Episode 55: How much prep is too much prep (solving thousands of problems may not be helping)

There are many different test prep resources available to students, who often wonder whether they should engage a private tutor to prepare for the GRE. Like any other option, there are pros and cons associated with this approach. In general, Orion recommends that students attempt to take themselves as far as possible on their own before engaging the services of an expert, as this will reduce overall costs and increase tutoring effectiveness. Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated GRE self-study program, and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans: https://www.stellargre.com. Download our free vocab app: StellarGRE Vocab Flashcards. Use semantic clusters to learn more words faster, and consolidate your knowledge with infinite quizzes. App store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stellargre-vocab-flashcards/id1668110596 Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.systemplus.stellargre We love hearing from you! Send your questions to orion@stellargre.com. GRE Bites is a weekly podcast that delivers practical, relevant, bite-sized episodes about GRE prep and grad school admissions. It is co-hosted by Davis Evans, an educator with over a decade of experience, and Orion Taraban, a licensed psychologist and founder of StellarGRE. Its mission is to help students ace the GRE and get into their graduate programs of choice. #gre #gradschool #testpreparation

31 Maj 202310min

For better or worse, the process of securing testing accommodations on the GRE can be protracted and expensive. Students cannot schedule a testing session with accommodations until their petition has been approved by ETS's team of psychologists, which can take several months. In this episode, Orion walks through best practices with respect to applying and securing accommodations on the test. Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated GRE self-study program, and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans: https://www.stellargre.com. Download our free vocab app: StellarGRE Vocab Flashcards. Use semantic clusters to learn more words faster, and consolidate your knowledge with infinite quizzes. App store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stellargre-vocab-flashcards/id1668110596 Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.systemplus.stellargre We love hearing from you! Send your questions to orion@stellargre.com. GRE Bites is a weekly podcast that delivers practical, relevant, bite-sized episodes about GRE prep and grad school admissions. It is co-hosted by Davis Evans, an educator with over a decade of experience, and Orion Taraban, a licensed psychologist and founder of StellarGRE. Its mission is to help students ace the GRE and get into their graduate programs of choice. #gre #gradschool #testpreparation

24 Maj 20238min

In today's episode, Davis and Orion respond to another listener question. This one is all about staying cool in high-pressure situations where the stakes are high. Drawing on research in performance psychology, Orion discusses the importance of focusing on the process, and practicing indifference with respect to the outcome. Davis speaks on some of his own experiences as a competitive athlete. All is generalizable to the GRE and high-stakes testing. Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated GRE self-study program, and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans: https://www.stellargre.com. Download our free vocab app: StellarGRE Vocab Flashcards. Use semantic clusters to learn more words faster, and consolidate your knowledge with infinite quizzes. App store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stellargre-vocab-flashcards/id1668110596 Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.systemplus.stellargre We love hearing from you! Send your questions to orion@stellargre.com. GRE Bites is a weekly podcast that delivers practical, relevant, bite-sized episodes about GRE prep and grad school admissions. It is co-hosted by Davis Evans, an educator with over a decade of experience, and Orion Taraban, a licensed psychologist and founder of StellarGRE. Its mission is to help students ace the GRE and get into their graduate programs of choice. #gre #gradschool #testpreparation

17 Maj 202310min

Davis and Orion respond to another listener question in today's episode. The two have previously discussed the importance of the park screen ("How to get a real break on the GRE") for top-percentile performance. Utilizing this opportunity correctly can mean the difference between a good score and a truly great score. To this end, Orion shares his own park screen ritual to facilitate recuperation and promote mindfulness. Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated GRE self-study program, and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans: https://www.stellargre.com. Download our free vocab app: StellarGRE Vocab Flashcards. Use semantic clusters to learn more words faster, and consolidate your knowledge with infinite quizzes. App store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stellargre-vocab-flashcards/id1668110596 Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.systemplus.stellargre We love hearing from you! Send your questions to orion@stellargre.com. GRE Bites is a weekly podcast that delivers practical, relevant, bite-sized episodes about GRE prep and grad school admissions. It is co-hosted by Davis Evans, an educator with over a decade of experience, and Orion Taraban, a licensed psychologist and founder of StellarGRE. Its mission is to help students ace the GRE and get into their graduate programs of choice. #gre #gradschool #testpreparation

10 Maj 20239min

In today's episode, Davis and Orion respond to another listener question. In previous talks, Orion has mentioned the importance of creating a "cheat sheet" over the course of one's prep. So what exactly in this cheat sheet? In short, a cheat sheet is a single-page document that contains all the math knowledge required to ace the quantitative section of the GRE. Orion discusses why this is important for students to create for themselves. Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated GRE self-study program, and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans: https://www.stellargre.com. Download our free vocab app: StellarGRE Vocab Flashcards. Use semantic clusters to learn more words faster, and consolidate your knowledge with infinite quizzes. App store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stellargre-vocab-flashcards/id1668110596 Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.systemplus.stellargre We love hearing from you! Send your questions to orion@stellargre.com. GRE Bites is a weekly podcast that delivers practical, relevant, bite-sized episodes about GRE prep and grad school admissions. It is co-hosted by Davis Evans, an educator with over a decade of experience, and Orion Taraban, a licensed psychologist and founder of StellarGRE. Its mission is to help students ace the GRE and get into their graduate programs of choice. #gre #gradschool #testpreparation

3 Maj 20238min

The vast majority of students approach GRE problems completely backwards: they spend a lot of time getting into a problem (in the sense of re-reading the problem and thinking through the solution), and not a lot of time getting out of the problem (in the sense of rushing through the actual execution of the solution). At Stellar, we explicitly train students in the opposite approach, namely: getting into problems fast (though diagnosis and continuous solving), and getting out of problems slow (through steady execution and sustained mindfulness). We discuss more in this episode. Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated GRE self-study program, and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans: https://www.stellargre.com. Download our free vocab app: StellarGRE Vocab Flashcards. Use semantic clusters to learn more words faster, and consolidate your knowledge with infinite quizzes. App store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stellargre-vocab-flashcards/id1668110596 Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.systemplus.stellargre We love hearing from you! Send your questions to orion@stellargre.com. GRE Bites is a weekly podcast that delivers practical, relevant, bite-sized episodes about GRE prep and grad school admissions. It is co-hosted by Davis Evans, an educator with over a decade of experience, and Orion Taraban, a licensed psychologist and founder of StellarGRE. Its mission is to help students ace the GRE and get into their graduate programs of choice. #gre #gradschool #testpreparation

26 Apr 20239min

As stated previously, no one gets into grad school because of their GRE scores (though many people are kept out of grad school for the same). In today's episode, Davis and Orion discuss what actually moves the needle with respect to grad school admissions: goodness of fit. Basically, the more an applicant looks like someone who has already passed through the program, the more likely he or she will be extended an invitation. This might not be "fair," but it's the way it is. Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated GRE self-study program, and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans: https://www.stellargre.com. Download our free vocab app: StellarGRE Vocab Flashcards! Use semantic clusters to learn more words faster, and consolidate your knowledge with infinite quizzes. App store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stellargre-vocab-flashcards/id1668110596 Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.systemplus.stellargre We love hearing from you! Send your questions to orion@stellargre.com. GRE Bites is a weekly podcast that delivers practical, relevant, bite-sized episodes about GRE prep and grad school admissions. It is co-hosted by Davis Evans, an educator with over a decade of experience, and Orion Taraban, a licensed psychologist and founder of StellarGRE. Its mission is to help students ace the GRE and get into their graduate programs of choice. #gre #gradschool #testpreparation

19 Apr 202310min

This can be somewhat of a bitter pill to swallow: you will never feel ready to take the GRE. And that's okay. You're going to do it anyway. Just like courage isn't the absence of fear, but the decision to act in the presence of fear, our approach to the test must be dictated by something other than our emotional response, which isn't always the most accurate or reliable barometer. Orion and Davis discuss alternative methods of evaluating your preparedness in today's episode. Check out StellarGRE: our top-rated GRE self-study program, and the world's only empirically-validated GRE test prep system. Use the code "BITES" for 10% off all membership plans: https://www.stellargre.com. We love hearing from you! Send your questions to stellargre@gmail.com. GRE Bites is a weekly podcast that delivers practical, relevant, bite-sized episodes about GRE prep and grad school admissions. It is co-hosted by Davis Evans, an educator with over a decade of experience, and Orion Taraban, a licensed psychologist and founder of StellarGRE. Its mission is to help students ace the GRE and get into their graduate programs of choice. #gre #gradschool #testpreparation

12 Apr 20238min