GRE study material (which one do you recommend?)

[WinnerWinner]

Hi,

So, I will start my GRE journey in perhaps a month and will take the test in September/October  2016.  I will appy for a programme that more or less only look at the quant score, and the avarage was 160 this year. To be honest, I am not good at math, so therefore I will try putting in around 6 months of study focused on this area. 

I have 2 questions:

 

1. Which one of these providers would you recommend for the main source of learning:  Greenlight test prep guide or  Magoosh 6 month beginner math plan? Complimented with books suggested by these providers.

2. Is my aim score of 160 quant a realistic aim for 6 months - with solid study and motivation? Even for a guy whos bad at math since like forever. Im really interested to know this.

 

I really appreciate any help with this, I am very keen on getting that quant score for the masters programme!

 

Thank you

 

 

[St0chastic]

Hi Winner,

1. I personally used the following:

--Magoosh

--Official practice books and practice tests written by ETS

--Khan Academy

--Manhattan 5 lb Book

2. Scoring a 160 is totally doable. I am not someone who is naturally gifted at math, but I was able to score a 168 with about 5 weeks of review despite making a few careless mistakes on the test. To do well on the exam, it's critical that you practice answering as many questions as possible under timed conditions. When I started practicing, it usually took me 3-4 minutes to solve the most difficult problems. After doing a few hundred practice problems, I was able to solve almost all of them in under 90 seconds. Learning how to do speedy mental math will pay dividends. 

Don't get frustrated when you make mistakes. Analyze what in your reasoning led you astray and identify the most efficient way to solve the problem for future reference.  With 6 months of time to study,  you should be able to practice answering several thousand questions.  After doing this, you'll find that you are able to answer 90% of questions on the test almost effortlessly, which is good enough to get a 160.

[WinnerWinner]

11 hours ago, St0chastic said:

Hi Winner,

1. I personally used the following:

--Magoosh

--Official practice books and practice tests written by ETS

--Khan Academy

--Manhattan 5 lb Book

2. Scoring a 160 is totally doable. I am not someone who is naturally gifted at math, but I was able to score a 168 with about 5 weeks of review despite making a few careless mistakes on the test. To do well on the exam, it's critical that you practice answering as many questions as possible under timed conditions. When I started practicing, it usually took me 3-4 minutes to solve the most difficult problems. After doing a few hundred practice problems, I was able to solve almost all of them in under 90 seconds. Learning how to do speedy mental math will pay dividends. 

Don't get frustrated when you make mistakes. Analyze what in your reasoning led you astray and identify the most efficient way to solve the problem for future reference.  With 6 months of time to study,  you should be able to practice answering several thousand questions.  After doing this, you'll find that you are able to answer 90% of questions on the test almost effortlessly, which is good enough to get a 160.

Thanks for the answer! Is it recommended to do the official test just before one has to apply for the program i.e after 6 months or should one do an official test like after 3-4 months and then one again after 2-3 months? How will schools look upon this?

[LuanFDS]

I scored 170, studied about 5 months, 40 to 100 questions a day, by the following material.

5 lb. - solved all 1100 questions 4 times. On the 3rd and 4th time I was able to complete the book in 12 days. After this, I mastered all kind of quentions and discovered the fastest way to answer a question.

Kaplan - there are 6 practice tests on-line available for those who buy the book, but there is a way to have it for free. Google it.

Magoosh - I solved the set of 640 questions twice.

ETS official materials - I found on internet 2 official guides, with 3 practice tests and some questions. Take it. Also, take the Powerprep II by ETS.

As I said, I used to solve 40 to 100 questions a day, nothing more than 1 hour a day, and scored a perfect score. Be ready to take the test at least 2 months before the deadline, you may fail on your first try. I used to score 168, 169 and 170 in practice tests, includind those of kaplan, which are much harder than the real test, and scored 163 on my first try. I was extreamly nervous. 21 days after, I scored 170 without a single hour of study, and I was still able to submit my scores before the deadlines.

 

Edited December 25, 2015 by LuanFDS

[St0chastic]

1 hour ago, WinnerWinner said:

Thanks for the answer! Is it recommended to do the official test just before one has to apply for the program i.e after 6 months or should one do an official test like after 3-4 months and then one again after 2-3 months? How will schools look upon this?

As Lucan mentioned, it's a good idea to schedule your exam a few months before the deadline so that you have time to retake it if necessary.  Hopefully by studying so much you will only have to take it one time!

I don't think most schools will care when you took your exam or how many times you took it, but you might want to check in with the programs you are applying to to confirm this.  

Edited December 25, 2015 by St0chastic

[WinnerWinner]

Hm ok, well this changes things for me doesnt it? Since I wanted 6 month of study before my first test, however this wont be possible if i need 2 months before the deadline. Then I will have less then 6 months to study. The early deadline for the programme is 15 November, and I have an important term now between Jan - March then I have easter break and then exams in May - early June. Does this mean I have to start the study plan earlier i.e quite soon already? I wonder if I can handle it during undergrad studies?

 

Sorry I just dont really know how to plan it can you guys help me :)?

 

EDIT: thanks for the help btw

Edited December 25, 2015 by WinnerWinner
update

[LuanFDS]

18 hours ago, WinnerWinner said:

Hm ok, well this changes things for me doesnt it? Since I wanted 6 month of study before my first test, however this wont be possible if i need 2 months before the deadline. Then I will have less then 6 months to study. The early deadline for the programme is 15 November, and I have an important term now between Jan - March then I have easter break and then exams in May - early June. Does this mean I have to start the study plan earlier i.e quite soon already? I wonder if I can handle it during undergrad studies?

 

Sorry I just dont really know how to plan it can you guys help me :)?

 

EDIT: thanks for the help btw

I studied during graduate studies. Initially when I was taking two classes of Advanced Econometrics and after while writing my master's thesis, and I had enough time. You can take the test 15 days before the first deadline, since ETS takes at most 15 days to check your test. My advice of taking 2 months before the deadline is for the case you fail on your first try, and then you have the opportunity of ratake 15 or 20 days before the deadlines.

[St0chastic]

Yeah, 2 months is just to be on the safe side.  1 month is probably sufficient.  Also, IMO, 3 months is enough time to study for the GRE unless you have never encountered the math topics on the test before.  Here's a 3-month study guide from Magoosh: http://magoosh.com/gre/2011/2-3-month-gre-study-guide/

[WinnerWinner]

Thanks for the awsome help guys, things are clearing up a bit now. Actually I prefer to be on the safe side on the quant, So I might do my first test after 4-5 months or so. But it looks like its all up to how you plan your days etc. The magoosh 6 month plan will be around 2 hours on weekdays and perhaps the double on weekends. I just have to start working really hard for this period.