Preparing for the Physics GRE

originally compiled by Daniel R. Miller
University of Texas at Austin, Texas, USA
26 May 2009 [schedule page]

The physics GRE is an exam covering the basic undergraduate physics curriculum. The problems are extremely easy but the allotted time is very short. With an education from UT Austin you will be well prepared, but a review of material learned is critical in achieving an excellent score. Most of you have been working on your degree for about three years; your preparation for this exam is not the time to work halfheartedly! View this as an easy opportunity to increase your desirability to graduate schools.

SPS activities

In the summer and fall we'll have practice tests and group study sessions with faculty and/or graduate students for coaching and, obviously, an opportunity to meet other students who are looking to form additional study groups. To keep up to date with the latest information on these activities, subscribe to the 'grephysics' list by going to https://utlists.utexas.edu/ or by sending email to sympa@utlists.utexas.edu with nothing but the following line of text in the message body, replacing the second pair of words with your name, of course:

subscribe grephysics Firstname Lastname

Please come to the weekly problem sessions and bring a couple of practice problems to present to the group. For the schedule of topics and more information, visit the evolving schedule page. You'll also find other meeting times and locations for smaller, less structured study groups.

Useful Websites:

http://www.phys.ksu.edu/personal/eschultz/GRE%20Home.htm

Includes exams 0177, 8677, 9277, and 9677 as well as a list of formulae to memorize and a "fill-in-the-formula" sheet.

Harvard-Radcliffe SPS

Includes exams 8677, 9277, and 9677, test taking strategies, and downloadable topic formulae (very useful).

http://www.physicsgre.com

A discussion forum that should not be underestimated. Contrary to its name it is not exclusively devoted to the physics GRE but contains many important topics useful for getting into graduate school in the Prospective Physics Graduate Student Topics forum.
Within this forum are listed topics of Profiles, which are profiles of students (e.g., GPA, GRE scores, research experience, prestige of undergraduate university, sex, grad schools applied to and the school's decision, etc.). This is helpful in determining common qualities that admission committees prefer, as well as gauging your own competitiveness.

http://grephysics.net/ans

Includes solutions to all four previously released exams.

http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/undergrad/ugs_gre.php

A well organized review group at OSU

Suggestions:

BEGIN STUDYING EARLY, SERIOULSY!!! The material covered on the exam is elementary, but it does cover a lot of topics, and you are given very little time. Review material from texts comparable to Halliday, et. al., or any first year physics books.
Take one of the practice exams before you begin your studies, timing yourself. Determine where you need improvement both in terms of concepts and in the logistics of test taking.
Develop a sheet of common formulae and memorize them. Note cards are useful as well.
Develop a sheet of common problems and commit them to memory, so that you may save time on the test by not performing calculations.
Take another practice test every few weeks to track your improvement and determine where you still need work.
Attempt to simulate the test-taking conditions including time, desk size, and allowed writing instruments while taking practice tests.
Learn the appropriate use of numerical approximations (e.g., π = 3, e = 1.5 x 10^-19, √2 = 1.4, √3 = 1.7, etc.). Calculators are not allowed and arithmetic takes time.
This is a multiple-choice exam so learn to eliminate answers through tactics such as checking units and inspecting limits.

GOOD LUCK (you won't need it if you START EARLY)!