Over the past 2 months I have prepared hard for my 11/15 GRE using Magoosh and Manhattan prep.
I took a final practice PowerPrep Practice Exam 2 after steady improvement shown from Manhattan Tests over 2 months, I received a lower score than I did on the first PowerPrep practice exam I took first…
Steady improvement:
ETS power prep 1 156V, 154Q
Manhattan Test 1 161V, 148Q
Manhattan Test 2 163V, 152Q
Manhattan Test 3 157V, 153Q
Manhattan Test 4 158V, 155Q
Manhattan Test 5 158V, 157Q
Manhattan Test 6 158V, 164Q
ETS power prep 2 156V, 150Q <--- what happened here?? 2 months of studying and I got the lowest?
So I took a deeper look...
This is what is confusing me. Looking strictly at Quant:
For the last test I took, ETS Power Prep 2, I got 14/20 correct in section 1, and 11/20 correct in section 2: 25/40 correct
Yet, for ETS 1, I got the same 14/20 correct in section 1, and only 10/20 correct in section 2. 24/40 correct
BUT, I got a 154 on ETS 1, and a 150 on ETS 2...
Moreover, For Manhattan 5, I got 10/20 correct in section 1, and 10/10 correct in section 2... Only 20/40 correct!
Yet I got a 157...
How is it that I got more correct in the first and second section on ETS Power Prep 2, yet got a Quant score of 150... 4 points below the Power Prep 1, and 7 points below the Manhattan 5.
Since I was told the revised GRE weighs each question the same, it should only matter that I get more correct in the first section to move on to the harder section, correct? Then how is this happening?
Here are strictly my Quant scores:
Manhattan Test 6: 164
Section 1: 13/20 correct
Section 2: 15/20 correct
Hi guys. So I'm going to give a rather detailed analysis of my GRE journey since some of you have asked. I hope it can help as many as possible. If there's one thing my experience as a teacher has taught me, it is that every kid learns completely differently, so before you go on to try my approach, you'll have to know my background and know what I am as a student. That will serve as your pinch of salt.
All about me before the GRE:
I'm a GT student with a 4.0 gpa I got while working full time. I have OCD though I like to call it perfectionist (doesn't every OCD?). I have 4 years of teaching English creative writing, a decent vocabulary and solid command over the language. Because I was educated in the British system, I tend to write very languidly which was a terrible challenge for me while taking the GRE. If I cannot take my time with some, and have freedom of # of words, I will probably write shoddy. Give me time and I'll come up with something decent.
I was always good at math, but I hadn't studied any Math since 2002. Since teaching math, I've learned that math is really two things, calculations (+,-, X, /) or things we use everyday and computational (the reasoning part of Math-converting fractions, seeing patterns, game theory stuff). I have always been excellent at calculations, and because I'm not a mathematical thinker, SUCKED at computation. The fact that I'd had no practice for 11 years coupled with my OCD means I was a nervous wreck about this anyway.
I also have a hyperactive bladder which never helped me in exams, interviews or the first three dates. I paid a heavy price for it on my first administration of the GRE. So, now you know me.
The materials I used:
Nothing but the Kaplan book my brother already had. It sucks. Its tests suck (they are way easier than what you see on test day). Its techniques are o-kay. But the online portion, which includes ten practice sets for each section, and five full-length (and easier) tests are very convenient.
Magoosh's free app. This was great. The only thing I learned for vocabulary was the 6 lists of the most common words on GRE (for a total of 300 words). I already knew about 200 of these, and retained at least 98 out of 100 new ones on test day.
I downloaded the two free tests from the test-makers. You'll have to download the powerprep. Good news, here's the link:
https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/powerprep2
These were realistic and the layout most realistically replicated the drab layout of the actual GRE. Save these for last.
Let's get AWA out of the way first:
I wrote 10 essays, five of each assignment, always timed. With no one to grade them, I asked my wife to look at them for me and gave her the scoring guide. Because she is my wife, she is very critical, so naturally she told me they all sucked. Because I love her, I had to prove her wrong and got 5.0 both times . If you are a strong writer, I STRONGLY recommend taking timed sets because strong writers tend to be verbose. Don't be verbose, this is a test of analytic ability and command of syntax-they already designed the Verbal to test your vocab remember.
Verbal:
This might be a horror story for a lot of students but for me, this was the strongest part. I don't have a lot of advice to offer here except, download the GRE magoosh app and use it every time you use the toilet. If you use the toilet as much as I do, you spend at least twenty minutes a day there. In one month, that's 600 bloody minutes. In 2 months, that't 1200 minutes. In 1200 minutes, you can easily memorize 300 words. The lists you have "mastered", you still need to check in with them at least once a week. Think of them as that ex you contact when you don't have any other plans for the weekend. On the toilet seat, they're your only hope of entertainment. If you already went to undergraduate school, you should not waste your time on more than 300 words.
The fifty most common words are non-negotiable. You can find them here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K2NDRaL4G0. I listened to this video once and then on the way to the test in the car on test day.
There are strategies like active reading, elimination etc etc, but you can read those anywhere else.
Welcome to the fun-Quant:
It is very easy to spend a disproportionate amount of time on the quant. So know what score makes you comfortably within your range. My program at Harvard publishes its average GREs and the quant score is 156. So, know your score and consistently try to get at least 3 points higher on the practice tests. Don't try to be Pythagoras or Einstein---you're probably never gonna see your examiner in real life, and she's not a hot chick anyway.
With that beautiful piece of advice addressed, remember that the quant section is just your middle school math and probably first couple of years of HS. My GT math class takes a crack at the hardest practice questions I had and do well. So you know all the material, you just need to brush it up.
There are some non-negotiables here:
1. THE GRE IS NOT ONLY ABOUT PERMUTATIONS AND COMBINATIONS even though every study guide wants you to think so. After spending two full days trying to learn them together and still getting them all wrong on test day, I decided to skip these for the second test and make educated guesses (more later).
2. Do not try to memorize formulae. There are too many of them. Rather, just try to study their proof (easily available on most study guides and through youtube videos). For example, the formula for the hypotenuse of a 1:1:underroot2 has a very simple proof if you know the Pythagorean theorem. Read it, it will stick. Also, the ratios for 3:4:5, there are too many to remember, just solve them all once and they will stick-I promise.
3. Pacing; I don't recommend spending over 180 seconds on any question. After 180 seconds (which is already very long) mark it for review, and then come back to it if you have time left (which you wont so I'm saving your time for the questions you will be able to get right-promise).
The most important thing I learned for the quant is: how to make educated guesses. Know the patterns of all questions for example that the values are written out in increasing order. If a question has five choices a-e, values will be a)5 b)7 c)8 d)10 e)12. If you're particularly stuck on a question, eliminate at least two choices which are not possible. If you know that a and b are too small, or that a and e are not possible, you've already reduced your chances of making a mistake by 40%. A 33% chance of getting is right is already far improved over your original 20% chance. Get it down to 1/3 potential choices and then GUESS! All questions have an equal score and there is no negative marking. It never hurts to guess. Feel safe, do it.
Use the calculator sparingly, you will probably be clicking numbers on it and that increases computational errors, especially towards the end of the test. For longer numbers (in comparisons- A or B questions) that calculators cannot perform, remember to first divide both sides by 10,000. Just moving decimals along does wonders. In your practice sessions, don't use your own calculator, use the one the screen provides, it will be good practice.
Overall impressions:
DO EVERY PRACTICE TIMED. This is as much a test of endurance as it is of everything else they tell you they're testing.
The exam conditions are hostile at best, dress loosely. The noise blockers are intimidating and do not help with blood flow-make sure you take them off during the breaks.
USE THE BREAKS. Even in the section breaks, stand up and stretch your legs.
Test day:
Do not study beyond 9p.m. on the eve of the test. You wont be able to sleep anyway, don't crowd your brain too much. Rest. Watch a movie.
Don't overdose on caffeine. Have a hearty breakfast. Keep a gum in your mouth. Keep a snickers bar and a gatorade in your locker. Eat jolly rancher before you step in. Hard, sour candy is very good for sensory integration, helps you stay focused.
Remember that you are stressing out over the GRE because this is the only thing in your control at this time The application committees take "holistic" looks at these things
A) It's not an entrance exam. Many schools and programs don't even ask for or require a GRE score. It is not a requirement for graduate study.
What college/university didn't have multiple choice scantron tests for most midterms and finals? What was it, free response interpretive dance? Did you have to tell them what you "felt" the answer was while sitting in a purity circle? Hippies.
C) A drop in score that is signifigant between the practice and real test just means the practice system you were using was inadequate, not that the real GRE got harder, more difficult, or changed in any way.
D) It doesn't make/break an application at any school that looks at your record wholistically. There are cutoffs at many schools, that's true, but even what most people are ranting is a "poor" score on here is above that cutoff.
Some people wont get into a graduate program for reasons entirely unrelated to the GRE, GPA, letters of rec, etc.. but you can be sure that's the first place they'll place the blame. If you can't handle a basic test without a complete freakout how do you expect to handle the stress of a graduate program?
I was in graduate school previously.
I had a day where I didn't sleep in a few days, hadn't eaten, hadn't showered, and had a cluster headache (google it, it hurts). I went to my professor who was 20+ minutes late for class - she was in her office just chatting with another student - and told her I was going home, it was a "work" day and I'd make up my work on the project well before the deadline. She agreed, but the next day she said in an advising meeting that I had "ambushed" her and I wasn't being a good student by asking to miss a class and then going home. That I wasn't taking my responsibilities seriously. She threatened to pull my funding for my next few projects because she said I was being so irresponsible.
That's the sort of real nonsense stress you'll have to deal with. This test is nothing.
I assume you're trolling, Loric, so I won't spend too long on a response, but I advise you not to belittle other people's experiences just because they do not match your own. If you feel you've been through worse than standardized tests, good for you. But other people find the idea of standardized testing uniquely stressful, more so than even than being sick, have dozens of pages to write in a single night, and dealing with nasty advisers.
As for what kind of college didn't have multiple choice scantron tests--that's easy. A good one that doesn't waste time on bullshit like that. I wrote several article length research papers every semester and when I did have tests they were in depth oral exams or occasionally essay tests. You know, the stuff that helped me build the skills academics actually use, rather than perfecting my ability to bubble in scantrons .
Oh, I forgot to mention that on the first section of Q, I got 13/20 correct, and 12/20 correct on the second section. How in the world did that come up to a 163?!
I purchased the 6 practice tests from Manhattan and did one last week and today. The score from last week for Q was 152 and today was 163. That's HUGE difference! I wonder how reliable these tests are...
makingmoves got a reaction from msrxchef in Practice GRE scores vs. real GRE scores