as a pre-requisite so look into your programs of choice before taking the GRE!! Here is a list of those schools (as of 2015): https://ainsleydiduca.com/grad-schools-dont-require-gre/#OT
So if you’ve gotten this far and know that you won’t have to take the GRE for your specific program, you can stop reading, not because I don’t ❤️ ya, but because the rest of this post will be going into my experience in preparing for the GRE and actually taking the GRE, since the programs I applied to did require it. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the general setup of the test:
I started studying for the GRE at the beginning of July in 2016 and took the exam on October 13th of 2016. This gave me a little over 3 months to study for the exam. My study schedule consisted of 3-5 days a week studying. I’ve never been the type of person who was academically inclined. I’ve always had to put in hours of studying into any class and subject to succeed. With that being said, I’ve never been the type of person who dedicates all day every day of her summer to study for a test, either. Didn’t I tell you in my “about me” that I was going to be honest and transparent with my entire OT experience 😉 ? I can honestly say I believe a healthy balance of work and play is necessary for simply the sake of peace of mind. And for me, I know that if I can put in the hard hours of studying and handle business, the play will come. I know everyone is different and some are willing to put in those study hours day and night, so more power to ya! I genuinely don’t see myself as a machine, I see myself as a body, mind, and spirit that needs release and output. So my advice to anyone taking on the GRE is to find a couple of days or even a couple of hours in the midst of your studying to do something that takes you out of study mode. Get an iced coffee, call up a friend, take a walk, binge watch Netflix in your bed, cook a good meal for yourself. Just find something that can brings you back to reality. This grad school thing is important but enjoy the ride! You’re not guaranteed tomorrow so live in this moment and treat yourself every once in a while.
Study Material #1: Kaplan Textbook
I still remember it like it was yesterday. I had gone to Barnes & Noble with my mom and bought the Kaplan GRE prep book, which included 6 practice tests. There was a wide variety of brands and study tools (from CD’s to notecards and even GRE prep books for specific portions of the test). I had purchased some Kaplan study materials to study for my ACT back in high school so I had trusted the accuracy of this brand.
Cost: $40-$50
Where to purchase: Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, most big chain bookstores, Kaplan Website (https://www.kaptest.com/gre ), but cheapest source will be Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Kaplan+GRE . Keep in mind, the score guarantee (talked about below) is not included unless you buy study materials from the actual Kaplan website at full price.
Likes: The beginning of the book explains the layout of the test and what to expect as well as giving great tips on how to approach questions you don’t 100% know the answers to. It comes with a long list of the most popular words used in the GRE verbal section and their definitions. Verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning concepts were very similar to the actual test. The book is a good source to annotate and write notes in (especially in the reading portion). Keep in mind, you won’t be able to annotate in the actual test because it’s computerized, but this tool may be helpful study tool for people who like textual material. If you buy (at full price) a Kaplan study material through their website, there is a “score higher or money back” guarantee. For those who registered for a Kaplan online class and didn’t score higher on their GRE, Kaplan will allow the student to take the class over again for free.
Dislikes: Since the actual test is computerized, this prep book isn’t good at preparing you to take the test in a computerized setting. 1/3 of the test includes an analytical writing portion and it’s hard to practice this portion with the Kaplan GRE Prep book, since in the real test setting, you would be typing on a computer and not writing down on paper. The book I bought did come with online help but it was kind of limited for the 3 months I needed study material for. However, there are personalized online options on the Kaplan website where you are assigned a private tutor. With that being said, the Kaplan online classes range from $599-$2199.
Overall rating: 3.8/5.0
Kaplan offers a lot of services from online tutoring to live classes. My overall rating is based solely on my experience with the book. It was very helpful because it tells you everything you need to know about the GRE. It goes into detail about the layout, the types of questions (regular and trick questions), how to use time usefully, and the quizzes and practice questions are pretty accurate to the actual test. However, I think it is essential to practice taking the GRE on an actual computer, where it is timed and you can know how to navigate throughout the test using the computer modules. Studying concepts on paper is fine, but if you don’t acquaint yourself with the general flow of the test, it may cause hesitancy and unsureness during the test, consequentially becoming a distraction to the deep focus you will want to have on test day. You want to have full confidence the day you take your test, so being familiar with the front and back of this test will help you become that much more prepared. Kaplan does offer an “Official Test Day Experience” where you go to a testing center and take a full mock test. The cost is $150 but it’s a helpful resource to get a sense of the full test experience if you are willing to cough up the change. Here’s the link to register: https://www.kaptest.com/gre/gre-practice/gre-official-test-day-experience
Study Material #2: Magoosh
About a couple of weeks into studying for my GRE, I paired up with my best friend who was also preparing to take the GRE at the time. I asked what she was using to study and she told me, Magoosh. I had never heard of it but she showed me what it was and how it worked. She let me use her account login and I was AMAZED.
Cost:
Where to purchase:https://gre.magoosh.com/
Likes: Magoosh is an online based study tool, which is synonymous to the actual GRE test setting. It offers up to 3 full practice tests in both the 1 month and 6 month packages (including all 3 sections: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing). The full-on practice tests were extremely helpful in knowing what to expect on test day as well as becoming familiar with the timed writing section. It breaks up the verbal, quantitative, and writing portions of the GRE and goes into depth on everything you’ll need to know about them. The study materials include, but are not limited to, video breakdowns, notecards, an online blog to ask questions, the 3 full length tests, 200 lessons, 1000 questions, and allows you to track your progress and predicted GRE score. What I love about Magoosh is that every single question has an explanation video. So for those questions that you get wrong and have no idea why, the video will break down the problem for you in detail (similar to Khan Academy on YouTube). The prices are extremely affordable when you compare it to other brands and similar services. There is also a 5 point guarantee, where Magoosh will give you a full refund if you don’t at least score 5 points higher than your previous score.
Dislikes: Compared to the Kaplan book that I bought, Magoosh may seem like more money then you’re willing to pay. But if you’re on the edge about if Magoosh is worth the price, I can vouch that it is! You’re investing in your future and no matter what program you want to go into, OT or not, the GRE will play a big role in that. Those extra 5 points higher that you get over someone else makes you that much more competitive. The second downside to Magoosh is that it isn’t one on one, so it’s not as personal as a tutor would be. You do, however, have access to email/contact an online tutor through Magoosh and they will normally respond within 72 hours. With that being said, most people don’t hire tutors to help them study for the GRE but that is why my overall rating is .2 points lower than a perfect. You won’t have immediate answers like you would one-on-one with someone but Magoosh offers in depth explanations to all of their problems so it would be rare to have your questions unanswered in the first place.
Overall Rating: 4.8/5.0
I know a lot of people on the internet may get something from the company when posting a positive review but this is NOT the case with me. I took the GRE last year and my honest opinion after using Magoosh to study is that it was astoundingly helpful in my preparation. I, with no doubt, can say that had I not used it to study, my score would not have been as good. I say this because the questions and concepts on Magoosh were spot-on similar. The wording, the common diction, and level of difficulty were all so comparable to the GRE. Because of this, I was familiar with the types of questions I saw on the real test. That sort of comfort plays a big part in doing well because you already have the stresses of trying to do well on test day; seeing those similar questions makes it a little less stressful. If you’re still unsure if Magoosh is worth the money, you can search for different problem breakdowns they have on YouTube. Here an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1G0E9j3Q7I
Tips and tricks before taking the test:
Study materials worth it?
I found both the Kaplan and Magoosh study materials useful in their own ways during my preparation for the GRE. There are a lot of reliable study sources out there such as ETS, Kaplan, Magoosh, and many others that create GRE prep books and online services in all different colors, shapes, and sizes. I know the GRE is expensive, let alone the materials you debate on using to study for it. I think the preparation IS worth it. Despite my own experience, there are cheaper options available. But like I said before, look at the GRE as an investment in your future.
Study environment:
I believe your study environment is so important in your preparation. Find a place outside of your house/apartment and put the phone away. Just getting away from any temptations of eating, turning on Netflix, taking a nap, or checking your Instagram feed. With that being said, wherever you end up studying, take BREAKS. Mine were about 15-20 min every 2.5 hours. But we’re all different so that might mean that you need to take breaks more or even less often. Give yourself time to get in the “zone,” though. It’s hard to do that when you see your phone light every 15 min. You’d be surprised how much you’d get done in one sitting without your phone in sight. I know studying isn’t necessarily fun but you can do more with less.
Find a study buddy:
It doesn’t need to be someone who is studying for the same thing as you. But getting with someone else can be a good thing—it was for me. I know some of us prefer to study by ourselves but my scenario was just ideal because my best friend was studying for the same thing as me. Nonetheless, having someone to study with can help you stay motivated and you can hold each other accountable to set a time and date to study.
Know your top 4 schools:
Immediately after you submit your last answer on the GRE **and before you even see your test score** you have the option to send your results to 4 schools for free. Before going in to take the GRE, I would at least have your top 4 schools in mind so that you can send your scores to them while it’s free. Any recipient after you list those 4 schools will cost you about $27 for each school. It doesn’t seem like much but trust me, it adds up quickly.
Week of the test study tips: https://magoosh.com/gre/2016/last-minute-gre-tips/
Quick tips and tricks for test day:
- Make sure you’ve visited the testing center before test day
- Eat a good meal!
- Bring a jacket
- Get there at least 30 min early to calm your nerves. Last thing you need is to be stressed out because you’re late
- Use the bathroom
- Make sure your keyboard and mouse are working, immediately
- Ask the proctor any questions or concerns you might have and clear the air/head
Quick tips and tricks during the test:
- Remember it is timed. Don’t rush but keep your pace in mind and always be aware of the time
- If you are stuck on a problem for more than 30 seconds, skip it. The test allows you to go back to previous problems within that section, so utilize that
- The test is “designed” to get harder the better you do. If you feel like the test is too easy, don’t let it freak you out! They have their logarithms and we don’t know the extent to them so just keep your head up, you’re doing great!
- If for some reason you have extra time, always go back and check your answers. I know this seems elementary but I’ve made dumb mistakes that I never would have caught had I not gone back and checked. That doesn’t mean second-guess your previous answer. Second-guessing yourself tends to change your right answer to a wrong one. I’m talking about those little errors that we all make sometimes in our calculations or answer choosing. Some of the answers will look very similar so be careful before you just select the first one you see.
- Have confidence in yourself! Don’t let one hard question off-set all the studying and preparation you’ve put in. There are varying difficulties in all of the questions. Just take your time and if you feel like one question is throwing you off, skip it and come back!
- ***Answer every question!!*** A wrong answer does not subtract from your score. The right answers are what add to your score. That means if you don’t know an answer to a question, at LEAST guess. You shouldn’t leave any questions blank!!
Helpful sources that aided in my study prep:
https://crunchprep.com/gre/2014/27-proven-test-day-tips-to-ace-gre
http://www.thespeechblog.com/how-i-use-gre-magoosh-to-prep-for-the-gre/
https://magoosh.com/gre/gre-study-plans-and-guides/
https://www.discoverbusiness.us/education/online-mba/resources/gre/
Did you use similar study resources in your GRE prep? If not, what worked for you?
Proud to be OT 