[Bloopers]

I'm trying to aim for a 600 on the GMAT or a 310 on the GRE. This reminds me of high school days all over again with the SAT/ACT... do you guys think they're comparable at all?

Any recommendations on which books/supplemental materials to use? I can't afford a course to prepare for the test, but I have the money to buy several books. I have about 2-3 months to study before I apply to grad school, and I sure hope it's enough time!

I know this is based on personal preference, but does anyone here prefer one over the other?

Any advice is welcomed, thank you!

[nelie]

Last time I took the GRE, it had 3 sections worth 800 each. Are you taking a subject GRE or has the GRE changed drastically recently?

[atmos]

I took an older version of the GRE, but studied using the Baron brand of GRE prep book. It helped me get a 1480 (out of 1600), so I'd recommend that. Presumably they cover the new format.

I'd say it's more similar to the SAT than the ACT due to the language portion. There were a lot of those book is to library as soup is to <blank> type things, only with really random vocab. I made a bunch of flash cards and practiced vocab all summer as I worked at the drive thru window (with my Bachelor of Science degree, grrr...). The math was a lot of simple algebra and geometry. I had to go back over geometry concepts quite a bit before taking the test.

I'd say 2-3 months is plenty of time. Some of my friends used the Kaplan books, but I got my Baron book borrowed a lot because they thought it was better. When I took the test, the math and language portions were graded automatically (it was a computer test where the difficulty of the test varied depending on how well you were doing, and they based the score on that) and the writing portion was graded later. The computer format was odd, but like I said I took the old test and I don't think they grade it in this way anymore.

Hopefully someone answers who has used the new format, because they'll have better advice! But I definitely recommend the Baron book and would say expect something more like an SAT than an ACT. It's pretty comparable, just a little more advanced.

There are some free resources on the GRE website. I feel like I took some computerized practice tests, but can't remember exactly where. I thought it was from the GRE site, but you might try googling. It could've been some passcode I got from the Baron book.
https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/

[midwife]

There is a new format for the GRE.
My DD took it this past Saturday.
She used the Princeton review and took online prep tests.
They scored the multiple choice tests immediately but the two essays are sent to be evaluated.
Good luck!

[pnkrckpixikat]

I've been looking at these two tests as well, planning to enter a masters in marketing program and debating the add on mba program the school offers.

I think which test you take should be mostly based on what you are planning to study, from my researching grad schools it seems most programs want the GRE not the GMAT, business programs seem to take either, except MBA programs seem to want the GMAT and not the GRE. I would say look at the programs at the schools you are considering to make sure they don't have any specific requirements.

I am not sure what the difference is in the tests themselves lol

[Vex]

Yes, the program you are interested in will definitely make a difference on which test you will take. Make sure you find out which on is necessary as you don't want to blow a couple hundred dollars and hard work on the wrong test. Business schools tend to want a gmat, and everything else usually goes with a gre. Some schools require neither.

I was able to find some free gmat practice tests on mba.com. There's also a free gmat practice test for iphone. I forget the name, but just search for free gmat.

The gmat has a tendency to ask for more math.