ravi@duke.UUCP (02/10/87)
Can anyone advise me as to the best way to prepare for GREs? (Especially the Computer Science one?) Can anyone recommend a good book to review all the CS thoery I have either forgot or never learned? DO GREs really matter? Thanks, Michael Lee Gleicher (-: If it looks like I'm wandering Duke University (-: around like I'm lost . . . Now appearing at : duke!ravi (-: Or P.O.B. 5899 D.S., Durham, NC 27706 (-: It's because I am!
news@cit-vax.UUCP (02/11/87)
Organization : California Institute of Technology Keywords: GRE From: jon@oddhack.Caltech.Edu (Jon Leech) Path: oddhack!jon In article <9186@duke.duke.UUCP> ravi@duke.UUCP (Ravi Subrahmanyan) writes: >Can anyone advise me as to the best way to prepare for GREs? (Especially >the Computer Science one?) Read Knuth (don't spend much time on the complex sorting and numerical stuff). Ignore all your classes. I can't remember any CS GRE questions that were related to any class I took here. Be familiar with basic concepts: algorithms and data structures, digital logic, etc. Oh yes: make SURE to get lots of sleep the night before. It's a pity the subject test is in the afternoon, when you're already burned out by the generals. >Can anyone recommend a good book to review all the CS thoery I have either >forgot or never learned? Knuth. Just skip over all the code written in his horrible assembler notation (MIX, I think it's called), and concentrate on the algorithms themseleves. >DO GREs really matter? Depends on the grad school. I found it trivial to get an impressive score but some people seem to think GREs actually indicate something other than one's ability to memorize. As for my personal opinion on GREs and similar stuff: "Anthropometry, or measurement of the human body, is not so fashionable a field these days, but it dominated the human sciences for much of the nineteenth century and remained popular until intelligence testing replaced skull measurement as a favored device for making invidious comparisons among races, classes, and sexes." Stephen Jay Gould in ``The Panda's Thumb'' -- Jon Leech (jon@csvax.caltech.edu || ...seismo!cit-vax!jon) Caltech Computer Science Graphics Group __@/
gh@utai.UUCP (02/13/87)
In article <9186@duke.duke.UUCP> ravi@duke.UUCP (Ravi Subrahmanyan) asks: >Do GREs really matter? In article <1752@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> jon@oddhack.UUCP (Jon Leech) answers: > > Depends on the grad school. I found it trivial to get an impressive >score but some people seem to think GREs actually indicate something other >than one's ability to memorize. The fact is that most admissions committees look at GREs pretty closely, because, whatever their flaws, they are the only measure that is standardized across schools. How else can you decide between someone who got B grades at Stanford and someone who got A+ grades at South Dakota State? When I was on such a committee [at Brown University], we looked very hard at the general aptitude scores (which do NOT reflect any memorization ability, though they clearly reflect a general test-taking ability, and I strongly recommend taking the practice tests available). The subject GRE only mattered if it was really bad. For us, you needed to be well into the ninety percentiles in aptitude, but eighties or high seventies in computer science was okay. In fact, most people who got 95 percentile or better in the aptitude tests did not do so well in the Computer Science test, and I started to wonder if anyone actually scored in the top ten percent in the test! Perhaps the good students are exactly the ones who understand instead of memorize and hence get respectable but not outstanding scores in the subject test, while the memorizers do well in the subject test but don't make it in the aptitude tests. -- \\\\ Graeme Hirst University of Toronto Computer Science Department //// utcsri!utai!gh / gh@ai.toronto.edu / 416-978-8747
cline@dartvax.UUCP (02/13/87)
Distribution:na Keywords:GRE Software > >In article <9186@duke.duke.UUCP> ravi@duke.UUCP (Ravi Subrahmanyan) writes: >>Can anyone advise me as to the best way to prepare for GREs? Buy the GRE software that ETS now offers for the General Exam. I comes in IBM and Macintosh formats. But beware the IBM version. It requires a color monitor to work correctly.
g-rh@cca.UUCP (02/15/87)
In article <3272@utai.UUCP> gh@utai.UUCP (Graeme Hirst) writes: > >... How else can you decide between someone who got B grades at >Stanford and someone who got A+ grades at South Dakota State? > The man has a point. There are, I suppose, people who automatically suppose that anyone who graduates from Stanford must be a better candidate than anyone who graduates from South Dakota State, regardless of what kind of grades they got. What is the poor student from SDSU to do? Why, take the GRE's of course. Then the admission committee will see that those A's are real, and that their automatic prejudice against SDSU et al are unfounded, As you might suspect, I am a graduate from SDSU (class of 65). I will note in passing that I aced the GRE's in math, as in answered all of the questions correctly (I also scored in the 99th percentile in the general aptitude tests.) So I suppose, at least in my case, it might be the case that an A at SDSU might be almost as good as a B at Stanford. In fact, you might even wonder if an A at Stanford is almost as good as a B at SDSU? Naah. No way. Snicker. -- Richard Harter, SMDS Inc. [Disclaimers not permitted by company policy.]
beth@brillig.UUCP (02/16/87)
Distribution: You don't need to take both the regular GREs and the subject tests on the same day. If you plan ahead, you can take them separately. I took the CS one in late spring of my junior year and the regular ones during that summer. I suppose that if you have to travel a large distance to get to the testing place this wouldn't be as easy. One hint: Do the practice tests that come with your registration. The directions for the analytical part are difficult to understand on the fly. I thought the analytical and verbal parts were fun. Beth Katz ...!seismo!brillig!beth
levy@ttrdc.UUCP (02/18/87)
[please pardon a non-university posting; I was a student once...] In article <5679@dartvax.UUCP>, cline@dartvax.UUCP writes: >>In article <9186@duke.duke.UUCP> ravi@duke.UUCP (Ravi Subrahmanyan) writes: >>>Can anyone advise me as to the best way to prepare for GREs? > >Buy the GRE software that ETS now offers for the General Exam. >I comes in IBM and Macintosh formats. But beware the IBM version. >It requires a color monitor to work correctly. Is this a recent occurrence that Educational Testing Service is selling preparation/practice material for its own tests? In the past, I understood they heavily played down the importance of "practicing" for their tests (maybe so as to get a wider spread in scores :-) ). Way back when I was looking around at grad schools (1980) I tried taking the (tough!) GRE practice tests in a privately published guide (dunno the name anymore, but it was NOT Kaplan)) and later found, much to my relief, that I scored far higher on the GRE itself than on the practice tests. So even if you do lousy on practice tests, don't give up on the GRE. It IS a good idea to take practice tests (I'd be surprised if you couldn't get them in college bookstores, like I did) if only to familiarize yourself with the format, and perhaps to identify any areas you might need to "bone up" (is that an ancient phrase? :-)) on to feel comfortable. -- ------------------------------- Disclaimer: The views contained herein are | dan levy | my own and are not at all those of my em- | an engihacker @ | ployer or the administrator of any computer | at&t computer systems division | upon which I may hack. | skokie, illinois | -------------------------------- Path: ..!{akgua,homxb,ihnp4,ltuxa,mvuxa, allegra,ulysses,vax135}!ttrdc!levy
asf@sbcs.UUCP (02/18/87)
> > You don't need to take both the regular GREs and the subject tests > on the same day. If you plan ahead, you can take them separately. In fact, if you're smart you'll try your damndest *NOT* to take both on the same day. From first had experience I can tell you that after sitting through the general exam, burnout is a very realistic possibility by the time you get part way through the subject exam. Also, I didn't see where the original poster was posting from, but if its New York, you're probably aware that most of the exams are not offered because of disclosure laws. So you should consider the effects of time spent travelling to get to the exam in the first place. On the other hand, taking 'em both on one day and being satisfied with your results means (hopefully) never having to experience the exams again :-) . -- Alan S. Fink UUCP: {allegra, hocsd, philabs, ogcvax}!sbcs!asf ARPA: asf%sunysb.csnet@csnet-relay.ARPA CSNET: asf@sunysb.edu
ln63wzb@sdcc7.UUCP (02/19/87)
In article <1516@ttrdc.UUCP> levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy) writes: >In article <5679@dartvax.UUCP>, cline@dartvax.UUCP writes: >>>In article <9186@duke.duke.UUCP> ravi@duke.UUCP (Ravi Subrahmanyan) writes: >>>>Can anyone advise me as to the best way to prepare for GREs? >>Buy the GRE software that ETS now offers for the General Exam. >Is this a recent occurrence that Educational Testing Service is selling >preparation/practice material for its own tests? In the past, I understood >they heavily played down the importance of "practicing" for their tests From the 1986-87 GRE Information Bulletin: PRACTICING TO TAKE THE GRE GENERAL TEST - NO. 4 SOFTWARE EDITIONS Each contains: diskettes for practicing to take three full-length GRE General tests; MATHLAB for review of basic math concepts; a copy of _Practicing to Take the GRE General Test - No. 4_ Price for either Mac or IBM version: $55 >It IS a good idea to take practice tests (I'd be surprised if you couldn't >get them in college bookstores, like I did). ETS also sells the _Practicing to Take..._ book, which has three sample tests included, for just (?) $7. I'd sooner buy a third-party practice test book -- no desire to further enhance ETS's income stream. Has anyone ever seen any test prep software which was better than just reviewing with a book, paper, and pencil? Any software nearly worth the price? Grobbins
hohman@uiucdcsp.UUCP (02/19/87)
Can anyone recommend a good book to review all the CS thoery I have either forgot or never learned? DO GREs really matter? Thanks, Michael Lee Gleicher (-: If it looks like I'm wandering Duke University (-: around like I'm lost . . . Now appearing at : duke!ravi (-: Or P.O.B. 5899 D.S., Durham, NC 27706 (-: It's because I am!
hejira@homxb.UUCP (02/21/87)
The ETS (Princeton, NJ) which administers the GREs has (finally) published a practice test for the CS Advanced Test as of September 1986. You may find it helpful. I think it costs around $9.
carter@bacchus.UUCP (02/22/87)
i have a couple prep books for the general exam that i'd like to sell.
one is the barron's book, and the other is the mcgraw-hill's book.
they are both very good books.
- dave
__________________________________________________
| |
| Dave Carter (617) 494-0909 |
| MIT, E40-358 or 225-8462 (home) |
| (617) 253-4231 (work) 410 Memorial Dr. |
| carter@athena.mit.edu Cambridge, MA 02139 |
| ...{decvax,ihnp4}!mit-eddie!mit-athena!carter |
|________________________________________________|chen@gt-stratus.UUCP (02/24/87)
In article <3272@utai.UUCP> gh@utai.UUCP (Graeme Hirst) writes: >Perhaps the good students are exactly the ones who understand instead of >memorize and hence get respectable but not outstanding scores in the subject >test, while the memorizers do well in the subject test but don't make it in the >aptitude tests. Not true. It is possible to do well on both tests. The thing about the subject test is that while the test is not deep, it is *very* broad. It covers everything just about everything you could think of in computer science: data structures, algorithm analysis, numerical analysis, graphics, completeness, language and automata theory, and hardware just based on the questions I *remember*. As I said, the test isn't deep so you don't have to know a whole lot about all these areas, just the very basics. Given the breadth of the test, it's no wonder most people don't do well, even coming out of a CS background, all though they bloody well should. That, however, is an indictment of most CS departments, not their students. Ray Chen chen@gatech
win@utcsri.UUCP (Winsome Green) (02/24/87)
> i have a couple prep books for the general exam that i'd like to sell. > one is the barron's book, and the other is the mcgraw-hill's book. > they are both very good books. > > - dave > __________________________________________________ > | | > | Dave Carter (617) 494-0909 | > | MIT, E40-358 or 225-8462 (home) | > | (617) 253-4231 (work) 410 Memorial Dr. | > | carter@athena.mit.edu Cambridge, MA 02139 | > | ...{decvax,ihnp4}!mit-eddie!mit-athena!carter | > |________________________________________________| *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***
shebs@utah-cs.UUCP (02/25/87)
In article <636@gt-stratus.UUCP> chen@gt-stratus.UUCP (Ray Chen) writes: >Not true. It is possible to do well on both tests. The thing about the >subject test is that while the test is not deep, it is *very* broad. Hoo boy, is it! Brush up on your excess-9 Gray-Huffman-encoded codes, theory of flip-flop operation, and work on speed in hand-simulating odd bits of procedural code. >Given the breadth of the test, it's no wonder most people don't do >well, even coming out of a CS background, all though they bloody well >should. That, however, is an indictment of most CS departments, >not their students. I thought I was pretty well read, over and above the standard curriculum, plus I had a couple of years after my BS to do more learning. There were still some pretty bizarre things. Many of them I recognized as topics that were important 20 years before, but now obsolete. (Mercifuly there were no drum memory questions!) I've never taken any other GREs, but somehow I doubt that a biology GRE has questions about details of Aristotle... > Ray Chen > chen@gatech stan shebs shebs@cs.utah.edu