Physics GRE Discussion Forums

On a normal pencil-based exam, if I get nervous and start panicking, I can always skip the hard questions first and come back to them later when I calmed down. But you obviously can't do on this on computer based general GRE since you have to answer the questions. So my question is how do you guys deal with this.

Yea, it's definitely harder to overcome the nervousness on the general GRE than the PGRE because you can't skip around and do the easier/familiar ones first to get comfortable.

But I don't think it's as much a problem as it sounds...

The math section is so easy, and you have 45 minutes to do 28 problems (I think), many of which take less than 10 seconds to do in your head. So my advice here is to take as much time as you need need in the beginning to ease into the exam. Work as slowly as you need on the early problems. You'll soon get into a rhythm and probably still end up with over 10 free minutes left over at the end. That's what I did.

The verbal section is way harder, (even for non-science majors), and the time limit is brutal, considering the time it takes to read the passages. However, all of the other non-reading comp types of questions, especially the antonyms, can be moved through quite quickly because they're essentially "hit or miss". You either know the vocab words or you don't. In either case, it won't take long to pick the right answer or do some eliminations and guess. Thus they don't take much strenuous thinking like the PGRE and any tough QGRE problems, so your nervousness won't slow you down significantly in the verbal. Only in the reading sections did my nervousness slow me down, but you usually don't get passages until you're deep into the exam, so you might be comfortable by then.

quizivex wrote:Yea, it's definitely harder to overcome the nervousness on the general GRE than the PGRE because you can't skip around and do the easier/familiar ones first to get comfortable.

But I don't think it's as much a problem as it sounds...

The math section is so easy, and you have 45 minutes to do 28 problems (I think), many of which take less than 10 seconds to do in your head. So my advice here is to take as much time as you need need in the beginning to ease into the exam. Work as slowly as you need on the early problems. You'll soon get into a rhythm and probably still end up with over 10 free minutes left over at the end. That's what I did.

The verbal section is way harder, (even for non-science majors), and the time limit is brutal, considering the time it takes to read the passages. However, all of the other non-reading comp types of questions, especially the antonyms, can be moved through quite quickly because they're essentially "hit or miss". You either know the vocab words or you don't. In either case, it won't take long to pick the right answer or do some eliminations and guess. Thus they don't take much strenuous thinking like the PGRE and any tough QGRE problems, so your nervousness won't slow you down significantly in the verbal. Only in the reading sections did my nervousness slow me down, but you usually don't get passages until you're deep into the exam, so you might be comfortable by then.

thanks dear for your information.

As quiz pointed out, it's nothing too stressful to worry about.

I'm sure some people would disagree, but, personally, I'd recommend meditation for learning to deal with stress from exams, classes, etc. If you have a couple months, you could learn some simple meditation techniques before the exam .

Also, many schools don't care if you take the general GRE more than once. The second try is a lot less stressful ! You already know the procedure and the testing environment.

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How to Get Into Grad School, tips from a current Ph.D. student

Hi Guys,
I appeared for the GRE on 30th September.Here are few observations that I would like to share:
a. The RCs were not that lengthy and difficult.I found them surprisingly quite simple and straightforward.
b. You just need to practice upon your concentration skills while reading them.
c. Word list is a must so as to crack text equivalence questions and grasp the crux of RCs.
d. If you dont have time,then atleast go for high frequency words from Barrons.
e. Start reading newspaper.It helps.

Not sure if this helps for the general GRE but,

5 hour energy or equivalent

I use it for the PGRE. Somewhere between practice tests 3 and 4 I had done the critical amount of studying. Test 3 I found myself taking too long. Before test 4 I popped a 5 hour energy beforehand and BOOM! Really helps "power through" the test. I still get a bit fatigued with 1 hour remaining though. In addition to any, questionable, extra energy I get- I think the "energy" supplement keeps me focused and less worried about performance.