GRE and scoring/test prep concerns

[SixteenTons]

Hello,

I have two questions, one of which might be impossible to answer.

First, does anyone know how one's scores on sample tests translate over to the actual GRE? Are the tests supplied by Kaplan, ETS and the Princeton Review faithful to the new GRE? I'm applying for a PhD in history, and have contacted some programs, and have been told by people in charge of admissions that my score on the Verbal section is the only score of interest to them. I've been taking some practice tests from the above sources, and am plateauing at about 85%. Do I have reason to believe that my score on the practice tests will really translate over to the real thing?

Also, does anyone know how scoring percentiles are determined? Let's say I answer roughly 85% of the questions on the Verbal GRE correctly; I'm assuming that I will fall into the low 80s percentile wise. Am I being too optimistic here? I've figured that when it comes to applying to grad school, I should lower my expectations considerably - this includes my scores, my chances of getting accepted somewhere, etc. I'm still studying, but I don't expect to perform very well.

PS - When programs say that they aren't interested in Quant scores, do they really mean it? Would a decent Quant score do anything other than make me look somewhat well-rounded? Or is that score really not of much relevance? My Quant scores on the practice tests have been low thus far, and I don't know if I should bother studying more for that section.

[pemdas]

if you answer 3/4 questions correctly, you should score 160+ in verbal

with 85% accuracy in each section you will get V 165