Katrina Has A Month To Study for the GRE

GRE Subject Test: Psychology... Scores!

2010-11-30T15:04:00.002-05:00

Hey, guys! I haven't done an update in a while, so I thought that now would be a good time, especially considering that I have recently found out my Psychology Subject Test GRE scores!

Here they are:

Total Score: 740, 90th percentile
Experimental Psychology: 073, 87th percentile
Social Psychology: 074, 92nd percentile
Total # Correct: 159
Total # Incorrect: 042
Total # Omits: 0
Formula Score: 149

GRE Tutoring's Over

2010-10-11T17:03:00.004-04:00

I said goodbye to my first GRE tutoree (?) this past weekend. The reasons for that is 1.) our schedules don't mesh anymore, 2.) I can't meet everyday during the week, and 3.) she gave up and is going to take a different standardized test instead (this is probably the biggest reason). I'm still waiting to get back my Barron's prep book practice test CD, which I lent to her. I'm supposed to get it in the mail.

Last week I was totally sick, probably because of all of the stress leading up to the Psychology GRE Subject Test on Saturday. Actually, as soon as I was finished with it I felt amazing. Even though I'm still coughing, I've definitely learned the hard way that stress really does exacerbate things.

Finishing that test has also given me a lot more time to just relax, catch up on homework, and pay my bills. Yup... I've got three envelopes right next to me that have payments within them. I just didn't have the mind to pay attention to those kinds of important things while I was studying. That's probably a bad thing. I'm wondering how much I need to reconsider my priorities. Good thing that I didn't miss any deadlines!

Speaking of deadlines, now comes the rest of the application process. Let me just say that I have an Excel sheet that has essentially taken over my life. I am obsessed with this Excel sheet. I put it all together so that I could keep my applications in order. I might talk about how I did it in a future post because it's very detailed. Too detailed.

Alrighty! Time to go read! (Ah... leisure...)

My Bad

2010-10-10T12:45:00.004-04:00

Heyyyyy... so I took the Psychology GRE yesterday LOL... Sorry. I know that I didn't really blog about it on here so much. That's probably a good thing (even though I feel a little bad about it - opportunity to document the adventure sort of lost) because I had to get away from this here laptop. Oh, internet, how you consume my time with such vigor!

I studied my little butt off this past two weeks, so much so that I am pretty sure that I can attribute my cold to the stress I was experiencing. I'm not going to lie and say that I didn't cram. I crammed things into me like Augustus Gloop in that fabulous chocolate factory. Speaking of chocolate, it pretty much carried me through this process. Thanks, God! (As I reach for another piece... literally.)

Going into the test I was nervous. It probably didn't help that finding the right building on NYU's confusing campus took me a while. Coming out the exam, though, I felt awesome. Sure, there were questions that I felt uneasy about or knew that I didn't really know too well, but I'm okay with that.

I find out my scores around November 8. EEEEP! (Consumes more chocolate.)

It's at this point that I should go catch up on the homework that I've been putting off for weeks so that I could study... but I'm enjoying my little weekend. It also doesn't help that there is work being done on my building and someone has been pounding around on the roof/sides of the building all the live-long day.

One last thing before I go: I bought "SparkNotes' 101 Psychology: A Complete Course in a Book" go to with my studying for the Psych GRE and it was fantastic. I recommend it because it covers lots of things, but clearly and consisely. There isn't so much noise that I find in textbooks (although textbooks are awesome, sometimes it's just way too much information than I need).

Happy Christopher Columbus Day Weekend!

First Day of Experiment: Fail

2010-09-23T12:01:00.003-04:00

I'm sitting in my university's psychology lab right now and feeling like a total *FAIL* because the computer/experimental equipment wasn't properly working for me. I figured out how to fix the problem after the participant (the one who actually came in... yay! The very first scheduled person didn't even bother... BOO) left. Don't worry... I have the participant credit for even coming in, which is the ethical thing to do.

Anywho, to fix the problem I need to reboot the data collection computer. Sounds easy, and technically it is. It's just sooo annoying setting the program up again because I have to choose all the settings so that the experiment runs the way that it is suppossed to.

I still don't know what the culprit is exactly, only that restarting the computer will ultimately end up with me being able to complete all of the trials.

Rawr.

I know what you are thinking now if you are really dedicated to this blog... "Katrina. You aren't talking about the GRE. This belongs in another blog." That is a very valid thought. However, all of this has to do somehow with the GRE for several reasons. Additionally: I can write about what I want, dude! It's okay. I still love you.

Here are the reasons:

I am not about to let my frustration over a loss of two participants ruin my excitement over eventually completing this experiment nor my excitement about studying for the GRE. (Woo!)
Now that I'm all set up and know the problems I can go back and study for like... 6 hours straight. (Woo! Wait... Hmm...)
This is forcing me to think of solutions outside of the box, which is necessary for all things regarding life. That include the GRE!

See?! Everything is connected in the circle of life... ;)

Disregard What I Said About the Barron's Psychology Prep Book...

2010-09-22T21:23:00.002-04:00

So I finally caved and bought a Psychology GRE prep book… and if you read the title of this post, then you would have figured out already which book I got. Yup: Barron's. Woo!

I know I wrote a scathing review of it earlier during the summer... but I think what I was most miffed about was the fact that I couldn't write in the book. It just set the tone for the rest of that first Barron's Psychology Prep Book experience, which ended up being a bad one. Now that I have my own that I can write in and mess up as much as I'd like and not have to worry about returning it to the library in time or else I get a ridonkulous fee... well, I'm as happy as a clam.

You are probably shaking your head at me, but that's okay. I am shaking my head at myself.

This is the 6th edition of the tome. It includes "5 full-length model tests" which include "2 diagnostics and 3 tests that reflect the most recent actual GRE Psychology tests." Apparently "all test questions are answered and explained," which is fabulous (and necessary), as well as "a brush-up subject review and scoring grids" which are supposed to help me "gauge [my] strengths and weaknesses in all subject areas."

I'm excited for this book. And this also probably means that I am going to update this blog more often because now I have something to talk about in regards to preparation… better late than never, right? By the way, I think that this book look gorgeous.

Hmm… I'm taking the test on October 9. That gives me *finger counting here* 17 days. Two weeks and three days. Haaawhoops!

It's okay, though. I know that I can succeed. I am going to really lay down my own law and bunker down. I'm finally feeling motivated and excited about this whole application process, including taking the GRE. I know, I know… I'm weird. I'm just a nerd, really.

I think that I can attribute my motivation to the fact that my Master's thesis experiment is *finally* up and running… I start running subjects tomorrow! Eee! (Hmm, lots of interesting sounds in this blog post apparently… I hope that you are enjoying them.) Before when I was working on the proposal paper for it I just feel so tired of it. Perhaps it was the fact that I worked on it over the summer and had encountered so many obstacles with it that I was feeling down. But no more of that!

IT'S GAME TIME. I'm going to hit them all out of the park.

This morning I starting asking people about recommendation letters. BAM.

I bought a Psychology GRE book. BAM.

My Master's thesis experiment is finally going somewhere. BAM.

Bring it, application process!

Whoops and Eep...

2010-09-08T23:34:00.003-04:00

So in a few minutes will mark just about a month before I have to take the Psychology GRE. And you know what? I'm starting to worry a little bit, but not enough to freak me out yet. I still haven't bought my own prep book for it, already returned the library book, and haven't really thought about it too much.

I know that I need to start hunkering down for it, but I have no motivation for it right now. Plus, it's very possible that I will have to change the date of it in the first place. I might as well do it right now before I find out for sure - part of my job is to bring a bunch of students involved with Habitat For Humanity to their service sites on various Saturdays during this fall.

My problem is that I currently don't know when exactly those dates are, but I have already scheduled my Psychology GRE for a Saturday. Who am I kidding... I'm going to end up changing it. I'll probably even end up changing it tomorrow after I find out for sure (watch, it's going to happen now. I know it...) that I will need to go do service for 8 hours on a Saturday, the very Saturday that I was planning to take a major standardized test.

Now, don't get me wrong: I love doing community service and am excited to be doing lots of it this year... but I also have other important things, too! Ahh, priorities... they are quickly getting all a-tangled up.

School has started. That means: full-time graduate assistant stuff (class, homework, reading, studying, tests), my Master's thesis, work, and trying to balance the rest of my life with it. Tomorrow I just have work, so that gives me a good amount of time to figure out other stuff during the day.

In other news, my YouTube video log is going great and I'm still having a blast with it! Also, it's kind of nice seeing a bit of a turnover from ads. Just saying... I never would have thought that would have ever have been possible before. I'm not a partner yet, though... if I ever did become one, I would want to start a fund to help needy schools around the world. I guess that I will cross that bridge if and when it ever comes.

I hope that you all out there enjoyed this summer. It amazes me that it's already gone!

ETS Practice Books = Breath of Fresh Air

2010-08-09T15:13:00.004-04:00

When you sign up to take a GRE, ETS will mail you a Practice Book for the test that you signed up for. For example, when I signed up for the General GRE, I received a General GRE Practice test. Because I recently signed up to take the Psychology GRE, they sent me a Psychology Test Practice Book.

This 60-page or so practice test has made me love ETS a little bit more than I previously did. And that's not really based off the score that I ended up taking. It's the fact that it was a real GRE, one that they have retired but still contains the same type of questions. It has begun to get me interested in studying more thoroughly for the Psychology GRE already, which is a nice change from that Barron's test I took and blogged about in a previous post.

If I haven't mentioned this before, I'll mention it now: ETS has sole publishing rights to GREs and GRE questions, so other test preparation companies such as Barron's, Kaplan, and Princeton Review can only make up their own questions that are similar to ETS questions. So, I encourage people to buy the ETS materials to begin their preparation so that they can really see what a GRE is like.

One downside to taking a paper practice test is that it isn't what I'm going to be taking. In other words, I'm going to be taking a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT), which is different enough to matter.

What I liked about the practice test is that it told me what I would have gotten on it had it actually have counted in real life, something which the Barron's test didn't offer.

On the test, Form GR0781, which had copyright for 2007 and 2003 and 205 multiple-choice questions, I received these scores:
Total Score: 115
Scaled Score: 610
Subscores: 1.) 59 and 2.) 61

This is the note that I wrote right after I finished the test so that I wouldn't forget how the practice test went: "It took me 2 hours, including a phone interruption, hunger, not being fully awake, and eating breakfast. Took the test on the floor."

I was allotted 170 minutes to take it, which is 2 hours and 50 minutes. I finished with plenty of time. If I slowed down a little bit I might have done a little better, but I felt as though I was working at a comfortable pace. Another thing was that I started it right when I woke up, and let me tell you: I am not a morning person. Don't worry - I signed up to take the test in the afternoon!

So I'm starting off with a 610. I'd say that's a pretty solid number to start off. It's an average score. People actually get into doctoral programs with that score. In consideration that there were a lot of things on the test that I recognized but I just couldn't completely recall it then, I think with a little more time, studying, and practice I will be just fine. I'm aiming for a 720.

I can do this.

Anger and Utter Digust

2010-08-05T03:38:00.003-04:00

SO I just finished and taking the STUPID Diagnostic Test 1 in Barron's "How To Prepare for the GRE: Psychology" book. It's such utter nonsense that it makes me furious. There is no way that I would do as bad on the REAL AND WHAT COUNTS Psych GRE as the score I ended up getting on this load-of-garbage Diagnostic Test.

While I won't go into details on how the test ending up breaking down (which, by the way Barron's, that dumb-ax grading grid is a *choice word (in adjective form)* piece of (mhmm) and you should *choice word* change it for the love of Piper), I ended up getting 93/200 WRONG.

Now, I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned this before, but I graduated Summa Cum Laude from my undergraduate Alma Mater, not to mention that I received a 3.97 GPA within my major, which was General Psychology.

I can't wait to get my hands on a REAL, ETS-APPROVED PRACTICE PSYCH GRE to show Barron's that they very much overdid it and thus should apologize to any person who ever cracked it open. It makes me wonder if they did it on purpose so that whoever takes it feels so struck down that he or she crawls back and buries his or her self wholeheartedly into the Barron's book, all the while shedding bitter tears of failure and brokenness. NO, I didn't CRY. Geez. I'm just Ten-Out-of-Ten-A-Plus-Ticked-Off.

Yes, those of you who may have read my former posts may well know that, yes, I did thoroughly enjoy the Barron's book for the General GRE. I thought that it was stellar. And, yes, I will end up reading through the information that the Psych book has to offer because A.) It's all I have at the moment, B.) I want to compare it to other (probably BETTER) prep books, and C.) just because the tests bite it hard doesn't mean that the real information won't assist me.

To those who put together the Barron's Psychology GRE prep book: a big, European backwards "peace" sign to you. Strong enough?

I'm Officially a GRE Tutor

2010-08-04T16:07:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday I started tutoring someone else for the GRE! How exciting is that?! The person that I am tutoring is a teacher in New York City who is looking for a career change.

She's funny... she asked me for a week's worth of tutoring session because she was hoping to take the test at the end of the month. Problems with that: she hasn't registered for a testing appointment yet and in New York City the slots fill up fast; she hasn't been in school for a number of years, which doesn't mean that she won't do well, but does mean that a lot more time has passed to allow for a lot of knowledge to be stored a little too far back in the brain; she needs to spend more than the 3 hours I meet with her on days that I tutor her to study for this nutty test. Good things though: she is excited to learn, she is capable of acknowledging her strengths and weaknesses, and she has materials. All of these things add up to a big plus in my book. That materials part is important, too... GRE prep material is expensive.

Paired with this, I have started studying, too. I know that in a relatively recent post I've spoken about my need to study for the Psychology GRE. I've finally forced myself to begin a diagnostic test... thank you Barron's. Haven't finished it yet because I got distracted (I know, I know... I should do it in one timed sitting I'm sorry...) because I had to eat something.

Under no circumstances should studying take away those precious times of day when you nourish yourself, mk?

Going back to the Psych GRE... it seems as though what I learned in my Psychology courses at my alma mater did not cover everything that is one the Psych GRE. Whoop-dee-doo... *sigh*

On that note, I'm going to go finish that diagnostic test. I'm halfway there. You can already let the music (or should I say the funeral dirge?) play. I'll be back soon :)

I'm Not THAT Much of a Night Owl!

2010-07-17T05:33:00.002-04:00

It's well known among my friends that I am very much a "night-time" kind of person. I enjoy going to sleep well after 2AM. However, over the past couple of weeks I haven't been able to go to sleep before 4AM every day (night?). Once I stayed up past 6:30AM... not by choice and not willingly. As I write this entry, it's after 5:30AM.

I do believe that it is important to get one's sleeping schedule in order. And yes, I do get freaked out by the idea that people who sleep during the day more than they sleep at night are at a higher risk for cancer. Yeah... definitely DON'T want.

Anyways, I figured that right now would be as good of a time to tell you that it is important to get a good night's sleep before any major test. Train yourself to go to sleep early and wake up on time (on the first sound of the alarm clock, too... no snooze button!).

The brain needs sleep. Human beings spend a lot of time sleeping, and that is for good reason! Sleeptime is when everything that the brain has experienced during the day settles in... information that you have learned during your waking time marinates in your brain when you sleep. Heck, I would think that babies sleep so much because they are learning everything the first time. Sleep is when everything can sort of sink in.

Sleep is also the time when the body heals itself the most. A lot of energy during sleep is utilized to do bodily repairs. Just because you aren't conscious doesn't mean that nothing happens!

Finally, not getting enough sleep can put a lot of stress on you, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Trust me: no one wants to be around you when you are moody and cranky and feel like crap and want to voice that to everyone around you.

I'm debating right now on whether I should attempt to go to sleep again, or if I should continue to look up cures for insomnia. Funny, actually: I went to Google.com and typed in the words "cures for" and the first thing that popped up in the dropbox, out of everything that there could possibly be a cure for, "cures for insomnia."

Well, my friend, if you are indeed reading this at a time when your eyes should be closed and little z's should be partying with numbered sheep in and around your head, I bid you good night and good luck.

Muggy Day... Perfect Day For a Lazy Blog Post!

2010-07-13T21:44:00.004-04:00

SooooOOooo... since I got that Psychology GRE studying book, I haven't cracked it. Eeep. I did though, register for the test, so I really should start working on it. The only thing is that I'm not exactly sure how to work on a book that I got on loan from the library other than photocopying the parts that I would normally write on. The problem with that, now, is that I like to write on everything. Highlighting, pen, pencils, scribbles, drawings... anything that will help me to solve a problem usually leaves some sort of paper trail. My current master's thesis proposal, for example, is currently all over numerous papers. Sigh...

I'm quickly learning that not being in school in the summer and trying to work on a big project somehow enables me to want to be lazier than ever. This will not do.

In consideration of my daily vlog, though, I have been doing very well with it. I'm weirdly proud of it. People are asking me questions about books and wanting to know my opinion on something. They are taking my advice. It's uplifting!

Meanwhile, in trying to motivate myself I've found that I just don't work the way that I do while I'm at school. I think that this is because when it is the school year I am running away doing a lot of things, studying, working as hard as possible... taking on something like studying for a major standardized test sort of just fits into what I'm already doing.

It's also not particularly helpful that there is just so many fun things to do during the summer and that all of my friends' schedules are massively open for event planning. Gah! Fun! It's getting in the way!

Okay, I'm just being a little funny there, but really: I find it difficult to mold summer into a productive work time when everything around me is fun or everyone around me is having fun. Hmm... I'm not trying to say exactly that studying and reading and writing isn't fun. For me it is. Just a different kind of fun. The productive kind of fun that involves hard work.

Summer is popularly known to be the time to relax! I need to figure out a healthy balance and quickly!

The Psychology GRE

2010-07-06T21:24:00.001-04:00

Even though it is the middle of the summer, I have this problem in which I can't relax and I need to be doing something productive, anything, something... so I started this new project in which I make a video a day for a year. 365 days of videos is a pretty strong commitment in my mind, and so far I've made it to Day 49. I've been trying to figure out what to do to celebrate my reaching Day 50, which is tomorrow. I think I just figured out what: my return to this blog! So, if you are reading this because my Day 50 video blog sent you here, then welcome. Welcome to another part of my life, which is studying profusely for major standardized tests that have major sayings in my career path.

If you are reading this and you have no idea what I am talking about ("Video blog? What?"), then I would recommend for you to check it out on YouTube. My user name is katinatreesee. Here's a link!:

365 Days of Book Reviews and More

If you are here because of the vlog as well, then it should hardly surprise you that I am doing something like blogging about studying for the GRE, which stands for the Graduate Record Exam and is required by most liberal arts and sciences colleges and universities for admittance, along with GPA scores, recommendations, background experience, and the actual application nonetheless. To catch you up, I started this blog to assist myself and anyone who might be panicking about taking the GRE with studying for the said test. I took the test for the first time in January and got a score of 1400 (Verbal: 680, Quantitative: 720, Analytical Writing: 5), which is pretty good score for what I want to do. If you don't know what I want to do, it's to be a clinical child psychologist.

So, getting back to the intent for this post... I'm back! The time has come for me to begin studying for the Psychology GRE. I thought about it today because I was at the library returning a DVD and decided to do some browsing. I came upon the standardized test materials section and guess what was the first book that I read the title for? Yup... How to Prepare for the GRE: Graduate Record Examination in Psychology. It was like... fate.

Of course I took the book out for loan.

In other news, I've also been hired as a private GRE tutor for a Manhattanite school teacher who is looking to take the test as soon as possible. Pretty sweet. I'll let you know how it goes... I'm supposed to start at the end of July.

Thus begins the journey again... another adventure filled with reading, writing, and statistics. Oh, statistics... how you make me cringe with doubt in myself...

That's another thing, too. I am going to be taking an advanced statistics course this fall. Fifteen minutes ago I literally bought two of the textbooks that I will be utilizing in the course. It's going to be interesting... maybe I'll also write a little about statistics in psychology to help some souls out.

I hope that you all are doing well! If you are going to check out my vlog (video-blog...vlog), I hope that you enjoy it as well.

Cheers,
Katrina

Success!

2010-04-28T16:13:00.000-04:00

Remember the original point of my writing this very blog? Actually, going back a little further than that: remember why I originally had to take the GRE? It was so that I could apply for Graduate Assistantships on campus.

Guess what?

I GOT A GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP!
*insert celebration and celebratory dance here*

I am so excited... this means that I don't have to worry about tuition for the year I will be in school for my Master's degree! I am essentially getting paid to go to school. What a relief!

I still have not taken the Subject Test GRE for Psychology, but I will get around to it sometime this year. I am going to be applying for PhD programs in the fall, so I think that I will aim to take the Psychology GRE early in the fall or during the summer. I forget exactly when the subject tests are offered... I'll find out soon though. This week is the last week of classes, which means that finals are coming up, so I have all of that on my mind.

I can say happily, though, that I feel very relieved. :)

GA Application Is In!

2010-02-28T16:01:00.000-05:00

We'll see how this goes... I'm hopeful! :)

Analytical Writing Score Is In!

2010-02-01T11:43:00.000-05:00

Just got it a few days ago and have been forgetting to post it:

I got a 5.

Woo! Lol, such a simple statement...

That's not bad at all... 81st percentile apparently. Good for a psychology major!

Reactions to Scores

2010-01-21T16:53:00.001-05:00

Since I have taken the GRE I have of course been able to tell friends and family, professors and fellow students how I did. It is always interesting to see people's reactions. They range from the look that says that you don't know what to make of the score because you are not really concerned about taking the GRE, to pride, to jealousy, and to sincere congratulations. The most recent one was: *bewildered look* "What the....?!??!"

Wikipedia Info

2010-01-13T00:42:00.000-05:00

Here's some interesting information about the GRE, courtesy of wikipedia.org

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Record_Examination

Here's how I stack up according to the table on scores and percentiles:

Verbal: 680 was my score. That is 96th percentile.
Quantitative: 720 was my score. That is 75th percentile.

That means that I got a 1400! The averages for the verbal and quantitative sections, respectively are 457 and 586. Together that is a 1043. I got almost 400 points higher than that! Yay for me.

It's Been Over a Day...

2010-01-13T00:19:00.000-05:00

So I figured that warrants a write-up of everything that happened!

Got into the city really early because otherwise I would have been worrying about not getting to the place fast enough and the like. Got off the F train at Bryant Park and walked eastbound. Stumbled upon a Jamba Juice and decided that it would be a good idea to get lunch in me before I went into the testing place because I know that there is no food or drink allowed in there. I was planning on having a "big lunch" but I was way too nervous so I had a Jamba Juice oatmeal and M&Ms and OH MY:

Jamba Juice oatmeal: AWESOME

For those of you keeping count, there is in existence three things that have so far gained the evasive AWESOME points.

Studied the beloved Barron's GRE book, especially the Master Word List. Then I decided to walk a little further, but it was so cold I went into Grand Central Station to warm up. While I was there I read over all of the Key Points in the Mathematics Review (Chapter 14) and felt even more prepared.

Then I walked in the frigid weather (I love gloves, man. Gloves are almost awesome. Almost because it's annoying when I can type stuff into my phone.) to the testing place. Had a little bit of a scare because I didn't know that it would not be labeled on the outside, but I found it just fine. I'm glad that I got information on the location before I left, though.

I had arrived an hour early, but when I went up to the desk, the man sitting there asked me if I would want to take it now. I was surprised and told him that I'd like to take a little time to relax and unwind a little bit, so he gave me ten minutes.

Got my items checked into a locker, went to the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror and told myself that it'll be awesome, got all checked in (photo, procedures told to me, etc.).

Then I took the test!

Because I don't want to get in trouble I'm not going to write anything about the test other than that it took a while.

And then I finished, found out how I did on verbal and quantitative, had a mini-celebration in my chair, was really happy about it, and the guy who I talked to first asking if I wanted to take the test an hour early asked me if I wanted to sell my scores (as a joke). Huzzah!

I'm still waiting on the score I got on Analytical Writing, but I am very happy about my scores.

Just because I've taken the GRE doesn't mean that this blog is going to end, mind you! I still have to take the Psychology GRE! I think I'm going to take it in April, but I don't want to really think about it right now because I just want to relax while I can (two days max?)...

:)

More Detailed Update to Come

2010-01-11T22:11:00.000-05:00

...because I have a headache right now and want to go to sleep soon.

But, important news:

I took them. The GREs.

*drumroll*:

Verbal: 680
Quantitative: 720
Analytical Writing: to be announced (score hasn't come in yet)

Verbal + Quantitative = 1400.

I would celebrate, but I'm just too tired! It's like I just gave birth...although I really don't know that feeling because I haven't given birth...but you get the idea. I am very happy about my score.

Time to sleep.

Today is the Day

2010-01-11T09:01:00.000-05:00

In less than five hours I will be starting the GRE, the four-hour long test that I didn't need to take, but that is still extraordinarily important.

My strategy is to leave where I am at 11AM, find where the place is, study a little, and then take the test.

I've studied hard and I'm going to put my very best foot forward. I will not be discouraged and I will work hard at the questions that I am given. I will be okay.

Maybe God Made It Cold to Make Me Stay In and Study

2010-01-07T18:04:00.000-05:00

It's freezing here! Anyways, cutting to the chase:

I stil haven't finished the Percent practice exercises in the Barron's book. I just kind of decided to move on from there. I'll get back to it...hopefully. Here's how I've done in other sections:

Ratios and Proportions Practice Exercises - 23/25
Averages Practice Exercises - 16/20
Polynomials Practice Exercises - 7/15 (eeeeww...)
Equations/Inequalities Practice Exercises - 16/20

I stopped at Word Problems for now.

Since my last update I've taken two addition practice tests: the GR90-16 and the GR91-17. I'll start with the former first:

On the GR90-16 I got a 660 on verbal and a 680 on quantitative! Together, that's a 1340, an 80-point improvement on the GR86-2! Woo! Remember that on the GR86-2 I got a 610 on verbal (so then, I improved 50 points) and a 650 on quantitative (that's plus 30 points). I took this test sitting at a small living room table and timed myself. It was nice to sit in a chair instead of my usual study spot: the bed. Here's a section breakdown:

Verbal Ability, Section 1: 31/38 (questions I got wrong: 7, 13, 18, 27, 30, 35, and 36)
Quantitative Ability, Section 2: 25/30 (questions I got wrong: 12, 14, 15, 18, and 25)
Quantitative Ability, Section 3: 26/30 (questions I got wrong: 15, 25, 26, and 28)
Verbal Ability, Section 4: 31/38 (questions I got wrong: 5, 23, 24, 25, 26, 34, and 36 [23-26...that was a rough reading comprehension!])

On the GR91-17 I got a 1380! That is a 40-point improvement on the GR90-16. On this one I got a 650 on verbal and a 730 on quantitative (whoa!). So, that is a 10-point drop for verbal (but that is still relatively consistent) and an improvement of 50 points on quantitative. This one I took on my bed like I did for the first one, but it was earlier in the day (afternoon) and I hadn't had very much to eat or drink yet. Go me. Here's a section breakdown:

Quantitative Ability, Section 1: 27/30 (questions I got wrong: 12, 29, and 30)
Verbal Ability, Section 2: 29/38 (questions I got wrong: 3, 5, 10, 14, 16, 22, 34, 35 and 38)
Quantitative Ability, Section 3: 25/30 (questions I got wrong: 9, 13, 17, 23, and 30)
Verbal Ability, Section 4: 31/38 (questions I got wrong: 21, 22, 23, 24, 34, 35, and 37 [21-24...again with the reading comprehension!])

On the quantitative sections I've been pacing myself almost perfectly, but I know that I will have a lot more time for less questions when I do the CBT, so I'm okay with that. On verbal I'm averaging 8 to 11 extra minutes, so I know that I need to slow down a little. Not to mention, on the CBT there won't be especially long reading comprehension, so I have time to really concentrate on it and read slower to get more information out of the readings. On the practice tests, the long reading comprehension seems to a place where I get the most questions wrong in the verbal sections.

I finished all of the word lists (800 words, 10 words per list... 80 word lists) and the little quizzes that follow each of them in Barron's Essential Words for the GRE. For that I'm proud of myself. I started on the root word lists and it's really interesting. I know that I have to go back and spend time studying the Master Word List, but yay. I think that I've mentioned this before, too, but I've been recognizing words that I've recently learned, and when that happens on the practice tests it's really exciting for me because (for the most part) I can figure out what the correct answer is easier.

So, I've been finding a few mistakes in my GRE books. There were a few in both the Barron's GRE prep book in the quantitative review section and in Essential Words for the GRE. I think that I found one in the Princeton Cracking the GRE book, too.

Now I'm HUNGRY.

Funny Conversation Regarding the GRE on Meebo.com

2010-01-04T23:49:00.000-05:00

me: but im going back a little earlier because i ahve to take the gre on the 11
friend: yeeesh
friend: how do you feel about that?
friend: like, confidence wise
me: like...
me: fml
me: lol
friend: haha
me: if i have to take them again then im going to take them again
me: it was really short notice i just feel like i should take them because i want to be a graduate assistant next year
friend: oh yeah that would be good unfortunately you have to go through hell
friend: but fml is decent progress
friend: i would have killed myself personally
friend: lol
me: lol
me: this is crazy i know but i have a blog about it
me: http://katrinahasamonthtostudyforthegre.blogspot.com/
friend: haha
friend: awesome link
me: i bought 4 books and a friend gave me four more and ive been studying like a freak lol
me: thanks lol
friend: cant trust books. the printed words are LIES!
me: lol my vocab has improved a lot but i freaking HATE math
friend: i wouldnt expect you to love the devil
me: LOL
me: that is seriously hilarious
me: i'm putting that on my blog LOL

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T22:16:00.000-05:00

Remember when I said that I was going to write while I was in North Carolina? Haha...didn't happy obviously! I was having too much fun with family. I did study though! I've been doing a lot of studying. The pile of GRE books at my feet really is incredible. I just carried it and my laptop downstairs and that has proven to be an arduous and onerous task indeed.

Dare I write New Year's resolutions?

"I'm going to study for the GRE more."

Okay!

Here's what I accomplished since I last wrote:

Completed the Princeton Review's Word Smart for the GRE 2nd Edition, one of the books that my friend had given me. She had done up to Quick Quiz 21, leaving 22 to 65 to be done. Finished the book in a couple of days. It was a long car ride, after all. The only things that I did not pay much attention to were the Final Exam Drills where the testee would have to make a sentence. This kind of exercise is supposed to help with analogies, but I didn't have much patience for them, I think because it wasn't going fast enough. I just might go back and do them.

Been working in Barron's Essential Words for the GRE, the very first GRE prep book I got (during the summer...barely worked on it) and I should be done by tomorrow. I've realized that through studying by vocabulary has definitely gone up and I recognize words that I recently learned. So, that's good!

Been working on the Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE 2010 Edition and I started on the Hit Parade, like I wrote about in a previous post, but I'm going to hold off for a little bit and do them all at once.

Stared at the Kaplan prep book, opened it for a few seconds, and decided not to use it yet.

Started working on the math sections in the Barron's book and realized that I hate math. I got a 12/15 on the General Math Strategies Practice Exercises and a 5/15 on the discrete quantitative practices exercises (YEAH...I know. Gross). So, respectively, those are Chapter 10 and 11. Chapter 12 is on quantitative comparison questions and I got a 12/15 on the practice exercises for it. Chapter 13 is about data interpretation questions and I got an 6/15 on it (gross as well...I need to work on these more).

Chapter 14 is "Mathematics Review" and I actually really like this chapter because it has these awesome things that they call "Key Facts", of which I've taken the liberty of starting to write them down. It would probably be easier to type them all up, but I like having them all on a few sheets of paper that I can study from instead of on a laptop. (Sure, I could print it. Leave me alone, I want to write them.) Here's how I've done on the practice exercises on specific subjects within the chapter:

Basic Arithmetic: 17/25
Fractions and Decimals: 22/25
Percents: unfinished.

The practice exercises on percents is unfinished as of right now because I sort of got frustrated in doing it and stopped.

So that's what I've done in addition to celebrating New Year's Eve, New Years, having family dinners, and generally having a good time.

I just realized that the CD-ROM that came with the book is missing...I'm wondering if my boyfriend has it.

This is exciting: I did an entire paper GRE practice test! I timed myself and everything...aren't you proud? It was General Test GR86-2 in ETS's Practicing to Take the GRE General Test 10th Edition. That means that I still haven't been able to do much practice on writing, but here are my scores for it:

Verbal Ability,Section 1: 30/38 (questions I got wrong: 6, 10, 12, 14, 16, 22, 24, and 35)
Verbal Ability,Section 3: 28/38 (questions I got wrong: 6, 7, 13, 21, 27, 33, 34, 36, 37, and 38)
Quantitative Ability, Section 2: 23/30 (questions I got wrong: 9, 11, 13, 20, 26, 29, and 30)
Quantitative Ability, Section 4: 24/30 (questions I got wrong: 11, 15, 18, 24, 25, and 30)

That means that I got a 610 on Verbal and 650 on Quantitative! That's a 1260, a significant improvement on the scores that I got on the Diagnostic Test that was in the Barron's book! Whoopee, this whole studying thing is working!

In consideration of the fact that I took the test in the comfort of my own room and know that I should get used to testing in any environment (so that what is happening around me affects me less), I'm going to test myself in various places. I'm considering asking friends if I could go to their houses so that I can take a practice test. You might think that I'm kidding...but I'm not.

In other news (that doesn't have to do with the GRE and what I feel like talking about because this is my blog...), the pipes are frozen and I can't go take a shower. I could go study more...but I don't want to right now!

GRE on Twitter

2009-12-30T01:17:00.001-05:00

Well, hey now!

I'm not sure if you would be able to see this if you don't have a Twitter account, but this is cool:

The Princeton Review (GREDailyTword)

Ho ho hoooo... devilish laugh... (okay, not really)

But, really, Princeton Review just got the ever elusive AWESOME points. So far I believe this blog has determined that the only other person/place/thing/abstraction that has received AWESOME points is Alton Brown's Good Eats: The Early Years (that was one of the December 28 posts).

Two More Hours Until 12-Hour Car Ride

2009-12-30T00:58:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to be sleeping for a while. I feel like being a little lazy, but I also feel like writing in here. So, I am. It's officially not my birthday anymore, but that's okay.

To the tune of "Oh, Christmas Tree"/"O Tenenbaum":
The GRE, The GRE
How annoying can it be
O, GRE, O GRE,
Mid-January I'll be free!
That is until the Psych exam
And then I'll buy some books and cram
Psych GRE, Psych GRE
I'll get to it eventually

To the tune of Auld Lang Syne:
Should all vocab words be forgot
And never brought to mind?
After all this, I should hope not.
If so, my teeth I'll grind.
The answers I must find, oh dear
The answers I must find!
The GRE...it worries me.
I'm gonna lose my mind.

I hope to update through the new year, but if not then there will be incredible updates to come!

Happy New Year!

It's My Birthday! Part II

2009-12-29T18:59:00.000-05:00

Today I went out to lunch with my boyfriend and a two of my best friends to a Japanese restaurant and for dinner my parents made burgers, corn, and mushroom ravioli. That is my birthday.

And, on my birthday, I did a lot of GRE studying. Hooray and ugh at the same time.

I'm essentially done with the verbal section of the Barron's book. Here's how I did on the Reading Comprehension Exercises:
A: 17/20
B: 18/20
C: 15/20
D: 16/20
E: 17/20

Fairly consistent, I'd say. I also finished the Word Lists! Now that's an accomplishment in itself. 9 days and 3,500 words separated into 50 word lists containing 70 words each. Yep. Here's the results of the ones I finished late last night:
#47: 13/15
#48: 14/15
#49: 14/15
#50: 14/15

After doing a but of tallying, I figured that this is how I fared on the tests:
Number of tests where I got a certain score:
10/15: 2
11/15: 2
12/15: 4
13/15: 13
14/15: 21
15/15: 8

After doing a some math, I figured that the average of all of those tests is a 13.46 out of 15, which is equivalent to 89.73%, but it's important to keep in mind that the tests did not test every word that is in the Master Word List. Not bad, though, in consideration. And, though this isn't really reliable, it's just interesting to look at: 3160.55 words. That's the number of words I should know by now that was in the Master Word List, according to the percentage that I got for the tests.

I wonder if the headaches I've been getting recently have to do with any of this.

I skimmed quickly over the section in the Barron's book on "Basic Word Parts", including "Common Prefixes". "Common Roots and Stems", and "Common Suffixes". My thoughts are that it's a little precarious to try to apply this method to words I don't know because there is still a good chance that the word actually doesn't mean anything near what the parts of it says it means. I'll keep them in mind. Loosely.

Thought that I will elaborate on perhaps another day: the analytical writing section is FREAKIN ME OUT. That's all for now on that matter.

For now I can put the Barron's GRE prep book aside until I start up math work. It's resting on top of the ETS book right now. Oh, so many pages...

I started on the Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE right after I put aside the Barron's book. The Princeton book is pretty much what I expect it to be: wordy, a lot of examples almost to the point of being too much, concentrating on approach and "how to crack" questions, and a dash of humor. Why do I expect that from Princeton? Because I was thinking that in their attempt to teach a person of... hmmm... "lesser mind" (dare I say?) who bought the book because he or she must consider him or her self incapable of tackling the GRE straight on with no preparation, Princeton would "dumb it down" and teach slow. Still, it's Princeton and that almost requires over analyzing and wordiness. Whatever. The book is still useful.

I'm on page 134. I skipped a lot of the blahblahblah, even though I do know that I'm going to go back and read it because I'm that pathetic.

Here's how I fared on the "drills" which I finished already:
Analogies Drill, Page 39: 9/9
Analogies Drill, Page 45: 10/10 (one of them I was a little off on, but I knew there was a relationship, which was the point of the exercise)
Analogies Practice Set, Page 51: 9/10
Sentence Completion Drills, Pages 60-61: (Pg 61): 5/7 (I dislike the approach)
Text Completion Question Example, Page 72: 3/3
Sentence Completions Practice Set, Page 77: 9/10 (the one I got wrong is the one I changed last second) on the regular fill-ins, 7/10 on the text completion questions. 16/20 as a whole.

I also started working on "The Hit Parade" groups (ummm...word lists. That is just so much simpler, but okay). The answer keys to the GRE Hit Parade Exercises for Groups 1-4 is located on page 151, for those who are trying to find it. Following the Hit Parade is "Beyond the Hit Parade" which is composed of two groups of words with no practice exercises, but are apparently still important to know. Princeton. Just put them in with the others. Just. Duh.

77 words + 76 words + 78 words + 72 words = The Hit Parade Groups, respectively. Princeton, why are you randomly assigning words to unequal groups? I don't get it. It's not even separated alphabetically! It's just divided up bizarrely.

52 words + 78 words = Beyond the Hit Parade Groups 1 & 2.

All in all, the Princeton books offers 433 words and their definitions.

This is what the Princeton book says on the Hit Parade on Page 119:

"The Hit Parade
You should start your vocabulary work by studying the Hit Parade, which is a list we've compiled by some of the most frequently tested words on the GRE. We put together this list by analyzing released GREs with out computers, as we keep tabs on the test to make sure that these words are still popular with ETS. At the very least, answer choices that contain Hit Parade words make very good guesses on questions for which you don't know the answer.

Learning the Hit Parade will give you a feel for the level of vocabulary that ETS likes to test. Then it will be easier to spot other possible GRE words in your everyday life. Each word on the Hit Parade is followed by a part of speech and a brief definition for the word. Some of the words on this list may have other definitions as well, but the definitions we have given are the ones most likely to appear on the GRE.

We've broken the Hit Parade down into four groups of about 75 words each. Don't try to learn all four groups of words at once - word with one list at a time. Write the words and their definitions down in a notebook or on flashcards. it is very important to write them down yourself since this will help you remember them. Just glancing through the lists printed in this book won't be nearly as effective; you need to make these words your own. After each group of words, there is a set of exercises consisting of a definition quiz, a matching quiz, and some GRE questions utilizing words from that group. Don't do these right away. Spend some time studying and learning the words first, then use the exercises as a way to test yourself. If you still have difficulty with the questions, go back and work on those words some more before moving on to the next group.

Now get to work!"

I'll take Barron's 3,500-Word Master Work List. Thanks.

It's My Birthday!

2009-12-29T00:35:00.000-05:00

Today is my 2nd palindrome birthday! Hooray! Yes, I will still be studying for the GRE. The birthday-related activities for today include going out to lunch with my boyfriend and one or two close friends and eating cheeseburgers/quesadillas made by my mom for dinner (I requested this as my birthday dinner, opposed to the usual pasta birthday dinner I like...craving burgers lately!). I already got my big present: this laptop. It's a combination Christmas-birthday-graduation present. And that's just fine with me! It's lovely and I love it.

Other activities planned for today arre studying for the GRE and packing for North Carolina. My family and I are driving down. Driving. It's a 12-hour drive. My dad has decided that we are leaving at 3AM. WHAT?

The reason why I am slightly irritated about leaving at that time shouldn't be because I want to spend the time on the road studying and leaving at 3AM cuts into major study time. It really shouldn't.

Anywho, today my boyfriend I am went to Barnes and Noble and not only did I get a present from him, which was Alton Brown's Good Eats: The Early Years (AMAZING), but I got to peek into Sparknotes' GRE prep book. It's not bad. I like that they inject humor into studying. I'd say that even though the 400-word pullout is helpful, I don't think it's as helpful as the 3,500 Master Word List I have in my lap right now (thanks, Barrons). I'm almost done studying it, too, or at least I'm almost done finishing studying it the first time. I do have to go back over words.

Here's a progress report:
On the Word Lists:
#30: 13/15 (Day 6)
#31: 13/15 (Day 6)
#32: 13/15 (Day 6)
#33: 14/15 (Day 6)
#34: 13/15 (Day 7)
#35: 14/15 (Day 7)
#36: 14/15 (Day 7)
#37: 14/15 (Day 8)
#38: 13/15 (Day 8)
#39: 11/15 (Day 8)
#40: 13/15 (Day 9)
#41: 15/15 (Day 9)
#42: 10/15 (Day 9)
#43: 13/15 (Day 9)
#44: 14/15 (Day 9)
#45: 13/15 (Day 9)
#46: 14/15 (Day 9)

Sentence Completion Exercises:
Exercise B: 14/20
Exercise C: 17/20

Analogy Exercises:
Exercise B: 18/20
Exercise C; 18/20
Exercise D: 17/20
Exercise E: 13/20

Antonym Exercises:
Exercise C: 13/20
Exercise D: 14/20
Exercise E: 13/20

I included all the finished Analogy and Antonym exercises because I can't remember if I mentioned them or not. I get the feeling that I did already, though.

Sidenotes

2009-12-27T13:52:00.000-05:00

There used to be a post that contained some venting here, but I decided that I should just focus on writing about the GRE. So, here goes:

Glad that I studied ahead yesterday because I went to a friend's party last night.

And...that's...basically all that has to do with the GRE right now. Whoopeeee!

Fun Days Coming Up...Studying Conflicts

2009-12-26T14:30:00.000-05:00

It's the day after Christmas! Which means that tonight is my friend's graduation party, at which there will be much merriment. And then in three more days it's my birthday! Which means that there will be much merriment as well. The following day is when my family and I are heading down to North Carolina to spend time with extended family who live there. Then, the day after that is New Year's Eve, which means that the next day is New Year's. THEN my love is going back home to visit his family two days after that.

This means that I'm screwed for studying time for the next week.

I plan on getting major blocks of GRE cramming in while I'm trying to not go crazy in the car with my family. Maybe that will give me some good conditioning for sitting still in one spot. Practicing working in uncomfortable conditions is bound to be beneficial to me for the testing day.

Here's a little update on the Barron's book progress:
Did some more work on Word Lists, antonyms, analogies, and sentence completions. Improved on the antonyms and analogies. The sentence completions are taking a hit right now. Maybe it's because my brain is getting used to looking at one or two words rather than whole sentences. I'm thinking that a cure for this is real reading. And I think that I could kill two birds with one stone by doing some reading comprehension practice.

I'm going to go take a shower so that I feel like a real person again.

Christmas Updates - Barron's Book Escapades Part 3

2009-12-25T23:13:00.000-05:00

In consideration of the fact that it's so loud in my house right now that it's basically pointless to study, I'm going to write in here. Since my last update I completed Word Lists 27 - 29. On the tests I got these scores, respectively: 14/15, 15/15, 10/15. I'm sure that you can discern that I'm getting a bit irritated from the noise. My older brother has the loudest man in the world over to visit. My boyfriend and younger brother are playing Modern Warfare 2. I had to ask for the volume to be turned down twice because they don't need sound to play the game and I need quiet to study. Icing on the cake: my mom asked me to put the Barron's GRE prep book away while we eat dessert (pun intended). Umm, hello? To cheer myself up I'm going to write about the words that I've come across so far that stand out, starting with the words that Barron's book fails to define in its own Master Word List:

"martinet N. No talking at meals! No mingling with the servants! Miss Minchin was a martinet who insisted that the schoolgirls in her charge observe each regulation to the letter." (pg. 218)

"erotic ADJ. Films with significant erotic content are rated R; pornographic films are rated X." (pg. 194) *Don't worry: the link is just the dictionary.com definition.

What Barron's did for the (... 70 x 29... - 2...) 2028 other words was give the emboldened vocabulary word, indicate what part of speech it was in abbreviated form, define the word, and then offer at least one example of a sentence that contains the word. The above two words were missing the key part of a definition: defining the word. Just, duh.

So far I've only come across one word that I was tested on that didn't have anything written about it at all: "candid" in the test for Word List 7 (pg. 175).

Now I'm going to write about the words that made me smile because I was channeling my inner-nerd:

"matrix N. point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die. Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the matrix of Western civilization." (pg. 218) Oh, The Matrix...

"gratuitous ADJ. given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for. Quit making gratuitous comments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion." (pg. 204) "GRATUITOUS AMOUNTS OF ENERGY!" Thank you, Powerthirst.

"juggernaut N. irresistible crushing force. Nothing could survive in the path of the juggernaut." (pg. 214) "I'M THE JUGGERNAUT...!" (explicit content) Who doesn't love videos of dubbed episodes of X-Men?

"aperture N. opening; hole. She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room." (pg. 166) This was possibly my favorite nerd-word because it has to do with the game Portal. I'm going to try not to go into too much detail here, but in the game the evil company doing experiments is called "Aperture Science" and the game has to do with making portals (holes that lead to other places). Here's the song you hear when you win the game: Still Alive by Jonathan Coultron, sung by Ellen McLaine.

I'm going to write more later on other fun words, but for now I'm going to stop writing and get back to studying because it's significantly quieter here and I'm feeling much better than when I started writing this post.

Hey, I didn't get to tell you yet!:

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Updates - Barron's Book Escapades Part 2

2009-12-25T20:08:00.001-05:00

Within Barron's GRE prep book is "the 3,500-Word Master Word List". This is an incredible list, despite the fact that the double mentioning of the word "word" in the very name of it irks me. There are 50 word lists in this giant word list, each list containing 70 words. Barron's advises the reader to do one word list a day and dedicate about an hour to each list. It's obvious to me that I need to speed that up a jot in consideration of the fact that I registered for the test much less than 50 days before the test. Within the past six days I have studied Word Lists 1 to 26. Here are my grades that I've received on the Word Lists (Barron's suggests not moving on to study the next list until the student has got at least a 12/15 on the test that comes at the end of the word list.):

(Word List # - Score - Day)

12/15 (Day 1)
15/15 (Day 1)
13/15 (Day 1)
12/15 (Day 1)
14/15 (Day 2)
15/15 (Day 2)
14/15 (Day 3)
14/15 (Day 3)
15/15 (Day 3)
14/15 (Day 3)
14/15 (Day 3)
14/15 (Day 3)
14/15 (Day 3)
14/15 (Day 3)
14/15 (Day 3)
13/15 (Day 4)
14/15 (Day 4)
14/15 (Day 4)
12/15 (Day 4)
13/15 (Day 4)
15/15 (Day 4)
15/15 (Day 5 - Christmas Eve)
15/15 (Day 5 - Christmas Eve)
11/15 (Day 5 - Christmas Eve)
13/15 (Day 6 - Christmas Day, today)
12/15 (Day 6 - Christmas Day, today)

The only test that I got less than a 12/15 on was Word list 24 ("immaculate - incessant"), and my score for that was an 11/20. I plan on re-studying that list thoroughly when I'm finished with the rest of the lists. Day 3 was a good day. Got a lot of studying done. It's still Christmas (I've got about 4 hours until it's not anymore), and I plan to do some more of the Word Lists. I've almost completed Word List 27. My plan is to do 5 or more Word Lists a day, or at least catch up to what I should be at the following day if I decide not to do 5 lists one day (as you can see above). Back to studying!

Christmas Updates - Barron's Book Escapades Part 1

2009-12-25T19:21:00.000-05:00

So I haven't updated in a little while. It's because I'm finally home for winter break, have been trying to get everything in order for Christmas, and actually been applying myself to this Barron's GRE prep book. Aren't you proud?

I've been doing some damage on this one.

I finished the diagnostic test before embarking on studying the information provided in the book and got something like a 450 on verbal and a 500 on math. Whoop-de-doo. Blegh. I've attributed this poor grade to my lack of vocabulary, not going over math enough yet, and the fact that I like to rush. All of these things must be remedied as soon as possible. Notice that I'm not blaming myself for not doing outstanding on the diagnostic test. It's because I know that I can do better.

I completed Chapter 4 on Antonyms. Here is a listing of of testing tactics that the book gives and my thoughts on each tactic:
1. "Think of a context for the capitalized word" - I like this, but it's hard for me to do.
2. "Before you look at the choices, think of antonyms for the capitalized word" - I like this one a lot.
3. "Read all the choices before you decide which is best" - Eeep...I need to work on this one because it's so obviously helpful.
4. "Look at the answer choices to determine the word's part of speech" - I like this one.
5. "Consider secondary meanings of the capitalized word as well as its primary meaning" - Eeep on this one, too. I like it, but it's difficult to do.
6. "Break down unfamiliar words into recognizable parts" - I like this one, but I need to be careful with it.
7. "Change unfamiliar words from one part of speech to another" - I like this one.
8. "In eliminating answer choices, test words for their positive or negative connotations" - Hmmm, I don't know about this one.
9. "Watch out for errors caused by eye-catchers" - Yikes because I've fallen into this trap. Need to work on it.

I bite at antonyms. These scores on the exercises will give you an idea how much so:
12/20, 12/20, 13/20, 14/20, and 13/20. Consistent, yes, but needs improvement!

I went over the tactics in Chapter 5, which is about Analogies, too:
1. "Before you look at the choices, try to state the relationship between the capitalized words in a clear sentence" - I love this tactic.
2. "If more than one answer fits the relationship in your sentence, look for a narrower approach" - Ok, will do, thank you sincerely! Good reminder to be careful.
3. "Consider secondary meanings of words as well as their primary meanings" - Eeep. Reminds me of the one that was in the antonyms section. It would be wonderful if words only had one meaning, but alas, English isn't like that.
4. "Watch out for errors caused by eye-catchers" - Good re-reminder.
5. "Look at the answer choices to determine a word's part of speech" - Good point. Like it.
6. "Familiarize yourself with common analogy types - Like a lot. Need to invest more time in this.

Here are the common analogy types, says the Barron's book:

Definition
Defining characteristic
Class and member
Antonyms
Antonym variants
Synonyms
Synonym variants
Degree of intensity
Part to whole
Function
Manner
Action and its significance
Words and article created
Worker and tool
Worker and action
Worker and workplace
Tool and its action
Cause and effect
Sex
Age
Time sequence
Spatial sequence
Symbol and quality it represents

Wow...basically anyway that a word could possibly relate to another word. Okay.
I've only done one exercise for this section, but things are looking up: I got a 17/20 on the exercise! Also, when I was going over the tactics I was able to apply what they were teaching in the book to most of the practice questions that went with each tactic. Hooray!

Chapter 6 is on Sentence Completion questions. Love this kind of question. Maybe it's because I got all of the practice questions that went with each tactic correct. These are the testing tactics:
1. "Before you look at the choices, read the sentence and think of a word that makes sense" - Love this tactic a lot. It works the best for me.
2. "Look at all the possible answers before you make your final choice" - Like because I am still rushing when answering questions, I think.
3. "In double-blank sentences, go through the answers, testing one blank at a time, not two" - I actually never thought about doing this. I thought that I'd screw it up. But I tried it and I love this tactic.
4. "Watch for signal words that link one part of the sentence to another" - Good to keep in mind. The basic kinds of signals the book elaborates on are: "cause and effect signals", "support signals", "contrast signals (explicit)", and "contrast signals (implicit)".
5. "Use your knowledge of words parts and parts of speech to get at the meanings of unfamiliar words" - Makes sense. Suspiciously easy.
6. "Break down complex sentences into simpler components" - This is hard for me to do. I feel like it would take up too much time. I'll keep it in mind, though.
7. "If a sentence contains a metaphor, check to see whether that metaphot controls the writer's choice of words (and your answer choice)" - this totally makes sense and I'm going to use it when I recognize metaphors. Like it.

As for the one sentence completion exercise that I did, I got a 19/20! Woot for me.

Stay tuned for more Christmas updates!

Kaplan Solicitation

2009-12-19T22:55:00.000-05:00

Oh, hey! I forgot to tell this fun story.

Two days ago I got a call from a Kaplan representative because I had signed up for more information about prep classes for the GRE a couple of months ago. He asked me if I would be interested in taking their classes to help prepare and then asked when I'm going to be taking the test. I said that I was taking it on January 11 and he said something to the effect of, "Well. That's not a lot of time at all. If you don't get the scores you want..." and then continued to talk about how in the future I should consider paying them mass amounts of money for courses or online classes because I'm a fool for signing up for a test coming up fast. Okay, he didn't say it like that. But he meant it like that! I could hear it in his voice. I was really nice to him, though, and said 'no, thank you' and that I hoped that he had a nice day. I'm kind of glad that I'm working with the books.

Update on the Barron's CD-ROM

2009-12-19T22:51:00.000-05:00

So... really all that is on the CD-ROM is the two tests that it says it has. No other perquisites. Bleh.

In addition to that, someone who wants to assess their strengths and weaknesses has to finish an entire test! Say for example I wanted to just see how I would do on the mathematics section. I wouldn't be able to do that on this CD-ROM! Boo that!

I guess that I'm going to have to hold off on working on the CD-ROM until I want to actually try taking a full test. What a waste of frikkin' time! Valuable study time! Grrrr, Barron's... already getting on my bad side.

Finished the ETS book

2009-12-19T21:22:00.000-05:00

Just finished Practicing to Take the GRE by ETS. Or rather, I finished the section that deals with re-teaching information. I haven't taken any of the 7 practice tests, yet. I'm figuring that I should do that when I'm not at school in a lounge with four other people who are watching television or playing Wii.

Towards the end of the mathematics review my brain starting slipping a little. I definitely need to review the information about geometry and data analysis. There were a few things that I don't even remember ever learning in elementary, middle, or high school let alone college. That's okay, though, because I'll get back to it in future studying. Hooray!

As for the section that went over what the two essays in the GRE are all about, I'm really happy that the book went into what the test graders look for in the essays. I think that if I didn't know any better, I would have written the way that they don't want to see.

I've decided that the next book I'm going to get involved with is Barron's GRE 18th Edition. Sure, Barron's is the self-proclaimed "leader in test preparation", but Barron's and I go way back...maybe like to before this past summer when I got the GRE vocabulary prep book that I never finished. Where did I put that thing anyways?

Another awesome thing about this Barron's book is that it comes with a CD-ROM that houses "two additional computer-adaptive model tests on enclosed CD-ROM." I'm going to crack it open and see what happens.

Finals Are Over!...So Beings the Next Three Weeks

2009-12-19T17:20:00.000-05:00

I just finished my finals this past Thursday and decided to give myself Friday off. Since my last post I bought all four of the books and a friend gave me all of her materials, which is good because my boyfriend registered to take the GRE today. I'm working on the ETS book: Practicing to Take the GRE (10th edition). I think it was a good way to start preparing. It summarizes succinctly math and verbal concepts. The way they present the information makes it easy to absorb the important information. It has 7 sample GREs from past years, too. I haven't gotten to that part yet, but I think that I'll take one every couple of days.

I've also been using freerice.com to enhance my vocabulary. Off to study!

Time to Get Bookish

2009-12-09T12:30:00.001-05:00

This is going to be a quick post because I have a meeting in about five minutes. Going to start getting prep books today! I'm so happy that a Barnes and Noble is within walking distance.

These are the two that I'm going to get my hands on right away:
Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE ($22)
Barron's GRE 2009 with CD-ROM ($35)

And I ordered these through B&N. They should be here in about a week:
Kaplan GRE Premier Program ($35)
GRE: Practicing to Take the General Test ($21)

Just have to say, too, that I'm glad that I renewed my B&N membership card. Considering the dent the prep books are about to make in my wallet, I definitely need that thing. Love being able to request books!

Well, Sucks for Me Anyways!

2009-12-09T01:26:00.000-05:00

After emailing the dean of my grad school, I found out that they are trying to get rid of the GRE scores as a requirement. That's good, then, as in less stress in applying to become a graduate assistant through the college instead of looking on my own (which I'm still going to do, anyways).

However, I still have already registered to take the test on January 11, 2010. This is what the ETS website says about rescheduling:

"To reschedule or cancel your registration, make your request no later than 3 days before your test date (not including the day of your request or the day of the test). The rescheduling fee is US$60. Your original registration fee must be paid before you can reschedule."

Okay, so if I decide to reschedule that will tack on another $60 to the already paid $150 fee for the test. Awesome. Blah.

This is what they say about canceling:

"If you cancel your registration no later than 3 days before your test date (not including the day of your request or the day of the test), half of the original test fee will be refunded. The other half will be used to cover processing charges."

Processing charges? What processes cost $75 that have to do with canceling taking the GRE?

After some deliberation, I've determined that I'm going to take the test anyways. Then at least I would have the scores. Plus, if I feel terrible about it when it's over, I could cancel the scores. That's good enough for me

SURPRISE! You have to take the GRE!

2009-12-06T11:43:00.000-05:00

I thought that I had things pretty set as an undergraduate senior in my fall semester. I already know that I'm returning to my alma mater for my Master's degree in Experimental Psychology next fall. Doing some research, internship going awesomely, staying on top of school work... things are going well. I figured that I would wait until the summer to take the GRE, or at least the middle of spring semester. I wasn't worrying too much about it.

But then, last night in researching applying to be a graduate assistant I found out that *hey! yeah! (WHAT?!)* I SHOULD TAKE THE GRE. (*DUH, KATRINA!*)

Oh. My.

It well may be that the GRE scores might not be really necessary for applying. Considering that I am already taking graduate courses, shouldn't it be better that I have some real life grades which reflect how I am actually doing as a student, in comparison to GRE scores which would indicate the probability of me succeeding as a graduate student? Brain-! Ow-! Gahhh!...The logic! It's- it's just not-! Why necessary?!

But still, why risk the chance if it turns out that having the GRE scores in is mandatory? How badly do I want to be a graduate assistant next year?

Badly enough to decide to register for the GRE today for January 11, 2010. That gives me a little over a month.

I am feeling a strange mix of fear and empowerment going on right now. My mind is really...just...wow. Words. There are none for this.

Within my conscience...
Katrina's superego: "DEAR, GOD!"
Katrina's ego: "I can do this."
Katrina's superego: "WHAT WAS I THINKING?"
Katrina's ego: "A month is enough time."
Katrina's id: "Nooooo!!!! Winter breaaaaaak!!!!!"
*Katrina's superego begins crying like a baby. Like a hungry, angry baby. (Serenity quote...I know.)*

My friends, this is the beginning of a journey. A one-month journey to insanity. This blog is for chronicling the adventure. I do hope that you enjoy it because I might not. We shall see.

To those of you who see in my daily activities, expect me to change significantly. I'm unsure how exactly to define those changes yet, so you know. But, I can tell you that it probably would be in your best interests to always have some sort of chocolate with you in case if I start freaking out. Or horse tranquilizers. Those would be okay, too.