Ah, the Graduate Record Examination: would a standardized test by any another name smell as’¦ tedious? I know that there are folks who actually enjoy spending hours on a Saturday morning deciphering antonyms, trudging through dense reading passages, and solving for the square root of x plus y. However, I am not one of these people. Standardized testing and I had a fraught relationship, and yet, I survived.

The GRE is an unavoidable hurdle on the way to admission to many graduate programs in the sciences and humanities. But it doesn’t have to be a massive roadblock. It’s vital to keep in mind that while many schools call for your GRE scores, other aspects such as grades, writing samples, statement of purpose, and solid letters of recommendation are of great importance too. While these aspects of your application are very much in your control, your scores on a standardized test should probably not occupy too much space and stress in your mind as to become unhealthy or overtake your preparation of other application materials. Certainly this varies from person to person and school to school, so use your discretion when deciding how much or how little to prepare for the test.

Be sure to check with the program you’re interested in and find out about what types of tests are required for acceptance’”and if available, minimum or average scores of admitted students. Once you’re sure you’ve got to take it, check with the Educational Testing Service’s (ETS) website to find test dates and locations near you.

Preparation
The GRE, like the SAT or ACT, is just another test that is supposed to measure a potential grad student’s aptitude for verbal, quantitative, and written analytical reasoning. Thrilling, no?

It’s key to do whatever preparation will make you feel most confident on Test Day’”for some, that’s skimming through a booklet a few days before, enrolling in a class, or committing months to drilling and practicing. While that varies from person to person, the advice I’d give to every test taker’”no matter the test’”is to know exactly how the test is organized. Be familiar with what kinds of questions will be asked and how they are structured. You can avoid a lot of heartache and stress just by knowing generally what to expect when you sit down to take the test.

As for GRE test preparation guides, some people prefer to buy a few and work all the way through them, while I consulted just one’”the ETS GRE Workbook, about $20’”and focused on it for a couple of months before my Test Day, just a couple of hours each week. It contained a few practice tests (which I took in the two weeks leading up to the test.) It also had a great review of the mathematical formulas that had long gathered dust in the recesses of my mind, and had useful strategies/example prompts for the analytical writing portion.

While I felt that the book published by the test administrators themselves would be most useful, friends of mine swear by GRE books published by Kaplan and Princeton Review. Leaf through a few different options at your local bookstore and go with what seems most beneficial for you.

Some people choose to take prep classes that guarantee an incremental rise in scores. I have no experience with these, but again, that’s a call you have to make, based on how much time and money you want to devote to this pesky test.

Electronic Testing: The Wave Of The Future!
If you took college admissions tests in the past with good ol’ Number 2 pencils and fill-in-the-bubble sheets, you might be interested to know that the GRE is now primarily administered electronically. Instead of hunching over a rickety old desk, you’ll be tethered to a computer in your testing facility. And, after slogging through the test, your quantitative and verbal scores will be calculated on-the-spot and will pop up on the screen the instant you finish. Oh, technology. What fun!

Keeping in mind the electronic administration of the test, it is important to familiarize yourself with the GRE as you will encounter it on Test Day. For many folks (myself included), there are noticeable differences when test-taking with a pencil and paper versus a keyboard and glowing computer screen. There is a way to take the GRE on paper, but I found that the time/proximity constraints are greater and the cost higher (see the fee chart later in the post.)

To get accustomed to the computer test, check out the Princeton Review’s free GRE prep tools and take advantage of the online practice test, or consider purchasing a CD-ROM loaded with practices. Sometimes, standardized testing booklets will be packaged along with a CD’”very handy. My ETS book came with one, and I used it a few times to build my confidence before Test Day.

The Princeton Review also administers free practice tests, often at local colleges and universities. Check with their website to find one near you.

Paying
As for the financial dimension, the GRE is quite an investment’”or at least it was for me as a college student. ETS provides a comprehensive list of fees, but I’ll further subdivide it into a few manageable categories:

Mostly Unavoidable Costs
$140 General Test’”U.S., U.S. Territories, and Puerto Rico
$195 General Test’”China (including Hong Kong), Korea, and Taiwan.
$170 General Test’”All Other Locations
$12 Scores by phone (per phone call)
$20 Additional score report (ASR) requests (per recipient)

Costs That Can Be Easily Avoided
$25 Late Registration Fee
$50 Rescheduling Fee
$50 Changing Your Test Center

Optional Services
$50 Standby Testing (paper-based test only)
$50 Question-and-Answer Review Service’”Verbal & Quantitative
$55 Score Review for Analytical Writing Measure
$30 Paper-Based Test Hand Scoring
$30 Score Reinstatement Fee

As for the “easily avoided costs,” do your best to stay on top of your chosen test date and you’ll save yourself money and a headache. Once you’ve picked your time and place, commit to it and do your best to budget your prep time accordingly.

Notice that it costs $12 per call to reorder scores by phone, and $20 for every school you decide to send your scores to beyond the four “freebies.” Make sure to take advantage of the “free” reports by knowing at of at least a few schools you’d like to apply to by test day. Once your scores have been sent, it’s best to allow at least a couple of weeks for each report to arrive and process at your desired schools.

To Retake or Not To Retake?
While it’s not uncommon for college applicants to retake’”and re-retake’”the SAT or ACT, the GRE General Test costs $140 a pop for U.S. residents, unless you apply for and are accepted for an ETS fee reduction voucher (in that case, it’ll cost $70.)

With this in mind, I prepared as best I could with the assumption that this would be my one shot. And while I was not overwhelmed with joy when I received my scores, they were solid enough for what I wanted to do, and I kept in mind that there would be no guarantee that my scores would even be higher if I took it again’”and then I’d have lost more time and money. It’s totally up to you and how much you’re willing to commit. Check with the programs you’re really interested in and see what they say about the importance of GRE scores in their admissions decisions. Do they scrutinize cumulative scores, or just the isolated verbal or quantitative scores? Does the GRE even matter that much to the admissions committee? In knowing what to focus on, you’ll have an idea of how to spend your time preparing, when (or when not) to retake, and how to be at peace with your scores.

A Brief Note on Subject Tests
In addition to the GRE General Test, some programs may require you to take a GRE Subject Test which scores your aptitude and knowledge of a specific field, such as Biology, Literature, Physics, Psychology, or other specialized areas. (For a full list, see the ETS website.) Check with individual programs to see what they require. These tests are paper-based and only offered three times a year’”in October, November, and April’”so plan accordingly.

Pep Talk!
Alright, take a knee. Remember, the GRE is just a test, so don’t let it get the best of you. If you do some preparation, know what you’re getting into, and get sufficient rest, you’ll do great. And be sure to treat yourself to something nice after it’s all over’”whether that’s a movie, a nice meal of comfort food, or a good workout to exercise (exorcise?) the remaining bits of GRE anxiety out of your system. Get out there and give it all you’ve got, and think about how great you’ll feel when it’s over!

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As a full-time graduate student, Rachel blogs about her experiences living on a modest monthly stipend, and hopes to provide some useful advice for surviving the graduate school process’“both financially and emotionally.