jyeh74 wrote:
Took the GMAT and didnt do so hot. About to study for the GRE. Anyone have taken both before? Just want to know how they compare. I beleive the GRE is only available on computer.....please tell me its easier than the GMAT!
I took the GRE recently and had 800 verbal and 760 quant. And I'm not really a math person.
I'm studying for the GMAT now.
I've taken many paper and pencil ETS GMATs and GREs at home, and it seems to me that the GRE is definitely easier than the GMAT. This is with particular reference to the quantitative section.
My advice to you is to get a hold of as many paper and pencil GRE's as you can, and to practice taking them.
Remember not to overanalyze questions on verbal. If you think too hard about those questions --and often it's very hard to pick between the best two viable answers on many of the verbal questions-- you're liable to hang yourself.
Download the free computer adaptive tests that ETS gives people when they sign up for the GRE...I think they're called PowerPrep GRE. Also, you'll need to pick ETS's "Practicing to Take the GRE General Test, 10 Edition", which is available in stores now. This book contains seven actual paper and pencil GRE's.
I didn't study for the verbal portion of the GRE because I was a history major in college and I was confident of my ability to ace that section. I did however have to prepare carefully for the quantitative section because I don't have much of a math background.
Here's what I used to bring my GRE quant skills up to speed:
1. "ARCO GRE GMAT Math Review 2000 Edition", published by MacMillan press. This book gives an excellent overview of all arithmetic, algebra and geometry basics tested on the GRE.
2. "Schaum's Outlines: Elementary Algebra" and "Schaum's Outlines: Geometry". I found the "Schaum's" books invaluable because they offer thousands upon thousands of problems which enabled me to increase the speed and accuracy with which I could answer math questions. "Schaum's" was also excellent in helping me to nail down the basic pedagogy behind algebra and geometry.
My final piece of advice to you is this:
when you take the GRE for real, if you're ridden with anxiety, or if you can't concentrate, or if you suspect you're having a bad day, END THE TEST IMMEDIATELY AND CANCEL YOUR SCORES. Go home, relax, try to figure out why you had a bad day, and register to take the test again in the near future. Don't underperform because you pysched yourself out.
Best of luck!