New to Forum:GRE PSYCH Story: FUNNY? Also Adoncia passyourclass Q

[rhodes145]

Hello all,

New to this GREAT site which I wish I'd found earlier....

Need to take the DSST Drug & Alcohol on 3/27 -- could not find the passyourclass notes listed on yahoo by adoncia -- if anyone has could they please email to me at
rhodes145@core.com? Many thanks.

I started this credit by exam business after finding bain4weeks site, and since I needed roughly 30 credits to finish my degree -- had credits from over 27 years ago(!) decided that if the whole degree could be gotten in 4 weeks then surely I could get a mere 30 credits all in one fell swoop by taking the GRE Psych exam and studying hard for 6 weeks beforehand. I had taken 2 psych courses about 29 years ago -- such was my reasoning.

Studied for 6 weeks using the Kaplan Psych GRE book and the REA version. On night before the Saturday am test, asked my dear husband to set the alarm and dropped off to sleep. Woke up next am as test was starting at Alfred U; a full 35 minute drive away. Alarm had not gone off! Mad as I'd ever have been, threw my clothes on and jumped in the car - no hair or teeth brushing for me - and booked it through a snow and sleet storm to the test site. I ran up hill to auditorium, only to find a sign stating that test site had been moved to another location with a kind of vague blue arrow pointing straight up as the location...After slipping and sliding thru the mud and trying over and over to make it up that hill and finally making it, I sort of crawled up the stairs to the reception area of this castle-type building, heaving for breath.

Proctor showed up about 5 minutes later and informed me that he'd have to go check exam specs because he didn't know if he'd be able to let me take the test at this point. Another 10 minutes passed and he showed back up to let me know I could take the test if I wanted to. I had to have looked like I'd slept on the street the night before, while everyone else in the room looked fresh as a daisy and about 22 years old at the most....

Didn't know if I'd have only 2 hours to finish test or if he was going to extend time for another hour; so I ripped into that thing like I had someone standing behind me with a gun. Finished with 5 minutes to spare -- enough time to fill in the little ovals with personal info and Excelsior info. I felt like all the studying I'd done had very little to do with the types of questions on the test. Whereas the Qs had a lot to do with applied knowledge, and a lot of that very contemporary knowledge, my studying had mainly been concerned with memorization of theories, applications, dates etc. To put it mildly I had to rely very much on common sense and inferring meanings about concepts that I'd never encountered in my studying.

Well, he collected test after 2 hours was up for me. I comforted myself with knowledge that at least I had the excuse that everyone else had 3 hours. Drove home wondering what exactly I was going to say to my husband about this alarm setting business -- after all, he'd never had problems setting the alarm before...why now??? Turned out there was a "weekend off" function on the alarm that neither of us knew about, and as luck would have it -- it was on.

A month later I got test results. Score was 640. Like I said, I wish I'd encountered a site where the scoring info was explained; because I went for days thinking that meant I would be awarded NO credit at all; and beating myself up for being such a stupid failure -- having the nerve to think I could amass a whole lot of credit in one fell swoop... As it turned out Excelsior awarded 21 credits for that score, so the story had a happy ending. I got 12 lower level and 9 upper level Psych credits.

Now I need to pass DSST Statistics, DSST Drugs & Alcohol, ECE Abnormal Psych; Information literacy and probably College Writing (depending on whether the AP people find that I took that AP English test way back when or not); and then I will have a Bachelors of Science in Liberal Studies with an area of focus in Psychology and possibly an area of focus in art; depending on whether Excelsior will accept 3 more UL credits from a film course I took a thousand years ago....

Hope this post not too long for this board, but that GRE story has been churning around in my gut for some time now, and I think only others who've studied like mad people would understand....

Best wishes,
Barbara

[iwannapass]

Wow!! what an inspiring story. Congratulations. What a prime example of where perseverance can get you. I am so proud of you. It was an aspiring story and you are definately on your way. If you can get through this, you can get through the rest of your degree and anything else you put your mind through. Good Luck and thank you for such a motivational story!!!

[Johanna]

I am scheduled to take GRE psych on April 14 - would love to end up with that kind of score. Congrats and if you have any info/tips, please either post or PM me if you'd rather communicate directly. I would love to know anything useful because I don't know what to expect at all. Thanks for the laugh - it is a great story and such a good ending!

[BELLA]

Congrats........... you inspire a lot of us to hang in there!

[tcc]

I took the GRE psych test last year and got a 630, which got me almost 21 credits from Excelsior. I used the Kaplan study guide and a standard textbook on introductory psychology. I took a number of practice tests -two of which were from old GRE/psych tests that I purchased on Amazon - as well as the one that came with my GRE registration materials. The only one of those that was useful as far as I'm concerned, was the latter, from GRE. That's because the test was changed about a year or two ago, and most of the study materials out there don't prepare one for the new test. I had saved the GRE practice test for last, so that I'd be sharp for the actual test, but got a rude shock when I took it two days prior and did very poorly on it. Suffice to say, that you MUST know the concepts, as many of the questions are scenario-based. Memorizing a lot of names and dates will not get you a high score.

[rhodes145]

Hi Joanna:

Did some thinking about what I'd do differently if I had to take the test over, and besides SETTING A DIFFERENT ALARM CLOCK, here's what I came up with:

1) I would do exactly what I did as far as preparing with the Kaplan GRE book: memorize all concepts, how different theories are applied in treatment, etc; address everything on outline provided through GRE with the sort of basic knowledge provided in the Kaplan book (I think bain4weeks recommends using Princeton book...can't remember) but I would go ahead and get both...I'd learn this "background" info cold because you have to have it in order to be able to apply it in the nefarious scenarios you will encounter.

2) Then what I'd do is get my hands on a number of CURRENT textbooks actually being used in mid to upper-level college psych courses that correspond to the material listed by GRE and the Kaplan book outline. I'd pay particular attention to the most current people, theories and treatment applications and research designs and the quizzes or study Qs on this stuff that discussed or provided examples of, application. Key words "current" and "application".

3) I'd absolutely spend a good deal of time on the experimental area: research design, hypotheses, graphs, set ups etc.

I was really disappointed because it was applied knowledge that was being tested (and understandably so) -- but you know I really would have preferred simple regurgitation of facts...especially with only two hours to complete a three hour test.

On the lighter side -- because there was so much material to memorize and such a short time to do it -- and since I've been out of school for 30 years and was totally unfamiliar with material; I took to using mneumonic devices to remember stuff for this test -- they really were pretty crazy, but the truth is, the crazier they are, the easier they are to remember and the better they STAY remembered.

For ex: to remember that P. Flourens was the guy associated with extirpation and ablation; that he removed parts of pigeon brains and then observed the consequences: I briefly rehearsed scenario in my mind where in a big square in Florence, Italy, flocks of pigeons are flying around and I see a man chasing them with a scalpel. "Come here, you pigeon-brains!" I hear him yell. A couple rehearsals like this and you NEVER forget that IMPORTANT fact!!! (even when you really try....)

Well, this is the sort of thing that either works for you or it doesn't, but if it does; it can help a whole lot...

Hope some of this is helpful and the very best of luck to you;

[rhodes145]

Thanks to you two for your kind words which I'm thankful to hear and are very encouraging...it's nice to finally be around some people going thru the same thing. Here's to PERSISTENCE...

Best wishes,

[Southron Boy]

[quote=rhodes145]For ex: to remember that P. Flourens was the guy associated with extirpation and ablation; that he removed parts of pigeon brains and then observed the consequences: I briefly rehearsed scenario in my mind where in a big square in Florence, Italy, flocks of pigeons are flying around and I see a man chasing them with a scalpel. "Come here, you pigeon-brains!" I hear him yell. A couple rehearsals like this and you NEVER forget that IMPORTANT fact!!! (even when you really try....)

Well, this is the sort of thing that either works for you or it doesn't, but if it does; it can help a whole lot... QUOTE]

Glad to hear I'm not the only nut that does this type thing (not dissecting pigeon brains--I'm referring to the study method described). I learn best with pictures and this method helps me retain otherwise uninteresting facts. This has help me alot and---as you said---you can't forget it if you want to! It really helps the information take flight ...

[adoncia]

Hi Barbara,
I am sorry I am out of the country,been very busy and so haven't checked my messages.
I have sent you the passyourclass guide for Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
I have to add that please remember to use it only as a supplement to Instantcert notes. I passed the exam mainly bcoz of IC notes and read the guide once.
Good luck and let me know if you haven't received it,
Adoncia

[rhodes145]

Have you found that this scenario stuff works even better the more complicated and specific the info gets? Psych Example: the "Garcia Effect" describes discovery that rats and other animals are biologically wired, or "prepared" to associate illness with something they've eaten. There were all sorts of Qs in quizzes about taste-aversion learning and whether a rat would be more likely to vomit if it'd made an association with "bright noisy water" or something else. At this point in the studying I know I was ready to vomit and in my despair will admit to coming up with this, (which unfortunately I remember to this day):

The Grateful Dead are on stage with several statues of Venus di Milo (statues being my visual cue for anything "classical"). Jerry Garcia is singing about "Bright Noisy Water" and playing to a huge audience of rats. "But they didn't count on Preparedness.." he sings. One rat says to another, "Isn't this in bad taste?"

Sad, but it works (!)