Your preparation for the Physics GRE should start just before your junior year ends. Take the following steps:

1. Meet with one of the physics department faculty. Prof. Carroll runs a prep session in the fall, so you might want to start with him.
2. Visit the ETS web site and read about the Physics GRE there.
3. Purchase Conquering the Physics GRE, by Yoni Kahn and Adam Anderson.
4. Find (borrow) a Halliday and Resnick-style introductory physics text (see below for a list). Your physics professors will be helpful here. Also use your Six Ideas textbooks.
5. Every day or every other day, spend 30-120 minutes solving challenging problems from the end of each chapter. Make flash cards for formulas for each chapter. Anything you can’t solve: review. You can also work in some questions from the older practice exams.
6. Toward the end of the summer, you should finish the introductory text. Start to review your intermediate mechanics, your modern physics, and other more advanced material.
7. Register to take the exam as soon as you return to Ursinus in the fall.
8. Join the prep session and a study group.
9. Schedule some practice exams.

Suggested Introductory Texts

Note that many of these texts can be borrowed from one of your professors, your local library, or the Ursinus library. Older editions are available used at very low cost. Just make sure that if you purchase a paperback edition you get all of the volumes.

• Understanding Physics
• Fundamentals of Physics
• University Physics with Modern Physics
• Physics for Scientists and Engineers

Past GREs

Very few past Physics GREs are available. Do not waste them! The two newest exams should be reserved for serious, timed practice. The most recent exam should be used for a full blown simulation of the exam: 3 hours on Saturday morning.

Here are the exams:

• 1986 Physics GRE
• 1992 Physics GRE
• 1996 Physics GRE
• 2001 Physics GRE
• 2008 Physics GRE