台北美加文教官方部落格

【GRE 學員資料】

GRE 學員姓名：張晨
學校及科系：華盛頓大學 心理學
GRE 正式考試成績：Verbal：160分、Quant：160分、AWA：5.0分
正式考試總分：GRE 320分
GRE 正式考試日期：2020年9月20日

【GRE 準備心得】

Because of Covid-19, I returned from studying in Seattle to Taiwan to cram for the GRE. I am a current undergraduate student at the University of Washington in the major of Psychology. Before taking the GRE, I have previously taken two other standardized tests- the SAT and the TOEFL. However, while I did study hard for the SAT, I did not cram at all for the TOEFL. With the GRE, I felt like it was essential to study for, since I was using it to apply for graduate school in the US. Most of my schools required it for the PhD of psychology, and so I decided to study for two months under Merica's programs.
由於新冠肺炎的緣故，我從西雅圖返台準備GRE。我現在是華盛頓大學心理學專業的大學部學生。在參加GRE之前，我已經參加了另外兩個標準化考試-SAT和TOEFL。但是，我只有在當初準備SAT時努力學習，至於TOEFL我則沒有花那麼多心力準備及補習。然而在面對GRE時，我覺得發現我必須很努力的去準備它，因為我需要用它來申請美國的研究所。我申請的大多數心理學博士學位，學校都需要GRE成績。因此我決定參加美加為期兩個月的GRE課程。

I think the class that helped me the most were the math-based ones. Coming from the US's system of teaching, math is not my strong suit. I would argue that it is my weakest subject. The math class in Merica was very helpful by providing many practice questions for students so we could grasp what the questions on test day would be like. I especially appreciated my teacher and fellow students who did not hesitate to help me answer difficult questions. Going in, I thought that I would only benefit from the math classes, but the vocab, reading, and writing classes also helped me tremendously. Since I have already studied in America for more than ten years, I thought that I did not need any more review on vocab and reading. Despite this, I found the vocab book given in class useful in reviewing terms as well as learning new terms that I have never heard of.
我認為對我最有幫助的課程是基礎數學的課程。在美國的教學體系下，數學不是我的強項，我認為這是我最弱的課目。美加的數學課為學生提供了許多練習題，因此我們可以掌握考試當天會出現的問題，這對我很有幫助。我特別感謝我的老師和同學們，他們總是毫不猶豫地幫助我解答難題。一開始，我以為我只會從數學課中受益，但是詞彙，閱讀和寫作課也對我有很大幫助。因為我已經在美國學習了十多年，所以我本來以為我應該不會需要有關字彙和閱讀的任何復習。儘管如此，我發現課堂上提供的詞彙表對複習字彙以及學習我從未聽說過的新字彙很有幫助。

Additionally, the teachers going through the Latin roots of each word made it easier to remember large quantities of words in a short time frame. One of the practice tips I used was to try to use the new vocab words with friends in a real life setting. When you talk to other people with a new word or phrase, it is easier to remember it's meaning, and more importantly, its connotation. The GRE does not only test you on a word's dictionary meaning, but on its negative or positive connotation. Another tip I used was to create several quizlet sets to review new words I have never heard of. When I rode on the MRT to class, I used that 30 minute period to review words from my last class. The set included new words and common Latin roots the teachers had gone over. On test day, I also used Latin roots that I had memorized in order to deduce the possible meaning of new words on the test.
此外，老師們通過字根、字首、字尾的方式，讓我們在短時間內有效記住大量的單詞。我使用的練習技巧之一是嘗試在現實生活中與朋友一起使用新的單詞溝通。當你開始使用新單詞或片語與他人交談時，會更容易記住其意思及隱含意義。GRE不單只會根據單詞的表面意思進行測試，還會對它的否定或肯定含義進行測試。我使用的另一個技巧是創建多個Quizlet，用來複習我從未聽過的新單詞。我利用去上課的30分鐘通勤時間來複習上一堂課中的新單詞。這其中包括了新單詞和老師過去教過的根、字首、字尾。在考試當天，我也使用了此套記憶法，以便推斷出考試中出現的新單詞，其可能的含義。

Reading wise, I didn't have much problem going into it, however, it was still a good idea to get a sense of what the passages would be formatted before taking the official test. I found the practice booklets aided me in understand how the GRE structured the questions, especially when it is the opposite of TOEFL. Furthermore, practicing reading long passages two months beforehand definitely allowed me to read quicker on test day.
閱讀方面，我沒什麼太大的問題。但是在參加正式考試之前，了解一下文章段落的格式仍然是個不錯主意。我發現練習手冊有助於我理解GRE如何建構問題，尤其是當它與TOEFL相反時。此外，提前兩個月練習閱讀長篇文章，讓我在考試當天可以更快地閱讀。

The most helpful tool Merica provided were the two mock tests. I took the first mock test a month into the two month classes, and the second mock test when classes were over. The first mock test provided me an accurate experience to what the actual GRE is like, and it gave me pointers on where else to improve. Looking at my first mock test scores, I could tell I needed more work in both my math and verbal sections, so for the next month, I kept on practicing math questions even though our classes had transitioned into reading materials. The improvements were clear in my second mock test. By that point, I had reached the end of my studying and was getting prepared for the actual test in about a week's time. The second mock test just confirmed what score I might get for the actual test, but it also calmed my nerves since I knew what the format was going to look like exactly in a week's time.
美加對我來說最有幫助的地方是兩次模擬測驗。上了一個月的課後，我進行了第一次模擬測驗，並在課程結束時進行了第二次。第一個模擬考讓我對GRE的實際考試情況有了精確地了解，也提供我在其他方面的改進建議。看了我第一次的模擬考成績後，我告訴自己在數學和verbal部分都需要做更多的練習，因此在下個月，即便課程已經進行到閱讀的部分，我仍繼續練習數學問題。在第二次模擬考中我有了很明顯的進步，隨著第二次模擬考的結束，課程也進入了尾聲，我也在準備大約一周後的實際測驗。第二次模擬考只是確認了我在實際測試中可能會得到的分數，但是這也同時讓我比較安心，因為我知道一周後的考試將是什麼樣子。

For those who are studying for the GRE right now, my biggest recommendation is to keep on practicing throughout the day. Keep some of the materials for studying with you at all times, and study whenever possible. For me, I kept my quizlet account offline and studied vocab whenever I had a short break of time. And for the math questions, I was constantly asking the people around me new ways to solve problems I did not get the first time around. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions in class! Everyone in Merica was super helpful in answering my questions, and they were very nice as well. All students are there to learn, so don't be shy about materials you don't understand!
對於那些現在正在準備GRE同學，我最大的建議是一整天不間斷地練習。隨時使用一些學習小工具，並盡可能地找時間學習。對於我來說，我會利用短短的修習時間，打開我的Quizlet學習單詞。數學方面，我會一直詢問身邊的人，並用新方法來解決我一開始無法解答的問題。另外，不要害怕在課堂上提問！美加的每一位老師都非常樂意回答我的問題，老師人都很好。所有的學生都是因為不會才會去學習，所以不要對你不懂的問題感到害羞！