Laura Staffaroni, Author at Online GRE Prep Blog by PrepScholar

Should You Sign Up for GRE Search Service? Is It Helpful?

Laura StaffaroniSeptember 5, 2017October 4, 2017GRE Logisticsapplying to grad school, ets

Know what you want to go to grad school for, but aren’t sure which schools are out there that match your needs and academic level? To help students learn more about what different grad programs are out there, the ETS offers the GRE Search Service to connect you with grad programs and business schools after you’ve taken the GRE.

Learn more about how to sign up for the GRE Search Service and what you might get out of it with this article.

Continue reading “Should You Sign Up for GRE Search Service? Is It Helpful?”

GRE Test Dates 2018-2019 (Official, Updated)

Laura StaffaroniJuly 30, 2017July 29, 2017GRE General Infotest dates, when to take the gre

If you’re planning to take the GRE in 2018 or 2019, you may want to start preparing your GRE schedule. Unfortunately, ETS only releases GRE test dates about a year in advance. However, we’ve done the hard work of scouring past test date patterns to predict future GRE testing dates.

This guide predicts the 2018-2019 GRE test dates with a fair amount of certainty, and we’ll update the test dates when there’s new information from ETS. We’ll also discuss the importance of planning when you’re going to take the general GRE and give you four important factors to consider when deciding on your GRE exam date.

Continue reading “GRE Test Dates 2018-2019 (Official, Updated)”

What’s a Good Objective for Your Graduate School Resume?

Laura StaffaroniJuly 30, 2017July 29, 2017Grad Schoolapplying to grad school, resumes and cvs

Once a staple of the resume template, the resume objective has fallen out of style for most job applications. But do you still need a resume objective for a graduate school resume? What are the cases where a graduate school resume objective helps rather than harms you?

In this guide, I explain what objectives are, when you should use them, and how to craft a perfect one for your grad school resume.

Continue reading “What’s a Good Objective for Your Graduate School Resume?”

4 Top-Scoring GRE Sample Essays, Analyzed (Issue + Argument)

Laura StaffaroniMarch 27, 2017May 16, 2017GRE Analytical Writinggre argument task, gre issue task, preparing for the gre

The best way to figure out how to get a high Analytical Writing score is to look at a GRE essay sample, but doing so without any guidance can be overwhelming. How do you show insight? Do typos affect your score? What’s a good way to keep your essay organized?

We’ll answer all these questions for you (and more!) in this article by analyzing four real GRE essay examples and highlighting the key features you’ll want to include in your own essays.

Continue reading “4 Top-Scoring GRE Sample Essays, Analyzed (Issue + Argument)”

GRE Issue Essay: 4 Steps to a Perfect Score

Laura StaffaroniMarch 27, 2017March 28, 2023GRE Analytical Writinggre issue task, perfect score, preparing for the gre, study tips

Of all the different kinds of questions on the GRE, the GRE Issue essay question can seem like the most daunting to answer completely correctly. Instead of choosing from a selection of already-made answers or filling in a numerical solution, you must write hundreds of words in an attempt to fulfill rubric criteria, knowing that there is no one right answer to the question.

To help make this Herculean task more manageable, we’ll go over the Issue essay GRE rubric in depth and offer our top GRE Issue essay tips to help you score highly every time.

Continue reading “GRE Issue Essay: 4 Steps to a Perfect Score”

GRE Argument Essay: How to Get a Perfect 6 Score

Laura StaffaroniMarch 27, 2017May 16, 2017GRE Analytical Writinggre argument task, perfect score, preparing for the gre, study tips

Of all the various types of questions on the GRE, Analytical Writing questions can seem like the trickiest ones to answer perfectly. Not only do you have to write hundreds of words to answer the Argument essay GRE question, but there’s also no one set correct answer that you can give and automatically get it right.

So how do you reliably score well on the GRE Argument essay? In this article, we’ll focus in on what goes into a high-scoring response and offer some GRE Argument essay tips to help you consistently write essays that meet those standards.

Continue reading “GRE Argument Essay: How to Get a Perfect 6 Score”

Old GRE Scores: Do They Still Work?

Laura StaffaroniMarch 27, 2017July 26, 2017GRE Logisticsgre score report, gre scores, old gre, rules and regulations

How long ago did you take the GRE? Was it before August of 2011? More or less than five years ago? Your answers to these questions determine if you can still send out your old GRE scores.

In this article, I’ll explain how to get old GRE scores and if they’re still valid. I’ll also cover how to convert scores from the old GRE score range to the new one.

Continue reading “Old GRE Scores: Do They Still Work?”

Do Graduate School Rankings Really Matter?

Laura StaffaroniMarch 20, 2017April 11, 2017Grad Schoolapplying to grad school, best grad schools, graduate school

If you’re thinking about applying to grad school, you might be curious about how the programs you’re considering compare to each other. So why not look up graduate school rankings? Unfortunately, there’s no master list that ranks every single graduate program, and in fact, some types of programs don’t have grad school rankings at all.

While Ph.D. and master’s degree rankings can certainly be a useful tool when choosing which schools to apply to, how much they really matter depends on what kind of program you’re pursuing. Read on to learn more about what goes into grad school rankings and why they might be important for you.

Continue reading “Do Graduate School Rankings Really Matter?”

ETS Code Lookup: 3-Step Guide

Laura StaffaroniFebruary 14, 2017April 11, 2017GRE Logisticsets, gre score report, rules and regulations

You’re done with the GRE, done at last! Now all you need to do is send your score reports to the right schools, using the ETS code. But what is an ETS code, and why do you need it? I’ll go over both of these things, along with how to look up the ETS codes for the schools you’re applying to, in this article.

Continue reading “ETS Code Lookup: 3-Step Guide”

Need GRE Help? Read This Guide!

Laura StaffaroniFebruary 13, 2017September 7, 2017GRE Prepgre prep courses, online prep, preparing for the gre, self-study

The GRE is pretty intimidating — taking a test that changes its difficulty level depending on how many questions you answer correctly can seem scary and a little dystopian at first. As such, it’s totally normal to want GRE help, especially given how important the exam is for grad school admissions.

There’s an abundance of resources for GRE test help out there, and in this article, I’ll go over the pros and cons of each one to help you decide what’s right for you.

Continue reading “Need GRE Help? Read This Guide!”