bekus84 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Hi, I'm wondering when anyone willing to answer took their GRE? How much time did you need to prep for it, and when did you apply to schools? This winter break I was enrolled in an MCAT review course because I was considering Podiatry, but I dropped the course because Podiatry didn't interest me as much as I thought, and being a PA is more of what I want as a career in medicine (finishing the course didn't make sense to me either). I have one more semester as an undergrad that starts Jan 23rd. I want to apply to PA schools this next cycle. I have a few other questions. Do I have enough time to study and take the GRE before my classes start (2 weeks)? I may not have enough time to take it during my semester because I will be extremely busy. If I've run out of time this winter break to study and take the GRE, could I study and take it after my semester is over in say June, and still be considered early in the application cycle? Thank you in advance for your help/advice, its very much appreciated as my academic advisor is not trustworthy. I apologize if this has been asked before in a similar way. I tried to search it, but couldn't come up with anything. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molly2390 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I would recommend studying for the GRE for a month pretty intensely or longer more part time (a couple hours a week) for a few months. I believe you can submit CASPA and allow time for it to be verified before submitting your GRE scores. So if you are aiming to submit your app in the summer I'd say try to take it before July to allow time for it to be scored and sent to schools so that it arrives around the same time as your app does. For reference, I took the GRE early July, and schools received my scores July 31. Some schools have a separate deadline for their GRE, but I'd recommend sending it in around the same timeframe as your app. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gormz Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 i really dont think you have to study that long for it. I maybe studied a month part time. the biggest thing for me was just learning strategies to ensure i was going through the questions fast enough. I did very good on my GRE too. I guess it also depends on the person and how good you are in testing situations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allisones Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Don't forget-- GRE testing centers fill up. You will probably have to schedule your test date a few weeks ahead anyway. Look at what is available, book a seat and that is how much time you will need to study ;) Honestly, I tried to study regularly for a long time, but finally just had to book it and learn as much as I could as fast as I could. It is too easy to put it off and it really is not as bad as you think its going to be. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackjacks Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I recommend cram studying. It's a pretty easy test to learn. I did exactly what you are considering and took the exam between college semesters. I studied 7-8 hours a day for 2days, studied for 2-3 hours for 2 days, studied 7-8 hours again for 2 days, then took the exam the next day. The one week bang out the GRE plan. Did very well. I used Barron's GRE prep book and Kaplan vocab flash cards. It would have been nice to have the flaschards for a few weeks before the exam and keep a stack on me to study when a few moments allowed during the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaston Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 My experience will be different than most....... I took GRE cold turkey. Didn't study a single minute. I did very well (think 1200 range....) and I have occasionally wondered what my score would have been had I actually cracked one of those books. The math section made me laugh a little since I hadn't seen some of that stuff, like long division, in YEARS and I couldn't remember some of the steps for it. Ha. The verbal was cake, although I can see how people these days are thrown off by it given that they probably substitute the use of commas with the word 'like' in their everyday speech (among other awful speech and writing habits). Now the PANCE on the other hand....... I studied long and hard for that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taotaox1 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 2 weeks of good studying is reasonable. Raising your verbal much is not going to happen, but it is important to go over some strategies and get practice with the test format. I found my study guide's analogy strategys helped a lot. The math is another matter, It is 90% tricks and strategy that will get you through. You can learn all this and raise your score substantially. Get a good study guide and do powerprep practice tests. Made a 1440, first diagnostic powerprep was around 1150. Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atmu Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 It depends on how hard you want to study. If you want to take it easy, you can spread it out over a few months. If you want a short burst of intense studying (my preference), 2-3 weeks is enough. Like taotao said, learn the tricks for the math section and you will be ok. For verbal, buy a prep book. They have extensive lists of the most common GRE words. Put them on flashcards, memorize them, and you will do well (if you have an iPhone or android phone, use the free flashcard apps. They are awesome.). If the new GRE content is the same as the old, then verbal is all about vocab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bekus84 Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 Thanks everyone for your advice. Molly, you said you took the GRE early July, did you feel that was okay as far as rolling admissions programs? In other words, did you feel like you were late in the game for applying, or were you comfortable submitting your app when you did as far as still being competitive? What does anyone else think about submitting your app mid summer? Is it late at that point? I guess it doesn't matter though if I decide to wait to take the GRE after I graduate. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Take a practice test. If you do well you may not need to study at all. And taking it in July - you are really pushing your luck IMO. For rolling admissions you want to try to apply in early June, and if you take it in July, you have to wait 10-15 days, and may end up applying as late as August. Not the ideal scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laifalove Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Someone mentioned before that the testing dates fill up fast, and I agree. I was going to take it earlier but I had to wait an extra couple of weeks to take it. I kinda studied (read: barely) for a month, did alright as well. There's only so much you can study, vocab is something you build up over time, it's not something you learn in a few months. I felt like it was a lot like the SATs, just a bit harder. If you did well on the SATs, then you should be more than ready. ETS offers their own free practice test, which is pretty good and a lot like the real test: http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/powerprep2 The score you get from that should be pretty close to what you'll get on the real test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bekus84 Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 I took a practice test today from ETS. It definitely put it in perspective for me. Thanks again everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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