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#127 Dec 20 2011 at 11:03 AM Rating: Default
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Timelordwho wrote:
When did I say you had to read novels? Just read stuff in contextually appropriate settings, and get a rudimentary knowledge of the word structures.


In any case, unless I'm reading GRE stuff, I will not have that experience with the words necessary for the test. The best solution is to learn the known GRE words and use them in context. Most people just use flash cards.

idiggory, King of Bards wrote:
Debalic wrote:
What is this GRE anyways? Is it anything like the SAT? Maybe I'll go take it.


Pretty much just the SAT for grad school. And incredibly similar in structure. But it's taken on a computer and takes longer.


It also increases/decreases the difficulty of the next question based on the accuracy of your previous questions. So, the question "1+1=?" would be a good indication of a complete failure.
#128 Dec 20 2011 at 11:26 AM Rating: Good
idiggory, King of Bards wrote:
Debalic wrote:
What is this GRE anyways? Is it anything like the SAT? Maybe I'll go take it.


Pretty much just the SAT for grad school. And incredibly similar in structure. But it's taken on a computer and takes longer.


Yeah, it's the meaner older brother of the SAT. Although the structure is superficially similar, it relies a lot more on trick questions (especially for the math.) Nearly every math problem has an "It's a trap!" answer. And of course, there are still the dreaded antonyms that have since been removed from the SAT.

I took it once fresh out of undergrad, and did pretty average on both the verbal and math, but at the time the analytical portion of it was pure logic problems and I scored 790/800 because I did those as a hobby as a teenager. They've since changed the analytical portion to be writing an essay instead, scored on a scale of 1-6, with 6 being all but impossible to get. The second time I took it in preparation for graduate school, I knew I needed to do fairly well to make up for my mediocre undergraduate GPA. So I studied my brains out for two months straight. You know how Kaplan promises a score of 200 points higher if you pay them a thousand bucks for their fancy study course? Turns out, a $30 GRE for dummies book works just about as well.
#129 Dec 20 2011 at 11:29 AM Rating: Excellent
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In any case, unless I'm reading GRE stuff, I will not have that experience with the words necessary for the test. The best solution is to learn the known GRE words and use them in context. Most people just use flash cards.


Alternatively, you could actually cultivate the vocabulary the test measures by reading good books and speaking with educated people. The way you're doing it is only going to confuse you when the test gives you two close comparisons. They may both be technically acceptable, but one will be a more natural fit for the given context.
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#130 Dec 20 2011 at 11:49 AM Rating: Excellent
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You crazy people and your tests that aren't the ACT's.
#131 Dec 20 2011 at 11:54 AM Rating: Good
I don't think the ACT is accepted for graduate school. It's a test for undergrad admissions.

Then there are the really specific professional tests - GMAT (business school), LSAT (law school), MCAT (medical school), etc. There are a few other ones I don't know anything about for very very narrow subjects, like architecture or nutritional science.
#132 Dec 20 2011 at 12:12 PM Rating: Decent
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catwho wrote:
idiggory, King of Bards wrote:
Debalic wrote:
What is this GRE anyways? Is it anything like the SAT? Maybe I'll go take it.


Pretty much just the SAT for grad school. And incredibly similar in structure. But it's taken on a computer and takes longer.


Yeah, it's the meaner older brother of the SAT. Although the structure is superficially similar, it relies a lot more on trick questions (especially for the math.) Nearly every math problem has an "It's a trap!" answer. And of course, there are still the dreaded antonyms that have since been removed from the SAT.

Sounds like fun. I took the SATs after I'd "mutually parted ways" with my high school, with no real inclination to go to college; just for the hell of it. Scored in the 1300s as I recall.
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#133 Dec 20 2011 at 12:19 PM Rating: Good
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catwho wrote:
I don't think the ACT is accepted for graduate school. It's a test for undergrad admissions.

Then there are the really specific professional tests - GMAT (business school), LSAT (law school), MCAT (medical school), etc. There are a few other ones I don't know anything about for very very narrow subjects, like architecture or nutritional science.


A friend of mine is in grad school and she only took the ACT. Maybe because she's from MN and going to a MN school, who knows. Going to grad school is still quite a ways away for me.
#134 Dec 20 2011 at 12:26 PM Rating: Decent
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ArexLovesPie wrote:
catwho wrote:
I don't think the ACT is accepted for graduate school. It's a test for undergrad admissions.

Then there are the really specific professional tests - GMAT (business school), LSAT (law school), MCAT (medical school), etc. There are a few other ones I don't know anything about for very very narrow subjects, like architecture or nutritional science.


A friend of mine is in grad school and she only took the ACT. Maybe because she's from MN and going to a MN school, who knows. Going to grad school is still quite a ways away for me.

then your friend is going to one of the least competitive, useless graduate programs known to man.

#135 Dec 20 2011 at 12:30 PM Rating: Good
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Debalic wrote:
catwho wrote:
idiggory, King of Bards wrote:
Debalic wrote:
What is this GRE anyways? Is it anything like the SAT? Maybe I'll go take it.


Pretty much just the SAT for grad school. And incredibly similar in structure. But it's taken on a computer and takes longer.


Yeah, it's the meaner older brother of the SAT. Although the structure is superficially similar, it relies a lot more on trick questions (especially for the math.) Nearly every math problem has an "It's a trap!" answer. And of course, there are still the dreaded antonyms that have since been removed from the SAT.

Sounds like fun. I took the SATs after I'd "mutually parted ways" with my high school, with no real inclination to go to college; just for the hell of it. Scored in the 1300s as I recall.


1490 here Smiley: cool

Wasn't a big fan of the GRE, though. Another thing they do with the math section is include a veritable ton of questions that have a "quick/trick" way of solving them in under 10 seconds, and a "long way" of solving them that'll take you like 3-5 minutes. If you do just one or two questions the long way, you'll find yourself very hard-pressed to answer everything in time.

They say it's a test that tests your ability to take tests. Fun stuff.

#136 Dec 20 2011 at 12:44 PM Rating: Good
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Bardalicious wrote:
ArexLovesPie wrote:
catwho wrote:
I don't think the ACT is accepted for graduate school. It's a test for undergrad admissions.

Then there are the really specific professional tests - GMAT (business school), LSAT (law school), MCAT (medical school), etc. There are a few other ones I don't know anything about for very very narrow subjects, like architecture or nutritional science.


A friend of mine is in grad school and she only took the ACT. Maybe because she's from MN and going to a MN school, who knows. Going to grad school is still quite a ways away for me.

then your friend is going to one of the least competitive, useless graduate programs known to man.



I suppose it could have just been a really specific program. If she was going straight into the grad program of her undergraduate school, MAYBE they'd have been willing to waive the requirement or something?
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#137 Dec 20 2011 at 1:46 PM Rating: Excellent
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Bardalicious wrote:
ArexLovesPie wrote:
catwho wrote:
I don't think the ACT is accepted for graduate school. It's a test for undergrad admissions.

Then there are the really specific professional tests - GMAT (business school), LSAT (law school), MCAT (medical school), etc. There are a few other ones I don't know anything about for very very narrow subjects, like architecture or nutritional science.


A friend of mine is in grad school and she only took the ACT. Maybe because she's from MN and going to a MN school, who knows. Going to grad school is still quite a ways away for me.

then your friend is going to one of the least competitive, useless graduate programs known to man.



Conjecture much?
#138 Dec 20 2011 at 2:45 PM Rating: Decent
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He has a point. It's hard to imagine any worthwhile grad school saying "You only took an undergraduate-level entrance exam? Why sure, come on in!"
#139 Dec 20 2011 at 2:48 PM Rating: Good
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Majivo wrote:
He has a point. It's hard to imagine any worthwhile grad school saying "You only took an undergraduate-level entrance exam? Why sure, come on in!"
Would need one hell of a resume and application letter. Or be relatively new and unknown.
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#140 Dec 20 2011 at 3:03 PM Rating: Good
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It appears a GRE is required.

Commence my verbal flogging.
#141 Dec 20 2011 at 3:09 PM Rating: Good
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I want to say it's unfair, but I can't.

Typically, how much a grad school cares about GREs in relation to admissions is inversely proportional to their quality.

Generally speaking, top-tier programs set a GRE requirement for that year's admissions to cut down on the number of applications they have to look at. If you fall below that, you could still get looked at if they end up having the time to do so, or if you pester them a lot/have some pull within the department (it's not super uncommon for a professor who will give you a recommendation to also give your target university a heads-up, if they know someone there. This only really applies if you are coming out of a quality undergraduate program, though). After that, your GRE scores mean nothing--you are going to be judged entirely on the quality of your application, with the vast majority of attention going to your writing sample and recommendations. GPA falls into the same realm as GRE scores (and even then, the hard minimum is usually only for your major discipline GPA).

If your application gets looked at, it's practically unheard of for them to reject you on basis of your scores. They need to be really stumped on deciding between two candidates to do so (and in those cases, they'll often just admit both).

As the quality of the program goes down, however, more importance is placed on your score. They need the press from having the highest GRE classes they can get, and their applicants are generally of a lower caliber than the better programs in the first place.

Once you leave this tier behind, you've reached fairly low quality schools. Now, that doesn't mean that they are bad programs--if you are going for something more practical than academic, they don't necessarily need to care about prestige. But, even then, most schools would probably demand their applicants take the GRE.

I've honestly never heard of a program that doesn't. But they could be there. But they definitely aren't at the high or middle tiers of academic programs.
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#142Almalieque, Posted: Dec 20 2011 at 10:29 PM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) OR, I could do what I said, not read "good books" and be better prepared for the test.
#143 Dec 21 2011 at 2:16 AM Rating: Excellent
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Almalieque wrote:

OR, I could do what I said, not read "good books" and be better prepared for the test.

These tests have common words. It makes absolutely no sense to read anything outside of those words in context to prepare for the GRE.


This is why flash cards are successful.

That is the only way to actually know the definition of the word. Strictly using context can cause you to fall in a trap. There are many words that are primarily used in one context which gives misleading definitions. For example, "belligerent" is often paired with alcohol. As a result, it may appear that "belligerent" has a definition relevant to alcohol or drunkenness when in reality it doesn't.
Frankly, all that this proves is that you have poor reading comprehension
#144 Dec 21 2011 at 2:34 AM Rating: Excellent
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People really only pick on people who use larger words when they:

a) use them incorrectly
b) use them in a supremely stilted manner

I've read enough that the words on the GRE list are really not very difficult. Words gain a certain feel to them after you've read enough, so it becomes pretty obvious when someone's using them incorrectly because they only pay attention to the denotative meaning (aka, barf up the dictionary) and have no knowledge of its connotation. The only reason I use a dictionary is because I sometimes forget if the word I'm using is actually a real word.

It's not even that hard to google the words and find them in an article written by professionals with editors and sh*t. That's generally what I do with foreign languages.

Edited, Dec 21st 2011 2:39am by Sweetums
#145 Dec 21 2011 at 2:41 AM Rating: Excellent
Almalieque wrote:
I just need a 1000 and a 4 for the military to pay for Grad School. There's no way I'll ever get a 1350.


Wow.

Almalieque wrote:
That is the only way to actually know the definition of the word. Strictly using context can cause you to fall in a trap. There are many words that are primarily used in one context which gives misleading definitions. For example, "belligerent" is often paired with alcohol. As a result, it may appear that "belligerent" has a definition relevant to alcohol or drunkenness when in reality it doesn't.


WOW. You really are kind of an idiot.

I'm going to feel bad about that if you have some sort of clinical mental retardation going on.

No I'm not.
#146 Dec 21 2011 at 9:44 AM Rating: Good
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So what's this GRE thing to the foreign uninitiated?
#147 Dec 21 2011 at 10:10 AM Rating: Good
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The words on the GRE aren't even that difficult, to be honest. They throw in a few "hard" ones here and there, but with analogies gone the test has literacy part just got easier, imo.

GRE study books literally include words like "schism" or "minute" (as in small). I suppose I can understand super focused students not knowing those, like if you've only taken math classes or something.

And the new GRE puts way more emphasis on context than on definitions. They'll give you a sentence with an underlined or missing word, and you have to select (say) 2 words from a list of 5 that would fit there properly. Definition definitely matters, but most of them also have another word that WILL throw you off if you don't understand context.
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#148 Dec 21 2011 at 10:13 AM Rating: Excellent
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Aripyanfar wrote:
So what's this GRE thing to the foreign uninitiated?


Standardized test for people who want to get into a graduate program somewhere. A lot like the SAT. They have subject tests as well.
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#149 Dec 21 2011 at 10:13 AM Rating: Excellent
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Aripyanfar wrote:
So what's this GRE thing to the foreign uninitiated?
It's a standardized test that is useless in gauging anything other than your ability to take the GRE. However, schools use it as a form of criteria to reduce the number of applications they need to look at when accepting potential graduate students.
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#150 Dec 21 2011 at 10:18 AM Rating: Good
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Uglysasquatch wrote:
Aripyanfar wrote:
So what's this GRE thing to the foreign uninitiated?
It's a standardized test that is useless in gauging anything other than your ability to take the GRE. However, schools use it as a form of criteria to reduce the number of applications they need to look at when accepting potential graduate students.


Very useful when your applicants come in with a 4.0+ from some school you never hear of, then struggle to break 1000 on the test. Smiley: nod
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#151 Dec 21 2011 at 10:30 AM Rating: Good
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someproteinguy wrote:
Uglysasquatch wrote:
Aripyanfar wrote:
So what's this GRE thing to the foreign uninitiated?
It's a standardized test that is useless in gauging anything other than your ability to take the GRE. However, schools use it as a form of criteria to reduce the number of applications they need to look at when accepting potential graduate students.


Very useful when your applicants come in with a 4.0+ from some school you never hear of, then struggle to break 1000 on the test. Smiley: nod
Eh, maybe. It could simply be someone who tests poorly in general, but is exceptional in practice, or just someone who doesn't do well on a standardized test that only scores you against itself.
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