jdoe192 Posted November 30, 2014 Posted November 30, 2014 Hey! I have an overall strong application: BS in Mathematics top 100 US university, GPA 3.97, All the important classes (A- in real analysis), two publications, very strong letters of recommendation. Applying to mostly Operations research programs (MIT, also MIT EECS, princeton, cornell) and some biostats (harvard, yale, BU, johns hopkins). My problem is the GRE. I've taken it once, got 165 (V), 155 (Q) and 5.0(W) so obviously the quant is NO GOOD. I'm retaking it in a week. I have gone through all of the magoosh videos, done a plethora of practice tests (like 6 magoosh practice tests) and 2 manhattan prep tests. Im also working through the manhattan prep 5 pound book. BUT I CANNOT SEEM TO GET PAST THE 160 SCORE. Any advice on how to proceed the next week would be great. Gah. Standardized tests ARE RIDICULOUS.
MathCat Posted November 30, 2014 Posted November 30, 2014 Have you done the practice tests by ETS? Is this a matter of you not knowing how to do the problems, running out of time, or panicking? Or something else? Taeyers 1
Taeyers Posted November 30, 2014 Posted November 30, 2014 The ETS practice tests are important for this, because those are the very types of questions you'll see on the actual test. I scored 166 on the math section and I think what helped me the most is taking those practice tests while being mindful of the time limit but still taking my sweet time. Keep cool and work at a slow but steady pace, and those questions will become more manageable. There were a couple where I had to actively remind myself to not become flustered and get sloppy, but I think it paid off.
MathCat Posted November 30, 2014 Posted November 30, 2014 Also, answer ALL questions, even if you have to go through and quickly guess on the last few. There is no penalty for wrong answers on the general GRE.
jdoe192 Posted December 1, 2014 Author Posted December 1, 2014 I did both ETS tests a while ago. The problem is a mixture of time and panic. And maybe stupidity? I wish I knew.
MathCat Posted December 1, 2014 Posted December 1, 2014 (edited) My only suggestions are to take the practice tests in timed conditions to try to reduce panic, and do lots of practice problems to increase speed. Edited December 1, 2014 by MathCat
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