Tdearr

Hi SwissChocolate,

Unfortunately, there is some score variance with all practice tests. Every test is slightly different and students tend to score slightly differently from test to test. A three point difference is within a reasonably small margin of error. I noticed that you scored higher on other practice tests as well; some students do see a drop in scores from test day jitters and don't do quite as well on their actual test as they do on practice tests. I don't know if this was a problem for you, or if it just happened to be that the test you got on test day didn't go as well as your practice test.

That said, 160 is a good score placing you above the 80th percentile of quant scores and will be seen a acceptable for many political science programs.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have further questions.

Best Regards,
Taylor Dearr

Hi SwissChocolate,

Unfortunately, there is some score variance with all practice tests. Every test is slightly different and students tend to score slightly differently from test to test. A three point difference is within a reasonably small margin of error. I noticed that you scored higher on other practice tests as well; some students do see a drop in scores from test day jitters and don't do quite as well on their actual test as they do on practice tests. I don't know if this was a problem for you, or if it just happened to be that the test you got on test day didn't go as well as your practice test.

That said, 160 is a good score placing you above the 80th percentile of quant scores and will be seen a acceptable for many political science programs.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have further questions.

Best Regards,
Taylor Dearr

That's a great list. I have a few additions as well.

I read the Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones, etc.) last year and was surprised how many words in those book were straight out of the GRE word list we use here at Manhattan Prep. Those books are certainly page turners (the first three are better than the 4th and 5th in my opinion). I also recommend David Foster Wallace (The Girl With Curious Hair [fiction], and Consider the Lobster [non-fiction]); he certainly doesn't shy away from big words although I woudln't say his works are as GRE applicable as Game of Thrones.

I hope that helps!

Best,
Taylor

Hi everyone,

We are starting to analyze the new data. Here is our early take: http://www.manhattanprep.com/gre/blog/index.php/2011/10/28/friday-surprise-ets-releases-newly-converted-gre-scores/

And for the record My scores:

V: 700 = 166 (97%)
Q: 780 = 163 (89%)

Best,
Taylor

Hi George,

The new GRE Powerprep software only includes one test, so you'll have to seek out other practice tests online. My company offers one free test here: http://www.manhattanprep.com/gre/storeitemshow.cfm?ItemID=88

I hope that is helpful!

Best Regards,
Taylor

ETS will be doing heavy outreach to try and inform admission counselors about the new scale. This will include distribution of conversion charts that relate new scores to old scores, as well as explanations of why the changes have been made. That being said, there is no way of knowing how effective this outreach will be. It is always good to deal with a known quantity, so you might be safer with the current GRE.

I wouldn't worry. Official scores from ETS take 10 to 15 days to arrive at the institutions you choose on test day, so your scores will arrive well before December 15th and you will be fine. Even if you need to retest, you can do so once per calendar month, meaning if you had to retest you could do it on December 1st (assuming you can get an appointment for that day) and still get your second scores in on the deadline or one day late. While one day late might be a problem, many programs only require unofficial scores (received at the testing center as soon as you complete the test) on your application as long as the official scores are received soon thereafter. Check with your individual schools to see if they require the official score report by the deadline or if you have some wiggle room. Even with the strictest of rules and no wiggle room, your Nov. 20th scores will arrive in plenty of time. The only possibility of a problem is with strict schools and a need to retest, which is a pretty unlikely combo since you already delayed once to give yourself preparation time (I bet that means you'll be ready on the 20th). Best of luck!

Regards,
Taylor Dearr

I wouldn't worry. Official scores from ETS take 10 to 15 days to arrive at the institutions you choose on test day, so your scores will arrive well before December 15th and you will be fine. Even if you need to retest, you can do so once per calendar month, meaning if you had to retest you could do it on December 1st (assuming you can get an appointment for that day) and still get your second scores in on the deadline or one day late. While one day late might be a problem, many programs only require unofficial scores (received at the testing center as soon as you complete the test) on your application as long as the official scores are received soon thereafter. Check with your individual schools to see if they require the official score report by the deadline or if you have some wiggle room. Even with the strictest of rules and no wiggle room, your Nov. 20th scores will arrive in plenty of time. The only possibility of a problem is with strict schools and a need to retest, which is a pretty unlikely combo since you already delayed once to give yourself preparation time (I bet that means you'll be ready on the 20th). Best of luck!

Regards,
Taylor Dearr

I simply try and answer everyone's questions. The fact that similar questions show up repeatedly is a symptom of the fact that people have the same concerns. For that reason we try and develop comprehensive answers to those common questions. I'm sorry that it bothers you, but I am really just trying to be as informative as possible.

Regards,
Taylor

I simply try and answer everyone's questions. The fact that similar questions show up repeatedly is a symptom of the fact that people have the same concerns. For that reason we try and develop comprehensive answers to those common questions. I'm sorry that it bothers you, but I am really just trying to be as informative as possible.

Regards,
Taylor

While you can have an unidentified experimental section or an identified research section, neither of these will count. However, there is sometimes no way to know which unidentified section is real so I would recommend taking everything as if it counts. Hope that helps.