awells27

What I have noticed is that if one is applying to a verbal oriented program, often even in uper tier schools the quant scores for admitted applicants average in the mid150s. Likewise, if it is a quant heavy program, the same holds true in reverse. Yet when I checked the average GRE scores for admitted applicants in many Humanities fields at Duke, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and a few other schools, I noticed that both verbal and math were in the 90th percentiles. I wonder if in some schools, there is still a prestige element attached to combined scores.

If you are applying to a PHD program, you run the risk of certain professors culling your scores to save themselves time. It sucks, but it's a fact of life. My advising professor in my masters program already told me he will not consider mediocre GRE scores. Some professors know the test is a fiasco, but do you want to gamble on their being the ones who assess your application? I perused your original thread, and you actually did not study the way one is supposed to for the GRE. Many people go on an extended study program. At this point, you need a few core study tools and several practice tests that mimic GRE conditions. And yes, I would definitely attempt to get a discount on the next test. If you feel you just cannot cope with taking it a second time, I would start praying hard that the rest of your app is brilliant.

Since the verbal section is easier than the math, it might not take too much to improve your score.

I personally would take it again, but it's your call. Definitely complain about the environment though. My testing center was next door to a grooming shop. Dogs were barking throughout the entire test.

They should have a table outside the testing room where you can leave your food and bottled water. Our testing center had a water dispenser. Don't bring a pizza or a salad from Applebees. Everyone brought nutrition bars when I was there. They must think you are going to inscribe the surface area of a rectangle on your food wrapper.

Applying: U Penn Hebrew Union Rice SMU Dedman UCLA GTU/Berkely Denver/Iliff Emohasis: Early Judaism/Christian origins GRE over, preparing writing sample/SOP Requesting transcripts this week

Go to Target and buy some Zone Bars. A Prometric testing center will let you leave your bars and water outside, and you can eat one before test and during break. Bring a hoodie and hang it up outside. During my first section, the room turned frigid, so I needed the hoodie for the second half. Get there a half-hour early.

I got a high score in the analytical writing. This is what I wrote to someone else: For analytical writing, I followed the basic plan in Barron's latest GRE book, and barring the outline they propose in the beginning, their method worked extremely well. In your intro paragraph, provide context for your position, the position itself, and any nuance that makes the argument given to you sometimes true and sometimes questionable.. In the middle, I typed four paragraphs, two that weighed towards the argument presented and two weighing against it. This could change if they present you with a preposterous argument. Always provide examples in these body paragraphs. For your conclusion, summarize and provide implications of what you wrote in the body of your essay. Instead of setting aside time in the end to review your grammar, simply glance at each sentence after you type it, and if it has no mistakes, move on.

Sign up for Magosoh, and buy Manhatan GRE's 1800 GRE problems. That book is only 14 bucks off Barnes and Noble or Amazon. Watch every video lesson possible in the Quant section of Magoosh. Whenever you do either practice problems or practice tests, do them under timed conditions. Do not drink coffee, water, tea, or anything when you do practice tests, as you must be accustomed to the austerity of test day. Do not get discouraged when you get problems wrong on magoosh, as their math is harder than ETS in general. However, when you get something wrong, the explanations will often sit with you come test day. When you do exercises out of the Manhattan book, time yourself, and make sure you do problems following the first 15 in each section, as the early questions are too fundamental. When you take the test, the biggest danger is the second round of Quant questions. You will probably do well on the first round, so the next section will be harder. Therefore, do not labor over the hardest questions like I did. I probably would have gotten 90th percentile in Quant if I had timed myself better. Skip ones you know take too much time and come back to them after you have answered the easier ones. This will give you more time. There is nothing worse than knowing a question and running out of time. For analytical writing, I followed the basic plan in Barron's latest GRE book, and barring the outline they propose in the beginning, their method worked extremely well. In your intro paragraph, provide context for your argument. In the middle, I typed four paragraphs, two that weigh towards the argument and two weighing against it. Always provide examples in these body paragraphs. For your conclusion, summarize and provide implications of what you wrote in the body of your essay. Instead of setting aside time in the end to review your grammar, simply glance at each sentence after you type it, and if it has no mistakes, move on.

It depends where you are applying. As the following link demonstrates, http://magoosh.com/gre/2013/gre-scores-for-top-universities/ ,the most prestigious schools will probably want to see quant in the 150s somewhere and verbal/writing in 90th percentile. It's an unfortunate aspect of admissions that often overlooks a student's true potential. Other schools may not be as exacting. I would contact admissions directors at a few places where you are applying and ask them what is normally looked for in admitted applicants. They often say there is no exact cutoff, but some will say they prefer a Quant over 50th percentile and a verbal in the 90th percentile.

When you take the second round of Quant questions, are you skipping the more involved questions and answering the easier ones first? If you get a functions pattern that requires detecting a pattern and then have to compare the quantity to something else, or if you get a long drawn out word problem involving combined rates, it is sometimes better to guess, mark it, and then come back to it after answering easier questions. Obviously, a percent question is easy to answer, as are word problems involving fractions. The exponent questions and data interpretation are also fairly straightforward. My app is not quant oriented, so I just had to reach a certain minimum. I agree that the time factor makes it hard for those who hate standardized tests. contact admissions departments for where you are applying and ask if your math score could result in a culled application. If so, you might have to retake once more. Also, magoosh and Manhattan GRE offer the hardest practice tests. If you get good scores on those under brutal timed conditions, you should do better on your next quant exam.

After getting my verbal score, I contacted admissions for three different PHD programs to which I am applying and asked if I should take the test over again. In a humanities program, they wanted to see 90th percentile in BOTH verbal reasoning and analytic writing. My admissions counselor advised taking it again if the writing score was below that. My writing score turned out to be strong, so I am not retaking the test. For mech. engineering, I would think the Quant score is more important, and the 5.5 AWA can only help you I would email the admissions director for any school you are applying to and ask if your verbal score could jeopardize your application. They are usually fairly aboveboard about admissions statistics.

2 written in the book, non adaptive, and two computerized, supposedly adaptive but I seriously doubt it, as I thought the 2 computerized tests were way easier than test day.

Wow, I thought the Kaplan practice tests were easier, as I consistently got higher in their verbal, barring my first test, than on the actual GRE. I guess everyone responds differently.

Sorry for the delayed response. Test 1: 163/157/ Test 2: 162/160. Since the questions were so hard, I stopped taking those tests at a certain point, since they often do not reflect true GRE questions. The real GRE rarely uses low frequency vocab words like paronomasia or tergiversate, which Manhattan is obsessed with. Most admissions counselors have told me that if I am in the 93rd verbal percentile to only take the test over if my AWA scores are below 90th percentile. Of course, these are not Princeton and Duke talking, but U Penn and Hebrew Union did say this. I'm not sure whether to believe them or not. People applying for PHDs should be aware that the most elite schools - Harvard, Yale, etc - average 90th percentile scores in verbal and math for those admitted to many humanities programs and social sciences, barring Sociology for some reason. If anyone has any effective strategies for RCs, I would like to hear them, as my brain shuts off by the time I'm trying to decipher the two best possible answers. I dread having to test those again.

ETS Practice test #2: 165 - V/157 - Q Kaplin: 164/162 Magoosh: 163/157 Test Day: 164/160. Still waiting on the analytical writing. I am a bit concerned, as 164 seems right below the cut off for elite PHD programs in the humanities. I don't think, however, I can do much better, as the second half of the test was significantly harder, and my mind cannot process those convoluted RC questions. The answer choices are generally lame and often based on inference. I thought the ETS practices tests were easier than test day itself, at least in the verbal section, where I did better before test day. Many of the TCs and SEs ontest day were completely borderline. In retrospect, I think the best practice is to alternate days between fundamentals and timed tests. Then you need a bit of divine intervention on test day. I would drill Manhattan 1800 practice questions for math. For verbal, Kaplin, Barrons, and Magoosh pretty much look like the real test, so I would do all their online practice problems and record any vocabulary you don't know. Manhattan practice tests are harder than ETS, so they are more of a challenge than anything else. Magoosh math is also harder than test day, but the explanations are extremely helpful.