Time is running out for Iowa State students to register for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

In a recent press release, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) urged graduate school candidates with Feb. 1 admission deadlines to register immediately for the GRE to assure that test results arrive in time.

The ETS is now adding more testing times in response to the high number of registrations this year, according to the press release.

To get more information on the GRE, ISU students should go to the testing center on the third floor of the Student Services building, said Maureen Deisinger, an academic adviser in the department of journalism.

The 1997-1998 Information and Registration Bulletin can be found at the testing center. In the bulletin, students can find dates, locations, payment policies, study tips and practice exams to help them prepare for the GRE.

The GRE is composed of two parts: a general test and a subject test.

The general test covers verbal, quantitative and analytical reasoning skills, while the subject test focuses on an individual’s undergraduate major.

One ISU senior who is preparing to take the GRE said she has spent only three or four hours studying for the subject test.

“There are really expensive coaching programs for students looking to pass the GRE. However, studying won’t improve your grade by a whole standard deviation,” she said.

Students have the option of taking the general test by computer or with paper and pencil.

The computer-based version takes less time and returns scores faster than the paper and pencil tests.

Deisinger said students should take the GRE before they graduate, so their study skills are up to date.

She also advised preparing for the test. “I would never go into it cold,” she said.

Deisinger mentioned two methods students can use to study for the GRE.

The first, a study booklet especially designed for the GRE, can be purchased at Campus or University Book Stores, or any other major book store.

There are also organizations which lead study sessions to help test-takers, but Deisinger said these $100 workshops cost much more than a study booklet.