Difficulty Grasping the GRE

[LeonidBasin]

Hi,

Thanks for this wonderful forum and great people who visit it!

I recently took the GMAT but did not do too well on it. I did well on the Verbal section, but Math has always been difficult for me. I am trying to take the GRE, as I find that it fits my style of learning (information covered, topics) better. What recommendations do you guys have for improving GRE Quantitative Section? I am hoping to pursue an MBA and get into a Business School.

Regards,
GRE Student

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi LeonidBasin,

To start, I have a few questions about your timeline and goals:

1) How did you score on the GMAT (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

3) When are you planning to apply?

GMAT Quant and GRE Quant have a great deal in common. In real basic terms, GRE Quant questions are easier (on average) but you have less time to answer those questions (on average). So you have to be relatively 'quick' about recognizing patterns and doing the necessary work. Thankfully, the GRE is just as consistent and predictable as the GMAT, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

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

Rich

[Brent@GreenlightGRE]

To achieve a solid quant score, you must:

1. Learn the concepts and techniques tested on the GRE (e.g., circle properties, divisibility rules, equation-solving, etc.)

2. Master GRE-specific strategies (e.g., testing the answer choices, quantitative comparison strategies etc.)

3. Understand the many different ways the test-makers can test your knowledge of each concept

4. Hone your test-taking skills (e.g., endurance, time management, guessing strategies, etc.)

Many students make the mistake of limiting their preparation to item #1 and perhaps item #2. So, once they fully grasp a concept and successfully answer 1 or 2 related questions, they move on to the next topic.

The problem with this strategy is that the test-makers can take ANY concept, no matter how simple, and create **dozens of wildly different questions**, each requiring a different approach. Take, for example, the relatively simple concept of statistical averages (arithmetic mean). The test-makers can take this concept and create super simple questions like this (http://greprepclub.com/forum/qotd-4-the-product-of-two-integers-is-10-which-of-the-fol-2325.html) and they can create super hard questions like this (http://greprepclub.com/forum/course-of-an-experiment-95-measurements-were-recorded-1723.html), both of which test the same concept. So, to achieve a great score, you must answer A LOT of practice questions specifically-related to each concept tested on the GRE.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,

Brent

 

[LeonidBasin]

On 1/10/2017 at 0:32 PM, Brent@GreenlightGRE said:

To achieve a solid quant score, you must:quant score, you must:

 

1. Learn the concepts and techniques tested on the GRE (e.g., circle properties, divisibility rules, equation-solving, etc.)

   Great advice. I am going with KhanAcademy. 

2. Master GRE-specific strategies (e.g., testing the answer choices, quantitative comparison strategies etc.)

   Interesting. I do not understand this example?

3. Understand the many different ways the test-makers can test your knowledge of each concept

   Right, how does one do that? 

4. Hone your test-taking skills (e.g., endurance, time management, guessing strategies, etc.)

   Keep practicing by taking a plethora of exams/tests?

Many students make the mistake of limiting their preparation to item #1 and perhaps item #2. So, once they fully grasp a concept and successfully answer 1 or 2 related questions, they move on to the next topic.

 

The problem with this strategy is that the test-makers can take ANY concept, no matter how simple, and create **dozens of wildly different questions**, each requiring a different approach. Take, for example, the relatively simple concept of statistical averages (arithmetic mean). The test-makers can take this concept and create super simple questions like this (http://greprepclub.com/forum/qotd-4-the-product-of-two-integers-is-10-which-of-the-fol-2325.html) and they can create super hard questions like this (http://greprepclub.com/forum/course-of-an-experiment-95-measurements-were-recorded-1723.html), both of which test the same concept. So, to achieve a great score, you must answer A LOT of practice questions specifically-related to each concept tested on the GRE.

 

I hope that helps.

 

Cheers,

Brent

 

 

 

 

1

 

[LeonidBasin]

On 1/8/2017 at 8:39 PM, EMPOWERgreRichC said:

Hi LeonidBasin,

To start, I have a few questions about your timeline and goals:

1) How did you score on the GMAT (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

Terrible. Most of my points came from Verbal. Let's just say if I got the same score for quantitative as I got for Verbal I would have received a 620.

2) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

I live in San Francisco, CA (Leavey Santa Clara Business School, Lucas Business School San Jose State, San Francisco State).

3) When are you planning to apply?

I hope to take the exam between 2-4 months.

GMAT Quant and GRE Quant have a great deal in common. In real basic terms, GRE Quant questions are easier (on average) but you have less time to answer those questions (on average). So you have to be relatively 'quick' about recognizing patterns and doing the necessary work. Thankfully, the GRE is just as consistent and predictable as the GMAT, so you CAN train to score at a higher level.

I hear that the new exam that they rewrote and is out as of 2011 is much more difficult than the previous version? 

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

THIS IS TRUE! Thank You!:)

Rich