OVERALL The quality of each GRE course's teachers, methods and books/material varies. As such, when choosing a GRE class, you should first determine what's important for you, then research each company to see which will fit your needs best. TEACHERS What should a good GRE teacher possess? The two most important things are experience in teaching the test and enthusiasm. When choosing a course, contact the company directly and ask who specifically will teach your course, rather than assuming that all teachers for a company are necessarily the same. In evaluating teachers, many students assume that the higher the teacher’s score, the better the teacher. However, a higher score does not equal a better teacher. A score above the 95th percentile on the GRE oftentimes simply reflects the speed at which a test-taker reads or completes math problems, not how much knowledge the test-taker has. As such, someone who scored in the 99th percentile likely simply reads slightly faster than someone who scored in the 95th percentile. Or, the 99th percentile test taker was just a little bit luckier. Although a higher score does not necessarily mean a better teacher, you should nevertheless have a teacher who is capable of scoring in the 90th percentile or higher. METHODS Rather than focusing on which GRE test prep company has the "best" methods, instead, find a course and teacher whose teaching style fits your needs. Are you looking for a disciplined and serious atmosphere, or one which is more relaxed? Are you seeking to achieve near perfect scores, or are you completely lost with GRE questions? Ask yourself these types of questions and then determine which course will best fit your needs. BOOKS/OTHER MATERIALS What about practice material? This is where the courses vary. Check each company to see what you get in addition to the class. Oftentimes the amount of extra practice material you receive determines cost. SHOULD I TAKE AN ONLINE GRE COURSE? Online GRE courses provide essentially the same content you would find in a company's live course. These on-line options have the obvious advantage of great flexibility -- study when and where you want. This is a great advantage for those who live a great distance from any live courses. Of course, the obvious negative is that you don't have a live teacher. Most of the on-line courses provide you with an e-mail contact if get really stuck, though. If you're okay without a teacher but want much more material than is found in a GRE Preparation Book, then consider on-line options. WHICH GRE COURSE SHOULD I TAKE? Follow these steps: Step 1- Decide what’s important to you – Flexibility or Structure? Plenty of Classroom Time or Loads of Practice Material? Serious Atmosphere or a Relaxed One? Small Classes? Live or On-line? Step 2- Narrow your choice down to one or two GRE prep companies. Step 3- Contact the companies and get specifics on your local teacher’s experience and enthusiasm. Step 4- Choose a GRE class. |
