practice test scores improved a ton, stay that great for test day?

[bsharpe269]

Hi guys,

 

I took the GRE a few years ago, during undergrad (working on MS now) and scored decently, not awesome (157V, 161Q).

 

I am applying for phd programs this fall and want to retake it and improve. I took ETS powerprep 1 practice test 4 months ago and scored 154V, 163Q.

 

Since then I have memorized 200 common words and done around 300 of magoosh's verbal practice questions and around 200 quant questions. Today I took ETS powerprep 2 and scored 161V, 169Q.

 

For those of you who experienced a decent sized jump in scores from before and after studying, did the scores say high on test day?

 

I am taking the GRE in 6 weks and the goal I set for myself when I started studying was >160V, 165Q. I'm nervous the practice test might be too good to be true!

 

Thanks!

[VioletAyame]

I found the ETS PowerPrep practice tests to be quite accurate compared to my real test score, so I would say study did help and you definitely improved your score a lot. It's surely not a fluke, congrats! Regarding if your performance would stay the same 6 weeks from now, I would say you need to work to keep it that way. 6 weeks can be quite a long time and you can forget a lot of things comes test time. Maybe devote at least 5 hours per week to go over the vocab, read some passages, do a few math problems, and take a practice test one in a while to keep the skills and knowledge fresh on your mind. I think since you don't need to improve your score anymore, if you do that amount of minimum maintenance, you should be good to go in 6 weeks.

[bsharpe269]

I found the ETS PowerPrep practice tests to be quite accurate compared to my real test score, so I would say study did help and you definitely improved your score a lot. It's surely not a fluke, congrats! Regarding if your performance would stay the same 6 weeks from now, I would say you need to work to keep it that way. 6 weeks can be quite a long time and you can forget a lot of things comes test time. Maybe devote at least 5 hours per week to go over the vocab, read some passages, do a few math problems, and take a practice test one in a while to keep the skills and knowledge fresh on your mind. I think since you don't need to improve your score anymore, if you do that amount of minimum maintenance, you should be good to go in 6 weeks.

 

Thanks for your input! I definitely will keep up the work. The amount I have studied has really varied week to week but I probably review vocab for an hour a week (15-20 per sitting) and then spend a whole afternoon every other week on practice problems. I will at least keep up this routine but will try to more like double it.

[C&C]

I think the fact that you've seen improving scores, and have gotten in the habit of training your brain to think how the test wants you to is crucial...you should be fine!

 

I personally never had the best practice scores, but did quite well on the exam (though I retook it for a little extra competitive boost). 

 

Best of luck! 

[ram600]

I took Princeton Review's prep class, and was getting 165/165 consistently. Then on the test I ended up earning 170V/161Q. Once you're up in the 160s any little change in your # of answers correct and you can see exaggerated shifts in the numbers.

So, yeah, go into the test with confidence that you're well prepared and you'll do well!

Edited May 9, 2014 by ram600