GRE study guide/CD?

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Specializes in telemetry.

I would like to go back to school to obtain a specialized degree. I need to take a GRE as part of the application process. It has been a while....

Can anyone suggest a good study guide/book? I prefer one that has a CD. I learn best using interactive tools on the computer.

Any suggestions for me?

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Specializes in Tele, Cardiac Post Op, ER.

Barrons has a good math review, if you can find the GRE BIG Book, that has old tests and this site helps a lot

http://www.testmagic.com

Go to GRE forums, and other people help you out with any problems you have with the test for free!

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Specializes in ICU.
I would like to go back to school to obtain a specialized degree. I need to take a GRE as part of the application process. It has been a while....

Can anyone suggest a good study guide/book? I prefer one that has a CD. I learn best using interactive tools on the computer.

Any suggestions for me?

I took the GRE last September, and found the Kaplan book/CD to be the best, followed by Barrons. Check your local library - mine had several GRE prep book/CDs available for checkout. Give yourself a month or 6 weeks to study.

I believe the format of the GRE is changing later this year. Not sure how it's changing, but I've read that it's starting ~Fall 2007. Make sure any prep books you use get you ready for the newer test format.

Good luck!

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Specializes in SRNA.

I believe the scoring is being reformatted beginning with tests given in September of this year. If I need to take it I'm planning on an August appointment, so I will know what to expect with the format and the scoring. I'd rather take the current format with the current scoring because universities have established criteria about what scores fall into what ranges and the new system will necessitate an overhaul, it seems.

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Specializes in ICU (hearts,trauma,NICU, PICU, ER).

I'll be honest, Ive been wanting to go back to school to get my MSN, but the GRE is stoping me. I've been out of school for 5yrs & I see horror show. Anything to help me with the math section will be a great help. Any suggestions.

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Specializes in Tele, Cardiac Post Op, ER.

Really, I thought the verbal part of the GRE was killer. I think, if you are not good at keeping up with the exercises and do well in a classroom setting, then take a kaplan class ( I think they range from $300-$600)? I think I would have benefited from that because I do well with someone making me do the exercises in the prep books rather than doing it on my own. But, on the internet, you can find old GRE tests and those tests are a good indication on how you will do on the real GRE. Also, when you sign up to take the test, they give you a free power prep CD, and it has questions of equal hardness compared to the real GRE.

The math part, was easier to crack than the verbal, because the vocab was so foreign to me. Once you practice, (alot) then your performance becomes better. I would give it 3-4 months.

PM if you have any questions!

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Specializes in ICU.
I'll be honest, Ive been wanting to go back to school to get my MSN, but the GRE is stoping me. I've been out of school for 5yrs & I see horror show. Anything to help me with the math section will be a great help. Any suggestions.

Math was the scariest part for me also. Even though my degree is in chemical engineering, I DO NOT like math, and have never done all that well in it. I can do it, but it never was easy for me.

That being said, I'd recommend that you take the current GRE test, not the "new improved" test coming out sometime this Fall. The current test does not permit the use of calculators, so your answers are based on whatever calculations you can do on a piece of paper, gut feel, and SWAG (scientific wild axx guess). I believe (but DO NOT know for a fact) that the new test coming out will permit the use of calculators, and that tells me you will have to know more math. You'll have to know the right way to solve problems - no more guesstimating based on "close counts."

Buy or borrow (check your local library) the Kaplan & Barrons book/CD-ROM, and do the math exercises. I don't like math, but ended up with a 730 on that section (out of 800 possible). The Kaplan CD has a starting out diagnostic test to see what your weaknesses are. That helps A LOT in focusing your study time.

Good Luck!

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

I studied on and off for several months using Kaplan's 3 books (math, verbal, analytical writing), but ended up using ARCO's "30 days to a better GRE score" and Stanford Review's "Crash Course for the GRE" which helped tremendously. They focus on how to TAKE the test, rather than relearn all the math, etc. I studied those books for 2 weeks and took it, and got a pretty good score. Crash Course really was the best, and only about 75 pages. The test is staying the same.....they scrapped the plans for the new test format recently.

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