GRE revised, SCORES DISCUSSION

[George2248]

Hello everyone again.... As many of you I am preparing to take the New GRE next month and I am very confused about the new scores range, scales, percentiles, etc.

I think we can simplify this by posting our results in practice test and real test to get a large data and compare.

My results are (in chronological order), I will only mention math because is the one I need:

Princeton practices test: 155,159,161

Power Prepp: 730 - 800

Kaplans practices drills: 16/20, 14/20, 17/20, 19/20, 17/20

I will take the manhatans and kaplans practices test soon and update my scores.

I am aiming to top ranked Civil Engineering Programs (Berkeley, Illinois, Cornell, Columbia, USC and Duke) so I need at least 750 in math, but with the results I am getting I have no idea where I stand now.

Thanks for the time

[bdon19]

This may not be super helpful, as I don't have my practice test scores offhand to include. Actually, most of them ended up giving me pretty skewed scores, as I had tons of problems with computer glitches, bad wi-fi connections while taking practice tests, etc. However, I can say that the score ranges I was given after taking the actual test equalled or exceeded the practice tests I was taking.

I did Princeton, Kaplan, and PowerPrep as well and found PowerPrep the easiest and most accurate preparation technique. However, the Princeton and Kaplan prep was useful for preparing my test-taking technique and practicing how to approach the various types of questions (though, as discussed elsewhere on this forum, be forewarned that Princeton Review has a tendency to make some egregious errors in its prep books).

As I said before, I don't recall my prep scores, but my actual scores were:

Verbal 750-800

Quant 680-780

I'm applying to English Ph.D. programs, so I was hoping to exceed 700 in verbal. I was scoring probably in the mid- to low-700s on my practice tests, but ended up in the top range after the actual test. I can't speak universally, because everyone tests differently, but I think what made the difference for me was not much more than knowing how to approach the questions and the fact that I concentrate well in "sterile" test environments.

Good luck!

[George2248]

That´s pretty good verbal... I am aiming at at the same scores you got but the opposite order, because I am applying to top engineering MS.

Did you buy any Kaplan tests or only the free practice tests? because I can not find the Kaplans test to buy....

I just took the First Manhattan practice test and got: 620 verbal and 720 math

[bdon19]

I bought a book from Kaplan, which came with a free online practice test. It gave an access code to get to it via the website.

I don't know anything about the Manhattan practice test, so I can't speak to how accurate a predictor that one might be. My suggestion, though, really is to become familiar with the test format first and foremost. If you know how to approach each question, you'll save a lot of time thinking and be able to jump right into the test. As for math, reviewing concepts is always good. I didn't find the math too difficult, considering I haven't taken a math class since my senior year of high school and still did a decent job there.

[George2248]

The free practice test from kaplan is avaliable to everyone, I was wondering If there is any way to get more bought practices tests as with Manhattan....

[AMAN MAHAJAN]

I gave the new gre pattern official exam yesterday(6-sep-11) and i got the score 1230-1380.......can anyone plz tell is this score is sufficient for ms in computer science in a good university

[emmm]

Well . . . it's hard to say without knowing the GRE Q score, which ideally would be as high as possible (and definitely over 750, although lower might be OK for an MS -- not sure about that).

For example, from the Duke webite: http://gradschool.du...s/admitcomp.htm

Average GRE Q for the PhD program is 789.

But just having a good GRE score is not enough (as I'm sure you know).

Good Luck!

Edited September 7, 2011 by emmm

[kolja00]

I found that the Manhattan tests were the most similar to what actually is on the GRE.

I scored V:700-800 Q:750-800 which is the range of the scores the Manhattan prep gave me.

[George2248]

I found that the Manhattan tests were the most similar to what actually is on the GRE.

I scored V:700-800 Q:750-800 which is the range of the scores the Manhattan prep gave me.

That is good to know, I am now taking the Manhattan test and they seem good, although a little harder than Princeton, PowerPrep and Kplan

[Lion87]

That is good to know, I am now taking the Manhattan test and they seem good, although a little harder than Princeton, PowerPrep and Kplan

How are the Manhattan GRE prep books?

[Kitkat]

So as I have mentioned elsewhere in the forum, my GRE spread for the ranges was V740-800 and Q740-800. I have been noticing from a lot of people posting their scores so far that for the most part they are giving it in 100 pt ranges for each section, except for the people who are hitting the 800 mark on either section. That and I have yet to see someone get a smaller range then 50 pts. And that is mainly with people getting a 750-800 range on one section. So I am starting to think that they are giving a 50 pt range on either side around the score that they think you are likely to get, percentile wise.

Now I could be wrong. What are other peoples thoughts?

[George2248]

So as I have mentioned elsewhere in the forum, my GRE spread for the ranges was V740-800 and Q740-800. I have been noticing from a lot of people posting their scores so far that for the most part they are giving it in 100 pt ranges for each section, except for the people who are hitting the 800 mark on either section. That and I have yet to see someone get a smaller range then 50 pts. And that is mainly with people getting a 750-800 range on one section. So I am starting to think that they are giving a 50 pt range on either side around the score that they think you are likely to get, percentile wise.

Now I could be wrong. What are other peoples thoughts?

I dont think it is that simple

[crater21]

So as I have mentioned elsewhere in the forum, my GRE spread for the ranges was V740-800 and Q740-800. I have been noticing from a lot of people posting their scores so far that for the most part they are giving it in 100 pt ranges for each section, except for the people who are hitting the 800 mark on either section. That and I have yet to see someone get a smaller range then 50 pts. And that is mainly with people getting a 750-800 range on one section. So I am starting to think that they are giving a 50 pt range on either side around the score that they think you are likely to get, percentile wise.

Now I could be wrong. What are other peoples thoughts?

That's an interesting observation.

The way I'm looking at it is this: every score on the old scale has a percentile attached to it (740 is 99th percentile for Verbal, 80th percentile for Quant, 720 is 98th percentile for Verbal, 75th for math, and so on). You can view all the percentiles here:

http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide.pdf

So, now, when you take the revised test, ETS basically determines what percentile you fall into. They then give you a range, which encompasses all possible scores in that percentile. So, for instance, if you score in the top 25% in Quant, they will give you a range of 720 - 800. If you score in the top 20%, they will give you a range of 740 - 800, and so on.

What remains to be seen is how the percentiles will be spread out over the new scale. That's something ETS probably can't figure out until enough people have taken the test.

[Kitkat]

Yeah. I mean, I am sure that ETS has some idea where people will fall since they know how many people get each question right. They have been collecting all this data on the questions through experimental sections for how long now? I am sure that they are basing their ranges around how well people do on the data they already have. Do a standard bell curve of distribution around that score for possibilities. Of course this might be a oversimplification of the math and equations to how it might actually be working.

The new percentiles though are based on how people respond to those questions in an actual testing situation with the new questions. That being why they aren't certain.

[Lion87]

Can anyone give any reviews on the Manhattan GRE prep books?

[clairecate]

I took the revised test this past Friday.

Powerprep 2 days before - V: 730-800 Q: 740-800

Real thing - V: 670-770 Q: 730-800

I'm not sure how I did so much worse on Verbal, except that my second section was insanely hard reading comp-wise and was my very last section of the day so I was kind of over it at that point. Still, as long as I'm at 90th percentile I'll be happy. The question is...is it? Ah, the waiting game.

[emmm]

Yeah, I think it should be over 90th percentile -- Congrats!

[crater21]

I took the revised test this past Friday.

Powerprep 2 days before - V: 730-800 Q: 740-800

Real thing - V: 670-770 Q: 730-800

I'm not sure how I did so much worse on Verbal, except that my second section was insanely hard reading comp-wise and was my very last section of the day so I was kind of over it at that point. Still, as long as I'm at 90th percentile I'll be happy. The question is...is it? Ah, the waiting game.

Congrats! Those are great scores. You'll definitely be above 90th percentile. For Verbal, 670 - 770 is between 95 - 99th percentile.

I think these percentiles will hold steady. The only question is what these percentiles will translate into on the new scale (i.e., what score value will be attached to which percentile).

Edited September 13, 2011 by crater21

[cxxxxxx]

hi,I'm an arts graduate (fine art photography) and have taken the gre as I had the opportunity to. I did my test today but was baffled by the scoring and got

V: 550 - 650 Q: 650-780? I think these are what I have although I'm not totally sure. I only had a week to prepare for the exam and like I said as an artist I haven't done much math or verbal exercises for around 15 years. I'm worried my verbal is really low so I look a bit odd, especially since my quant is higher?

can someone please explain how on earth this is a score? am I right to assume they haven't calculated the scoring system completely? This is the weirdest test result I've received ever, its not like there aren't definite answers!

[Lox26]

Hi clarita,

ETS has figured out neither the exact conversion between old and new scores, nor the percentile distribution for new scores. Right now, ETS is just guessing at how the population of test-takers will perform on the new GRE. Basically, we are their guinea pigs. For verbal, you are now within the top 25% to top 7% of test-takers, and for math, you are in the top 40% to top 11% of test-takers. This is quite a spread, but it gives you an idea of your overall performance. Historically, verbal scores have been lower than quant scores (660V is 94th percentile, whereas 800Q is 94th percentile), so there isn't the same parity as with the SAT, for example. Your verbal score is solid, and your quant score is probably strong for artsy programs (not my field, so I could be mistaken). Worst case, you are looking at the equivalent of a 1200, which should be above any arbitrary admissions cutoffs.

Edited September 14, 2011 by Lox26

[cxxxxxx]

Hello, thanks! I'm from the `UK and am applying to 4/5 art schools for MFA wit the assistance of IEE/Fulbright hopefully. I did the test as I thought a strong result might help my application but I have to option not to mention my test scores as its not a requirement for any of my courses. Do you think my score will be worth mentioning? I'd rather not mention it if it will work against my application.