Top 5 Places To Get Free GRE Resources

Somebody has decided to take the GRE this summer or fall. The exam isn’t free. The resources for preparation aren’t free. Keep reading about GRE prep costs and where to get FREE Resources.

Most individuals prepare for this exam before they take it.  In 2006, when I took the GRE, I knew my 2.8 GPA and A’s in Math and English were enough to get a great GRE Score.  I didn’t purchase a book, find any GRE resources, or attend FREE GRE Prep classes at my institution.  DON’T JUDGE MY ARROGANCE.  I paid the $150, took the bus to testing services on campus, sat at the computer, and took the 3.5-hour-long exam.  I got the score of a lifetime. 690/1500.  Let me save you money and time by saying don’t do what I did. So what should you do?

You can visit your local bookstore and Amazon and find several GRE books.  The Official GRE Super Power Pack, Second Edition 2nd Edition on Amazon for $43.  

You can save money and get the GRE Prep 2022: 2 Practice Tests + Proven Strategies Online (Kaplan Test Prep) on Amazon for $24.29.

For almost a couple of dollars less, you can get the GRE with Online Tests (Barron's Test Prep) Twenty-second Edition on Amazon for $22.99. Barron has made 22 versions of this book. I’m not here to debate capitalism, but the GRE test hasn’t been updated for 22 versions of test prep. 

Not everyone likes a book. We have smartphones and other options. For those on the go, there are paid apps and flash cards. Let me tell you how to save money.

Below is my list of the Top 5 Places to Get FREE GRE Resources.

1. Go to your app store, search for GRE, and download the FREE GRE prep apps.  You may see options to upgrade or purchase a paid version, but I say stick with the FREE one.

2. Contact your career services office to identify what FREE GRE prep resources they offer. If they don’t have any, put in requests. Many of these offices support alums.

3. Ask someone to let you borrow their book or resources. I had a childhood friend and classmate who asked for my address. He sent me a GRE PREP book and flashcards for FREE.

4. The best place to get those expensive books is the Library. I recommend the local library because most people don’t expect to find GRE Prep Books there. I got two books and access to a practice exam through my local library.

5. Contact the graduate school of your current or former institution.  I know you assume the place that grants access wouldn’t lend information, but some of them do.  No harm in asking.

I have given you the top 5 places to get FREE GRE Prep Resources.  Take that money and purchase my book “20 Questions to Answer Before You Apply to Graduate School: A Guide for Getting Into Graduate School” on Amazon for $25.  There I tell you all the secrets to getting into graduate school, including how to get a FREE Application Fee Waiver and go to school on someone’s dime (aka FREE Grad School).

You Can Do This: Resiliency in Graduate School Requires an APA Citation, Scholarly Identity, and Learning

You can do this (Linder, 2014), is a direct quote from Dr. Chris Linder, my doctoral advisor, to students in her classes, but it will not be found in any journal article.  My doctoral program, the College Student Affairs Administration (CSAA) Graduate Program at the University of Georgia, is phenomenal for challenging and supporting students' growth.  Students in the program have this humorous nature of taking statements from community members said in class and turning them into a verbal citation after they say it.  I encourage you to give it a try—for example, Grimes, 2021. Beyond creating citations, the program's culture is to orient and socialize students around their identity as scholars.  Developing the scholarly identity is partially done through the practice of referring to yourself as a Scholar (insert the last name).  To believe what you don't see starts with believing in your mind that you are what you will become.  Hearing others and calling myself Scholar Grimes made the "you can do this" mentioned earlier a bit more manageable based on being centered with a distinguished title that carries great responsibility.  What exactly does it mean to be a scholar and insert an APA in-text citation in this program?  It means finding ways to embrace a broadening perspective and giving credit to the source whose words have impacted you (Grimes, 2017).   

Scholars must engage in the process of making sacrifices, increasing resiliency, and managing a host of responsibilities.  Scholars learn to manage coursework, employment, personal life, and community priorities daily.  It may sound cliché to say that my doctoral program was comprised of scholars from various backgrounds with various experiences.  The difference each student brings to the classroom helped enriched the work done in our program and field.  I considered it a great privilege to learn from other scholars about many challenges and triumphs while sharing some of my own.  Regardless of our background, for us to finish this degree had to exercise daily resiliency.

Let me expound on my thoughts on resiliency in graduate school. Resiliency is not just about reaching the end goal, but the process you follow to reach the end.  Graduate education is consumed with taking charge of your learning.  I found myself fighting to prove my academic self-worth and ability to meet a completion goal early in my doctoral journey.  Moreover, I had to remind myself that "I can do this."  Assignments in my program helped me improve my confidence and ability to live out the title "scholar-practitioner."

Furthermore, the complexity of course content and assignments added to my scholarly competence of various information about students, policies, learning, and identity development.  Complexity is messy and necessary for success in graduate school.  Graduate education is filled with scholars who know a lot of content-specific information.  Even in their brilliance, sometimes they go to YouTube University to teach themselves what they don't know. Regardless, completing a graduate degree is a process where learning and resiliency produce the outcome of completion.  Whether you are exploring or currently embarking on a post-baccalaureate journey, remember to embrace learning and resiliency.  Why, and How? Because You Can Do This (Linder, 2017) 

Don’t let PRIDE ruin DEI

What is your definition of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?

I’ve talked with hundreds of folks about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). I ask folks to define Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion separately. Sure, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as words and concepts influence and impact each other; however, the terms individually have different meanings and solutions. Often you will find mentions of DEI as a principle, belief, goal, or action step. However, you may not discover how individuals or organizations define DEI. When you define DEI for your organization, individuals, or schools, you provide a framework and space to address DEI. Below is my definition of DEI.

Di*Ver*Si*Ty

All the ways in which people differ in their makeup, identities, and beliefs

Eq*Ui*Ty

Having fair treatment, access, opportunities, and advancement for all people through removing barriers toward success.

In*Clu*Sion

Fostering and providing belonging for members to have power, voice, and decision making authority. It’s about bringing people in.

How is DEI Being Discussed and Addressed?

Another challenge I have found is that so many individuals claim to want DEI, especially after the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor. Yet, for the past year, I wonder how much progress has been made around DEI, particularly within your organization or school. Progress in DEI starts with gaining awareness and having conversations as an individual, organization, or school. I want you to, for a moment, reflect on the questions below because you can’t heal what you don’t reveal. Here are some questions to gauge your awareness and to engage in conversations with others.

• What conversations have you had about DEI within your organization or school?

• Whose leading the DEI conversations?

• How are people being affirmed in DEI conversations, if at all?

• What difficulties have come up in conversations about DEI?

• What are the DEI goals for the organization or school?

• Are conversations about DEI resulting in changes being made?

• If changes are being made, how is the organization or school addressing accountability?

• What individual actions or steps have you made toward improving your understanding and work around DEI?

• Would your colleagues say your work demonstrates your commitment to DEI?

This is not an exhaustive list of questions, but a starting place to help you identify what’s being said, done, and changed around DEI, both individually and organizationally? I hope that individuals are having conversations, and people are choosing to show up to those conversations. No matter how difficult they may be, it’s essential to show up to the conversations and not let personal obstacles get in the way.

How is P.R.I.D.E. Impacting DEI

One personal obstacle that plagues every human is pride. Pride often gets in the way of progress toward DEI being addressed. You might be thinking I’m referencing the emotional, egotistical, all-knowing pride. No, I’m referring to this acronym of P.R.I.D.E.

People, practices, and/or policies

Resisting

Inclusion

Diversity

Equity

I encourage you to be honest about the P’s impact on your progress because they are present. So why does P.R.I.D.E. show up when you discuss DEI and start implementing actions toward addressing it? Check out my list of reasons.

• Human beings don’t like change.

• Fear of losing power, control, resources, or saying the wrong thing.

• Acknowledging that you have caused harm or done something wrong is hard to do and often requires a restitution response.

• Those who benefit from the power and/or privilege do not want to relinquish it.

• Some folks comfort matters more than the discomfort or harm being done to other people

• Fear for being called one of the “ist” or “phobic,” or dealing with the “ism.”

• Addressing DEI requires resources (time, people, and money) that you say you don’t have.

• Willful ignorance is easier to maintain than learning new information

These are just a few reasons why P.R.I.D.E. shows up when you discuss DEI. You may be asking yourself, so what are SWIT’s suggestions for addressing P.R.I.D.E.? Stay tuned to the next blog for some suggestions.