GRE Question - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

thesupermikey · 05-18-2005, 11:46 AM

Im taking the GRE at the begining of June and i was wondering if one is allowed to use caculators on the math portions of the exam.

I have the Kaplan prep book and it doesnt say i can't but it doesnt say i can either.

Thanks for you help

BigBen · 05-18-2005, 12:27 PM

I took the GMAT a couple of years ago, and if it is anything like the GRE (I was told it was)

Then

Absolutely Not!

Don't worry, the math questions are not that hard. They are kind of like word problems with math thrown in!

I thought the instructions were worded in such a way so that you cannot use any outside instruments at all, including abacus, slide rules, graph paper, et cetera. I felt guilty using the scrap paper that was provided!

Ustwo · 05-18-2005, 03:11 PM

Not unless they have changed it since 1999, when I took it. It was all computerized but no calculators.

I had to take it AFTER getting a doctorate but thats a different story

thesupermikey · 05-18-2005, 04:27 PM

god damn
i havent taken a math clas since i was a sophmore in highschool 7 years ago.....ive taken 2 formal logic classes but little algrabra and no geomotry...im so fucked

asaris · 05-18-2005, 05:05 PM

I'd start reviewing the math as soon as possible. I can't remember if there's trig on it, but there's definitely geometry.

meepa · 05-18-2005, 07:29 PM

No you cannot use calculators.

For the record, all the math in it is pretty much below the "pre-calculus" level. In theory you should have learned everything you needed to know in Jr High (or HS if you never went to precalc). The theory is that all types of potential grad-students need to take the GRE. Thus all those social science folks going into, say, history, cannot be expected to have taken anything more than the most basic required math classes in order to pass.

But before you get your hopes up, their strategy is to take those simple math concepts and make them as confusing as humanly possible. Thus expect fairly simple mathematical concepts presented in very confusing or trick questions.

IF you happen to know every little math trick that they will throw at you, you will not even wish you had a calculator. The number-crunching is supposed to be non-existant if you know what you're doing. Hint: If you come upon a question that has you filling up a piece of paper with all kinds of arithmetic, you're not doing it how they want you to do it.

Also, I know you only said you're studying the math, but don't forget the verbal part is essentialy one giant vocabulary test. You can learn the basic strategies to crack the questions from various guides, but at the end of the day, you will only succeed in obtaining a good verbal score if you learn the vocab. There are probably books with word lists and I know there are websites with some, although they're not always perfect. I know you said you're taking it at the beginning of June which doesn't leave much time for this, but if it's any encouragement, I reviewed over 500 words in about three weeks by only testing myself for about 20 minutes three times a day. You don't need to know every word's definition perfectly, but it helps having a general idea for as many words as you can.

I hope this was a help to you or anybody else looking. If anyone has any other questions about the GRE feel free to PM me. GOOD LUCK!

trickyy · 05-18-2005, 08:20 PM

the GRE would be pretty easy if you could use a calculator and dictionary. there are shortcuts on a lot of math stuff, though. and don't forget what laconic means.

i'd recommend the princeton review test prep book. i found it to be better than kaplan.

Redlemon · 05-19-2005, 06:21 AM

I remember preparing for the GRE. I got the book, I was plugging through the math section, and then I reached.... long division. I was in the last semester of 4 years of engineering, and for the life of me I couldn't remember how to do long division.

Boy was I glad I didn't go into the test blind!

BigBen · 05-19-2005, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trickyy

and don't forget what laconic means.

i'd recommend the princeton review test prep book. i found it to be better than kaplan.

Dude, I have no idea what laconic means...

I also used the Princeton Review for my GMAT, and scored 710 (out of 800, Booyakasha!)

Read all of my posts. You will understand that I am not all that smart, and pulled that test out of my ass. The Princeton Review takes you into the mind of the person writing the questions, and then fully explains the scoring system and the hints/tips for computer-based tests.

Worth the 35(?) bucks I paid for it, ten times over.
Good luck. You probably won't need it!

BigBen · 05-19-2005, 06:35 AM

la·con·ic: adj.

Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise.

Shit yeah! I think the people on the Tilted Politics board should learn this...

abaya · 05-19-2005, 08:33 AM

Another vote for Princeton Review's GRE book... I was an English major, so I did really well on the verbal portion, and their vocab lists were helpful. I am NOT a math person, however, and I think I tried to review too much in too little time and didn't get what I wanted in that section. So assess your own skill level in math and verbal, and bone up on whichever part you feel less confident in.

I also found it VERY helpful to take sample tests online, with simulated testing conditions... I think Princeton Review offers 6 free ones, if you get their book.

Good luck!!

trickyy · 05-19-2005, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBen931

Dude, I have no idea what laconic means...

me neither (thanks for the def), it's just stuck in my mind as one of the words on those lists. for some reason i remember more of the words than the definitions. it's funny to have to temporarily learn strange, underused words as a "measure" of your capabilities.

abaya · 05-19-2005, 09:07 AM

^ I think that depends on what field you're going into. Most graduate students have to read massive amounts of academic material, almost all of which is full of those strange words on the GRE. I am in anthropology, where reading and writing academic articles is a huge part of my education... and I've found that learning those words and committing them to long-term memory saves a heck of a lot of time. There's enough to do as a grad student without having to use a dictionary every time some scholarly dude pops out a difficult word.

I just remembered something else about GRE vocab, and vocab in general.. ROOTS. Roots are huge. If you took a Romance language, you will be set on quite a few strange words... just by looking at the root. If you can find a list of Greek roots to compliment the Latin ones, you'll be set. Learning one root wil help you recognize 5-10 other words, at least.

Redlemon · 05-19-2005, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaya

I just remembered something else about GRE vocab, and vocab in general.. ROOTS. Roots are huge. If you took a Romance language, you will be set on quite a few strange words... just by looking at the root. If you can find a list of Greek roots to compliment the Latin ones, you'll be set. Learning one root wil help you recognize 5-10 other words, at least.

Yes, that's huge, and part of why I took Latin in high school. Also, I found that my knowledge of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas was very useful on the language sections as well; seriously, there were 3 words that I didn't quite know, but remembered them from G&S lyrics, so I worked the definitions out from context.

05-19-2005, 09:27 AM

I haven't got a clue what GRE is - except that it's some kind of test.

abaya · 05-19-2005, 09:35 AM

^ It's the test people take to apply for graduate school, much like high school students take the SAT to apply for college. GRE scores, in addition to college GPA, are the numerical basis for graduate school acceptance; qualitative things include one's history of leadership and involvement on campus or in the community, research and working with professors as an undergraduate, and particularly one's focus and motivation for finishing the Master's or PhD (usually proven in a statement of intent, or a declaration of what one intends to research and who one intends to work with at that institution).

GRE scores are a small part of all this, but if they are low (esp. in that field: e.g. if one is going into engineering, one had better have good math scores) then they can be grounds for dismissing the application outright. If one has outstanding GRE scores, they can make up for not being as strong in other areas.

Ustwo · 05-20-2005, 08:29 AM

To me the only part of the GRE that proves anything is the logic part (I forget what the name of the section is).

Ironicly many schools disreguard that score and use only the math/reading section. Math is my weakest of the '3r's' but I still did ok on it. The scary part is when you see the scores of the various majors in each section :P

abaya · 05-20-2005, 08:42 AM

^ I agree, and I enjoyed the logic part the most. However, they changed the format in 2002... there is no longer a logic section, as it has been replaced by an essay.

I intentionally registered to take the logic version of the GRE days before it was phased out... even though I am an English major and would have been fine writing an essay, I feel much more comfortable being objectively judged on multiple-choice logic questions than on a relatively subjective essay.

Ustwo · 05-20-2005, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaya

^ I agree, and I enjoyed the logic part the most. However, they changed the format in 2002... there is no longer a logic section, as it has been replaced by an essay.

I intentionally registered to take the logic version of the GRE days before it was phased out... even though I am an English major and would have been fine writing an essay, I feel much more comfortable being objectively judged on multiple-choice logic questions than on a relatively subjective essay.

ICK!

My GRE score would put me in mensa (I checked), but if you took out the logic section and replaced it with an essay I'd be hosed. My handwriting is impossible to read and my spelling is awful.

I can't understand why the ONE section which shows if you can think would be removed.

My guess is most people do so poorly on it that they removed it to make students look better. If you can't win, lower the bar, brought to you by the American education system.

Ilow · 05-20-2005, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redlemon

Yes, that's huge, and part of why I took Latin in high school. Also, I found that my knowledge of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas was very useful on the language sections as well; seriously, there were 3 words that I didn't quite know, but remembered them from G&S lyrics, so I worked the definitions out from context.

LMAO!! This is so classic. So let me get this straight-- You ARE the very model of a modern major-general?

Redlemon · 05-20-2005, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ilow

LMAO!! This is so classic. So let me get this straight-- You ARE the very model of a modern major-general?

No, but last night I was lying awake with a dismal headache, and repose was taboo'd by anxiety.

Back on topic, I can't believe they dumped Logic either. That was my 800 (780 math, 720 verbal).

Rodney · 05-22-2005, 05:36 AM

No, you can't take a calculator.

The thing that bugged me about the GRE was the extra section I had to do. They tell you that one additional section will be added to the test that won't be counted in your score. They just want to test the questions. And they won't tell you which section it is. When I took the test, I had _two_ math sections to do. I really bombed on one, did better on the second. I got a half-decent score, so I guess the second one was "real."

But jeez, talk about adding insult to injury. You're taking an important test and they make it even harder, just for their own purposes. I guess they figure, "He'll be a grad student, he'd better get used to abuse; let's be the first to do it to him!"

lpj8 · 05-22-2005, 07:56 AM

I had to do the Analytic section twice on my GRE exam a couple of years ago. Luckily, the field I was taking the test for didn't require (or even ask for) analytic scores. So I christmas treed both analytic sections.

Zeraph · 05-22-2005, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trickyy

it's funny to have to temporarily learn strange, underused words as a "measure" of your capabilities.

I know, what's with tests that don't really test what they need to? So far (Jr in college) half my tests really arn't testing me over the appropriate material but more on simple memorization or obscure facts that the prof slipped in.

Zeraph · 05-22-2005, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ustwo

ICK!

My GRE score would put me in mensa (I checked), but if you took out the logic section and replaced it with an essay I'd be hosed. My handwriting is impossible to read and my spelling is awful.

In mensa? I thought mensa was based on IQ? Just curious.

05-18-2005, 11:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
thesupermikey I got blisters on me fingers!!! Location: In my stressless expectation free zone.	GRE Question Im taking the GRE at the begining of June and i was wondering if one is allowed to use caculators on the math portions of the exam. I have the Kaplan prep book and it doesnt say i can't but it doesnt say i can either. Thanks for you help __________________ If you are not outraged than you are not paying attention! "Reality has a well-known liberal bias" - Steven Colbert

05-18-2005, 12:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
BigBen Comedian Location: Use the search button	I took the GMAT a couple of years ago, and if it is anything like the GRE (I was told it was) Then Absolutely Not! Don't worry, the math questions are not that hard. They are kind of like word problems with math thrown in! I thought the instructions were worded in such a way so that you cannot use any outside instruments at all, including abacus, slide rules, graph paper, et cetera. I felt guilty using the scrap paper that was provided! __________________ 3.141592654 Hey, if you are impressed with my memorizing pi to 10 digits, you should see the size of my penis.

05-18-2005, 03:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
Ustwo Pissing in the cornflakes	Not unless they have changed it since 1999, when I took it. It was all computerized but no calculators. I had to take it AFTER getting a doctorate but thats a different story __________________ Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.

05-18-2005, 04:27 PM	#4 (permalink)
thesupermikey I got blisters on me fingers!!! Location: In my stressless expectation free zone.	god damn i havent taken a math clas since i was a sophmore in highschool 7 years ago.....ive taken 2 formal logic classes but little algrabra and no geomotry...im so fucked __________________ If you are not outraged than you are not paying attention! "Reality has a well-known liberal bias" - Steven Colbert

05-18-2005, 05:05 PM	#5 (permalink)
asaris Mad Philosopher Location: Washington, DC	I'd start reviewing the math as soon as possible. I can't remember if there's trig on it, but there's definitely geometry. __________________ "Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht." "The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm." -- Friedrich Nietzsche

05-18-2005, 07:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
meepa Insane	No you cannot use calculators. For the record, all the math in it is pretty much below the "pre-calculus" level. In theory you should have learned everything you needed to know in Jr High (or HS if you never went to precalc). The theory is that all types of potential grad-students need to take the GRE. Thus all those social science folks going into, say, history, cannot be expected to have taken anything more than the most basic required math classes in order to pass. But before you get your hopes up, their strategy is to take those simple math concepts and make them as confusing as humanly possible. Thus expect fairly simple mathematical concepts presented in very confusing or trick questions. IF you happen to know every little math trick that they will throw at you, you will not even wish you had a calculator. The number-crunching is supposed to be non-existant if you know what you're doing. Hint: If you come upon a question that has you filling up a piece of paper with all kinds of arithmetic, you're not doing it how they want you to do it. Also, I know you only said you're studying the math, but don't forget the verbal part is essentialy one giant vocabulary test. You can learn the basic strategies to crack the questions from various guides, but at the end of the day, you will only succeed in obtaining a good verbal score if you learn the vocab. There are probably books with word lists and I know there are websites with some, although they're not always perfect. I know you said you're taking it at the beginning of June which doesn't leave much time for this, but if it's any encouragement, I reviewed over 500 words in about three weeks by only testing myself for about 20 minutes three times a day. You don't need to know every word's definition perfectly, but it helps having a general idea for as many words as you can. I hope this was a help to you or anybody else looking. If anyone has any other questions about the GRE feel free to PM me. GOOD LUCK!

05-18-2005, 08:20 PM	#7 (permalink)
trickyy ►	the GRE would be pretty easy if you could use a calculator and dictionary. there are shortcuts on a lot of math stuff, though. and don't forget what laconic means. i'd recommend the princeton review test prep book. i found it to be better than kaplan.

05-19-2005, 06:21 AM	#8 (permalink)
Redlemon Devoted Donor Location: New England	I remember preparing for the GRE. I got the book, I was plugging through the math section, and then I reached.... long division. I was in the last semester of 4 years of engineering, and for the life of me I couldn't remember how to do long division. Boy was I glad I didn't go into the test blind! __________________ I can't read your signature. Sorry.

05-19-2005, 06:35 AM	#10 (permalink)
BigBen Comedian Location: Use the search button	la·con·ic: adj. Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise. Shit yeah! I think the people on the Tilted Politics board should learn this... __________________ 3.141592654 Hey, if you are impressed with my memorizing pi to 10 digits, you should see the size of my penis.

05-19-2005, 08:33 AM	#11 (permalink)
abaya Location: Iceland	Another vote for Princeton Review's GRE book... I was an English major, so I did really well on the verbal portion, and their vocab lists were helpful. I am NOT a math person, however, and I think I tried to review too much in too little time and didn't get what I wanted in that section. So assess your own skill level in math and verbal, and bone up on whichever part you feel less confident in. I also found it VERY helpful to take sample tests online, with simulated testing conditions... I think Princeton Review offers 6 free ones, if you get their book. Good luck!! __________________ And think not you can direct the course of Love; for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. --Khalil Gibran

05-19-2005, 09:07 AM	#13 (permalink)
abaya Location: Iceland	^ I think that depends on what field you're going into. Most graduate students have to read massive amounts of academic material, almost all of which is full of those strange words on the GRE. I am in anthropology, where reading and writing academic articles is a huge part of my education... and I've found that learning those words and committing them to long-term memory saves a heck of a lot of time. There's enough to do as a grad student without having to use a dictionary every time some scholarly dude pops out a difficult word. I just remembered something else about GRE vocab, and vocab in general.. ROOTS. Roots are huge. If you took a Romance language, you will be set on quite a few strange words... just by looking at the root. If you can find a list of Greek roots to compliment the Latin ones, you'll be set. Learning one root wil help you recognize 5-10 other words, at least. __________________ And think not you can direct the course of Love; for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. --Khalil Gibran

05-19-2005, 09:27 AM	#15 (permalink)
zen_tom Guest	I haven't got a clue what GRE is - except that it's some kind of test.

05-19-2005, 09:35 AM	#16 (permalink)
abaya Location: Iceland	^ It's the test people take to apply for graduate school, much like high school students take the SAT to apply for college. GRE scores, in addition to college GPA, are the numerical basis for graduate school acceptance; qualitative things include one's history of leadership and involvement on campus or in the community, research and working with professors as an undergraduate, and particularly one's focus and motivation for finishing the Master's or PhD (usually proven in a statement of intent, or a declaration of what one intends to research and who one intends to work with at that institution). GRE scores are a small part of all this, but if they are low (esp. in that field: e.g. if one is going into engineering, one had better have good math scores) then they can be grounds for dismissing the application outright. If one has outstanding GRE scores, they can make up for not being as strong in other areas. __________________ And think not you can direct the course of Love; for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. --Khalil Gibran

05-20-2005, 08:29 AM	#17 (permalink)
Ustwo Pissing in the cornflakes	To me the only part of the GRE that proves anything is the logic part (I forget what the name of the section is). Ironicly many schools disreguard that score and use only the math/reading section. Math is my weakest of the '3r's' but I still did ok on it. The scary part is when you see the scores of the various majors in each section :P __________________ Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.

05-20-2005, 08:42 AM	#18 (permalink)
abaya Location: Iceland	^ I agree, and I enjoyed the logic part the most. However, they changed the format in 2002... there is no longer a logic section, as it has been replaced by an essay. I intentionally registered to take the logic version of the GRE days before it was phased out... even though I am an English major and would have been fine writing an essay, I feel much more comfortable being objectively judged on multiple-choice logic questions than on a relatively subjective essay. __________________ And think not you can direct the course of Love; for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. --Khalil Gibran

05-22-2005, 05:36 AM	#22 (permalink)
Rodney Observant Ruminant Location: Rich Wannabe Hippie Town	No, you can't take a calculator. The thing that bugged me about the GRE was the extra section I had to do. They tell you that one additional section will be added to the test that won't be counted in your score. They just want to test the questions. And they won't tell you which section it is. When I took the test, I had _two_ math sections to do. I really bombed on one, did better on the second. I got a half-decent score, so I guess the second one was "real." But jeez, talk about adding insult to injury. You're taking an important test and they make it even harder, just for their own purposes. I guess they figure, "He'll be a grad student, he'd better get used to abuse; let's be the first to do it to him!"

05-22-2005, 07:56 AM	#23 (permalink)
lpj8 Crazy Location: U.S.A	I had to do the Analytic section twice on my GRE exam a couple of years ago. Luckily, the field I was taking the test for didn't require (or even ask for) analytic scores. So I christmas treed both analytic sections.