Survival of the GRE? Sounds daunting, but it’s really not that bad. I promise. You are definitely not the only one with the GRE forming on the horizon, you are definitely not alone. According to the National Center of Education Statistics nearly 40% of bachelor’s degree recipients go on to enroll in a graduate degree program within the following ten years. Depending on the program and school you are applying to, the GRE will have more or less impact on your chance of admission. Regardless of the weight on acceptance, it still remains an admissions requirement for most graduate schools, so there’s no getting around it.

So what’s the deal with the GRE and how do you tackle it? It may sound like common sense, but stick to the basics. The GRE (The Graduate Record Examination) is a standardized test consisting of three sections: analytical writing, verbal, and math. The best way to begin preparation for the test is to take a visit over to the Educational Testing Service (http://www.ets.org). which administers the GRE. From their website there are countless practice tests and example questions free for download and review. Although you will probably pick up a study guide at the bookstore, this should definitely be your first stop. The ETS will also issue you a free copy of PowerPrep upon registration, which includes practice tests, tutorials and strategies or you can download it directly from the ETS website (http://www.ets.org). The ETS does not license any past questions, and most of these are actual questions that appeared on older versions of the test, so this may be your best source of practice.

One of the best things you can do to make sure you are prepared for test day is to not only study the material, but to study the actual format of the test. You don’t want to waste your time on test day reading the instructions on how to answer the question. Familiarize yourself with the different types of questions in each section so you can just focus on the question the day of the test such as analogies, sentence completion, multiple choice math, comparisons and reading comprehension. Make sure your materials are up to date! Recently, in November 2007, the ETS rolled out new question types on the test (On the computer based test only, not the written). Two new question types in fact, in the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning (Math) sections. This is the first phase of General Test improvements the ETS is gradually rolling out in lieu of changing the test completely all at once, but they will still be graded and counted towards your final score.

On test day, prepare yourself for the mid-test crash. It happens to everyone, you are on a roll answering questions and left and right and before you know it, two hours of test taking just hits you. Think about bringing a mid-test pick me up like juice or a small snack.

Last, but not least, practice, practice, practice! You survived the SATs, you can survive this. Just practice and devote the time to taking the practice tests provided. Consider investing in a study guide as supplemental material, but remember that the ETS has most of the materials you need available for free. Good luck!