Kaplan's GRE® Psychology comes complete with a targeted review of the psychology you'll see on the exam plus Kaplan's highly effective test-taking strategies. With this powerful combination, Kaplan's GRE® Psychology will help you get the score you need to get into the top psychology graduate programs. You will score higher. We guarantee it.

Intensive Psychology Review

• Comprehensive review covering social psychology, developmental psychology, personality, abnormal psychology, physiological psychology, sensation and perception, learning and ethology, cognitive psychology, research design, statistics, and tests.

• Practice sets for each section with a detailed explanation for every answer.

• Key names and terminology highlighted throughout the text.

• Extensive psychology glossary.

Exclusive Tips & Strategies

• Manage time more effectively • Master all the question types • Deal with stress

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

WHAT IS THE GRE PSYCHOLOGY TEST?

The GRE Psychology subject test is a two hour and fifty minute exam designed to test advanced knowledge that a student applying to graduate school in psychology is expected to understand. The test requires knowledge of psychological vocabulary, names, and facts across a variety of psychological fields at the equivalent of an upper-level college class.

The GRE Psychology test is a traditional paper-and-pencil test consisting of approximately 215-220 multiple-choice questions with five answer choices, (A) through (E). For each question, you are to select the one correct or best answer from among the choices provided. There are no essay questions.

WHO WRITES THE TEST?

The GRE Psychology test is written by Educational Testing Service (ETS) -- the same folks who write the GRE general test, the GMAT, the SAT, and the LSAT. Academic faculty are consulted as the test is generated, but ultimately, the test is written by ETS.

Since these test makers write these tests over and over again, they begin to follow certain patterns that we at Kaplan can unlock for you. More on that later.

HOW DO I REGISTER FOR THE EXAM?

Go to www.gre.org for official ETS information about the GRE Psychology subject test. To sign up for the Psychology subject test, you can register online at the gre.org website, or you can contact ETS directly:

ETS Contact Information

By mail at:

GRE-ETS

P.O. Box 6000

Princeton, NJ 08541-6000

Or by phone at:

609-771-7670

Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.

Fax: 609-771-7906

Test Dates

The GRE Psychology subject test is offered in April, November, and December. The test is normally given on a Saturday, but students claiming special circumstances may request to take the test on the Monday following a testing date.

Be sure to register for a test well ahead of your application deadlines, since you will need to take both the subject test and the general test, and you want to leave some time to retake the exam if necessary.

Testing Fee

At the time of the publication of this book, the fee is $130 if you are taking the exam in the United States and $150 everywhere else in the world. Testing fees have steadily increased by $5 to $10 each year.

On the Day of the Test

ETS recommends that you arrive at the testing center no later than 8:30 am. You should plan on being at the testing center for a total of 3 hours and 30 minutes. It is a good idea to scout out the test location prior to the day of your test, so you arrive on Test Day well prepared and with time to spare.

Required/Recommended Items

You will need to bring the following items to the testing center on the day of your test:

• Several (3 to 5) sharpened No. 2 pencils and several good erasers

• The registration card provided to you by ETS

• Photo identification with your signature (e.g., passport, driver's license, military ID)

You may also want to bring along the following items to ensure a top performance:

• Bottled water. Stay hydrated to maintain peak performance.

• Chewing gum. It's good enough for Michael Jordan, and it can work for you too.

• A portable music player. Helps keep you locked in and undistracted during the downtimes prior to taking the test.

• High-energy snacks. A fruit bar or two will keep you going through this lengthy test of your intellectual stamina.

Sending off Scores

Scores on the GRE Psychology test are good for five years. When you sign up for the exam, and again on day of the test, you will be given the opportunity to list up to four schools that you would like ETS to send your scores to for no additional charge. You can also have your scores sent to other schools for an additional charge of $13 per school. Your scores normally arrive by mail six weeks after your test date.

Canceling Scores

You can cancel your scores at any point during the test administration. No record of you taking the test that day will be reported to you or any graduate programs. While this may be a tempting offer when confronted with the frustrations of a tough exam, you should void your score only if something extraordinary has interfered with your performance on the exam. A serious illness is a good example of the kind of extraordinary circumstances that might make canceling your score a wise choice.

Taking the Test More Than Once

You are permitted to take the GRE Psychology test as often as you like. We recommend taking the test once and taking your preparation for that test seriously. All previous scores will appear on the score report that is sent to schools, so you should plan on taking the test once and knocking their socks off with a top-notch score. While schools may focus on your most recent score or your highest score, you simplify their task when your report includes only one high-end score.

WHAT DOES THE TEST MEASURE?

The GRE Psychology test measures your knowledge of a wide range of undergraduate psychology content as well as your general test-taking skills. This does not mean you have to have taken numerous undergraduate psychology courses to do well on the exam. Instead, you need to master the material that appears on the test and understand the structure of the test and how it's scored to perform at the highest level.

What Material Appears on the Test?

Although the exam tests a wide range of psychology content, it does not require in-depth knowledge of specific psychological concepts or theories. A wide breadth of relatively superficial knowledge of psychological theories, names, and terms is what it takes to achieve a high score. A deep, nuanced understanding of a certain specific school of thought or theory may help in some instances, but in general, such a level of understanding is more than you will need to perform well.

According to ETS, questions fall into one of three content categories:

•Experimental or natural science-oriented (about 40 percent of the questions), including learning, language, memory, thinking, sensation and perception, physiological psychology, ethology, and comparative psychology. They contribute to the experimental psychology subscore and the total score.

•Social or social science-oriented (about 43 percent of the questions). These questions are distributed among the fields of clinical and abnormal, developmental, personality, and social psychology. They contribute to the social psychology subscore and the total score.

•General (about 17 percent of the questions), including the history of psychology, applied psychology, measurement, research designs, and statistics. They contribute to the total score only.

These three categories cover a great deal of material. The bulk of this book is devoted to reviewing the key concepts and names in the categories described above.

How Is the Test Scored?

Your performance on the exam is used to generate a raw score, a scaled score, a percentile rank, and two subscores. Graduate programs weigh the scaled score and percentile rank most heavily.

Raw Score

Your raw score is determined by taking the number of questions you answered correctly and subtracting one quarter of the number of questions you answered incorrectly. Unanswered questions have no impact on your raw score.

For example, if a student answered 155 questions correctly, 20 questions incorrectly, and left the remaining 40 questions unanswered, we could determine her raw score on the GRE Psychology exam. In this case, her raw score would be 155 - 1/4(20) = 155 - 5 = 150.

Scaled Score

Once you have determined your raw score, you can find your scaled score. Your raw score is compared to a conversion chart to yield a scaled score between 200 and 900. Conversion charts vary slightly from test to test. The scaled score is supposed to reflect how you would perform relative to a standard distribution of test takers. Based on your scaled score, ETS also provides a percentile rank, which states what percentage of test takers scored at or below your level of performance.

In the example we looked at before, the student had a raw score of 150. Taking that score and comparing it to a conversion table would yield a scaled score of 670.

Subscores

You receive two subscores in addition to your scaled score. Subscore I corresponds to your performance in the Experimental and Natural Sciences category. Subscore II corresponds to your performance in the Social and Social Sciences category. Subscores range from 20-99. Most graduate programs focus on your scaled score rather than your subscores.

What Does My Score Mean?

The scoring information on your score report will look something like this:

The score report will show your total (scaled) score (in this student's case, a 670) as well as the percentile rank (84th percentile) and subscores for the two subsections. It will also indicate how many questions you answered correctly and incorrectly, as well as how many questions you did not answer at all.

The two numbers that are of most significance to you (and to the schools you are applying to) are the scaled score and percentile ranking. These scores reflect your performance relative to your fellow test takers.

To use the psychological lingo, the GRE Psychology exam is a norm-referenced test that requires a broad and general understanding of psychological figures and terms. Norm-referenced means that your score reflects your performance relative to a standard distribution of test takers. It is not a test of whether you can simply demonstrate mastery of basic psychological concepts. Rather, it is a competitive endeavor in which your performance will be measured against the performance of your fellow test takers.

So get your competitive juices flowing, and remember that preparation is the key. That's where we can help.

Copyright © 2003 by Kaplan, Inc.

GETTING READY FOR TEST DAY

The GRE Psychology subject test is a serious exam. Treat it with respect and dedication, and it can reward you with a top-notch score. Take it lightly, and it can smack you down hard.

Doctoral programs in psychology are extremely competitive, and fellowships are given only to the cream of the crop. Graduate schools need to whittle the field of quality candidates down to a select few. As a result, they prefer to use objective measures wherever possible. That's where the GRE Psychology test comes in.

Kaplan has been preparing test takers for high-stakes exams for over fifty years. Our focus is always on how to make the most of each individual's performance on test day. In order to perform at the highest level, you'll need to know the content that appears on the exam and have a clear sense of how the test is structured and scored.

Within this book, we'll cover everything you are expected to know on the GRE Psychology subject test. Each of the key content areas will be covered in its own chapter, allowing you to target one aspect of your psychological knowledge at a time. As you proceed, pay special attention to the subject areas you know best. Come Test Day, these areas of strength will provide you with the lion's share of your points.

Although the exam tests a wide range of psychology content, it does not require in-depth knowledge of any psychological concepts or theories. A wide breadth of relatively superficial knowledge of psychological theories, names, and terms is what it takes to achieve a high score.

Consequently, we've tried to do a quick survey of all the major ideas and names that appear on the GRE Psychology test. We cover all the important schools of psychology that appear on the test, and pay special attention to the key names and terms that are tested most frequently. Simply linking an important name to a related psychological theory or term is one of the key skills to master for this exam. Making connections quickly and confidently will help you rack up points fast.

In addition to reviewing basic psychology content in a clear and straightforward fashion, we'll address how this exam is a timed test of your performance. Each question is equally valued and every correct and incorrect answer is scored in the same way. Understanding the nuts and bolts of the test and how it's scored will help focus your plan of attack come Test Day.

Good strategic guessing, quick decision-making, and careful time management will ensure that you edge out less prepared test takers and arrive at the top-tier score you are shooting for. We'll cover these kinds of tips in detail in the remainder of this chapter.

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR TIME

Begin with a Diagnostic Test

Most likely, the GRE Psychology test is unlike any other psychology test you've ever taken. While you may have taken a survey course or two as an undergraduate, it is unlikely that you took as lengthy or exhaustive a test of your psychological knowledge.

The best way to get a sense of what you're up against is to take a practice test. In the back of this book, we've provided you with two full-length practice GRE Psychology tests with explanations.

Take your first test early on in your preparation for the exam. Taking a diagnostic exam will give you a good sense of how you will perform on Test Day. Perhaps more importantly, your performance will highlight your strengths and weaknesses and allow you to develop your study plan accordingly.

Generally speaking, you want to address your weaknesses early on in your preparation, and then move on to your strengths as Test Day approaches. You can get a good sense of where you are on any given subject by taking the Practice Sets at the end of each chapter.

Create a Study Plan and Stick to It

Abraham Lincoln once said, "If I was given eight hours to chop down a tree, I would spend seven hours sharpening my ax." The same sort of reasoning applies to the GRE Psychology test. Once you know when you are going to take the exam, create a plan that allows you to work through each of the eight content chapters that follow. Be sure to leave at least two weeks for your final review.

Know Your Strengths

One of the keys to success on this exam is to understand what you know best. As you take the practice tests and read through the review chapters that follow, pay special attention to those areas you've mastered. As we've said before, once Test Day rolls around, these subject areas will provide you with the bulk of your points. While your natural tendency to focus on problem areas and weaknesses, as your test date approaches it is essential that you know where you can bank points and build confidence.

Finish Strong

With two weeks remaining, you should begin your final review. At this point you can review all of the content chapters you've already worked through and prepare for your final practice exam.

Your final review should include taking a second practice test. In addition to the tests in this book, the best simulation of what you'll encounter on Test Day is the released exam available at www.gre.org. This is the same exam that you receive with your registration booklet in the mail.

Taking this practice test under timed, testlike conditions will give you the best sense of what you're up against and how you can expect to perform on the exam. While taking your final practice test, and the real exam that soon follows, remember to apply the tips outlined in the next section.

TEST-TAKING TIPS

You have 170 minutes to complete about 215 questions, some of which will involve reading short passages and examining data or graphs. You will need to carefully budget your time to perform at your highest level on this exam. Here are some strategies to maximize your score.

Answer the Easier Questions First

Easy questions are worth as many points as hard questions. On your first pass through the test, answer all the questions that are easiest for you. Understand which areas you know best, and seek out these questions right from the start. Skip questions that are tough or time-consuming during your first pass through the test.

Make (At Least) Two Passes Through the Test

This means making the quick decision to skip those questions that give you trouble. When you come across a tough question, circle it in your test booklet, and move on. Don't waste valuable time on hard questions early in the exam, especially when there may be easier questions ahead that you have not seen yet. The time you waste on one tough or confusing question could be better spent answering three or four easy questions that appear later in the test. Once you've knocked down all the easy questions and banked those points, you can return to the trickier questions on your second pass through the test.

Mark Up Your Test Booklet

As a student, you may be used to teachers telling you not to write in your books. But when taking the GRE Psychology exam, it is to your advantage to mark up your test booklet. Circle questions you will return to, cross out incorrect answers, and write down key notes. Just remember that no credit is given for work you do in your test booklet. Make sure you transfer your final answers to your answer grid.

Guess Strategically

There is a 1/4 point deduction for incorrect answer choices. So random guessing will probably hurt and not help your score. Strategic guessing, however, is essential to a top-notch performance. If you can eliminate one or two clearly wrong answer choices, you should guess. With practice, you can get better and better at guessing on tough questions. Making quick, effective guesses on your second pass through the test will pay off with a higher score.

Be Careful with Your Answer Sheet

It's easy to forget to skip a row on your answer sheet when you skip a question. Make sure you skip the necessary spaces when skipping questions. Also make sure to erase fully when changing your answers. Taking extra care of your answer grid will ensure that you don't give any points away.

Pace Yourself

The GRE Psychology exam is almost three hours long. It is essential that you maintain your focus throughout. Stay on task and actively work your way through the exam. Don't get frustrated or discouraged when you encounter tough questions. Remember that you don't need to answer every question correctly to get a good score.

The Evening Before the Exam, Relax!

It's tempting to spend the last few hours cramming, but this tends to be counterproductive. Rather than an all-night cram session, do something low-stress, and be sure to get a good night's sleep.

MANAGING STRESS

You will feel stress between now and your date with the test. It's up to you to learn to manage your stress effectively. A little stress is good. Stress can be harnessed and turned into positive energy if you follow some simple rules of thumb.

Take Control

Lack of control is a prime cause of stress. Research shows that if you don't have a sense of control over what is happening in your life, you can easily end up feeling stressed and helpless. Focus on those causes of your stress that you can exercise some control over.

Focus on Your Strengths

Make a list of your areas of strength that will help you do well on the test. We all have strengths, and recognizing your strengths can give you the confidence and resolve necessary to conquer stress. Your strengths will help you solve tough questions, maintain confidence, and keep test stress and anxiety at a distance. And every time you recognize a new area of strength, solve a challenging problem, or score well on a practice test, you'll build your confidence. Confidence feeds off itself, and is the cornerstone of a top-notch score.

Imagine Yourself Succeeding

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a relaxing situation. Breathe easily and naturally. Now, think of a real-life situation in which you scored well on a test or did well on an assignment. Focus on this success. Now turn your thoughts to the GRE Psychology test, and keep your thoughts in line with that successful experience. Imagine yourself taking the upcoming test with the same feelings of confidence and relaxed control.

Set Realistic Goals

Facing your problem areas gives you some distinct advantages. What do you want to accomplish in the time remaining? Make a list of realistic goals. You can't help but feel more confident as you see yourself taking the steps necessary to earn a higher test score.

Exercise Your Frustrations Away

Whether it's jogging, biking, pushups, or a pickup basketball game, physical exercise will stimulate your mind and body, improving your ability to think and concentrate. Falling out of regular exercise routines while preparing for a test may wind up hurting your performance. A little physical exertion will help keep your mind and body in sync and help you sleep better at night.

Eat Well

Good nutrition will help you focus and think clearly. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, low-fat proteins such as fish, skinless poultry, beans and legumes, and whole grains such as brown rice, whole wheat bread, and pasta. Try to avoid high-sugar and high-fat snacks and overly salty foods.

Work at Your Own Pace

Don't be thrown by other test takers furiously bubbling in answers nearby. Spend your time working through your answers in your own style; it will lead to better results. Don't mistake other's sheer activity with genuine progress and higher scores.

Keep Breathing

Conscious attention to breathing is an excellent way to keep anxiety down while you take the test. Most people who get into trouble during tests take shallow breaths using only their upper chests and shoulders. Some test takers may unknowingly hold their breath for long periods of time. Conversely, those test takers who breathe deeply in a slow, relaxed manner are likely to remain in better control throughout the testing session.

Stretch

If you find yourself getting spaced out or brain-fried as you're taking the test, stop for a moment and stretch. Even though you'll be pausing for a moment, it's a moment well spent. Stretching will help to refresh you and refocus your thoughts.

Copyright © 2003 by Kaplan, Inc.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This book provides you with everything you need to ace the GRE Psychology Exam. We've included this section with some tips on how to make sure you make the most of your prep time.

STEP ONE: FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE GRE PSYCHOLOGY EXAM

The first chapter, "Inside the GRE Psychology Exam," covers the basics of the test and how it's scored. Once you get a sense of what's on the test and how it's scored, you're ready to get a sense of yourself as a test taker. Next read chapter two, "Test Taking Strategies," to learn Kaplan's proven methods for increasing your score on this challenging exam.

STEP TWO: TAKE PRACTICE TEST I AS A DIAGNOSTIC EXAM

This book contains two simulated full-length GRE Psychology tests with explanations. Take one of these tests early in your preparation to get a sense of where you're scoring now, and what score you're shooting for on test day.

As you work through your exam, pay close attention to the areas you perform best in. These areas of strength will provide you with the bulk of your points on the actual exam. Also make note of your problem areas. You will need to shore up your knowledge in your problem areas to maximize your performance on the test.

With a clear sense of your strengths and weaknesses, you will be ready to tackle the content chapters that form the bulk of this book.

STEP THREE: WORK THROUGH THE PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW REINFORCING STRENGTHS AND SHORING UP WEAKNESSES

Each content chapter focuses on a specific aspect of psychology that is tested on the GRE Psychology exam. Based on your performance on the diagnostic exam, you should have a good sense of which areas you are strongest in, and which areas need the most reinforcement.

For the best and most efficient review, each chapter includes an outline of the topics covered, at-a-glance charts of important concepts you need to know, plus listings of important figures in psychology and their contributions to the field. Throughout the book, key terminology is highlighted for you. The chapters also include quizzes to help you test yourself on the content covered.

Develop a study plan that devotes roughly the same amount of time to each of the chapters as you go through the entire book. Aim to complete all the content two weeks prior to your exam date. The last two weeks should be spent working through the second practice test and reviewing your notes.

STEP FOUR: CONCLUDE YOUR PREPARATION WITH THE SECOND PRACTICE TEST

Your preparation with this book should conclude with the second simulated full-length GRE Psychology test. After completing this exam, work through the explanations that follow it. Be sure to review the explanations for questions you got right as well as for those you got wrong. This will serve as a good review of the wide range of topics covered on the exam.

After completing the second exam, continue to refer to the content chapters and the first practice test to make sure you are familiar with everything we cover in this book.

Use this game plan and then, right before the exam, relax. You can because you're ready for the GRE Psychology Exam. You're going to get a great score!