GREphobe

You can do that after you create an account on the ets site. There's a link for it. it cost about $23 per additional school, but you do that after you take the test.

go to Princetonreview.com and kaplan.com and create an account and you will get access to one test on each site. If you purchase books by either of these test prep companies you can obtain more tests.

an international debit card should work. I'm not sure when your application deadlines are but if you're seeking admission for Fall 2011 you should consider taking the test earlier because your schools may not get your scores on time and many school will not accept/review an incomplete application. Just giving you a heads up.

you probably got easier questions wrong and harder ones right.

also if you have been reading these threads you would know that 800score is nothing like the real test in terms of difficulty. Their tests tend to have more difficult questions in both sections which most people score lower on. As i said powerprep would be a more accurate measure or you could take the free kaplan or free princeton review test on the website.

the big book tests are paper based therefore they don't test how well you'll score on the actually test. You should take CAT and see how you perform. Powerprep are a bit easier than Kaplan and Princeton Review in my opinion and it is also most like the real test.

It wont look bad but there is no need to retake the test for 20 extra points. its not going to make a big difference.

cubicles in a closed room

definitely above 1000. Try to aim for around 1200 minimum. But honestly you have to look at all your admissions requirements. Your GPA, Recommendations, GRE, etc. and every school has different requirements, the minimums vary some schools have no minimum but their applicants have high score so you really have to do the research for your program before you start worrying about what score you need to get.

You could mention the reason you took 2 years off in your personal statement.

that would be your responsibility to research. not every school is the same so you would have to see what particular schools you want to apply to and then check out their admissions requirements and procedure.

what is your gpa for the last two years of undergraduate work?

Unfortunately, while you have good scores for the Quantitative section of the Verbal section, your writing score will not get you into a top university. Since you scored well on the others you should be able to do a repeat performance on those if you retake the test. try to get at least a 4.5 but a 5-6 would be ideal for a top school. if you got even a 3-4 you could apply to a master's program and do well and then pursue a PhD.

I do not believe the GRE is necessary for Canadian Universities and I know nothing about Australian universities. However, the GRE is required for most US graduate programs so you should look into that prior to registering for the test because it's a relatively expensive test.

schools suggest you take it before October so that there is enough time for the scores to be sent to them because every part of your application has to be to in by the deadline. if not they may not consider looking at it. I wouldn't say don't take the best any later than the beginning of October if you're looking for admission for the next fall.