In case you don't know about it, this is the Graduate Record Exam description from the official site:
Graduate programs and business schools use GRE® scores to evaluate your readiness for graduate-level work. The GRE General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills that are not related to any specific field of study.
- Analytical Writing — Measures critical thinking and analytical writing skills, specifically the test taker's ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
- Verbal Reasoning — Measures reading comprehension skills and verbal and analogical reasoning skills, focusing on the test taker's ability to analyze and evaluate written material
- Quantitative Reasoning — Measures problem-solving ability, focusing on basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis
So yeah, this is what I did today. I applied to Florida State University last week- to the college of Education. FSU Panama City is going to have an Elementary Ed Master's program on Chipola's campus starting June 2011. It fits in perfectly with my working schedule. Anywho, this being my reason behind taking the GRE.
I registered roughly three months ago thinking that I would have plenty of time to study in order to get a really good score. I did not realize when I registered that this was the same week as finals for all of my undergraduate work. Not smart. Needless to say I did less than 5 hours TOTAL study time for the GRE. The program that I applied for requires a score of 800 and I was ecstatic when I saw at the end of the exam that I scored a 920. If I ever want to do doctoral work (which I do) I will, regretfully, have to take it again and score a minimum of 1000.
The testing experience in itself could have gone a lot smoother. I seriously think that I have testing anxiety, I was hardly able to process thoughts over my heartbeat for about the first 30 minutes of the test. Seeing that there are five sections to the exam, I was totally brain fried when I walked out of the building. You know the feeling that you get when you spin around and around and then try to walk? I felt like that walking out of the Prometric building. I immediately called my dad to tell him my score (he is another motivation behind a lot of this) and felt better as soon as I heard his voice. It was really over. I don't have to take it again... for at least another two years.
If you are interested in taking the GRE, be sure to check out your local college or public library for practice books. The main one I used was from Kaplan and I HIGHLY recommend it. It comes with a CD that offers a multitude of practice tests and great stradegies.
That's all for now. I will be spending my Christmas break getting ready for my internship, which starts January 5th. I am SOOOO excited!!!
-Mack
