What am I doing wrong??

[cschwartz]

Are there any secrets to getting a good quantitative score on the GRE? I studied really hard and only got a 530. I have never been good at math and I used Kaplan's workbook, and the Barron's math workbook to study and I bought the Princeton's 1,014 GRE practice questions book as well. I know some of it is just test anxiety, but what else can I do to help ensure the next test goes better?

[dilly-dallier]

I used Barron's math review and I think the real GRE questions are much harder. Barron didn't include many important math facts which are actually tested by GRE. Fortunately before the test I went over ETS' math review and at the end I got a 760 (I major in one of the humanities dept).

Have you ever tried the CD ETS sent to each test taker. I answered all the practice questions and model tests in that CD. It is really helpful.

[shepardn7]

Are there any secrets to getting a good quantitative score on the GRE? I studied really hard and only got a 530. I have never been good at math and I used Kaplan's workbook, and the Barron's math workbook to study and I bought the Princeton's 1,014 GRE practice questions book as well. I know some of it is just test anxiety, but what else can I do to help ensure the next test goes better?

I'm in the same boat as you, except I barely studied (just went over some formulae and did a practice section), and got a 510 instead of a 530. I'm fine with it, really, because I know it doesn't matter to the school to which I'm applying (plus, my verbal is good enough to break the 1200 barrier). Are you in the humanities? Your math score is probably good enough if you are.

If you need to retake for your field or to meet a certain minimum for admission, my only advice (which is probably unhelpful) is to remember that it's not testing just formulae and general knowledge but mathematical "logic." There's some reasoning involved, just as in the verbal problems, and some tricks. To finish all the problems in time, you often need to take the appropriate shortcuts and/or apply several concepts in succession, as well as spot their attempts at subterfuge.

Clearly, I didn't master this, but you can train yourself if you're motivated. Rather than spending so much time with the prep books, it might be better to get your hands on everything ETS-branded and do all the problems therein (Powerprep, but also any paper tests online or in books), so you can still practice the concepts, but also get a better feel for the kind of thinking ETS expects of you?

Always do practice sections under test conditions, too, so you can see how you need to pace yourself. And no matter how much you're worried about time, always check your work. I know I tend to make stupid mistakes (like add wrong because I'm rushing), and as the PR book says, you don't get points for doing the work correctly; one misstep is a lost point.

Edited November 17, 2010 by sarandipidy

[A2011]

As a social science major who has looked into this, I would not assume your Q score does not matter unless you are 100% sure that the school does not care. If you are trying to get into a competitive program, you might be surprised at some of the median GRE scores for that section.

I dramatically improved my quant score from my first practice test. It takes A LOT of work. If you can manager to get a tutor and/or a Kaplan course (I think the online version is a better value) I would recommend it. Make not to take your second test until you consistently get the scores you want on computer adaptive practice tests (ETS has some free ones with PowerPrep software) and Kaplan offers one free one even if you do not buy anything.