Reddit mentions: The best graduate test guides

1.) Something that is grey.

technically it's gray, but i have a feeling you won't quibble over semantics




2.) Something reminiscent of rain.

sometimes when you get a really good rain it sparkles




3.) Something food related that is unusual.

the ingredients are edible foods




4.) Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!)

this is for my youngest daughter, she was named after it's author.




5.) A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it!

you have probably already read this book, but it's always worth reading again




6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related!

a gift card for less than $1




7.) Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...)

it even has a picture of a cat on it!




8.) Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it.

this isn't useful in any way, but it's the Boss so I feel compelled to have it.




9.) A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why?

this is one of my favorite movies of all time. it's magical, and funny, and beautiful, and it always makes me smile.




10.) Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain.

if i get turned into a zombie i would be able to use the knowledge contained in this book to disguise myself




11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals.

I want to be a librarian. I need this to study for the GRE to get into library school




12.) One of those pesky Add-On items.

I think this may be my only add-on




13.) The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why?

This game is out of print, so it's hard to find. I loved playing it as a kid and want to share it with my daughter who LOVES board games




14.) Something bigger than a bread box.

this is definitely bigger than a bread box




15.) Something smaller than a golf ball.

These are smaller than a golf ball. Maybe I could wear them when I go golfing. (I don't golf)




16.) Something that smells wonderful.

i think this stuff smells lovely




17.) A (SFW) toy.

Playing with this at work could get you fired, but not because it's explicit.




18.) Something that would be helpful for going back to school.

If I were going back to school I would definitely take my iPad. iPads are definitely helpful. I would use this to keep it safe.




19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be.

I have been making a lot of bath bombs lately. I use silicone molds like these to make them in fun shapes.




20.) Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand.

This book is about the song Hallelujah (which is a beautiful song) and how it became to be one of the most recorded songs in history. It was originally kind of a failure but somehow made it to the place where it is today where it has been performed by hundreds of musicians. I find it amazing that this song that almost didn't make it onto the album it was originally written for. When it did make it to the album it was a flop, yet here we are listening to this song that has become so popular.


fear cuts deeper than swords

I just went through the process of applying to sociology PhD programs last fall.

Not falling behind: the only suggestions that I have would be to regularly read journal articles related to your research. Also, if you have some funds I would suggest going to local sociological conferences and present your research/work if you can. It's also a great opportunity for your to network and get in contact with grad students, faculty, and professionals in your research. It's important to keep in touch with them over the years so that come application time, you may know someone in the selection committee and that definitely helps.

Preparing for grad school applications process: Speaking from experience, start early and keep your applications organized. Start looking at PhD programs that you're interested in and keep a hierarchical list according to top tier programs (e.g. UC Berkeley), middle tier programs (e.g. University of Oregon) and bottom tier programs (e.g. UC Riverside). For this list, I would suggest ranking them not only on the program's national ranking but how much the program would satisfy your wants and needs i.e. department research, faculty, funding opportunities, diversity, location, etc. Keep track of this list and narrow it down to however many programs you plan to apply to. Look for faculty in your research and read their work. Contact faculty, ask them provoking questions about their research, try to set up appointments to meet them in person. If not, try to build a relationship through e-mail. This would be a opportunity for professors to notice that you are taking the initiative to contact them and being active in sociological research. They will also remember you when they are on a selection committee for a PhD program or even on a committee for a position in academia. I'm not sure if you had to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for entry into your master's program, but sociology PhD programs require the GRE. My advice for studying for the GRE: start studying at least 6 months before you take the test and study regularly - it's not a test you can cram for the night before. I would say set up your own study plan and work off the [ETS Revised GRE prep book] (http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-revised-General-Test/dp/0071700528) Keep in contact with the people who will write you letters of recommendation - make sure you update them on what you've been working on for the past couple of years. It's helpful to give them your application materials so they can write you a strong letter of recommendation. For personal statements, just start writing and getting through drafts and get feedback from your letter writers. Keep track of transcripts - make sure they are submitted. Most applications are online and required unofficial transcripts but I would say triple check the transcript requirements.

PhD programs: I'm just starting my sociology PhD program, and from my own experience I can say that you definitely need to do your research on PhD programs and talk to graduate students in the programs that you're interested in. The program may seem promising but grad students may be miserable (and it's good to talk to many grad students to get multiple perspectives on the program). In terms of funding, usually PhD programs offer some form of support to students - whether through fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. Be careful though - look to see how many years the program supports and how many years it takes for students to finish. If there's a big gap, say a program offers 3 years of support and it usually takes students 7 years to finish (unlikely but may happen), then you would want to prepare yourself for applying for external funding once you are in the program. Definitely look into external fellowships that you are eligible for like the Ford Foundation (that's a big one) and the American Sociological Association minority fellowship. There are many external fellowships outside of sociology that you may be eligible for, you might have to dig deep to find them. I haven't officially started my PhD program, so I can't tell you my experience or how to navigate the program.

I hope this doesn't sound redundant as I'm sure you underwent a similar application process for master's programs. Please feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.

When I said "51 onward" I was referring to PrepTest 51 and onward. PrepTest, commonly abbreviated as PT are previously administered LSATs. Every LSAT is released as such, except for those pertaining to the February administration. The most recent PrepTest is number 77, which corresponds to the LSAT that was administered in December of 2015. Each PrepTest contains the four officially scored sections of the LSAT plus the writing sample question, it however does not include the experimental section as this would compromise future LSATs. When you purchase the LSAT PrepTest volumes, you do not receive explanations, only an answer key and percentile conversion chart to each exam. However, the LSAC has released a book called SuperPrep II which includes 3 PrepTests, of which is there not only an answer key, but official explanations to each and every question, explaining why the right answer to each is the, well right answer. Although the LSAC does not have an explanation for all of their PrepTests published, there are many forums, websites and even published books which will do so for you. For example, The Princeton Review will be shortly releasing "LSAT Decoded" which will explain all of the answers in corresponding LSATs(PrepTests) I listed the following books that I purchased and recommend. Go to your local bookstore and read a couple pages of the Prep Company's book and see if their method of teaching works for you, if not, find another. Lastly, I would like to say that it is of absolutely no trouble for myself, I am more than happy to help, and thus I wish you the best of luck in your endeavour! :D

I posted the links to the books I bought and have been enjoying, please take caution before purchasing it from these links, as I posted the Amazon Canadian links as I live in Canada. Anyway, I believe either the Kaplan Premier 2016-2017 or LSAT trainer are an absolute must, although you could get away with not getting a prep company strategy set, I strongly encourage getting at the very least a comprehensive all in one. Any more questions or concerns about anything related to the LSAT please feel free to send me a message/reply.

http://www.amazon.ca/10-Actual-Official-LSAT-PrepTests/dp/0986045519/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1457253768&sr=8-2&keywords=LSAT

http://www.amazon.ca/Official-LSAT-SuperPrep-II-Champion/dp/0990718689/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1457253768&sr=8-10&keywords=LSAT

http://www.amazon.ca/Actual-Official-PrepTests-Comparative-Reading/dp/0984636005/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1457253768&sr=8-9&keywords=LSAT

http://www.amazon.ca/LSAT-Trainer-remarkable-self-study-self-driven/dp/0989081508/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1457253799&sr=8-3&keywords=LSAT

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1937707784?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1937707776?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0990718697?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0986045543?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0986086231?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

You're at a 152, and you want to jump 13 points. You have a little over five months, and two breaks (Thanksgiving and winter/holiday break).

I know literally nothing about you except for what is included in that post, but I'd say you can improve 13 points (from a 152; would be a different story if you were at a 165 trying to improve 13 points to a 178) in five months.

I've gone through most of the legitimate books. From your post, I'm assuming you've only read/are reading the Powerscore books.

I'd recommend:

The LSAT Trainer,
Manhattan LSAT Logical Reasoning, and
The Blueprint for LSAT Logic Games

You said you're looking for vast LR improvement; if you can do that with the Logical Reasoning bible, great! That means you're smarter than I am, because I couldn't do it. MLSAT LR and The LSAT Trainer are significantly better at helping with LR. It's really not even comparable. As regards LG, PS LG is still very solid, relative ordering notwithstanding (I think PS calls it sequencing? the whole tree, with A > G/D etc.). I personally like Blueprint LG a little better, but with hard work, PS LG can definitely get you there.

There is a noticeable difference between MLSAT LR/LSAT Trainer and Powerscore LR.

After reading the books, you need to practice, and get familiar with individual question types/game types. How you want to do that is up to you, but I used the Cambridge LSAT bundle. It divides PTs 1-38 into question types for LR, game types for LG, and passage types for RC, so that you can focus on problem areas and work on proper habits/seeing patterns. It also has PTs 39-68 untouched, so you can just use them as regular tests. If you don't want to buy the whole shebang, I'd recommend you at least get the LR and LG bundles.

tl;dr: 152 to 165 in five months is definitely doable. Get The LSAT Trainer, Manhattan LSAT Logical Reasoning, the Blueprint for Logic Games (optional), and the Cambridge sets.

Here are the links to what I referenced in this post:
http://www.amazon.com/The-LSAT-Trainer-remarkable-self-driven/dp/0989081508/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377229180&sr=8-1&keywords=THE+LSAT+trainer

http://www.amazon.com/The-Blueprint-LSAT-Logic-Games/dp/0984219900/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377229201&sr=8-1&keywords=Blueprint+for+LSAT

http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Logical-Reasoning-Strategy-Edition/dp/193570785X/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377229214&sr=8-2&keywords=Manhattan+LR

http://www.cambridgelsat.com/bundles/ultimate-prep-package/

HTH

I think that the content of this post, especially for someone looking at Physics PhD programs, is spot-on. Focusing on grades now and getting into research ASAP are basically the two things you should do in the short term.

/u/luxuryy__yachtt is completely right, chronologically speaking, to leave the Physics GRE (or pGRE, as it is unaffectionately known) to the end. However, I want to emphasize just how important that test can be to your graduate hopes. It alone will not open any doors to you, but a poor performance on the pGRE can definitely close doors in a hurry. More leeway here is given to students from top undergraduate programs (think Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT), while students from lesser-known programs have more to prove with their pGRE score, but do not take it lightly either way. I have friends from [insert elite, private university] who didn't take the test seriously, ended up doing poorly, and ended up being effectively locked out of the top 10 or top 20 for PhD programs.

Some (very top) programs seem to use pGRE scores as a hard cutoff and – at the very least – will look very critically at the rest of your application if your score is subpar, which is really unfortunate. The test is pretty dumb and effectively tests your ability to answer a bunch of questions about freshman-level physics really, really quickly, but scoring well (e.g. above 80th percentile, which is an 860) can be the difference in your application. For that reason, it is worth taking the time to ensure that you do well on it.

Now that I have hopefully scared you into caring about this exam, let me give you a quick DO's and DON'Ts in bullet format:

• DO take the Physics GRE seriously – the GRE General is a joke, but the pGRE is not to be trifled with
  
  
• DO study for the Physics GRE – how much study time you need will depend on your target score and how far away you are, but be prepared to dedicate a significant fraction of a summer to this
  
  
• DO NOT look at released exams yet – there's a limited number (5) of released exams currently available, so you should not be looking at them or solving problems from them yet, that way you can ensure to have a few exams with which to practice in a few years
  
  
• DO NOT worry about studying for it YET – you'll have ~3 years of physics classes under your belt by the time you take this exam, don't stress over the pGRE, or studying for it, just yet; that time will come eventually
  
  
• (when it is time to study, i.e. during/after your junior year) DO use Kahn and Anderson's book (Amazon link) – this is a great book that will walk you through the material you need, and comes with three (additional) practice exams
  
  TL;DR Follow /u/luxuryy__yachtt's advice. Just remember that the Physics GRE is a test that exists, will be very important to your grad school admissions, and will be something that you need to prepare for if you want to get into a top tier program. The details of the exam can get ironed out later; for now, just do your best to master the material in your classes and get involved in research.

> Well, I just saw this post and want to clear up a few things

Here is the original thread she is referring to. The suspicions/concerns raised there definitely have merit.


>not only did I teach the Binary Solution course at Columbia Law School (and subsequently at the College)

True, based on this article from Columbia's student paper in 1997: [LSAT Course Proves Helpful]
(http://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/columbia?a=d&d=cs19970528-01.2.18#)

> I was invited by the then-Dean of Minority Admissions (Dean V Amory) to provide the course at the law school after she saw the videos of my games algorithm

True, based on this flyer from CUNY:


> (a section I cracked long before most of today's companies existed).

??? Just makes you sound arrogant ??? A lot of companies have been around just as long as yours...

> Furthermore, BinSol is, and remains the ONLY complete and general solution for the LSAT, and has the only Casebook that completely explains the LSAT in one volume because it is a true Casebook (not just a collection of past LSAT questions). A Casebook contains a collection of typical and boundary cases organized along the lines of a theory of classification.

This sounds like gibberish. And Mike Kim would like to have a word with you about your book being the only book/course available that covers the entire LSAT in one volume (and his book is sitting at 4.5/5 stars on Amazon with over 160 reviews).

> I could go on in detail, but it's best to just see the best course at one of our free previews at NYU (next one is in Feb 13-14, RSVP here www.binarysolution.com) as for this thread it's clearly the product of competitors, and predictably culminates in a link to another prep course.

You market your course here and in the same sentence attack other people for doing the same?

> Our small, smart course has dealt with attacks since it's inception-- and for good reason -- it's still the simplest, most powerful solution to the LSAT, and reduces each question on the LSAT to a single, bright line, either-or adjudication. And we don't require that you identify the question either - because the method is based on a semantic deconstruction - so you learn to solve as you read. Which makes the approach more natural and Rapid than any other.

More gibberish. With no evidence. WTF is "bright line"? Why is it more natural? How is it more rapid?

> So get the facts first- hand of you are reading this, and when you read something about us make sure to cross-check (eg, read the filtered reviews on Yelp), cause test prep is big business, and companies are known to post in the blogosphere . Good luck !

You know sometimes people write bad reviews...a method won't work for everyone.

---

After reading this post and reviewing Binary Solutions' website, everything about you and your company just feels off. Your writing would make me extremely wary of taking your course and of any claims you make.

My recommendations:

• Perhaps do some editing/self-reflection before making public posts like this
  
  
• Your LSAT scores, a lucid explanation of your method, and more evidence backing up your claims would make many more amenable to taking your classes. Rants about competitors attacking you, jargon-laden/highfalutin descriptions of your methods, and bitching about poor reviews just make you sound...scammy and paranoid.
  
  ---
  All in all, this post/situation is just strange.

1. LOL, I've been in 2 different states and 4 different towns in the past 4 years. Licenses are very easy to transfer, don't worry about it. You are likely at a time in your life where picking up and moving about is still very easy. Later in life, kids happen and parents may require extra care and the flexibility you have now can become much less of a possibility.
   
   
2. I wanted to walk to school, so I made sure to find an apartment close to campus. Larger schools will likely offer some sort of resident assistant program which could potentially get you in campus housing for much less/free.
   
   
3. Practice makes perfect. Go to the library and check-out study guides from years previous. Take a couple, score them, and address any weak spots.
   
   
4. I love learning. As crazy hectic as grad school is, this is the last time you get to sit down and have some incredible minds tell you incredibly interesting things day after day.
   
   
5. It sucks, and I should have gone to a cheaper school. Luckily, I'm not a complete financial moron and have paid over half my debt in 4 years post-graduation. /r/personalfinance is a wonderful resource.
   
   
6. I did take a year and a half off between a very grueling undergrad and grad school. Many things happened - I had more financial stability, I gained geriatric experience, and I grew up. Instead of worrying so much about school, I was able to look at it with more of a "job" mentality which made it MUCH less stressful. Also, I didn't lose my grasp on the material and found that I was able to review anything I was less familiar with very quickly.
   
   
7. HA. No seriously, it hasn't come up on ANY of the interviews I've done. Once you have your CCC's it's mostly a non-issue. The only instance I can see being relevant would be a PhD/research-based condition. The caveat would be I imagine that some places are more regionally familiar with a certain school, but your skills as a clinician are infinitely more important at the end of the day.
   
   
8. It's way better than I thought. I've taken risks with jobs and it's paid-off. Challenge forces you to adapt and improve much faster than complacency.
   
   
9. It's this question that made me post. It sounds scarily like me around the same time. Generally speaking, center yourself around a major metro/suburban area and you won't hurt for work. It may not be The Career, but it will be A Job, and those are just as important. But most importantly, whatever you do, do it for yourself. In rather eerily similar circumstances, I had a boyfriend (now ex, lol) during grad school who was a geologist going to school and planning to work in Colorado. There was pressure (both direct and indirect) from him and from a relationship standpoint for me to make career choices that would be more complementary to the lifestyle we thought we wanted. I was tempted to compromise, thinking it for the best of the relationship, but ultimately stuck to my guns and prioritized my education and career instead. To make a long story short, he didn't work out, but everything else did. And among the many reasons I found myself increasingly non-compatible with someone I dated for the better part of a decade ultimately had little to do with my job choices and a lot to do with him being a massive douchebag. Regardless of what you decide to do, make sure you do it for yourself!
   
   
10. n/a
    
    
11. My typical work week is 40 hours with frequent opportunities for overtime. I really enjoy the wide variety of patients with whom I work and being able to learn as much from them as I hope they learn from me. My setting sees adults exclusively (youngest patients around 16 or so) with geriatric adults being seen most frequently.

Yeah, I'm SO happy with the result! No lie I cried a little at the end when it spat out my score and I'm sure it was embarrassing for the lady who helped me check out afterward.

I can't recommend Official Guide to the GRE enough. It's really good at teaching you all the math you need, but I think this ETS math review pdf is the same as in the book? Anyways the good thing about the book is it has two full length, official practice tests that are a similar difficulty as the real test and loads of practice questions. I did every question in here and read the math review like three times.

ETS has two more free official practice tests, same thing as the ones that come with the CD in the book. I did both of these too and half of the Manhattan Prep free practice test to practice quant.

For more practice questions I used the Manhattan GRE and Ready4GRE phone apps. They give you some free and you can pay if you want more. The Ready4 questions felt like good practice to me and the Manhattan ones were a little harder than the ones in the ETS book.

All my friends recommended signing up for Magoosh. I didn't because it is pricey, but sometimes people sell their accounts if they still have time on their subscriptions so check GRE facebook groups or /r/GRE. They have some free things: some video lessons and practice problems, and explanations of problems from the ETS practice tests/practice books. I heard the Princeton Review and Kaplan practice tests and questions are too easy compared to the real thing, but the Manhattan Prep 5lb Book of Practice Problems, official ETS extra quant book and extra verbal book, and Manhattan Prep study guide set are all supposed to be good.

This is my second time taking it. I def did not prep enough for the first one! This time I did a full practice test first for a baseline, wrote down topics I was bad at, read the math review, did the exercises from the book, and did all the practice problems from the book. Then I took another practice test, started doing questions from 3rd parties, and spaced out the rest of the practice tests.

For the writing I read a lot of sample essays that scored a 6 or 5 and made outlines for different essay prompts. I was too lazy to write even one full practice essay though so I might have bombed that part, ahaha. I spent about a month studying and $20 on the ETS official guide.

TBH I might be taking the GMAT now so maybe I'll join you guys. Good luck studying! :)

Here's the thing. If you enjoy that workbook, and are learning words from it, you probably won't regret the investment. An engaged mind is an effective mind, and you'll definitely forget all of your flashcard words if you aren't motivated by them. So don't spend half of your study time on the book, but it sounds like a good supplement for you.

I am a big fan of learning vocabulary in context by reading high level material like the New York Times or The Atlantic. If you see unknown words, look them up. You don't have to drill them into your mind, but remembering the context in which you saw it will likely make it stick better than you think. And some words you'll see repeatedly. Those are the goldmines. Seeing a word multiple times in context will help you form your own idea of it.

Reading also helps with your reading comprehension (duh), ability to track with arguments, and recognize proper collocation, which is at least as important on the GRE as vocabulary alone.

Keep practicing the verbal material in the official guide as well. That stuff is way ahead of any other third party source. You'll really want to get to know those questions. Spend time analyzing them, seeing the traps, and learning why the right answers are right, especially for problems you get wrong. That should keep you busy for awhile, and be the difference between more than a few points.

160 is a pretty darn good score, but it's achievable. Feel free to let me know if you have any more specific questions or concerns!

​

​

Much of the logic required for the test is shared among sections, so studying for one helps the others. Also, each section tends to require a slow progression because you are basically changing how you think, so a lot of people recommend intertwining the three to some extent.

Logic games are usually the quickest to improve on, so a lot of people start with more of a focus there. This allows you to shape your mind to LSAT faster and can help with the other sections. It also gives you a sense of progress and accomplishment.

Reading comprehension and logical reasoning are basically how well you pay attention to what you read and how you logically connect the provided information, so how fast and to what extent you pick those sections up depends on how well you build those skills. Sometimes that takes days to see drastic improvement (I had a student go from the mid-teens to the mid-twenties on RC in a day because he changed to a more effective approach), but often it takes months (usually because one is just practicing instead of changing what he or she is doing wrong).

First, I recommend that you take a practice test. You can access June 2007 for free. This will help you to determine what needs the most work. You will eventually want to buy at least some of the official preptests (all are good, but newer is more relevant and therefore more important):

• PrepTest 77
  
• PrepTest 76
  
• PrepTest 75
  
• PrepTest 74
  
• PrepTest 73
  
• PrepTest 72
  
• PrepTests 62-71
  
• PrepTests 52-61
  
• PrepTests 29-38
  
• PrepTests 19-28
  
• PrepTests 7, 9-16, 18
  
• 10 Real LSATs Grouped by Question Type: Manhattan LSAT Practice Book
  
  Then, I suggest working with a set of prep books or online lessons. A lot of people like 7Sage, the LSAT Trainer, and PowerScore, but there are other options as well.
  
  Three pieces of advice:
  
  1.) Don't blow through all of your practice tests - even though there are 77 of them - a lot of people who start early tend to run out. That leads to:
  
  2.) Don't take a lot of practice tests early. Your job is not to practice your current (bad) habits; instead, it is to identify what aspects of your approach you are doing wrong and make a conscious effort to fix them. You will get much more out of slow, untimed, exhaustive, reflective study than out of plowing through lots of practice tests expecting something to change. If you are not improving yourself, do not just continue to take practice tests - instead:
  
  3.) Don't be afraid to look into a tutor. An experienced one can usually diagnose issues and sometimes that is more efficient and effective than working through it on your own, especially when you are stuck and struggling to improve. That can be expensive sometimes, but it can also be the reason why you get into your target school and/or the reason why you get a scholarship (my prep, many years ago, paid for itself many times over).
  
  Good luck!

>I didn't say they wouldn't have to work hard or take advantage of other opportunities (Kahn academy, online tutoring, supplementary materials), but you implying that they can't under any circumstances achieve an education?

This sounds dangerously like bootstrap nonsense. Yeah, sure, an inner city kid can get a good education by going to their run-down public library and watching 4 hours of Kahn academy videos a day. Without any academic support system. Without a reinforcing social environment. Without a stress-free suburban lifestyle. (You'd be surprised how easy it is to study when you don't have to worry where your next meal is coming from.)

I'm a college student. My family is pretty well off. I consider myself ridiculously privileged compared to a less well-off peer:

• I don't have to spend 20 hours a week working, so I have more time to study, and i'm not tired or stressed out when I do.
  
• I don't have to stress out about loans, or spend hours doing paperwork and arguing with student loan companies
  
• I can afford brand new laptops, the newest editions of the textbooks, plus any supplementary material I choose, without worrying about it.
  
• I can afford the best tutors, prep classes, prep books, etc
  
• I can freely take summer classes (where no financial aid is available), giving me a leg-up for the next year.
  
• I have a car, which allows me to do many simple tasks (grocieries, doctor's appointments, etc.) much faster than if I had to bike or take public transport. Again, more time to study or relax.
  
  Far from an exhaustive list. And that's just the privilege of being upper middle compared to regular middle class. Think about what you're saying.

Hi -- your LSAT score is good for five years, and most schools now consider only your highest score. So, if you'd like to take it this Oct to have a score under your belt for whenever you decide to go to law school, you can definitely do so. I suggest you take the exam whenever you have a good chunk of time and motivation to prepare, and that you take it with enough time after so that if you need to take it again to get the score you want, you can do so.

BTW, I am the co-creator of Manhattan LSAT, and I've developed a new book that you may be interested in. Here is the amazon link:http://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Trainer-remarkable-self-study-self-driven/dp/0989081508/ref=sr_1_22?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373646806&sr=1-22&keywords=lsat

and here is the top-law-schools discussion of my book --
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=209573

and here is the website for the book -- http://www.thelsattrainer.com/

on my site, you can download the first chapter of the book for free, and I think that chapter will have a lot of the basic information about the LSAT that you are looking for.

I hope that helps! Best of luck with your prep. -- Mike

I used 7Sage and this book: http://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Trainer-remarkable-self-study-self-driven/dp/0989081508/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426031750&sr=8-1&keywords=the+lsat+trainer

That book is amazing and really breaks down the deconstruction of arguments in a way that just clicked for me. Not particularly helpful in the LG department, but thats where 7Sage came in.

So I would say that book is great for boosting LR and 7Sage is great for boosting AR (LG). The book also had some decent methods of breaking down RC.

Good luck. Glad I'm done with all that.

From a 147 to a 165 is a pretty large jump, but likely achievable if you have the time. So by next June or October? Perhaps. But probably not by February if that's the test you're going for. If you have the discipline, self-preparation is the way to go.

I would suggest starting out with the Powerscore LSAT Bibles (one for each of the sections), as internet collective wisdom has separated these out as the "best" books with which to begin. Link on Amazon. They are not cheap, but are much cheaper than a prep course.

Next, get some actual tests (ACTUAL past ones, not ones produced by testing companies to save on licensing costs) and go through them untimed, analyzing as you go. The key part is the analysis. It doesn't matter how many tests you practice with if you're not analyzing, for every question you got wrong, or even wondered about but guessed correctly, EXACTLY why the right answer was the right answer and why EVERY other answer was incorrect. Link on Amazon.

If you need more resources once you start breaking into the 160's or feel stuck, I would recommend The LSAT Trainer by Mike Kim. It's remarkably cheap given that it goes over each section, but I wouldn't recommend starting off with it necessarily unless you already have a good general understanding of the test.

Another online resource (beyond r/LSAT) which may be helpful is the TLS LSAT Prep forum.

Best of luck!

If it vouches for this process at all, I moved from a 164 to a 176 using essentially the steps above. So a 10+ point jump is not unreasonable, but it does take time.

I'd say don't take a class. You'll be paying a lot of money for a generalized approach intended to strengthen a bunch of peoples' GRE scores, instead of focusing on what you need help with. Suck at verbal and good at quant? A class isn't going to spend more time on verbal just because you suck at it.

I'd recommend hiring a good private tutor and/or joining Magoosh. Magoosh is $80 for six months and it's by far the best prep material I've found. It's all online and has videos teaching you different types of material. Those are like a Khan Academy for GRE prep. They also have questions and a quiz mode, so they throw questions at you and also give you an estimated score range based on how many you get right. The questions are much harder than the real GRE so they prep you really, really well.

I'd say also get the Manhattan Prep 5-lb Book of GRE Problems. They're really good, reasonably challenging, and harder than the real test. They don't teach you "tricks" as much as teach you the actual material you need. Avoid Kaplan and Princeton Review like the plague, since their questions often have a lot of typos and aren't good prep. Also for sure get the Official Guide to the GRE, since it's the only place to get official ETS questions. They resemble the ones on the actual test the most. If you're having trouble with a particular topic, Manhattan Prep also sells guides for individual subjects like word problems and geometry that are really good. ETS also sells books of Quantitative and Verbal questions for extra practice.

Good luck!

Hey,

Glad to hear you took your first two PTs under timed conditions. As for Prep Books, you might find that something other than Manhattan works well for you. Manhattan was my personal favorite, but don't hesitate to pick up The LSAT Trainer which is one book for all 3 sections or the Powerscore Bibles. The keys to LSAT Guides are their use of authentic LSAT Questions and reliable methods used in approaching these questions. You want to avoid companies like Kaplan, Barron's and Princeton Review because they don't meet this criteria.

Deciding when to take the LSAT is tough. When I said at least 3-months in my original post, I meant that 3 months has to be the absolute minimum amount of time. You might find that it takes you longer and that's okay. When I was prepping for the LSAT I read a lot of first hand accounts from 180 scorers. There was a lot of variation in their prep time. If I recall correctly some 180 scorers put in about ~3-4 months while others put in more than 12. What you don't want to do though is put yourself in an unrealistic timetable. I guess what I'm saying is that I don't know if you should push back your test or not. If you have already registered for the September LSAT see when the last day you can change it to December is. If you haven't registered, see when the final registration deadline is (though if you live in an area where a large number of people are taking the LSAT, waiting this long could present other problems). Your own prep will determine how long it takes and which test date is best for you. I will recommend that, if you get either the Powerscore Series or Manhattan Series, start with the Logic Games book. I have given other people some advice about prep material as well in the first and third posts here

To get an idea of the resources you'll need, I suggest that you take an official practice test. It may be the case that you're already scoring above your target score, in which case you may not need to prepare at all :-).

Resources-wise, be sure to get GMAC's Official Guide for the GMAT. For extra practice questions, the test maker has a quant-only book and a verbal-only book, each with 300 questions.

Regarding strategy, to achieve a solid GMAT score, you must:

1. Learn the concepts and techniques tested on the GMAT (e.g., circle properties, divisibility rules, past perfect tense, equation-solving, etc.)
   
   
2. Master GMAT-specific strategies (e.g., testing the answer choices, rephrasing the target question, identifying subjects and verbs in sentences, etc.)
   
   
3. Understand the many different ways the test-makers can test your knowledge of each concept
   
   
4. Hone your test-taking skills (e.g., endurance, time management, guessing strategies, etc.)
   
   Many students make the mistake of limiting their preparation to item #1 and perhaps item #2. So, once they fully grasp a concept and successfully answer 1 or 2 related questions, they move on to the next topic.
   
   The problem with this strategy is that the test-makers can take ANY concept, no matter how simple, and create dozens of wildly different questions, each requiring a different approach. Take, for example, the relatively simple concept of averages (arithmetic mean). The test-makers can take this concept and create super simple questions like this and they can create super hard questions like this, both of which test the same concept. So, to achieve a great score, you must answer A LOT of practice questions specifically-related to each concept tested on the GMAT.
   
   To find tons practice questions related to a certain concept, you can use the question-tagging tools at GMAT Club or Beat The GMAT. Alternatively, our GMAT course is arranged so that students can fully explore a certain concept. For example, at the bottom of the video lesson page for inequalities, you’ll find links to dozens of practice questions that test the specific concepts covered in that video. This format lets you fully explore the ins and outs of each concept.
   
   Finally, your study plan should include several full-length practice tests. Keep in mind that the GMAT is a test of your math and verbal skills AND it's a test of your test-taking skills. So, 700-level math/verbal skills, combined with 600-level test-taking skills, will likely result in a score that's closer to 600 than to 700.
   

Just going to play devil's advocate here. I've never bought any tutoring from Brian. The only experience I have with Brian is reading his comments/posts on the GRE subreddit, reading his GRE tutorial, and his GRE Vocab Book. Although his vocabulary book is hot garbage, his GRE comments are generally insightful and his free GRE tutorial is actually spot on. I've been following this community for about a year and his recommendations are usually pretty good. Not as good as gregmat but no one can really live up to the enigma that is GregMat.

Looking through your purported "evidence" I don't see any foul play here. It is at minimum true that Brian has tutored for 15 years, I don't think that anyone was under the preconceived notion that Brian has been tutoring the LSAT specifically for that amount of time.

Further, I've done practice material from the LSAT, the GRE, and the GMAT and I've got to say that there is a lot of transfer between tests. I'm reasonably certain with minimal effort that I could score decently high on the GMAT or LSAT as I have on the GRE. Even if Brian has less experience with the LSAT, his knowledge is still very valuable for the LSAT because many of these strategies/techniques are transferable between tests.

If you wanted to bash the way Brian incessantly avers his Harvard degree and his absurd tutoring prices, then I think the whole community would get behind that (Why most GRE prep material suck). But I cannot stand by and see a man's clear talent for standardized tests be the object of reproach in this way.

Looking for unis myself. As for GRE, I picked up the Barrons for Maths basics first despite what my friends said because I liked it. Then did some math from Kaplan. After that spent most of my practice time on questions from the Manhattan 5 pound book. As for words I used quizlet to mug words on pc. Felt it was much more effective than any other app. Especially the test generation and space race feature. Finally for the writing section I used tips from Kaplan and Barrons on the general grammar to be used while making points. I wrote about 5-10 essays for practice I guess. Asked a friend good with English to help review my essays and suggest where improvement could be done.

Anyway, ended up getting 327(V:160,Q:167) and 4 on the AWA.

Edit : Forgot to add one test series which I had used. The Kaplan book came with a free online account which I used extensively. While the maths seemed to be easier than the actual questions I encountered at GRE, I'd still call it a good source for practicing. There are several Kaplan books available so rem. to get one with an online account if you do. http://www.amazon.in/Kaplan-Premier-2014-Practice-Tests/dp/1609789369/ref=pd_cp_b_3 < This one.

Definitely take an official practice test first.

It may be the case that you're already scoring above your target scores, in which case you may not need to prepare at all :-)

Resources-wise, be sure to get ETS's Official Guide for GRE. For extra practice questions, ETS (the test maker) has a quant-only book and a verbal-only book, each with 200 questions.

As far as instructional resources go, the one that's best for you will be the one that best suits your learning style. We have a GRE video course you might want to try.

Finally, it's a good idea to have some kind of Study Plan. We have a one here if you're interested.

Cheers,
Brent

Get the main book done directly by ETS. Imo, it's the best one and has the most realistic questions.

http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-Revised-General-Test/dp/007179123X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1462402098&sr=8-2&keywords=ets+gre+prep+2016

I took my test in 2014, so you might want to double check that there isn't a newer edition (any edition should be fine, though, really).

Also, if you are just starting to study, I would recommend paying for full access on Magoosh. I think they are very good for the money and would be better than taking a class. It's all online, so you can study comfortably on your own time. Good luck!

I loved these two books for practicing (especially Magoosh!! I bought them on Amazon, but look around--you may find a better price), but I'll admit I really focused on the math part since that's what I needed the most practice on. The Magoosh book really breaks down the math section into the different concepts you need to know, a lot of which I hadn't talked about in school for a long time, haha. I also recommend taking practice tests in the same setup/format as you're going to take the real test.

If you want to do a bit of work in preparation for a GMAT class, be sure to get GMAC's Official Guide for the GMAT. For extra practice questions, the test maker has a quant-only book and a verbal-only book, each with 300 questions.

As far as instructional resources go, the one that's best for you will be the one that best suits your learning style. We have a free GMAT video course you might want to try.

Finally, it's a good idea to have some kind of Study Plan. We have a one here if you're interested.

Cheers,
Brent

Real, Official ETS GRE materials are are totally missing from your list.

ETS GRE materials are the best materials to practice with--especially for the Verbal section, where imitation questions can differ significantly from the real exam.

Below is an exhaustive list of all the official GRE preparation materials from ETS currently available:

1. PowerPrep Online (Free): 2 free computer-adaptive tests (CATs) containing 160 real GRE questions per test (320 total), along with a Test Preview Tool (18 additional questions and 2 more essay questions). Note: The PowerPrep Online GRE tests include the exact same 320 questions as the questions from this book.
   
2. Powerprep Plus Online ($40 per test with 90 days of access): 3 more CATs ($40 each with 90 days of access) that you can only take once per purchase. 80 real GRE questions per test, and 480 real GRE questions total, along with a Test Preview Tool (18 additional questions and 2 more essay questions).
   
3. Paper-Based GRE Practice Test (old version): Beware: only 22 questions on the old paper-based test are unique: the other 78 questions overlap with the free PowerPrep Online test #1. Do not take these paper-based tests until after you take the PowerPrep online tests, or your diagnostic scores on the CATs might be less realistic due to question repetition.
   
4. Paper-Based GRE Practice Test (new version): Beware: only 37 questions on the old paper-based test are unique: the other 53 questions overlap with the free PowerPrep Online test #2. Do not take these paper-based tests until after you take the PowerPrep online tests, or your diagnostic score might be less realistic due to question repetition.
   
5. The Official Guide to the GRE General Test, 3rd Edition: 296 real GRE practice questions, including 57 additional math exercises.
   
6. Official GRE Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions, Second Edition, Volume 1: 150 additional GRE Quant practice problems, along with answer explanations / test info.
   
7. Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions, Second Edition, Volume 1: 150 GRE Verbal practice problems, along with answer explanations and information on the test.
   
8. The Official GRE Super Power Pack (includes books #5, 6 and 7 in one bundle, sometimes at a lower price than the individual books).
   
9. The Official GRE Value Combo (includes books #6 and 7 in one bundle, sometimes at a lower price than the individual books).
   
   If you add up all the unique questions in these official resources, it totals about 1,600 official questions, which for many students is more than sufficient for a full GRE preparation. However, many students need more learning, strategy and practice than the official materials can provide. With that in mind, here are some additional 3rd-party GRE strategy and learning guides that we can recommend:
   
   
10. Manhattan Prep 5-Lb Book of GRE Practice Problems
    
11. Manhattan Prep GRE Set of 8 Strategy Guides
    
12. GRE Prep by Magoosh
    
13. Barron’s GRE, 22nd Edition
    
14. McGraw-Hill Education GRE 2018
    
15. Cliff’s Notes Math Review for Standardized Tests, 3rd Edition
    
16. GRE Vocab Capacity (disclaimer: also written by us)
    
    You might also want to consider purchasing the Manhattan Prep GRE CATs, which do not include real GRE questions, but are still (mostly) realistic and make for good practice if you need more than four CATs. The first exam is free, and you can buy six more for $39.
    
    We do NOT recommend Kaplan or Princeton Review books, which are decent for mid-level scorers, but too simplistic for the student who aspires to high GRE scores.
    
    Bonus: Don't forget about the GRE Big Book, which is now outdated, but has 27 old GRE tests, which are still useful, especially for Quant, despite subsequent changes to the GRE test format.
    
    Source: Vince and Brian's (Free) GRE PowerPrep Explanations

The first time I took the GRE practice test, I got a 148V/152Q. I am a math major, and honestly, I was not well equipped for the type of questions given on the test. I studied (for only two-three weeks) and ended up getting a 153V/166Q. I used this book to practice/prepare for the quantitative section (it is the one written by the test takers).

You still have time to take the exam and schools will likely only look at the best overall score you sent them. Sign up to take it exactly 21 days from when you originally took it, and have the scores prepared to be sent to all of the schools you are applying to. Buy the book I linked and take a full quantitative practice test. Figure out what type of questions you missed and where were you overconfident, and study that content and do more practice questions.

Finally, don't say stuff like this:

>This all makes me feel like I shouldn’t have even bothered majoring in engineering and giving my life to my department, because ETS has decided that my buck stops here.

I promise you that thinking like this will keep you from being successful and achieving your goals. You will have much worse failures in the future (as does everyone in academia) and it is important to learn from things like this. Don't question your worth just because of one occurrence where you didn't meet your own expectations.

Good luck!

5lb Manhattan book helped me immensely for the quantitative section. The ETS quantitative reasoning book is also a great resource.

Lastly, use Magoosh if you enjoy studying on the computer. The software Magoosh provides is well worth the money. The ETS website also has a bunch of mock-tests you can take too, so make sure you take those as well.

Good luck!

Have you used any of the official ETS material? I'd recommend reading through their math review, hitting the paper-based practice test and the 2nd or 3rd edition guide, followed by the ETS quant practice book. You can't beat several hundred questions straight from the test-makers.

Manhattan 5lb would be a good source of practice once you've completed the other stuff. The 2nd edition guide + quant/verbal practice books all come in a pack on Amazon called "Super Power Pack." If you don't have any of them, I'd overnight it if possible.

Good luck.

1. Different people will have different opinions about what makes a law school "good" so you should look at different resources and determine if Temple's program and outcomes qualify as "good" to you. That being said, there are several rankings out there, US News and World Report is the main one, ILRG has a sortable data table that's helpful, ATL also has a list, and 7sage has some good tools, to name a few. Other useful things to look into are the 509 reports and other ABA information for employment outcomes, grant amounts, and other good info.
   
2. Don't commute, it'll drain you, especially a 3-hour round trip commute. Also, buses can be really difficult to study on I personally cannot do it, I study at home and in the library almost exclusively.
   
3. A year seems like a long time to study for the LSAT, I think I studied for ~4 months. I would spend a few hours a day studying and I would do 1-3 time-constrained practice exams each weekend, tracking my progress for each test and for each section. I used an app (i think the 7sage one, can't remember now though) on my phone to simulate test room noise and time. I used the Powerscore Logical Reasoning Bible. Also, I would recommend subscribing to the Economist, its voice is very similar to the voice of the LSAT reading sections.

I highly recommend Magoohs book in combo with ETS books. Magosh breaks the math down better if that is your challenge. It also does a good job of teaching you how the GRE will trick you! Best of luck! https://www.amazon.com/GRE-Prep-Magoosh/dp/1939418917

Yes, I took it on July 5th. I used this book for practice tests mostly the week before the GRE. Every day I used this 5 lb. book of practice problems to go over math concepts I needed extra work on and these flashcards for vocab. It seems a little overkill in retrospect, but I was damn determined not to take it twice. All of these helped me enormously, probably about equally. By combining them I was able to raise my scores about 25 percentile points each between my diagnostic test to actual test day.

Best of luck! Just study hard and keep your cool and you'll do just fine.

YOU ARE CRAZY GENEROUS. Hi, and thanks for the contest!

I've got a crazy weekend. Tomorrow I have class 10-12, then my first flight leaves at 2. I get into my hometown at 6:45 and will rush to my dad's 50th birthday celebration which begins promptly at 7! I'm really excited to see my family. Monday morning I fly home in time for my 1:00 class!

I would really appreciate this. First off, it's $25, so you could maybe still gift someone else! Second, it's something I really need to study for the GRE. Practice tests REALLY help me.

What are YOU doing this weekend? Watching BTTF? 1.21 Gigawatts!

Where can I find the (up-to-date) tests? Or is there a book that I can buy that has a bunch of different ones? I'm planning on buying this so I'll have the 4 tests included with that but would like to take more as well.

They changed the GRE a few years ago didn't they? So, I'm sure this is a given but just in case, I'm looking for practice tests that are up-to-date with the new test. Thanks!

I would definitely recommend to start with this collection: GMAT Official Guide (OG) 2020

- Take the evaluation test in the beginning and review some of the basic materials/subjects. This should refresh the base knowledge you need to know as well as give you a feel for how the test is structured. Then, take a free practice test online (official gmat one). See how you do and proceed from there.

​

From the above, you should be able to get an idea of how well you can perform now and what gaps you may need to fill to get your desired score.

​

For more focused review on subjects/improving on weaknesses, I would suggest: https://www.amazon.com/GMAT-Manhattan-Prep-Strategy-Guides/dp/1506219705/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=manhattan+gmat+prep&qid=1574377630&s=books&sr=1-1

​

For adv quant, many people on this subreddit have recommended TTP: https://gmat.targettestprep.com/

What's up dude. Took the LSAT in June. Went from a cold diagnostic of 154 to a 167. (Retaking in Sept for a 170+). Books I used/recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Trainer-remarkable-self-study-self-driven/dp/0989081508/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469539064&sr=8-1&keywords=lsat+trainer

https://www.amazon.com/PowerScore-Logic-Games-Powerscore-Preparation/dp/0988758660/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469539126&sr=8-1&keywords=powerscore+logic+game+bible

https://www.amazon.com/PowerScore-LSAT-Logical-Reasoning-Bible/dp/0991299221/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469539163&sr=8-1&keywords=powerscore+logic+reasoning+bible


Books I used but don't recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/PowerScore-LSAT-Reading-Comprehension-Bible/dp/099129923X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469539188&sr=8-1&keywords=powerscore+reading+comprehension

Get your practice tests here (seriously, do 20+ under timed conditions while filling out LSAT bubble sheets):

https://www.amazon.com/10-Actual-Official-LSAT-PrepTests/dp/0986045519/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469539233&sr=8-1&keywords=10+lsat+preptests

https://www.amazon.com/Actual-Official-PrepTests-Comparative-Reading/dp/0984636005/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1469539233&sr=8-3&keywords=10+lsat+preptests

Also, use https://7sage.com/

Sign up for a free account, and use their logic game explanations. They also have analytics that will track your progress and spit out analysis concerning where your weak areas are.

Good luck!

The LSAT Trainer. Great Instructional book for those motivated to study on their own. Website : http://www.thelsattrainer.com/
Book: http://www.amazon.com/The-LSAT-Trainer-remarkable-self-driven/dp/0989081508

Good Luck!

I used the LSAT Trainer my first go-round, and while I liked its style (and it gets great reviews here and at TLS), I felt like it was just a little too light in terms of instruction. Granted, I wasn't nearly rigorous enough with actually doing the (outside the book) drills prescribed, but I would have preferred to have more questions, exercises etc within the book, and have outside exercises supplement that. My second take I used the Manhattan series which I greatly preferred - a lot more material within the book, and I found its instruction style very helpful especially for LG. I also studied a lot harder for my second take so I'm sure that played into my opinions about the books, but even if my score hadn't increased I still think I'd prefer the Manhattan books.

Edit: I went from 160 to 168 with a year between sittings, but only about two months of consistent studying before the second exam

If you’re super short on cash this is great. Add manhattan on scribd.com for $10/month and OG 2020 for $50 if you can. For $80 you can self prep hard.

I would get GMATclub.com’s tests too just because they have such useful error tracking, although you can get around that if your willing to put the time in on an excel spreadsheet. Gmatclub’s explanations of answers includes everything on that free Chinese site.

Top tip: track and attack your errors. Good luck.

I'm a professional in-person and online GRE (among other things) tutor. It's best to use a recent book, especially since they are typically close in price to older editions. Depending on where you're starting your prep at (take a practice test first), and what score you're aiming for, usually 2-3 months is a great amount of time to prep.

I recommend and use this book with my students - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1259862410

And these flashcards -
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1618656198

Here is a Magoosh blog post about average scores at top institutions.

Magoosh is a great resource, even just for information on the test if you are not interested in their packages. I cannot recommend them enough. I just started with 7Sage for LSAT, one of the highest rated LSAT prep programs available online, and so far my impression is that Magoosh was better overall. Interface, lessons, questions, everything.

Definitely pick up the official ETS prep book found here, and immediately. Burn through the review chapters in a couple sessions, then take both a written and computer based practice test (two of each are available with the ETS book). Now you will know where you currently stand, where you need to be, and how much more prep you will need.

Just took the test on Saturday and got 170V/168Q. Let me tell you a few things about prep:

1)DO NOT waste your time or money with Kaplan/Princeton/Barron's etc.. they are inadequate and full of distracting typos.

2)Do use Magoosh.com and/or the Manhattan course. They both come with top-notch instruction and lots of practice tests/questions. I actually used both. For even more practice questions (which you probably won't have time for at this point) check out the 5 lb book of questions.

3) Definitely memorize every word on the free Magoosh vocab flashcards. Knowing these words saved my verbal score.

4) For the love of all that is holy please use the official GRE book that is put out by ETS.

5) Do not ignore the essay. It requires a very specific type of writing. Even if you are a "good" writer you will be disappointed in your score unless you write the way they want you to. What you may not know is that every essay is graded by one computer reader and one human reader. For $13 you can actually have 2 essays graded by the exact algorithm the computer reader uses and you'll get an idea of where you stand.

Found this comment:

Just took the test on Saturday and got 170V/168Q. Let me tell you a few things about prep:

1)DO NOT waste your time or money with Kaplan/Princeton/Barron's etc.. they are inadequate and full of distracting typos.

2)Do use Magoosh.com and/or the Manhattan course. They both come with top-notch instruction and lots of practice tests/questions. I actually used both. For even more practice questions (which you probably won't have time for at this point) check out the 5 lb book of questions.

3) Definitely memorize every word on the free Magoosh vocab flashcards. Knowing these words saved my verbal score.

4) For the love of all that is holy please use the official GRE book that is put out by ETS.

5) Do not ignore the essay. It requires a very specific type of writing. Even if you are a "good" writer you will be disappointed in your score unless you write the way they want you to. What you may not know is that every essay is graded by one computer reader and one human reader. For $13 you can actually have 2 essays graded by the exact algorithm the computer reader uses and you'll get an idea of where you stand.

This is awesome! Thanks for serving our country!

I could really use this GRE practice book

Edit: scratch that. I forgot that I will most likely be taking the GREs around the same time this contest is over. So maybe something less practical like this light for gel manicures that I've been dying to try!

Don't waste your time with that crap, unless that is effective for you. For me, whenever I read I gloss over words I don't know or can't pronounce. If you do this at all then reading won't increase your vocabulary.



For me, what worked was creating a mental picture of the definition based on the pronunciation of the word. The more personalized and outrageous the better. That last part on being personalized and crazy is key.


For example, truculent means "eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant." To me it sounds like "truck-you-lent" so I picture a guy driving a semi truck which costs like 400K who owns the truck, but works for a shipping company. He lends his truck out, but the guy doesn't give it back and so the big burly truck driver is pissed and eager to fight and argue.


I practice recalling the key phrase "truck-you-lent" and associated picture incorporating the definition. After three times I just know the definition without really being able to articulate it well. Its just in there, but it takes struggling and recalling it ~3 times over a 2 week period.


I have a database of GRE words with descriptions of pictures that I have been working on in hopes of writing a book based on the above idea someday. PM if you want me to send it to you.


Also, check out these books for ideas and even words. They tend to be simple SAT words but you need to know them as well for the GRE.

GRE Vocab Capacity: Over 900 Powerful Memory Tricks and Mnemonics to Widen your Lexicon

Vocabulary Cartoons II, SAT Word Power

Vocabulary Cartoons: Sat Word Power

Vocabulary Cartoons II: SAT Word Power

Picture These SAT Words!

Picture These SAT Words in a Flash

Vocabulary Cartoons: Word Power Made Easy

Vocabulary Cartoons: SAT Word Power

How to Build a Better Vocabulary

Verbal Advantage: 10 Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary

http://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Logical-Reasoning-Encyclopedia-Disrespecting/dp/1479391271/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1465083245&sr=8-2&keywords=fox+lsat

I found it really useful. I decided law isn't the path for me, but the questions where you have a big text and have to infer what the author is implying or arguing is really useful, and there is a question type on GRE Verbal that is pretty analogous, even if the question stimuli is a little more brief.

The book is a little expensive for what it is, it might be worth looking for at a uni library or public library.

When I was prepping last fall I took a free kaplan class online and then got that year's premier book that comes with a computer component. It was really great. There were tons of practice questions with explanations, you could generate specific questions sets (difficulty, type, etc). It really helped me to learn how the test worked (the logic behind what the answers are).
This year's book: http://www.amazon.com/GRE%C2%AE-Premier-2015-Practice-Tests/dp/1618656236/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420411587&sr=8-1&keywords=kaplan+gre.

I'm using the powerscore LSAT series, however, I'm trying to hone in on a particular subset of LR questions that were covered by the powerscore book, but had too brief of a problem set. There were about 8 practice questions on 'infer the best answer based on the above info' type questions, which I performed pretty poorly on, so I need to focus on those types of problems.
A user in another thread suggested Nathan Fox's book on LR which offers a more detailed overview of certain problems, which I think would be the most useful to me at this point.

Here's what the LSAC says about this in their Guide to Reading Comprehension Questions in The Official LSAT SuperPrep II.

QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THE PASSAGE SAYS OR IMPLIES

For each Reading Comprehension passage, you will be asked questions about the various ideas conveyed by the passage. These questions can range from very basic and straightforward questions (what does the passage say, literally?) to more sophisticated questions (what does the author imply without saying it explicitly?) to quite complex and advanced questions (what can be inferred from evidence presented in the passage, independently of whether or not the author intended the implication?). We will discuss all of these types of questions, starting with those at the basic end of the spectrum.

I agree with many other replies that you would need a B.S. in something more closely related to physics (math, chemistry, engineering, etc) if that's really what you want to do.

Note that it would be very difficult to find any program that would consider accepting you with a business degree. If you really think you want to give it a try, it's never too late to go back to school, but know that if you take physics seriously (as one of the other posters stated) it'll be at least 10 years of school. Source: I just defended my Ph.D. and have been in college for 12 years...I am not unique.

If you really want to give grad applications a try, note that you'll need the general GRE ($205), then the physics subject GRE ($150). Take a gander at this book for some physics subject test preparation. Note that to apply, there will also be application fees (generally ~$25-75), transcript fees (generally free-$25), and you'll have to find people that can write very strong letters of recommendation for you.

TL;DR: If you really want to pursue graduate physics, get a B.S. in physics first (and plan to dedicate at least the next decade exclusively to your studies).

My goodness, that looks comprehensive! I used this thing which was more expensive than your book, and has poorer reviews on Amazon. Ahh, why did I spend so much!?! I should have bought your book!

How's the studying going? How much have you done, how well did you score, etc? I feel like I'm trying to parent you and I'm afraid I'm being condescending, so please tell me if I'm coming off as rude.

I highly suggest The Official Guide to the GRE and using this thread for anymore information you need. However, if you're tight for money look at older editions (the one I hyperlinked is the second edition) or PM me if you're really desperate.

Take some considerations when using/buying the book because MOST OF the information in the ETS book is available on their website. However, your situation says you aren't able to get online often so I can understand the advantage, however I'd like you to be aware of this. I also forgot to mention I've used the Manhattan and Princeton and liked those as well.

Get the official book. It shows you exactly what to expect on the test and has sample tests to practice with.

Then get a third party book, like Princeton Review or Kaplan. They give you the non-BS lowdown on the different types of questions to expect.

A friend who teaches test prep classes gave me that advice when I took the test 2 years ago and it served me well. I aced the math, but the English was a little tougher. Like musicnerd1023 said, it's mostly vocabulary words, and it's impossible to know which words will come up. There were a few words that I had never even heard before.

The math was pretty much middle school difficulty, but you have to be fast. The tricks given in the books were very helpful in showing you how to eliminate wrong choices quickly to narrow down the possible answers.

However, I don't know how much the test has changed this year. You may be screwed. ;)

The LR sections are standardized by exam, not by section. You should be getting roughly the same (or hopefully decreasing as you get better) TOTAL LR questions wrong from one diagnostic to another.

If you want to get to 163+ in six weeks, you're going to have to commit a LOT of time. You basically want to drill every section.

I personally like Nathan Fox's book (http://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Logical-Reasoning-Encyclopedia-Disrespecting/dp/1479391271#) for LR. Go through the entire book and read the explanations/redo the questions until you understand them. Print up a bunch of copies of logic games and redo them using whatever solving method you like (there are a ton out there) or buy powerscore or something. Same with reading comp.

Reevaluate where you are after a few weeks - some people can rise quickly, but if you need to wait until December don't feel bad about it.

There are plenty of books out there to help you prepare for the general GRE as well as the different subject tests. Here is a good example of one for physics. Most of the "tricks" involve recognizing certain classes of problems and utilizing dimensional analysis and proportionality arguments to identify the correct answer. The exam is multiple choice, which lends itself to a variety of techniques that don't involve a lot of deep physics.

Another piece of advice, if you are planning on applying to grad schools over the next year, then you'd better get moving. The Physics GRE is offered twice a year, in November and in April. You need to have your grad school applications submitted by early March at the latest, which means you need to take the test in November, April will be too late (a couple friends of mine got screwed by this, they didn't sign up to take the test until April, which was too late and the schools they applied to wouldn't consider their application without the GRE score). So make sure you do your research on what you need and when to apply for the various programs you're considering. It would be a shame if you didn't get in to the program you wanted because of administrative issues.

Get this book-

Conquering the Physics GRE https://www.amazon.com/dp/1479274631/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_PyADDbZYF289R

Practice all the exercises and skim through the text. I started with my Physics GRE prep two weeks before the test and scored full. This book helped a lot I think. All the best!

ETS, the makers of the GRE, publish their own guide but you will need many more practice questions that it can provide.

On the other hand, I've done what you are starting out to do and started with Khan Academy to get a place to start and then found materials elsewhere in accordance with my results from there.

The OG prep books from GMAC themselves is going to be your best bang per buck.

I am going to get more physically fit while also getting back in touch with nature and myself. [I currently don't do anything physical and I'm way too stressed out for my liking].

I'm going to use my new bike (!!!!!!!!!!!) that the incredible Jason purchased for me recently to ride to work every day it is warm outside. This will also force me to get up earlier and really take time to myself. I will time myself and journal how I feel at the beginning and end of the month and a half of biking. It's going to rock.

/u/ChiefMcClane /u/mewfasa /u/chronos42 - you're already my real life cheerleaders but I know you will kick my ass to keep going!


This is not going to get my body fit, but it will help me shape my mind and in turn my future.

I don't use Amazon music.

Can't wait!!

These are the GRE books I'm using:

[Prep book from ETS, the test writers] (http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-Revised-General-Test/dp/007179123X?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00)

[Kaplan Prep book] (http://www.amazon.com/GRE-Premier-2016-Practice-Tests/dp/1625231326/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1464258601&sr=1-1&keywords=kaplan+gre)

[Big book of practice problems] (http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Problems-Manhattan-Strategy-Guides/dp/1941234518?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER)

ETS PowerPrep II, which is software that includes 2 practice tests with standard testing conditions.

If anyone has other suggestions, please share.

The most recently released previous GREs are pretty similar in terms of question subject matter and form to what you'll see this year, so don't take all of those right at the beginning of your studies or you'll be left working through antiquated exams close to your test date.

Other than that piece of advice, I would second the recommendation of "Conquering the Physics GRE". It has both a good amount of very tailored subject matter review and lots of practice problems that are very similar to those found on the most recent GREs.

I used this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1259862410/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A1JKVWH22E85VP&psc=1

I've heard good things about the one you have, I just didn't want to drop the money on it. Isn't that for the old test?

They're the company that makes the GRE and a bunch of other tests. If you go to barnes and noble at the GRE section you can find this book https://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-General-Test-Third/dp/1259862410/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495162326&sr=8-1&keywords=ets+gre which was the one I was referencing!

I used this book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1477650555

I heard from someone who used the Manhattan deck that the content is pretty much the same, so just pick one and stick with it. But this is hearsay, since I don't actually know their differences myself.

These were my two most useful resources for LR:

Fox LSAT LR Encyclopedia
http://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Logical-Reasoning-Encyclopedia-Disrespecting/dp/1479391271

Also go to the Manhattan LSAT forums for explanations.

You don't need to really understand the "underlying physics" to do well on the PGRE. The way to get a good score is to learn a few key facts and what sort of problem to apply them to by rote. Memorize the number 1.22 because it shows up in the Rayleigh criterion. Don't bother recalling that it's the zero of some Bessel function. Cram. Memorize. This is the sort of exam where writing speed can be a huge factor. It's a big, dumb ritual that everyone has to go through that teaches you nothing.

If you buy a PGRE practice book that comes with practice exams they'll likely be similar to the real thing. I can recommend this. A week of cramming from that increased my score dramatically.

https://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-Revised-General-Test/dp/007179123X

I used this book when I was studying and felt it was really helpful. I’d supplement with Khan Academy or YouTube videos to fill any gaps you might have.

These are the study materials I ordered:

• CliffsNotes Math Review for Standardized Tests
  
  
• Cracking the New GRE with DVD by Princeton Review
  
  
• 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary by Wilfred Funk, Norman Lewis
  
  
• New GRE 2011-2012 Premier with CD by Kaplan
  
  
• Barron's New GRE, 19th Edition
  
  
  

> LSAT Trainer

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989081508/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0989081508&linkCode=as2&tag=7l-20

This one?

And why do you recommend it over the powerscore's?

I have not used Varsity Tutors, so I am not certain of the difficulty of their questions versus actual GRE questions. However, unless you have already exhausted them, I suggest practicing official GRE questions from the GRE Official Guide. Your accuracy on those questions will give you a better idea of how prepared you are for GRE quant. If you find that you are struggling with official GRE questions, perhaps you may want to seek out a robust study resource to better help learn GRE quant. If you are unsure of which resources to use, you should check out sites such as Crush The GRE or GRE Prep Club.

Thanks for constructive response, is this the book you referenced?

here's a picture of the book on Amazon.. might be easier to see. She seems to have the same eyebrows, nose, and eyes to me.

For the GRE I got this exact set from Kaplan as well as the Princeton Review test prep book.

I didn't think the GRE was nearly as hard as everyone made it out to be. I did pretty well, but I'm an abnormally exceptional tester.

But I agree with pony_hawk, do a practice test before you study so you know your weakness.

Probably score 315ish. Depending on how the verbal goes. I'd aim for a 165+ and 155 verbal for your 320. Focus on verbal this last week. I'd recommend getting the Official Verbal Practice Guide and just grinding thru it during the next week. Also keep memorizing vocab words.

I guess that would be helpful!

ETS GRE Website with a breakdown of what they cover

ETS Guide

This is one of the best ways to prepare since they are the test writers. I was told this as I prepared.

Honestly, the test isn't that hard as long as you're familiar with grade school math and are comfortable with reading comprehension. The words are fairly complex, but nothing a little (or a lot in my case, with math) studying and flash cards couldn't help. And trust me, I'm no genius.

Take it twice if you can afford to do so. The test is brutal and you will want as much preparation as possible. Get a copy of Conquering the physics GRE and take practice tests under test conditions. /r/physicsgre is low traffic but has some very good resources.

I hear this is pretty good, but I haven't personally used it: https://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Logical-Reasoning-Encyclopedia-Disrespecting/dp/1479391271/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

1. Because it or the GMAT is required for any business school worth attending.
   
2. Whenever you have at least a couple of months to study at least an hour a day. Also before fall application deadlines.
   
3. https://smile.amazon.com/Official-GRE-Super-Power-Pack/dp/0071841814?sa-no-redirect=1

For 160+ targets, 1000 is a bit low. I recommend https://quizlet.com/SherpaPrep and https://smile.amazon.com/GRE-Vocab-Capacity-Powerful-Mnemonics/dp/1477650555/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510028747&sr=8-1&keywords=gre+mnemonic.

You will want to see here: https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/

Then buy this here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071841814/

Here's the link!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.amazon.com/PowerScore-LSAT-Logical-Reasoning-Bible/dp/0991299221&ved=2ahUKEwj-n_SEu7LjAhVGOs0KHZCDCRcQFjAAegQIBRAC&usg=AOvVaw2JF31-X_neHa275CnhxhZt

I finished up with my undergrad at UCF about a year and a half ago. I'm using the Official GRE study guide by ETS I'm looking to take the actual test by the end of the year so I'm planning on spending about six months in prep.

GMAT Official Guide 2020 Bundle: 3 Books + Online Question Bank https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119576156/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_y3vuDb421MA7S

GMAT Official Guide 2020 Bundle: 3 Books + Online Question Bank https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119576156/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_h9MmDbQKGPAG1

https://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-Revised-General-Test/dp/007179123X

This is what I finished yesterday:

​

https://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-GRE-General-Test/dp/1259862410/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TM1WWV0JK4V8ZZKVP4WB

Here the LSAT Trainer, by Mike Kim, author of this post.ost.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/007183432X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There's also a verbal equivalent.

there's something they're not telling us! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1477650555/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1618656236/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1425420047&sr=8-1&keywords=kaplan+gre&dpPl=1&dpID=51Y8pzPt93L&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SY200_QL40
This is the latest version. I used the 2014 version (took the test last year)

When I took the GRE, I had the same study philosophy, and it hurt me a bit. There's a bunch of very simple math that I blanked on because I hadn't even seen it since Freshman year. The complex math is actually going to be a bit easier for you since you've been using it more recently as an Engineering student. Geometry and Trigonometry were the bits that got me.

For studying, just get a test prep book. They're about $20, and have everything centralized. The official guide is what I used, but just about every other guide covers the same material.

GRE books that don't contain official, actual GRE materials are hit or miss. No matter what resources you use to study, make sure that you are always using real, official GRE materials to study in addition to whatever else you use. For example, this and these.