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To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 1:56 pm
by VT
Can you guys tell me if there are any online resources to review NON standard part of the physics GRE? By Non-std I mean laboratory methods, specialized topics and all that crap which I did not read at all when I took the test this past October. Where did you guys study all such topics from? If any of you could refer to any online resources or any textooks, I would truly appreciate it.
To 990 holders [esp to those who managed to answer 99 questions and got 90( or above) correct]:
1) Did you guys remember spending more than 3-4 mintues on any questions in the real test? ( I know these difficult questions come fom general physics/mechanics type problems with ugly relative motions)

2) What advice do you guys have for all 990 wannabes?


{I feel like my GRE preparation method was not effective so I am only trying to get some study tips from high scorers and compare it with my own. Since I am taking the qualifiers on Sept anyways, I am planning on retaking the GRE on October and get out of 700 club(sorry guys).}

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:35 pm
by butsurigakusha
Most of my preparation came from work as a physics tutor during the year and a half or so before taking the exam. I didn't really have any special preparation. I took a practice test about a month before the exam, and scored about 950 or so. Over the next month, I simply worked through the other practice tests and found which types of problems gave me trouble and were unfamiliar to me, and reviewed those topics.

I would guess that you probably know how to do the vast majority of the problems on the exam, and given enough time, could get at least 85/100 right. So probably the best thing to do to improve your score is to practice doing simple physics problems really fast. Go to your introductory textbooks and randomly choose problems to solve and focus on working quickly and efficiently, and doing things like letting pi=3 and g=10. Also, I would recommend looking through the practice tests and finding problems that seem difficult, and looking for indirect ways of finding the answer, such as dimensional analysis and order of magnitude estimates. I found that many of the problems that I didn't really know now to solve could be answered just by thinking about what sort of answer seems logical, and eliminating options.

Don't spend more than 4 minutes on a single problem. When I took the actual exam, I skipped a few of them with the intent of going back. I was able to get through and return to a couple of the ones I skipped.

As far as what to read for things like laboratory methods, I didn't really have much to read from, but I did review a few of the supplemental packets that went with my lab courses, and they explained things like error analysis and stuff like that.

Sorry I can't be of more help. There is a Schaum's outline that I didn't use, but I heard it was a pretty good outline to review.

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:44 pm
by VT
Thanks a lot butsu.... That is very helpful. I will try to hunt that Schaum's outline down.
Any other inputs will be appreciated.

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:03 pm
by zxcv
Remind me why you're suffering through the GRE again? If you're already in grad school and plan on taking your quals in Sept, why on Earth would you want to deal with the GRE?

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:08 pm
by fermiboy
No kidding. One run through that little three hour patch of hell should be enough for anyone. VT are you a masochist?

VT, if you're having doubts about being in the 700 club then we don't need you. True believers only.

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:19 pm
by VT
fermiboy:
yup, I am a masochist!

zxcv,
I also want to be a "cool kid" :)

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:29 pm
by will
You're really going to give ETS an extra $150 for no good reason?

Why not just write me a check and I'll fax a letter to all your future employers telling them you got a perfect score on "will landau's theoretical minimum."

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:25 pm
by VT
well..
never heard of will landau...
:)


EDIT: I want to send my Oct test score to Yale and Cornell. Just the test score only, no application :P
u know what i mean...

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 2:32 am
by will
Really? I wrote a series of highly regarded graduate textbooks with johnny lifschitz.

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 5:05 am
by quizivex
After I catch up on my classes I'll write a blog and probably have a section in there on my GRE advice.

I think the members of the 700 club should ostracize VT before he abandons them this November.

But a quick note on the "miscellaneous topics"...
I used google to find sources that explained little things I didn't know about, such as how to use log paper and what an oscilloscope does...

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:34 am
by will
I used an oscilloscope to invent google.

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:26 pm
by twistor
And I use google to find deals on oscilliscopes. So we've finally come full circle.

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:55 pm
by doom
I'm not going to ostracize VT, because I'm making the bold prediction that he will not be leaving the 700 club. How's that for a challenge?

But seriously, I have NO idea why you would take that test again after you're already in. Did you make a few comments about transferring? I have no idea why you'd want to plan on doing that either.

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:07 pm
by dlenmn
I'm with VT on this one. We're going to be studying for quals anyway, and they cover a lot of the same material (granted, the test is a lot different, but the material is half the battle). $130 isn't that large a price to pay for keeping your options open. It's not like VT is committing to going through the whole application process again.

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:13 pm
by excel
At worst, a higher GRE score would be an ego boost.

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:14 pm
by fermiboy
What's an oscilloscope?

Can you tell I'm a theorist?

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:22 pm
by excel
Edited out.

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:24 pm
by excel
will wrote:I used an oscilloscope to invent google.
twistor wrote:And I use google to find deals on oscilliscopes. So we've finally come full circle.
fermiboy wrote:What's an oscilloscope?

Can you tell I'm a theorist?
fermiboy, I can tell that you know neither an oscilloscope nor google :lol:

Re: To all 900 plus holders in the PGRE

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:43 pm
by dlenmn
will wrote:I used an oscilloscope to invent google.
Heh, what can't you do with an oscilloscope? It's an electronic pocketknife. I've got a HP 1740A for my own electronics projects. The thing is older than I am, built like a tank, and still works like it was new. It's one of my favorite material possessions. That makes me an enormous dork I guess... (I used eBay to find it, not google).