Gliding Through the GRE
- 2. What is the GRE? • The Graduate Records Examination • Taken by perspective graduate and business school applicants around the world • Closely reflects the kind of thinking you will do in graduate or business school • Includes questions on verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing
- 3. Does this scenario sound familiar to you?
- 4. Then you may have test anxiety! What causes test anxiety? 1. Fear of failure 2. Poor test history 3. LACK OF PREPERATION
- 5. How can you beat test anxiety? • Be prepared by developing good test-taking skills. • Know the type of problems you will face on the exam. • Take practice tests. • Practice relaxation techniques.
- 6. Why does it matter? 30% 60% 10% Perception by Graduate Schools Cut-off Point Strongly Consider Litte/No Consideration
- 7. GRE Scoring • Scores on a scale from 130-170 in each section. • The average GRE score is 302.2 150.8 Verbal 151.4 Quantitative 3.7 Analytical Writing
- 8. What is Gliding through the GRE? • A hands-on approach to learning in a classroom environment • A guide to getting an advanced degree, higher pay during future employment, and lower unemployment rates • A program that uses specific psychological techniques proven to increase memory retention and decrease test anxiety • A FREE program for students • A way for colleges to look more appealing to prospective students
- 9. Who will buy this program? • Target customers • Colleges & other educational institutions
- 10. Why would a college want to purchase this program? 1. Having more graduates of the college accepted into graduate programs will look appealing to perspective students. 2. Students already attending the college will feel more confident in their academic abilities increasing student retention rates. 3. The methods used in the program to reduce test anxiety can improve students’ overall GPAs.
- 11. Competition? • There is no program like Gliding through the GRE. • No GRE tutoring program exists that takes place in a classroom setting. • The Princeton Review has a live-online program that includes 24 hrs of instruction, 8 computer adaptive practice exams, and 184 hrs of online resources.
- 12. So why wouldn’t students just use the online review? • The program costs $799 per student, while Gliding through the GRE would be free. • Many students learn better through face-to- face tutoring. • Students will not only have access to practice tests and questions, but will have an instructor available to guide them through the questions.
- 13. • Students teaching students. • Similar to the Academic Resource Center Tutoring the college already provides. Who will teach the program?
- 14. If we already have the ARC, why do we need this program? • The ARC does not provide the training Gliding through the GRE would. • Colleges would be purchasing the specific techniques and research proven to help students. • Marietta College has an AMAZING Psychology department with students who need research experience.
- 15. Pricing & expansion • The college would be purchasing this program for the low, low price of $20,000 a year. • This is a steal considering classes that consist of only 24 hrs of online instruction average over $800 per student. • If data can be collected that shows a significant increase in GRE scores following the program, it can be expanded to other colleges.
- 16. Is coaching effective? • Although no research has been conducted on coaching for the GRE, studies on other standardized tests show students can improve drastically through coaching. • College Board states most SAT coaching programs increase scores by 20-30 points, but a professor named Jack Kaplan did a study that showed his coaching program raised scores by an average of 70 points.
- 17. Coaching • US College Planning showed that their coaching program increases participant’s scores by an average of 5-20%, or 2-6 points. • These scores can be the make-or-break numbers between a rejection/acceptance or whether or not a student receives a scholarship.
- 18. How can psychological techniques help? • Vohs, Mead, & Goode • Lee & Zhao
- 19. What makes me qualified to design this program? • I will be entering the MAP program this fall. • I specialize in industrial organizational psychology. • I have extensive research experience on subjects such as motivation and perception of power. • I have a business background and have completed multiple business consulting internships.
- 21. Literature • "ACT & SAT Coaching." ACT & SAT Coaching. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2016. • Parikh, Bhavin. "Average GRE Scores." Magoosh GRE Blog. N.p., 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2016. • "Study: SAT Coaching Raises Scores." Study: SAT Coaching Raises Scores. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2016. • "Test Anxiety." Test Anxiety. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.