Comments | applyingtograd: LIT GRE this Sat

whoshotya15 in applyingtograd

LIT GRE this Sat

Nov 01, 2009 01:24

How long is one supposed to study for this? is it like the gre general where they suggest 1,2, or 3 months ( Read more... )

gre english, gre

Comments 6

circumfession November 1 2009, 06:42:30 UTC

Well, technically, you're supposed to study for this test for the entirety of your undergraduate major in English, and simply review the material that you've already absorbed as a part of your education. Realistically, most English undergrad programs (including my own) emphasizes depth and skill over breadth, and it's not uncommon to have major gaps in your knowledge...particularly if you focused on the later periods and/or theory. It really varies from person to know. Some of my peers studied for only a few weeks, and did very well (but they also took extensive survey courses as an undergrad, and read widely outside of class). I scored horribly on my first practice test and studied for 6 months (probably averaging 30 hours a week or more ( ... )

inafuturelife November 1 2009, 08:53:53 UTC

i still refuse to believe you are anything but a troll.

brittdreams November 1 2009, 18:40:10 UTC

If only. Her posts are fun to reply to though.

greekdaph November 1 2009, 13:54:46 UTC

Seconding all of what circumfession said. I'll add, too, that this test felt to me a lot like a game (well, a torturous game) of trivia: they ask very general questions about very specific texts/topics, so what you need is passing familiarity with a lot of things.

My recommendation: do the practice test in the Princeton Review book, and do any other practice tests you can get your hands on (if you do a google search, a few will pop up). Look up information about the questions you get wrong. Many times, the test will recycle old questions, or ask new questions about material it's focused on before, so this strategy helps with more than just learning the format of the test. Also, there are a lot of lit GRE study aid websites out there that are good for quick cramming.

dmkb November 1 2009, 15:43:09 UTC

You could do worse than to skim this very useful website:
http://www.duke.edu/~tmw15/study guide.html

whoshotya15 November 1 2009, 20:30:33 UTC

Thank you for your advice. I am using the princeton review guide now. I suppose my question was more "If one only has a week to study for this is it worth taking the test at all"