Your 2nd experience with Revised GRE

[808bella123]

Hello, Everyone:

Can anyone share his or her second experience with the revised GRE? Were you nervous? Were you more relaxed? Did you find the content of the test second time around comparable to your first time? Did you improve your weak areas? Please share. Thanks in advance.

On a side note, I'd like to know how often, if at all, does ETS update the test it provides on PowerPrep? I'm asking as I wonder if prospective second time test takers retake the same PowerPrep or opt for other "new" material elsewhere -- I suppose the latter, but I wonder if the PP test updates with new questions over a period of time.

Thanks.

[Biostat_Assistant_Prof]

The first time I took it was a disaster. I didn't study verbal at all and studied a little for quant because that's what actually matters for the field I'm applying to. Practice tests were showing >160... But the days before I thought I needed to cram every little bit of math I could into my brain. I totally psyched myself out... The night before, I couldn't sleep, I got maybe 3 hours... On top of that, I woke up sick (food poisoning, virus, ?, Idk) ... I would lose track of time and not get to certain questions, and it was just a bad experience... I scored 152V/153Q/4.0.... I used Kaplans book and overall, I felt like ETS questions were trickier

I signed up for the next day I could, 31 days after my initial test date. I bought the ETS guide book to study from... I read through their math section and did the practice problems about 2 weeks before the test, but I still didn't do any verbal. It was risky, I reviewed the notes I had made about 4 days before the test, but to keep from psyching myself out again, I literally didn't do anything for the three days before, and I mean nothing! In fact, I took the test on Sunday, and that Friday night before, I was out at the bar until 2 AM and hungover all day Saturday (in retrospect, that was pretty idiotic).... Anyway, I took the test at 12:30 on Sunday for the second time. It was significantly better than the first. I was much more relaxed, significantly more comfortable, more awake (part of this was the 12:30 time vs 8:00am I first did) and was able to pace myself. Rather than stressing over the things I didn't know, I skipped them and answered what I did know, and then came back to them once I had gone through all the questions..... My results: 158v/163q/5.0

So my biggest advice is anyone taking it a second time is to study what you need to, but the few days before the test, RELAX!

Edited December 2, 2012 by Noco7

[808bella123]

The first time I took it was a disaster. I didn't study verbal at all and studied a little for quant because that's what actually matters for the field I'm applying to. Practice tests were showing >160... But the days before I thought I needed to cram every little bit of math I could into my brain. I totally psyched myself out... The night before, I couldn't sleep, I got maybe 3 hours... On top of that, I woke up sick (food poisoning, virus, ?, Idk) ... I would lose track of time and not get to certain questions, and it was just a bad experience... I scored 152V/153Q/4.0.... I used Kaplans book and overall, I felt like ETS questions were trickier

I signed up for the next day I could, 31 days after my initial test date. I bought the ETS guide book to study from... I read through their math section and did the practice problems about 2 weeks before the test, but I still didn't do any verbal. It was risky, I reviewed the notes I had made about 4 days before the test, but to keep from psyching myself out again, I literally didn't do anything for the three days before, and I mean nothing! In fact, I took the test on Sunday, and that Friday night before, I was out at the bar until 2 AM and hungover all day Saturday (in retrospect, that was pretty idiotic).... Anyway, I took the test at 12:30 on Sunday for the second time. It was significantly better than the first. I was much more relaxed, significantly more comfortable, more awake (part of this was the 12:30 time vs 8:00am I first did) and was able to pace myself. Rather than stressing over the things I didn't know, I skipped them and answered what I did know, and then came back to them once I had gone through all the questions..... My results: 158v/163q/5.0

So my biggest advice is anyone taking it a second time is to study what you need to, but the few days before the test, RELAX!

Wow, thank you for sharing your experience. I had a similar experience where I was unable to sleep before my test date. I am unsure if it was a matter of anxiety or stress, but for the life of me, I could not fall asleep. I laid on the bed for hours and could not sleep. Now, my solution is to go for a run the night before so that I can make sure that I am exhausted to the point where my body has no choice but to fall asleep. You live and you learn I suppose. I notice you cited test time as having a potential impact on your performance. That's interesting. I wonder if others feel the same. By the way, you did an excellent job on your second attempt. Often it is not about the mistakes we make but the steps we take to amend them. Again, thank you for sharing and I hope more people are able to share their experiences.

[rael]

I used Kaplans book and overall, I felt like ETS questions were trickier

Dude, same experience. I studied for about 2 weeks on and off with Kaplan's book, and when I took looked over the ETS book I bought (only a week before the test) I found that the ETS questions were significantly more difficult. Kaplan's book is more test-taking strategies where the ETS book actually gives you a comprehensive review of all the material on the test... everyone out there new to the test should pick up the ETS's book.

I took the test twice. First time I basically had a freak out and got a 159V, 152Q and 3.5W (30th percentile on the writing; that hurt big time) but I retook it after minimal studying (short on time) and got a 156V 156Q and 4.5W. I didn't approve drastically, but it was important for me to get my Q and W grade up (planning for a PhD in biomedical science). And even though my Q ain't through the roof, it is honestly the best I can do, and I'm happy with a 720 (when scaled).

Basically the moral of the story is, if you think you did quite poorly on the test the first time, you can ONLY move up in score when you take the test a second time. Walk in there thinking that, and the test becomes a lot less scary, and is actually fun when you solve the problems and know that you're right. Much luck to you

[1Q84]

I literally didn't do anything for the three days before, and I mean nothing!

So my biggest advice is anyone taking it a second time is to study what you need to, but the few days before the test, RELAX!

Totally agreed. I crammed a bit right before the test but did nothing (for lack of time) the couple days beforehand and it totally relaxed me. I made it a tradition a long time ago to go to a movie or go out the day before an exam just to destress and let all the studying seep into my brain. I remember going to see the Joan Rivers documentary before a French exam and that was one hell of a time

Wow, thank you for sharing your experience. I had a similar experience where I was unable to sleep before my test date. I am unsure if it was a matter of anxiety or stress, but for the life of me, I could not fall asleep. I laid on the bed for hours and could not sleep. Now, my solution is to go for a run the night before so that I can make sure that I am exhausted to the point where my body has no choice but to fall asleep. You live and you learn I suppose. I notice you cited test time as having a potential impact on your performance. That's interesting. I wonder if others feel the same. By the way, you did an excellent job on your second attempt. Often it is not about the mistakes we make but the steps we take to amend them. Again, thank you for sharing and I hope more people are able to share their experiences.

Also seconded! Making myself exhausted the night before is always a priority... and exercise is a nice healthy way to do that. Working 2 jobs is also another good (if not more stressful) option!

To anyone in here, if you didn't see the thread, midnight streetlight was kind enough to share this little gem:

https://grediagnostic.ets.org/GREDWeb/gred/signIn.jsp

It's the ETS diagnostic that shows you a breakdown of how you did on each question on the GRE. Definitely seems useful for a 2nd go!

[Dior99]

I just wrote my second revised GRE today and I was significantly more relaxed going into it. Not to say that I was completely without anxiety...but the first time I could barely function I was so nervous.

My raw scores for quant and verbal have not changed much (from 167 to 166 verbal and from 161 to 162 quant). It's the writing score I really want to improve though.

I intended to study a lot for the second go-round...but didn't end up doing so. I did a bit of math cramming (went through my Baron's book and re-read all the parts I had highlighted the first time and re-did all of the questions I had gotten wrong the first time) and then I read over all of the vocab I had learned for my first GRE. In addition I did about 8 practice essays straight off the topic pool on ETS's website and focused on completing them under the time-limit as that was my issue the first go-round. As others have said I did little to no studying in the 2 days prior to the exam. For some reason I just felt like I had done what I could.

The parts I panicked on the most the first time around were the essays and one of the math sections when I knew I didn't have enough time to complete all of the questions. Well, I felt at ease writing the essays because I knew I could make the time-limit this time, and once again, I couldn't complete one of the math sections (I missed about 4 questions) but I didn't worry too much since I knew from previous experience that I could still score well despite that.

I hope this sets your mind at ease. It was still stressful, but much less so!