Deciding whether to take a GRE prep course is tough. Prep courses can be expensive and take a lot of time. So the question is, is a GRE prep course worth it?

You might think that because I teach and GRE prep course and work for a GRE prep course company, my answer would be a certain “yes”. But in reality, it’s a resounding and certain “maybe”.

Helpful, right? Sorry. But I firmly believe that a prep course is incredibly valuable for some people but not for others. Here are the factors I usually encourage students to consider in deciding if a prep course will be worthwhile for them.

How much improvement do you really need?

It’s a good idea to take a reputable practice exam to see where your scores currently stand. Manhattan GRE offers a free practice test that you can use to see where you are right now. Then, check in with the programs to which you plan to apply and see what score would make you a competitive applicant there.

If you only need minimal improvement, or you only need improvement in one area, you might be able to do that on your own! Either way, you’ve got to know where you are starting and where you need to end up before you can make an informed plan.

How likely are you to stick to a schedule on your own? Read more

I’ve been on a story problem kick lately. People have a love / hate relationship with these. On the one hand, it’s a story! It should be easier than “pure” math! We should be able to figure it out!

On the other hand, we have to figure out what they’re talking about, and then we have to translate the words into math, and then we have to come up with an approach. That’s where story problems start to go off the rails.

You know what I mean, right? Those ones where you think it’ll be fine, and then you’re a minute or two in and you realize that everything you’ve written down so far doesn’t make sense, but you’re sure that you can set it up, so you try again, and you get an answer but it’s not in the answer choices, and now you’ve crossed the 3-minute mark…argh!

So let’s talk about how to make story problems REAL. They’re no longer going to be abstract math problems. You’re riding Train X as it approaches Train Y. You’re the store manager figuring out how many hours to give Sue so that she’ll still make the same amount of money now that her hourly wage has gone up.

Note: I’ve used GMAT problems in this article because the makers of the GRE don’t allow us to re-publish their problems. I’d rather work from actual problems written by standardized test-writers, just to show you how well this technique does work on real problems. I’ve chosen two problems that could just as easily be seen on the GRE.

Try this GMATPrep® problem:

* ” Six machines, each working at the same constant rate, together can complete a certain job in 12 days. How many additional machines, each working at the same constant rate, will be needed to complete the job in 8 days?

“(A) 2

“(B) 3

“(C) 4

“(D) 6

“(E) 8”

Yuck. A work problem.

Except… here’s the cool thing. The vast majority of rate and work problems have awesome shortcuts. This is so true that, nowadays, if I look at a rate or work problem and the only solution idea I have is that old, annoying RTD (or RTW) chart… I’m probably going to skip the problem entirely. It’s not worth my time or mental energy.

This problem is no exception—in fact, this one is an amazing example of a complicated problem with a 20-second solution. Seriously—20 seconds!

You own a factory now (lucky you!). Your factory has 6 machines in it. At the beginning of the first day, you turn on all 6 machines and they start pumping out their widgets. After 12 continuous days of this, the machines have produced all of the widgets you need, so you turn them off again.

Let’s say that, on day 1, you turned them all on, but then you turned them off at the end of that day. What proportion of the job did your machines finish that day? They did 1/12 of the job.

Now, here’s a key turning point. Most people will then try to figure out how much work one machine does on one day. (Many people will make the mistake of thinking that one machine does 1/12 of the job in one day.) But don’t go in that direction in the first place! If you were really the factory owner, you wouldn’t start writing equations at this point. You’d figure out what you need by testing some scenarios. Read more

Each week, we post a new GRE Challenge Problem for you to attempt. If you submit the correct answer, you will be entered into that week’s drawing for two free Manhattan Prep GRE Strategy Guides.

See the answer choices and submit your pick over on our Challenge Problem page.

We all have a way of learning that works best for us. Most of us are able to learn by reading, writing, listening, speaking, and doing: the world pretty much requires that we do all five of these. But, just the same, most of us are better learners in some ways than in others.

Fortunately, when it comes to studying for the GRE, you can do a lot to design your own way of studying to take advantage of your strengths. First, you have to know what your strengths are. You may already know. If you don’t, think back to your time in high school or college. Which ways of studying were effective for you? Did you find homework to be pointless, but learn a lot in class? You might learn best by listening. On the other hand, if you found it very helpful to take notes while studying, you might learn best by writing. If you aren’t sure, you can take an online quiz such as this one to give yourself some guidance in the right direction.

I suggest that you try to combine more than one learning style in your studying – research has shown that this improves learning. I also suggest that you make sure to incorporate the learning style that works best for you.

So what are some ways to study in each learning style?

Learn by reading

• Obviously, the first piece here is to read the assigned reading in your homework.
• You might find that reading explanations of problem solutions really helps to cement things for you.
• Reading online forums can help you link concepts together.
• Doing a Google search for vocab words and reading them in context can help those who learn by reading to form strong connections for the words.
• Reading different solutions to a tough problem might bring you lots of insight.

Learn by writing Read more

Each week, we post a new GRE Challenge Problem for you to attempt. If you submit the correct answer, you will be entered into that week’s drawing for two free Manhattan Prep GRE Strategy Guides.

See the answer choices and submit your pick over on our Challenge Problem page.

Maybe by now, you all know that I hate vocab. It’s not my thing. It doesn’t come naturally to me at all. I have to make the flashcards, do the practice quizzes, and fight my way through it. One thing that really works for me is coming up with my own short, general description of a word. If I try to have just some idea of what it means, that’s probably what I’ll need for the test.

But sometimes, the reason a word is on the GRE is that we often us it wrong. Sometimes it’s just a common misunderstanding that’s caught on. Other times, it’s a word we’ve pretty much stopped using except in one context, where either one of the two meanings would make sense.

Want a couple examples?

1. Peruse. Peruse doesn’t mean “to browse or glance something over”. It means “to read or examine carefully.” If you start using it that way in conversation, everyone will think you’re an idiot. But you should know it come GRE test day.
2. Abscond. We usually only use this word in sentences like, “He absconded with the diamonds.” A lot of us think it means stealing, but it doesn’t. It means to sneak away, especially to avoid getting in trouble.
3. Refute. We’re used to this word, and know that when you “refute” someone’s argument, you shut it down. But not just by disagreeing, as is commonly thought. “Refute” means to completely disprove something.
4. Condone. We usually use this word in expressions like, “the school does not condone this behavior.” Well, the school might not approve of the behavior, but that’s not what “condone” means – it means “overlook” or “disregard”. If I condone what you’re doing, I don’t necessarily approve of it – I’m just not going to stop you.
5. Consent. This one’s kind of like condone. If I consent to your argument, that doesn’t necessarily mean I like it. It just means I agree, even in a passive way or with a negative attitude. Read more

Here are the free GRE events we’re holding this week (All times local unless otherwise specified):

9/24/13– Irvine, CA- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM – 9:30PM

9/25/13– Los Angeles, CA- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM – 9:30PM

9/28/13– New York, NY- Free Trial Class– 10:00AM – 1:00PM

Looking for more free events? Check out our Free Events Listing Page.

Each week, we post a new GRE Challenge Problem for you to attempt. If you submit the correct answer, you will be entered into that week’s drawing for two free Manhattan Prep GRE Strategy Guides.

See the answer choices and submit your pick over on our Challenge Problem page.

I’m a terrible photographer because I don’t zoom in a reasonable manner. I try to zoom in on things that really can’t be appreciated without context. I try to zoom out and capture a whole panorama when the scene is too busy for any viewer to appreciate it. I suppose I could practice, but instead I’ve just stopped taking pictures and let other people do it for me.

But when it comes to the quantitative section of the GRE, I know exactly how to zoom, and I try to make sure my students know how to do the same. If you took all your photos with the camera on its factory setting, they would all be okay, but none of them would be really great. You want to get closer and more into the minutiae sometimes, and take a broader view other times, skipping all the details. The same is true when studying for (and taking) the GRE.

Zooming Out

Consider the following problem:

If x is the median of all the even multiples of 7 from 15 to 100, and y is the mean of all the even multiples of 7 from 16 to 104, what is the value of x –  y?

With your mental math camera on the regular setting, your approach might sound something like, “Okay, I know how to find the median. I’ll list out all the terms, and choose the middle one. After I’ve done that, I can find the mean by average out the first and last terms, because this is an evenly spaced set. Once I find both those numbers, I’ll subtract to find the difference.”

This approach is okay, and it will get you to the right answer. But zooming out a little allows you to look at the problem collectively, as a whole, and think something like, “Hey, both these sets of numbers are the same, since they both start at 21 and end at 98. And in an evenly spaced set, the mean and median are the same. So their difference is zero.”

Zooming out lets you pick up patterns in the exam and take advantage of the fact that you’ve studied them and notice them. It allows you to notice trends in the exam, which helps you know quickly what issues to consider and can also help you make an educated guess. Let’s take a look at another sample problem.

What is the average (arithmetic mean) of all the multiples of ten from 10 to 290 inclusive?

1. 140
2. 145
3. 150
4. 190
5. 200

On a regular setting, I’m looking at this and thinking, “Great, I know how to find the mean. I’ll list all the multiples of ten, add them up, and divide by the number of terms.” By zooming out, I can realize, “Hey, I know the GRE doesn’t want me to do that. This test rewards me for reasoning; is there a faster way? Yeah, this is an evenly spaced set of terms, so the middle one is the mean. And I can find that by just taking the mean of 10 and 290.

Making a Plan

The purpose of zooming out (or zooming in, as we’ll see in a second) is to make a plan. Each question should cause you to clarify what information you’re being given (“What are they telling me?”) and what you’re being asked to find from it (“What are they asking me?). Then, make a plan. Read more

Here are the free GRE events we’re holding this week (All times local unless otherwise specified):

9/17/13– New York, NY- Free Trial Class– 1:00PM – 4:00PM

9/18/13– Atlanta, GA- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM – 9:30PM

9/19/13– New York, NY- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM – 9:30PM

9/22/13– Washington, DC- Free Trial Class– 2:00PM – 5:00PM

Looking for more free events? Check out our Free Events Listing Page.