Best method for improving GRE Quant Score

[hopeful*phd]

Hello! 

I'm planning on applying to Psychology PhD programs this coming fall. I'm currently using magoosh and based on their practice tests and score prediction for practice problems, I'm scoring around a 148 Quant and 160 Verbal. I'm registered to take the test April 8th and want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to get my math score up. I've always struggled with standardized math tests, even though I excel in statistics and math classes so I'm not sure what I should work on. 

Any suggestions or resources would be much appreciated! 

[Vince Kotchian GRE Prep]

The typical answer to this question would involve recommending test prep materials: Manhattan Prep, Magoosh, etc. Though important, those materials are limited in their ability to build conceptual foundation - the kind you'd get in a math class. 

I find that many of my students can benefit from learning concepts from Khan Academy - watching videos that teach concepts from the ground up in a down-to-earth way, then practicing with that site's exercises, then moving on to Manhattan Prep 5 lb. practice book, then ETS math questions. This will better equip many people to deal with the reasoning they'll have to do on the real GRE. To reason with a concept, it must be at the mastery level (as opposed to the familiarity level).

Of course, I hope you won't need to bolster EVERY concept with Khan Academy - perhaps just those you're having trouble with or those you were never formally taught.

The ETS site has a handy guide to which Khan videos go with which ETS Math Review concepts.

The most essential GRE prep books are those published by ETS (the company that makes the GRE).

[csot]

I did a bunch of practice problems from the 5 lb. Manhattan Prep book. It's helpful because the questions are of similar rigor to the ones you see on the GRE, and the explanations give you instructions on how to set up the problems (which is something I struggled with). I studied with the book for about 6-8 weeks and increased my quantitative score by 4 points that way. Hope that helps some!

[Wackstrom]

My wife made me a do like a trillion practice problems and I basically jumped from 157 to 170. 

I didn't use the Manhattan but a combination of the ETS, PR, Kaplan, and like every other company on the face of the earth (except Manhattan). Try scouring the web for ETS practice problems. You want to aim for problems most similar to the ones you see on the test.

Oh, and I don't think how conventional this is, but try SAT math problems. They're not 100% the same, but they will test similar concepts.

[Square49]

The free ETS guide was more helpful to me than any of those Manhattan or Kaplan books. What was also helpful, however, was YourTeacher app for your phone. 

[hopeful*phd]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions! Very helpful!! 

[LeonidBasin]

On 1/30/2017 at 7:27 PM, Wackstrom said:

My wife made me a do like a trillion practice problems and I basically jumped from 157 to 170. 

I didn't use the Manhattan but a combination of the ETS, PR, Kaplan, and like every other company on the face of the earth (except Manhattan). Try scouring the web for ETS practice problems. You want to aim for problems most similar to the ones you see on the test.

Oh, and I don't think how conventional this is, but try SAT math problems. They're not 100% the same, but they will test similar concepts.

 

This is great! I love that your wife was very supportive. Were you also terrible in Math? What about GMAT Math? Is it equivalent? 

[Wackstrom]

On 2/9/2017 at 6:42 PM, LeonidBasin said:

This is great! I love that your wife was very supportive. Were you also terrible in Math? What about GMAT Math? Is it equivalent? 

I wouldn't say I'm terrible. I just had never taken math in college. Luckily all the concepts tested is middle school material. Ultimately, the GRE tests how well you reason with those concepts, which makes it easy to practice for.

Can't say for GMAT math but I would imagine all the major standardized tests are similarly designed.

[catling]

Here's what I used

• ETS official quant book. This was the most helpful resource for me. I liked it because they walked you through their GRE-logic. I had a problem with making too many assumptions in geometry (wishful thinking?) so reading their explanations really helped me.
• Magoosh. As a non-trad student, I felt like I was almost starting from 0 in some math subjects so I really needed these videos. I also recommend Khan Academy for videos.
• I drilled lots of percent, ratio, and rate problems from various sources. These fundamental topics alone cover a lot of the GRE.
• Manhattan practice tests for pacing. Is your problem with pacing? I bought one of the Manhattan books (titled "Word Problems"), which gave me access to 8 practice tests online and that helped me get used to the format.
• PowerPrep practice tests

Edited February 14, 2017 by catling

[Quantitative_Psychology]

On 1/30/2017 at 9:27 PM, Wackstrom said:

My wife made me a do like a trillion practice problems and I basically jumped from 157 to 170. 

I didn't use the Manhattan but a combination of the ETS, PR, Kaplan, and like every other company on the face of the earth (except Manhattan). Try scouring the web for ETS practice problems. You want to aim for problems most similar to the ones you see on the test.

Oh, and I don't think how conventional this is, but try SAT math problems. They're not 100% the same, but they will test similar concepts.

You mentioned that you did a bunch of problems, and I was wondering over what period of time you did this in. I"m starting off at about the same place as you (Q156), and I'm trying to get up above a 163 in the quantitative section. Can you offer any advice on how far out you studied (I'm exactly 5 months out)? Also, did you tend to do problems daily? 

Thanks for the advice!

[Wackstrom]

4 hours ago, mav160 said:

You mentioned that you did a bunch of problems, and I was wondering over what period of time you did this in. I"m starting off at about the same place as you (Q156), and I'm trying to get up above a 163 in the quantitative section. Can you offer any advice on how far out you studied (I'm exactly 5 months out)? Also, did you tend to do problems daily? 

Thanks for the advice!

I started studying intensively only about 6-7 weeks before my test. I probably studied about 3-4 times a week with the goal of doing a full practice test weekly. Don't think I actually met that goal but oh well.

I read somewhere that you want to avoid beginning your studies more than eight weeks in advance. Not sure how broadly that is recommended but five months is a looong time. I don't think you need to do anything intensive now, but maybe just work on some general math exercises just to keep your analytical dexterity working. Also, if you want to work on verbal, now would be a good time to get on a steady reading diet of NYT, New Yorker, The Atlantic, and other high-intellect publications.