Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Preparing for the GRE Test

          This year I’ve finally settled down into my goals of attending graduate school. During the last two years I’ve been living in the wind while getting teaching experience abroad. I decided to come to South Korea in order to boost my resume for Graduate school but love for my job, community, and support abroad made the choice to return home nearly impossible.

          Then, in the middle of summer I met my friend Anthony who was also very academic in nature. We spent days talking about mutual scholarly interests and it was as if the dam gates burst open. I realised that I spent the last few years burying my dreams and the gap of pursuing my goal had been draining me without even realising it. 


          Here I am. Taking the first steps back towards my dream of being a historian. The first step is passing the GRE!


          I bought the 2014 GRE prep book and when I open
ed the pages I realised how much of my ability has fallen into disuse. So, is there an easy way to get that scholarly knowledge back? Not really. The good news is that it is easier to remember things than learn it without previous knowledge, but it isn’t easy. These are the methods I’m using to prepare:

  1. Sign up for the Kaplan website that you get access to when purchasing a GRE book.


          This helps a lot because the website has a ton of free resources available with the purchase of the book. I use the website to take sample tests on various topics and it has helped a lot.

  1. Study, study, study!


          This is a bit obvious, but set a study schedule where you study at least one hour every day. What I do is that I study for 20 minutes, take a five minute break, and then do another 20 minute interval until my 60 minutes of studying time is complete.

  1. Read professional articles or books related to your field of study.


          Nothing helps more than immersing yourself back into the topic you plan on devoting graduate school for. Reading these will refresh your academic skills and knowledge about scholarly language (which is really helpful in the majority of the GRE test). Plus, it helps you know that you’re still interested in the topic you plan on pursuing. 


          Meanwhile, while you’re studying for the GRE there are other things you should be aware of. Time goes by quickly. While you’re studying you should find the people who will write reference letters for you. This is just as important or even more so that passing the GRE. If you have solid, academic references from professors or university workers that gives the graduate school a solid and well rounded view of your academic ability then you are more likely to be accepted. Also, although not impossible, I’d suggest never doing what I did. Yes take time and live life to find out what you want to do, but don’t completely abandon your academic interests just because you’ve finished your bachelor’s. 


         I hope this helped those of you hoping to pass the GRE! If you have any questions or your own tips for studying feel free to leave a comment below and let me know. Good luck on the test! 


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