Practice GRE scores vs. real GRE scores

[The Dark knight]

Yeah, but 305 is very low especially considering how much you scored on the practice tests. Are you going to retake the test? I would do it if I were you.

[CoffeeFueledAnxiety]

Finally done with the GRE and can give my two cents

Manhattan 1: 160V 159Q

Manhattan 2: 160V 160Q

Manhattan 3: 161V 160Q

Manhattan 4: 162V 160Q

Manhattan 5: 160V 161Q

Manhattan 6: 160V 162Q

 

PowerPrep I 161V 166Q

PowerPrep II 161Q 164Q

 

Real GRE: 159V 163Q

 

Obviously, both Manhattan and PowerPrep were quite accurate in predicting my score. I am a bit disappointed that my verbal score is lower than any of my practice test and that my quant is lower than both PowerPrep. They are still in my target score range, though. English is also not my first language, so I think they are still decent score. 

[Sujan]

Done with my GRE, didn't score a stellar one. But I am happy as my preparation just consisted of mock examinations, owing to my tight work schedule. Didn't even do a single problem from official guide just Math review, hence the low score.

Manhattan exams are the best...Period

S.No.	Date	Exam Provider	Quant	Verbal	Total	Q1	Q2	V1	V2	Absolute
1	Sept 3rd	Manhattan Revised GRE Test 1	157	151	308	11	15	7	9	302
2	Sept 24th	Princeton Revised GRE Test 2	161	151	312	15	17	12	11	315
3	Sept 25th	Princeton Revised GRE Test 1	159	147	306	14	14	8	9	305
4	Oct 8th	Manhattan Revised GRE Test 2	156	151	307	10	12	5	11	298
5	Oct 22nd	Manhattan Revised GRE Test 3	157	154	311	11	16	9	9	305
6	Oct 27th	Manhattan Revised GRE Test 4	158	154	312	14	10	11	7	302
7	Nov 1st	ETS Powerprep 1	161	149	310	18	15	8	12	313
8	Nov 3rd	ETS Powerprep 2	155	147	302	17	9	5	15	306
Average			158	150.5	308.5	13.75	13.5	8.125	10.375	305.75
9	Nov 6th	Official GRE	157	151	308	Q	V	Q	V	Q

[Sandmaster]

On 10/31/2016 at 4:19 PM, Sandmaster said:

Power Prep:

1.) V-165 Q-167

2.) V-162 Q-166

 

Real: V-151, Q-154 AW-5.0

Updating my writing score from my earlier post. As for retaking the test, no. I simply do not have time to retake it before applications are due. So, I will be trying and if I don't get in anywhere, I will retake for the next application cycle.

Edited November 7, 2016 by Sandmaster

[alinn]

Powerprep I: 157 V, 156 Q

Powerprep II: 161 V, 160 Q

 

Actual: 162 V, 156 Q, 5.5 AW

 

I was pretty bummed with my quantitative scores, but I'm applying to art history programs, so I know it's not really relevant. I was so shaky on test day! Nerves really got the best of me.

[SusieD]

In chronological order:

PowerPrep 1: 164 (V), 162 (Q) = 326

Manhattan Online Test (Free): 162 (V), 158 (Q) = 320

ETS Book, Practice Test 2: 165 (V), 159 (Q) = 324

ETS Book, Practice Test 1 (Verbal only): 169 (V)

PowerPrep 2: 166 (V), 160 (Q) = 326

Actual Exam: 166 (V), 160 (Q) = 326

As you can see, PowerPrep predicted my scores exactly. I got the same total as Test 1, and the exact scores of Test 2.

All the best for your exam!

[Bulugulu]

This thread helped me prepare, so here are my own scores.

Time		Quant	Verbal	Total
~1.5 Months	Manhattan	159	162	321
~1.5 Months	Crunchprep	NA
~1.5 Months	Magoosh	NA
~1 Months	ETS paper #1	170	170	340
~1 Weeks	ETS paper #2	162	170	332
4 days	Powerprep #1	170	169	339
3 days	Manhattan	163	161	324
2 days	Manhattan	161	162	323
1 day	Powerprep#2	166	168	334
1 day	Manhattan	161	166	327
	Average	164	166	330
	Real GRE	166	169	335

Powerprep was a good predictor, and Manhattan was harder than the actual test (which makes for good practice).

I actually started the test with a very hard verbal section that was probably experimental, so I probably lucked out.              Good luck!

[InvisibleHand]

PowerPrep I, before much studying: 164 Q / 170V

Power Prep II, after studying: 168 Q / 170V

Paper ETS test I (close to test day): 170 Q / 168 V

Paper ETS test II (closest to test day): 170 Q / 170 V

Magoosh estimated Q range: 156 - 161

Magoosh estimated V range: 161 - 166

Kaplan practice tests were in the mid-160's.

Actual GRE: 169 Q / 169 V / 6.0 AW

I'm still going to retake to try to get 170 / 170. I think I know the questions I got wrong and, on that basis, will be tailoring my plan of study accordingly. The errors were careless more than anything attributable to a lack of comprehension or knowledge, so I'll be focusing as much on developing the discipline necessary to minimize the risk of any such mistakes while maintaining the existing stock of knowledge (and brushing up on vocab, a weakness for me in the verbal section).

A few takeaways that may be helpful for people:

(1) ETS material is your Bible. Dissect apart every question in the ETS paper books, even if you got it right, and with the PowerPrep tests. Approach it like a forensic psychologist, trying to understand what the ETS hoped you would think and the underlying logic behind the entirety of the question. This holds for both the quant and verbal sections. Everything that is not from the ETS will be a major step down in its value as an investment of your time relative to content from the ETS. Nonetheless, there is not a ton of it, so you will likely end up needing to turn to second-best solutions if you put in a lot of time studying.

(2) Be extremely wary of outside test prep companies that try to be "harder" than the real GRE test. On quant, in particular, they attempt to generate dispersion between student answers to make their content "hard." But I've found they end up adding in more computational steps and phases of calculation to make the question "hard" and that this does not necessarily reflect what the GRE tests. The GRE quant seemed to focus more on concepts that are less computationally intensive once you realize the underlying principle at hand. GRE reading comprehension questions from outside sources seemed to be worse than harmless (I can recall at least one Magoosh critical reading question where I am certain the "logic" behind the "best answer" was far too sloppy for it to have made it past ETS and into the GRE). Sentence completions seemed marginally more realistic, but still second-best to anything from ETS.

(3)  That said, with point (2) in mind, there is a non-zero value in computationally demanding (quant) questions, especially if you are mindful of their limitations. They're good for developing discipline, and often there is the kernel of a concept buried beneath the calculations, which have a non-zero value in their own right. But do not, ever, treat compilations of these questions as "practice tests" that simulate the experience of the GRE. I don't see how this could do anything but distort your sense of timing and make you less effective as a taker of the exam produced by ETS, ultimately the goal of all this practice. The GRE Q seems more to be about efficient logic and critical thinking, and less about labor-intensive computations, than questions from third parties would likely leave you inclined to think. But it does not necessarily follow that the latter has zero cross-over to the former.

(4) The Analytical Writing is better thought of as "critical thinking, expressed in written form." I tried to use the ETS online practice essay grader, but apparently wrote too much for their algorithm to be able to grade it (over 1000 words: I typically wrote 1100 or 1200 and think I did about the same on test day).  Every type of argument seems vulnerable to the same basic logical fallacies, to varying degrees. Have a list of these and be prepared to apply them. Every argument they present has more holes than Swiss cheese if you look closely. And have a basic set of thoughts for each of the possible categories the "position" essay requires. Beyond that, I would just emphasize having clear topic sentences for each paragraph and addressing any counter-examples, if time permits. But really approach it as an exercise in argument rather than pretty prose construction.

(5) The questions were less adaptive than I'd have thought, though the seemingly "easy" questions were harder than I'd anticipated and the seemingly "hard" questions easier than I'd have thought. There were fewer layups and fewer three point shots than I'd have thought. The only caveat to this is that the second verbal section was pretty difficult throughout. 

(6) The sentence completions were way less about vocabulary per se, and much more about the logic of the sentence and the condition that the two words render the sentence alike in meaning.

(7) Above all, the GRE is a critical thinking test. It was more stimulating, even funner, than I'd have thought it to be. And be wary of all content from test prep companies. Perhaps the best prep seemed to be in critically thinking about and dissecting the ETS content, while appreciating the non-zero value of most third party questions without forgetting that they should be taken with a grain of salt and have an imperfect relation to ETS content.

Edited December 24, 2016 by InvisibleHand

[TK2]

I approve of the nerdery, don't get me wrong (and I think you're spot-on in terms of analysis of the test, particularly that the various paid services are overrated. ETS has most of everything you really need out there for free) but you're seriously going to retake it? Forget the money,* I'd resent the further hours of my life gone, that could be spent reading good books or fighting with my mother or having crushing attacks of self loathing. You know, nice things. The marginal value of these two points as an actual admissions criteria - remember, the reason for the thing? - is negligible to zero, surely. I mean, I (sort of) get it - I was in a slightly similar boat with the TOEFL and, yes, there was a brief moment of irritation at missing that perfect score by 2 points, but, goodness, not nearly enough to actually want to retake it. 

*Don't forget the money

[InvisibleHand]

Unfortunately, the difference between a 169 and 170 Q score is far from trivial for some of the PhD programs that I'll be applying to...

Edited December 24, 2016 by InvisibleHand

[TK2]

I'm intrigued, what field is this in? Everything I ever read/heard (particularly thinking of Berkeley planning and Harvard economics, which are two fields I can think of where both verbal and quant are probably meaningful, and, (sadly, for what it says about my capacity for procrastination) a couple of peer-reviewed papers on the role of the GRE in PhD admissions) has described GRE scores as an initial straining mechanism, if that, or just maybe as a final tie-breaker. What program has either a 169 internal cutoff, or hordes of precisely similarly highly attractive candidates seperable only by 1 point on the GRE?

Edited December 24, 2016 by TK2

[OhSoSolipsistic]

Powerprep #1 (8 weeks prior): 157V/149Q

Magoosh #1 (3 weeks prior): 160V/159Q

Manhattan (free online, 2 weeks prior): 162V/158Q

Powerprep #2 (1 week prior): 162V/159Q

Magoosh #2 (3 days prior): 164V/160Q

REAL GRE: 158V/161Q

Prepped 10ish hrs/wk 8-5 weeks prior, then 40ish hrs/wk last 4 weeks. Almost exclusively quant with Magoosh videos and practice questions.

With the shock at how much the majority of my quant abilities had deteriorated when I started prepping, I'm fairly happy with the results. I'm a little disappointed with my verbal score, but I figure a slightly lower verbal will probably be buffered by strong publications and experience. I'm applying to a couple interdisciplinary human factors/experimental psych/systems engineering PhD programs after working with an aviation r&d lab in a well-known organization for a few years.

Edited December 30, 2016 by OhSoSolipsistic

[Time2Smile]

I really benefited from this thread and it assuaged my fears during prep.  Finally took GRE so can contribute to the thread. 

Magoosh 1: 164Q,163V

Magoosh 2: 162Q, 164V

Magoosh 3: 161Q, 164V

ETS Paper 1: 169Q, 164V

ETS Paper 2: 165Q, 165V

Powerprep 1: 166Q, 164V

Powerprep 2: 160Q, 165V

REAL GRE:   165Q, 165V 

I am delighted with my test score, I was a bit apprehensive after my quant powerprep 2 score (I took it 2 days before the test) but it was an outlier. 

[Fischie22]

ETS Powerprep Test 1: V:156 Q 166 (taken with no studying, 3 weeks before exam)

Kaplan Free Online: V:158 Q:166 (2 weeks before exam)

ETS Powerprep Test 2: V: 158 Q: 169 (1 week before exam)

Actual GRE: V:161 Q: 167 (taken 1/7/17)

My practice tests were fairly accurate. Improved my score slightly by doing Magoosh vocab builder app, reviewing math concepts, and looking over test strategies.

 

 

[smq]

I was hoping for better, but here's how I fared!

[yoh_rrg]

I read through this post last week while studying for my exam and decided to take the Manhattan practice test over the weekend as my last one (I'd already done the Magoosh and PowerPrep exams), and earned a score actually 1 point lower than the sort of diagnostic test I took several months ago when I began studying (161V/159Q).  I completely ran out of time on both quant sections and felt the verbal didn't resemble the passages I'd been practicing on Magoosh.  Probably not the best way to go into test day, but I ended up taking the approach that I really just needed to be really diligent about timing and I sped through the quant on the real thing even leaving myself 5 minutes to go back and review a couple of questions I marked.  According to the unofficial results it gave, I scored 163V/168Q.  Just wanting to share this anecdote because everyone keeps saying Manhattan is the best predictor of scores but that might not be true of everyone so don't get too nervous if you score lower on this version. In fact, my actual score is higher than anything I've taken in practice, so I'm thinking all of these companies just try to get in your head and psych you out  

Just wanted to share my (slightly against the norm) experience!

[ponchan]

I took the test today. I only really practiced for the quant.

In the order of when I took them, over the course of about 3 weeks:

Powerprep I: 160Q 160V

Manhattan 1: Q159

Manhattan 2: Q160

Manhattan 3: Q160 

Manhattan 4: Q161

Manhattan 5: 159

Powerprep II: 161 V 161Q

Magoosh estimate: 158-163Q 158-163V

Actual GRE, taken today: 164Q 162V

I felt like I was bombing the thing in the test center. Expected sub 160 for both. Ended up doing better than any of my practice tests. 

Good luck!

 

 

[zeeek]

Total amount of study time: ~ 60 hours

Resources:

• Magoosh membership, ETS Official Guide, Manhattan Prep 5lb, Powerprep Software

Practice Tests:

• Manhattan Prep Free Practice Test (after 0 hours of study): 162 Verbal, 164 Quant (326 composite)
• Powerprep I (after ~20 hours of study): 170 Verbal, 167 Quant (337)
• Powerprep II (after ~55 hours of study): 166 Verbal, 168 Quant (334)
• Magoosh Score Predictor: 164-168 Verbal, 164-168 Quant (328-336)

Real GRE: 

• 166 Verbal, 169 Quant (335)

Add me to the list of people whose score was accurately predicted by Powerprep. Definitely glad I'll never have to take the GRE again. This thread was super helpful in guiding how I prepared for the exam. 

 

[bemi]

i just had my gre done

V 150 Q 148 awaiting my AWA what are my chances for mph

should i feel blue or there cant tell right now

ama a Dr with 4 years experience

community services of more that 300hrs

[kins]

I have a good one, for anyone good at exams and good at cramming (I've always been for whatever reason...)

Sorry I didn't meticulously track my scores

These were all done the week before...

Manhattan prep Q:160 V:162

GRE Written practice test: Q:170 V:161

GRE Book practice test 2: Q:163 V:165

GRE Book practice test 1: Q:161 V:164

Kaplan I got 167 for quant, can't remember for verbal but ~162

I also did the Powerpreps a while ago (very informally too - quantitative at one point, verbal at another). Could only recover one quant score which was 162.

Actual Score: Q:169 V:170 (from the computer - haven't received AWA yet)

 

 

[kins]

15 hours ago, kins said:

I have a good one, for anyone good at exams and good at cramming (I've always been for whatever reason...)

Sorry I didn't meticulously track my scores

These were all done the week before...

Manhattan prep Q:160 V:162

GRE Written practice test: Q:170 V:161

GRE Book practice test 2: Q:163 V:165

GRE Book practice test 1: Q:161 V:164

CrunchPrep: Q:160 V:160

Kaplan I got 167 for quant, can't remember for verbal but ~162

I also did the Powerpreps a while ago (very informally too - quantitative at one point, verbal at another). Could only recover one quant score which was 162.

Actual Score: Q:169 V:170 (from the computer - haven't received AWA yet)

 

 

 

[JohnKim]

Very good question! I have actually found something in Youtube that goes like Practice Tests: Are They Good Enough?, it was an interview of Ashwini Nene.

Hope this video can help you: 

 

[sploosh]

I just finished the GRE. Like others, reading through this thread helped to reassure me when I was studying and so I'd like to share my scores as well.

So I actually only took three practice tests in full. In chronological order:

PowerPrep 1:    159 Verbal  169 Quant***

Manhattan 1:     165 Verbal  159 Quant

Manhattan 2:         n/a          166 Quant

Manhattan 3:     163 Verbal   162 Quant     (about a week before the actual exam)

Actual:               167 Verbal   167 Quant

***The169 Quant score that I got on Powerprep 1 was aberrant; I just got really lucky with guessing. I took this test about two months into my studying and I was certainly not at a 169 level of math understanding at that time.

I wouldn't necessarily call the practice tests any easier or harder than I saw on the day. The Manhattan test vocabulary is certainly more obscure than what I saw on the test though - I think Magoosh practice was better for that.

[samman1994]

I had the opposite of most it seems. 

 

PowerPrep 1: 148V 154Q (studied on some vocab words)

PowerPrep 2: 154V 155Q

Manhattan: 155V 157Q

Princeton: 154V 158Q

Real: 154V 149Q 

I don't know if I just had harder questions or what happened, but I appeared to score much lower on the real test than the practice ones. 

[406MayaG]

Princeton free: V 151, Q 148

ETS free #1: V 159, Q 155

ETS free #2: V 160, Q 155

Manhattan free: V 161, Q 157

ETS #1 (only took Q sections): Q 155

Actual: V 165, Q 152

I found the actual test to be harder than practice tests in both verbal and quantitative, even the ETS practice tests. Final score on both Verbal and Quantitative surprised me; I wouldn't go into the test assuming you know how you'll do- for good or for bad. Ran out of time on the actual test worse than I usually did on practice tests, but I think that had to do with test anxiety. I would practice the quantitative section a lot so you get a feel for how long to spend on each question.