I was thinking about your question and realized that I took the GREs . . . . 21 years ago. So I don't think I'll be much help.

I took the GRE in November of last year (whoa, it's last year...when did that happen?). This was after they released the new question types.

I tend to test pretty well (no real anxiety around it). I had spent a good bit of time reviewing vocabulary and math since I haven't done algebra for ten years or so. I would definitely buy yourself a test prep book (I used Princeton Review), take a practice test (you get a prep CD from ETS after you register, and many of the practice books let you take tests online), and review your weak spots. I didn't take any classes or anything.

The computer adaptive part is a total bitch. I hated not being able to go back and review questions that had given me a hard time. This also means that you need to pace yourself really carefully; don't sink a huge amount of time into a tricky question if you've got a lot of questions left, BUT ALSO consider that the first few questions do more towards determining your score than the last few (so sink more into the first couple even if they're hard). You have to game the system without gaming the system (because if you spend time wondering if this question is easier or harder than the one prior...that way lies madness.)

The new question types are not really worth worrying about (IMO). You can only get one per test, so it's not a huge deal anyway. I got one on a quant section right at the end. It was probably the easiest question I got lobbed.

I ended up with two quantitative sections and one qualitative (which was a bummer cause I'm much better at English than math).

The writing sections were cakelike. You can look up the list of all essay topics on ETS's website and think about possible angles of attack well ahead of time. And many of the questions are clustered around a few themes and similar to one another, so as long as you've got a handle on your perspective on whatever issue, you can handle a bunch of overlapping questions.

I'd say all around it was harder than the SAT (and my score dropped by 90 points from the SAT to the GRE), but it wasn't a brutal, ohgodkillmenow kind of thing. You do get your scores right away for everything except writing, which is nice, but you have to figure out whether or not you want to report your scores BEFORE you see them...which sucks (more gaming of the system.)

Experientially, the people at the testing center were all really nice. The timing of things sucked (short breaks, you can leave as you're working on a section but the clock doesn't stop...this was a TREAT if, like me, you have IBS...) The monitors are pretty crappy. They give you a lot of scratch paper and pencils, and also provide those little squishy earplugs (which come in handy when you're next to a mouthbreather). There are a lot of other people in the room coming and going, so that can be distracting too (but keep in mind that they all started at different times than you did and are taking different tests).

I wouldn't stress out horribly. But do go buy a good review book and use it.

I've taken it twice - I did pretty bad the first time (without studying), then spent some time reviewing mathematics and (most importantly) taking the computerized practice tests. The format is odd, and my number one problem the first time around was that I spent too much time on each question, and I still got them wrong!

I hated the essay sections, but in my field those scores are meaningless.

Basically, just study the material a little bit, then study the test itself a lot. I used the Kaplan's test prep book (my friend gave it to me), but the material available at the GRE website is pretty good, too.

I took it about ten years ago. Seems like the test might have changed a bit, but it still sounds pretty similar to the SAT, only a little harder, in terms of content. It's definitely worth preparing for, with practice tests and strategies and all (Princeton Review books are particularly good), but your scores will probably be similar to your SAT scores, for better or worse. I went down a bit in math, but went up about 50 points in verbal (which was good, since I was applying to MFA programs in Creative Writing). I wouldn't shell out money for a prep course if you test half-way decently (those courses are very expensive, and the results are shaky). I think the books and self-preparation are just as good or better. Bottom line, don't sweat it. Prepare and do your best.

I took it over 10 years ago, but I would second the recommendation to get a practice book and do the practice tests.

I took it twice over a span of about 6 years, the first with a paper test (which I prefer) and the second time with a computerized test (which I hated, and did quite poorly on - fortunately my grad school let me submit my older scores to prove I wasn't an idiot).