157V/155Q/5AW's search for 160/160/6AW

[grad29]

I've put in about 100 hours or so of studying to reach a 157ishV/155ishQ/5AW. I can't seem to crack into the 160s. I've completed the Princeton/ETS books/practice tests. I've studied Baron's vocabulary. I've scored a few 159s, but never a 160. ARGHHH. I'm currently on test #3 of Manhatten, so maybe I'll get there I don't know. Any advice, i mean am I just incapable of reaching a higher score? It seems like the long reading comprehension passages really get me on the verbal section. I find myself having to read through the same sentence multiple times to understand it. 

Edited July 25, 2015 by westy3789

[Arm457]

Hey I'm in the same boat. I can't crack 157Q and 156V despite studying 100+ hrs. We've either plateaued or reached our ceiling

[sp108]

I am on the same boat too.  I don't know what else I can do. 

Edited July 25, 2015 by sp108

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi westy3789 and sp108,

 

Many Test Takers who take a 'book-heavy' study approach tend to get 'stuck' at a particular scoring level, and that's likely what's happened to each of you. No book (or series of books) can properly teach you everything that you need to know for the GRE, nor can it/they force you to practice in a certain way or in the proper 'format' (pencil-and-paper is NOT realistic since the GRE is an almost 4-hour Computer-based Exam).

 

As such, the 'solution' to this particular program will almost certainly involve investing in some new computer-based resources and learning/practicing some new tactics. Most GRE companies offer some type of free resources (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.), so that you can 'test out' a product before you purchase it. We have a variety of free resources at our website (www.empowergre.com). You should plan to take advantage of all of the freebies, then choose the product(s) that best match your personality, timeline and budget.

 

GRE Masters aren't born, they're made,

Rich

[grad29]

^ I'll check that out. Also based on that thread "real GRE scores vs practice GRE scores" there were many people who were scoring lower on the verbal Manhatten tests than on their actual test. A few people with 157's ended up with 160's+, so maybe on test day I will end up cracking it for the first time.

 

I take my test on Thursday afternoon so I'll update after. It's more like a "practice test" to get a score under my belt. I find myself worrying about waking up one day and forgetting about everything. So, I figure since I can choose which score to send to the schools I'd get a score under my belt. Then, I'll probably keep studying and take it again in a month. 

[sp108]

Hi Westy, do we choose the schools to send our GRE scores too on the day of the test? What if we haven't decided completely on that yet?  I still need to research and narrow down 5-6 schools in my program and I figured I would do it after I take the GREs.

Edited July 26, 2015 by sp108

[grad29]

You have the option of choosing I think up to 4 schools to send scores to. The downside of that is you have to select the schools before viewing your scores, at the beginning of the test. Why they do it like that I have no idea - probably to make more money edit: not correct - see comment below. You have this option free of charge. Otherwise, you can do it later for a fee. I think it's like $20/school or something like that. I'm applying for 10 programs so it'll get a little expensive, but one of my main issues is handling the pressure. Whatever I can do to alleviate some of that during the test will help. Knowing my scores will be sent to schools no matter how I do on the test will definitely add more pressure, plus, if I wait it'll give me the option of taking the test a second time and choosing which of the higher scores to send. 

 

That's something that they recently changed only a few years ago, so might as well use it to my advantage. A few hundred extra bucks isn't that much when you consider how important the test is. You may not want to do it like that, but having been out of college for 5 years and having a less than stellar GPA during undergrad, I need as high of a GRE as I can muster. 

Edited July 26, 2015 by westy3789

[PizzaCat93]

You have the option of choosing I think up to 4 schools to send scores to. The downside of that is you have to select the schools before viewing your scores, at the beginning of the test. Why they do it like that I have no idea - probably to make more money. You have this option free of charge. Otherwise, you can do it later for a fee. I think it's like $20/school or something like that. I'm applying for 10 programs so it'll get a little expensive, but one of my main issues is handling the pressure. Whatever I can do to alleviate some of that during the test will help. Knowing my scores will be sent to schools no matter how I do on the test will definitely add more pressure, plus, if I wait it'll give me the option of taking the test a second time and choosing which of the higher scores to send. 

 

That's something that they recently changed only a few years ago, so might as well use it to my advantage. A few hundred extra bucks isn't that much when you consider how important the test is. You may not want to do it like that, but having been out of college for 5 years and having a less than stellar GPA during undergrad, I need as high of a GRE as I can muster. 

I took the GRE two weeks ago, and this is not correct, although I was confused about this topic as well. At the end of the test, you have the option of canceling your scores or reporting your scores. If you choose to report, you get to see your scores, and then you can choose whether to send to schools or not. What "report" really means is that the scores become part of your "official record" as it were. Anyway, after I saw my scores, I did not send them to any schools. So, don't worry. 

[grad29]

I took the GRE two weeks ago, and this is not correct, although I was confused about this topic as well. At the end of the test, you have the option of canceling your scores or reporting your scores. If you choose to report, you get to see your scores, and then you can choose whether to send to schools or not. What "report" really means is that the scores become part of your "official record" as it were. Anyway, after I saw my scores, I did not send them to any schools. So, don't worry. 

Oh, excellent. I thought I read somewhere you had to select your schools before, but that's perfect. It'll save me like $80 or something. 

Edited July 26, 2015 by westy3789

[grad29]

Got a 156Q/158V on the 4th practice practice test.

 

I got 16/20 on first Q section, but then an 8/10 on the second. There were a lot of questions I've never seen before on the second section, harder ones. I knew once I saw weird questions that I did good on the first, since it's progressive. Not sure how many progressive "levels" there are. I'll have to look through some of that material. Maybe by reviewing a few of those questions I can get an extra 4 or so questions correct on the second section, pushing me over 160. 

 

I got 11/20 on first V section and 14/20 on the second. Based on the assumption that the Manhatten practice verbal tests are harder than the real GRE, maybe I can already score a 160 on the V. 

 

I can consistently earn a 5 on the AW sections, but a 6 may be the hardest of any of the goals to a 160V/160Q/6AW. I don't really need it for my program, but just figured I'd shoot to improve all three sections. Maybe I'll have to think of a few common specific examples in history that could apply to a lot of different types of essay questions to make myself sound more knowledgeable.

[sp108]

We are doing exactly the same on the Quantitative section.  Getting those 4 questions right on the second section is what I need to concentrate on this week.  I am going to take my 3rd Manhattan Prep test (4th overall including ETS Powerprep Test 1) in the afternoon today.  Will update.  I think the practice itself is great and will help a lot for the real thing

 

Btw did you take the ETS powerprep tests? I got a 160 on the Quantitative section on it.  But It went down to 155-157 on the Manhattan prep tests. 

Edited July 26, 2015 by sp108

[grad29]

We are doing exactly the same on the Quantitative section.  Getting those 4 questions right on the second section is what I need to concentrate on this week.  I am going to take my 3rd Manhattan Prep test (4th overall including ETS Powerprep Test 1) in the afternoon today.  Will update.  I think the practice itself is great and will help a lot for the real thing

 

Btw did you take the ETS powerprep tests? I got a 160 on the Quantitative section on it.  But It went down to 155-157 on the Manhattan prep tests. 

 

When I took the ETS powerprep tests it was more of a diagnostic for myself to see where I was. I've put in a lot of studying in between the time I took those and now so I don't think they are too accurate. I took all the Princeton tests though (4 online and 2 in the book), which are around the scores I'm having now. I think my highest was a 159Q and a 158V and a 5AW. Let me know how you do on the 3rd Manhatten test! 

Edited July 26, 2015 by westy3789

[grad29]

I think on the second Quantitative section (8/20 correct after a 16/20 on the first section) I just psyched myself out. I saw a few questions I know I've never seen and got a little nervous, but after looking at the questions more they seemed harder on the surface than they actually ended up being.

 

I just glanced over the questions again (not having remembered very many) and tried solving them and ended up with a 13/20, an improvement of 5 questions and understood how to solve most of them after reading the explanation. For example before I wasn't sure how to solve volumes of cylinders or rectangular cubes or how to combine inequalities. The later I was just guessing and checking, sort of. Now I know how to combine them by switching the symbols by multiplying by negative numbers. It seems like every practice test I've taken tests a few questions on each of those concepts. This was without the constraint of time (probably ended up taking more than 35 minutes).

 

I think before I take the 5th Practice test I will make sure I'm well rested and try and relax the best I can on the second quantitative section. We'll see how I do. I think I'm very close to getting a 160 on the Quantitative Section. Then maybe, just maybe, a 157V-158V on the Manhatten Test will equate to a 160+ on the actual GRE, assuming it's less difficult (based on many people scoring higher on the actual GRE, of course people may just be focusing more or have learned more throughout the practice tests, hard to say for sure). I think a 158V on the Manhatten Test is about as high as I'm capable of scoring.

 

At most, there may be that one Sentence Equivalence or Completion question I don't read carefully enough and end up selecting the wrong choice, but mostly it's me thinking I have the correct answer choice, but getting the question wrong. That means it's not really my approach, like in the Q section, that's lowering my score, but an inability to solve the question. This is a lot harder to learn to do. 

 

One thing I've learned while taking the Manhatten tests thus far is how to be more efficient at solving the reading comprehension questions. There are two "main" passages in the Verbal section and then one or two smaller passages. These smaller passages are easier to understand than the larger ones. They usually ask that you fill in the rest of the passage, figure out what role two sentences have in relation to a passage, or make you figure out something that either would most strengthen or weaken the argument. These are generally pretty quick to solve. The longer passages are the hardest, since you have to take the time to comprehend what the passage is about. Some of these passages ask you what the author's intent of writing it were, which means you have to have a firm understanding of what they are talking about. That's difficult to do since some of these passages are complex and talk about things that are hard to follow (like some obscure chemical in the brain you've never heard of and it's effect on some obscure portion of the brain you've ever heard of). The other questions of the longer passages ask you select a sentence that best explains something, figure out what a word means in the context of the passage, or figure out what's been said and not being said. Those are the questions I've found easier because you don't have to read the entire thing to figure out. You can kind of skim it and be able to solve the questions. This is the benefit of taking as many practice tests as you can because you learn the method behind solving the GRE. 

 

All that being said, I can picture myself scoring a 160Q, 160V. I don't think I'm at a 6AW yet, but maybe I don't need a 6, I think it would just look cool ha. I think I'm very close to the 160/160 though. 

 

I'll take the 2nd practice test sometime tomorrow in the afternoon after I sleep and update how I do with anything useful I've learned. 

Edited July 27, 2015 by westy3789

[sp108]

Hey there, I took my 3rd manhattan prep test. It was interesting in that I got 160Q/154V.   I had to pause it a few times because of external distractions (noise, ugh). Around question 16 or so, I looked at the timer and it said I only have 4 minutes and this is where I started getting nervous, so nervous that when I was looking at the medium passage, I couldn't absorb anything from it out of sheer nervousness of not being able to finish so I just guessed on my last 3-4. I think if I do a better job of pacing myself in Verbal, I should be better off.  One thing that definitely helps me is to write a few of the points from the passages down.  I will use a lot of abbreviation if I have to. Ex. "George Washington was the first president of the United States" - I will write on my notes: GW -> 1st Pres. of US. I feel I do better if I write some brief notes out and it helps me absorb things better. 

 

Quantitative, I had the same situation as you.  I looked at the questions I missed afterwards and I was able to solve a lot of them with more time and less time stress.  They are superficially tough when you got the timer going there.  But I did manage to get those 4 or so additional questions right which led me up to 160, part of that has to do with pacing correctly so I have enough time to accurately work out questions about 75% of the way in.. 

 

I'll take another practice test later today and see what happens.

Edited July 27, 2015 by sp108

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi sp108,

 

Taking another practice MST so soon after taking this one is NOT a good idea. Taking these Tests does NOT actually make you a better Test Taker - the MSTs, when taken correctly, give you a reasonable assessment of your skills. To improve your skills, you need more practice - in the form of review, practice problems, drills, quizzes, etc. Then, after a sufficient amount of practice, you should take another MST to see how you've improved.

 

GRE Masters aren't born, they're made,

Rich

[grad29]

Manhatten: 

 

155Q/157V Test #2

156Q/157V Test #3

156Q/158V Test #4

155Q/156V Test #5

154Q/156V Test #6

 

154-156Q: 156-158V.

 

I went down a bit on the second two tests for some reason. For some reason they gave me 8 "devilish" questions on the second Q section of the last test, I only got 6/20 questions correct on the section section ha...so we'll see how I do. I'll update when I take the test on Thursday @ 530PM CDT. 

 

I'm going to go for a 313. Maybe a 156Q & 157V & 5AW. If I get that I may not retake it. 

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi westy3789,

 

Since your Official GRE is so soon, I suggest that you try to relax on Wednesday and NOT do too much (just some light review; NO 'cramming'). You'll be better served going into Test Day well-rested and ready to work.

 

GRE Masters aren't born, they're made,

Rich

[grad29]

Hi westy3789,

 

Since your Official GRE is so soon, I suggest that you try to relax on Wednesday and NOT do too much (just some light review; NO 'cramming'). You'll be better served going into Test Day well-rested and ready to work.

 

GRE Masters aren't born, they're made,

Rich

 

Wish that were possible. I work 14 hours Wednesday. I'm also coming off a 90 hour week. Ideally yeah that would be cool if I could afford "not to do too much", but I don't have that luxury. All I will do between now and the time I take the test for studying wise is review vocabulary. Other than that I won't be doing any studying. I do have Thursday off and will sleep most of that day though. Have to go to the DMV to get my license renewed because it's expired. I think I'll go to the gym before and relax in the hot tub or sauna or something like that to refresh myself. 

Edited July 29, 2015 by westy3789

[grad29]

Ended up with a 155Q/157V. Probably a 5AW, maybe even a 6, but probably 5. I got easier essays and was able to come up with a bunch of ideas and examples. I thought my Q would've been higher. I think the first section I got must have been the experimental one because I feel like I got at least 15/20 - maybe more, then my second section I felt went well too. My third section was definitely harder, but I felt like I did decent like at least 10/20, getting a few questions I felt were "devilish" correct - so I was a little surprised I got only 155. I feel like it may have been a 157-158Q in Manhatten. My verbal I thought was around what it was, maybe even a bit less - like 156V instead of 157. I felt like at most it would have been 157. My first section I messed up on one of the reading comprehension passages. It was really long and complicated and I couldn't focus very well. I feel like my text completion/sentence equivalence questions got harder but my reading comprehension questions got easier. 

 

Also I got a weird seat arrangement, right by the door, so there was people constantly coming in and out which got a bit distracting and the person next to me pounded on his keys during his essays, but whatever. 

 

154-156Q: 156-158V range for Manhatten. So they were absolutely spot on. These tests were also very similar to what the test was like.

 

For school psychology these are good scores, so not sure if I'll retake it or not. I'm applying to a bunch of programs and have really good life experience (I'm a veteran and have worked with the special need/trouble youth populations for 4 years).

 

But yeah just figured I'd update.

Edited July 31, 2015 by westy3789