Tips on studying for the GRE

October 6, 2012
by Alisa

I just took the test on October 5th and survived it! Boy, that was one long test. Some of you are probably wondering why I’m taking the test when I’m already in the OT program, right? Well, I got admitted as an undergrad at USC, so I started the program as a senior. Therefore, I didn’t have to take GRE, but now, since I’m applying for the Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, I have to submit my GRE scores. Walah! To all the undergrads out there, I would suggest taking it as an undergrad. When you’re in grad school already, you’ll be busier and to motivate myself to study was very tough.

Here are some tips for studying for the GRE:

1. Get one of the books (I used Kaplan and ETS) and do a self-study.
2. Attend one of the free GRE Strategy Sessions offered by Princeton Review. They raffled off vocabulary books and mathematics books! Wee! Free swag.
3. Take a free practice test offered through Princeton Review, Kaplan, etc. and use the results as a guide for studying.
4. Focus on studying what you’re good and master it.
5. Find a study buddy (shoutout to my tutor, a fellow OT student who patiently taught me basic mathematics during lunch and after class!).
6. Familiarize yourself with taking a computerized test. There are a total of 6 sections, one of which doesn’t count toward your score, so you should still try your hardest.
7. All the prompts for the essays are posted online. It won’t hurt to take a look at them.

On test day:

1. If you arrive early, you can take the test early, and get out earlier.
2. Bring a jacket because it might be cold.
3. You will be given a locker to put your belongings in. You can only bring your ID and the locker key in the testing room.
4. There will be one 10-minute break after the 3rd section. Use it. I went to the restroom and ate carrots.
5. There is a 1-minute break after every section. Stretch, stand up, breathe deeply, close your eyes, roll your neck or pray.
6. Do not panic! If you’ve studied well, you won’t likely be blanking out. If you do, try your best with an educated guess. Remember, there’s no penalty for guessing. Yay!
7. Remember that this is only one test. It does not define who you are. You can take it again. I believe that there are many factors that make up your application. Do not let the GRE scores deter you from applying. Regardless of the results, you are still a great person.
8. Your estimated scores for the Verbal and Quantitative sections will pop up at the end of the test. You can google “GRE Concordance Scale” if you’re unsure of how the new score is compared to the old score. For the USC OT Program, it is encouraged that you have at least a combined score of 1000 (old scale).

Good luck! You know more than you think you know.  😉

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