July 17th, 2008 by Larry Bellinger Posted in Uncategorized
I haven’t been in here for a few days as I am in the process of applying to grad school. I signed up for the GRE on Monday 7/21 and I’m gonna give myself the next few days to prep for it. I started to freak out when the scale of what I am attempting began to set in. I was running through some of the sample questions (and performing miserably) and began to feel overwhelmed. I called my son and asked for information concerning a particular question and after a brief chat I realized that I just need to brush up, relax and let my anxieties wash away. The test is not the be-all end-all. It just is.
But what really bolstered my resolve to “Just let it rip!” was a text message from my son instructing me to check my email:
Hey Dad,
I figured I'd give you some general tips since you've been outta practice for a
while.
First, remember your time. I dont know what test you're taking, but the
probability is that they are going to give you the greater part of a minute for
each question. What this means is that you should take your time. Zip through
the ones you know right off the bat quickly so that you can take the time to
plug in a couple numbers for the ones that might take a little longer.
(X)(X)(X) vs (X-1)(X)(X+1) The test is not as hard as you want to make it out to
be. Everyone's always going crazy about these tests and how hard they are going
to be. If you stay relaxed in there and realized that no matter what, they're
hoping you're going to pass this test, you'll be much better off.
Don't spend too much time spinning yourself in circles. Skip the question and
come back. And if you still cant get it then, guess. You're gut instinct
shouldn't be too far off if you've taken the time to think about it and work out
the problem a few times.
READ THE QUESTION: One of the biggest things people screw up on is they dont pay
attention to the wording of the questions. Often times there's a hidden clue or
one word placed in there to throw people off that people dont pay attention to.
This hearkens back to the Dont Rush part of it. All tests are kind of like
Jeopardy, half the time they hide a secondary clue to the question inside of the
original question.
Have fun! If you think of it more like you're playing a game it'll go a lot
smoother. I know it sounds cheesy and cliche, but seriously, the less you allow
yourself to really care about those tests the better off you're going to be.
Things will turn out how they turn out, and the more or less pressure you put on
yourself while taking it isn't going to help you.
Just some general tips to hopefully help you out a little, if you have any more
questions...just ask. You know I'm down to help. This list might sound cheesy
and overdone...but it really does help! Shit, I got a 1330 on my SAT without even
thinking about studying and when I fell asleep after one of the sections of the test.
That means I did way better than average by just staying cool.
Chill on it, dont worry about it! Aiight, ttyl and Good Luck!
I am a very lucky man.
