speaking from my own (admittedly anecdotal) experience, I can say that I very significantly improved my GRE verbal score by memorizing vocabulary words. In retrospect, I attribute getting into UCLA and ending up where I am today to this strategy...but of course as a social psychologist, I know all the biases that could be influencing my interpretation :-).
I think the secret is memorizing huge numbers of words (unfortunately, I don't recall how many, but I do know that I combined lists from several different books to compile a gigantic list). The other secret is to use them in every day conversation, which I dutifully did, much to the annoyance of my family, friends, and future spouse. To this day, I retain at least a passing knowledge of most of the words I studied. On the GRE itself, there was not a single word that I hadn't studied and knew very well (of course, the fact that I didn't score even better is a testament to how hard those analogies are!). My summary of the experience to my students is as follows:
BEFORE: something I've never heard of is to something I've never heard of AS something I've never heard of is to something I HAVE heard of.
AFTER: something I've heard of is to something else I've heard of AS something I've heard of is to to something I've also heard of. (This latter scenario having resulted in many, many more points!)
Cheers,
Traci
I don't have any references to formal studies on the value of GRE preparation and I am not sure what exactly the Kaplan program includes. However, I have a colleague who advises students to prepare for the GRE by getting an algebra/geometry prep book (e.g., one of the many available in bookstores for students preparing for AP exams) and work through that material. He also recommends that they obtain a vocabulary-builder book and spend a few months with that. Only after completing this self-study program (he suggests that they plan to spend 3-4 months doing this first part) should students get the sample exams and practice test-taking skills. This practice can be especially helpful with the new interactive testing format used by the GRE.Students who have followed his regime have improved their scores on the GRE by 150 - 300 points. The largest gains are usually made in the quantitative section. The verbal score is much harder to move around. I suspect that simply memorizing a lot of word definitions doesn't help much. I've seen students spend weeks with vocabulary flash cards and not see any change in their verbal score. Instead, students need to make changes in their working use of language. If the Kaplan courses get students to follow this routine, they could produce similar successes. Claudia ________________________________________________________ Claudia J. Stanny, Ph.D. e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of Psychology Phone: (850) 474 - 3163 University of West Florida FAX: (850) 857 - 6060 Pensacola, FL 32514 - 5751 Web: http://www.uwf.edu/psych/stanny.html --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Traci A. Giuliano
Associate Professor of Psychology
Southwestern University
Georgetown, TX 78627
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(512) 863-1596;fax (512) 863-1846
http://www.southwestern.edu/~giuliant
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