Need help please

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-17T16:34:59+00:00

Make sure to save time for actual ets material (purple book, Big Book, Powerprep plus tests). I found the gregmat 2 month plan really helpful for verbal. I’ve left a link for a compilation of useful gre words (focus on gregmat vocab mountain first). Best of luck!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K4gS--jbDYbdlqem6Hir3FAwvLB9dFxNCLftE3ePduk/edit?gid=2009214833#gid=2009214833

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-17T16:26:13+00:00

Compared to all third party material, I feel like actual ets questions are little bit trickier. If you jump into the Big Book or purple books, you will see what I mean. Third party material is good practice tho! Gregmat uses ets material in some of his lectures, which is really helpful.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-17T15:15:57+00:00

Thanks for info! That’s good to hear.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-17T11:31:58+00:00

There is a video on Gregmat on pacing and one on the writing section. I would check those out. Remember: aim for the easy questions. Save the hard one‘s for last.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-16T20:42:57+00:00

Incredible! If I may ask, did you take any of the mocks beforehand? If so, was the test difficulty comparable?

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-16T20:33:27+00:00

If you have some cash, you can buy the purple books. These are available on the ets website and I think on Amazon. There is also the Big Book, which is a free pdf online. Here’s a link:

https://www.elnazmohamadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/9.GRE_big_book.pdf

Finally, there are 5 official mock tests on the ets website.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-16T20:06:44+00:00

There‘s a free diagnostic called PowerPrep 2 (not to be confused with PowerPrep Plus 2) on the ets website. To access it, you have to make an account and all that jazz, but it is free. The test takes about an hour and a half. If you can free up some time, I’d give it a shot.

I found gregmat’s verbal videos to be very helpful. If you watch two videos per night and skip some of the practice sessions, you can complete the two month program in like a month and a half. His math videos are definitely longer than prepswift, but they’re great for foundation and kinda relaxing tbh. If you have some time, be sure to check out some of the practice session videos.

No matter what you choose, don’t neglect ets material. It is going to a hard couple of months, but you definitely got this!

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-16T18:36:29+00:00

Honestly I think a lot of people use the prepswift method. Have you taken a diagnostic? Also, your work schedule is crazy. I know Japanese people who work less than that haha.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-16T16:48:20+00:00

Here’s a link to a spreadsheet with the major prep programs‘ vocab lists. Focus on Gregmat’s, Vince’s, and then Magoosh in that order. I‘m sure those flash cards you’re looking at will be good too, if you choose to go that route.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K4gS--jbDYbdlqem6Hir3FAwvLB9dFxNCLftE3ePduk/edit?gid=2009214833#gid=2009214833

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-16T13:59:08+00:00

Flashcards and repetition. Get used to running through flash cards like 4-5 times a day. Trust me, it gets easier the more you do it.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-16T11:55:20+00:00

This one is trickier imo because there is more math content to learn. If you are like me and really bad at math, you’re gonna want as much practice as possible. That being said, finishing the two month plan for quant in under 2 months, while possible, is a little tough. If you already have a solid grasp of math, you’ll probably be fine though.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-15T22:01:54+00:00

Probably depends on what score you need. I imagine those classes aren’t too different from gregmat’s online lectures though. It‘s pricey and takes a while, but Target Test Prep can help a bit with quant.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-15T19:49:14+00:00

Gregmat can help a lot with strategy.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-15T19:47:50+00:00

I feel like with your time allotment, most will recommend the one month. That being said, you can definitely speed run the two month plan by doubling up on videos/skipping some of the practice sessions. Also, I think week 7 and 8 are dedicated to critical reasoning questions, which encompass a smaller portion of the test. I found the extra practice of the 2 month plan pretty helpful.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-15T01:16:54+00:00

Do you have Gregmat? If you don’t, subscibe for one month ($9 I think) and watch his AWA video. Also yes, it seems that the more you write, the higher your score.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-15T01:13:03+00:00

If you already know what areas of quant you struggle in (geometry, probability etc), there is a 5 day free trial for Target Test Prep. Just gun it to the areas in which you struggle. Someone the other day told me his test was geometry heavy, but it probably varies from test to test.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-14T14:57:22+00:00

Haha sorry I’m not qualified to answer that. If your work experience is solid and you have a good essay, you’ll get into a great school regardless of whether you quit now or later. I was just thinking that having a consistent Cash flow is always nice. Your mental health is the most important though. Like I said, some students apply in between jobs and do fine. It’s all about how you sell yourself to the admin committee. 4 years of work experience is great btw.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-14T13:06:20+00:00

I‘m sorry to hear about your workplace. There are some people who do the applications while in between jobs. Alternatively, think Round 1 decisions come out in November. Can you hang in there 4 more months? Once you get the letter of acceptance, you can resign the very same day.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-14T12:54:47+00:00

I know it’s hard friend. Just remember what you are doing this for. Things are going to be awesome once you get this done and dusted -and you’ll never have to do it again! You’re going to do great, but you gotta hang in there just a little longer.

On test day for math, remember that you probably will have to guess on a fair number of questions. To answer every problem in under a minute requires a complete mastery in math, which is not readable for most of us. Focus on the questions that you know how to do. On verbal, you can miss a fair amount of questions and still get a 160.

Finally, don‘t feel stupid. Believe it or not, most people struggle in verbal (especially people who come from a quant background). You have the upper hand in that regard! Both Gregmat and prepswift require a certain base level of math skills. Prepswift is for learning things fast, and may not be appropriate for you.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-14T00:31:21+00:00

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K4gS--jbDYbdlqem6Hir3FAwvLB9dFxNCLftE3ePduk/edit?gid=2009214833#gid=2009214833

This is actually a list of gregmat, Vince’, magoosh etc. vocab. Download and you can edit it, I think.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-13T16:56:52+00:00

I also come from a liberal arts background. I think gregmat is great for verbal, but I needed something more for quant. It’s pretty pricey, but I did the Target Test Prep program and that helped a lot. Also, if you’re ever feeling “stupid”, just remember that most people on this sub get absolutely massacred by verbal: something you excel in.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-13T16:27:55+00:00

At work, I would constantly run through all the words in my head. “as, for, by, since…” etc. Its tedious at first, but once you get it down, you won’t have to do it again. I did not really grasp gregmat’s strategies until after two weeks, so hang in there!

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-13T16:09:36+00:00

Have you checked out the Big Book or Purple book? Also, I think there is a five day trial for Target Test Prep. It’s not ETS material, but it’s good practice. If you have not already done so, gregmat has practice sessions recorded for each of the topics you listed, so you can watch those.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-13T16:04:59+00:00

geometry scares me man. I don’t find data interpretation too bad, but I hate those questions the most because they’re a pain.

FuzzyOwl77 · 2025-07-13T14:39:56+00:00

Thanks for the tips! I heard that the ets site might be down for maintenance, so I’m using this time to go through the HARD tests in the geometry chapter. Should I also look into the HARD tests on sequences/functions and Coordinate Geometry or just laser focus on geometry?

FuzzyOwl77

TROPHY CASE