Magoosh GRE Quant Score - 158. How much can I expect on the real test?

[shicode]

Hi guys! 

I am aiming to get around 166 on the GRE Quant section. I took the Magoosh Practice Test and got a Quant Score of 158 and I was a little disappointed. I was wondering how much I can expect on the real thing based on your experience?

Thanks! 

[cowgirlsdontcry]

9 hours ago, shicode said:

Hi guys! 

I am aiming to get around 166 on the GRE Quant section. I took the Magoosh Practice Test and got a Quant Score of 158 and I was a little disappointed. I was wondering how much I can expect on the real thing based on your experience?

I used Magoosh and found I scored 1-2 points above on the real GRE. Others might have a different story. I think if you want a 166, you are going to have to work some more, because it's not 7-8 points off. You want to be scoring 165-166 consistently on the practice tests in Magoosh before you take the GRE. At least that is my perception of their tests.

[guest56436]

No way to really tell because that score doesn't completely mimic conditions on the test day.

[ltr317]

In addition to what Comparativist stated, can't apply practice and real GRE outcomes to every individual.  I know some test takers who matched or were very close to their practice scores, while others scored a fairly large difference--either 8 to 10 points, plus or minus.  

[jpain3]

I used Magoosh to study and just took the GRE two Saturdays ago. My estimated Quantitative Section score range from Magoosh was 158-163 and I ended up getting a 167 (and am very pleased by that). I also watched every video and did all 1,193 practice questions! The big benefit for me was pacing/timing and endurance practice. I think knowing when to guess an answer and move on made the biggest difference and was the biggest help from Magoosh.

[psychgirl44]

On 9/4/2017 at 7:32 PM, jpain3 said:

I used Magoosh to study and just took the GRE two Saturdays ago. My estimated Quantitative Section score range from Magoosh was 158-163 and I ended up getting a 167 (and am very pleased by that). I also watched every video and did all 1,193 practice questions! The big benefit for me was pacing/timing and endurance practice. I think knowing when to guess an answer and move on made the biggest difference and was the biggest help from Magoosh.

I've heard Magoosh math questions are a bit harder than what's on the actual test/ Would you say this is true? I do well on the Magoosh medium and easy questions, but tend to struggle with the "hard" ones. 

[Travis James]

Hmmm try getting a better score perhaps? Practice test scores don't usually predict your actual GRE Score

[jpain3]

On 9/11/2017 at 5:27 PM, psychgirl44 said:

I've heard Magoosh math questions are a bit harder than what's on the actual test/ Would you say this is true? I do well on the Magoosh medium and easy questions, but tend to struggle with the "hard" ones. 

For sure. Some of the 'hard' Magoosh questions are really 'insane' questions, in my opinion, that combine multiple topics together. Even the video explanations admit as much, sometimes stating that while each subtopic covered in the question could appear in the exam, they wouldn't necessarily appear all together. Also, depending on how good you did in the first math section, you'll likely only come across 2-3 really really hard questions on the exam (that seem to touch on the 'insane' difficulty). So, doing 40 hard questions back-to-back while practicing will certainly give you great practice but not reflect the actual GRE!

[fortsibut]

On 9/2/2017 at 4:48 PM, Comparativist said:

No way to really tell because that score doesn't completely mimic conditions on the test day.

While this is true, the test center where I took the GRE had a small, comfortable space for test-taking and each cubicle had noise-canceling headphones, so there were really no distractions.

O.P.:  Have you taken the 2 free practice tests that the ETS offers when you sign up for the GRE?  If not, I'd highly recommend it; the test is set up the exact same way and familiarizes you with the software and timing of the test.  I didn't bother with the AW section of those practice tests when I took them (although I did take photos of them to practice at a later point and get used to the process), but really felt that the ETS tests helped prepare me for the format on test day.  I scored V156/Q152 on the first one, V164/Q148 on the second, and V167/Q150 when I actually took the GRE, so I guess the quant test was pretty indicative of how I'd do.

I can't comment on Magoosh's GRE practice tests since I haven't taken them.

[guest56436]

On 11/28/2017 at 1:33 PM, fortsibut said:

While this is true, the test center where I took the GRE had a small, comfortable space for test-taking and each cubicle had noise-canceling headphones, so there were really no distractions.

Sure. But the real variable is how nervous you get when you are actually being tested rather than when you know it's inconsequential. 

[Quantitative_Psychology]

25 minutes ago, psych-grad said:

Not to scare you at all, but I was getting 159 and 160 consistently on every single practice test I took, including Magoosh. I scored 152 on the actual test. Fuck that, lol.

I think I consistently had about 156/157 on Magoosh (lower on some other practice tests), but I ended up getting 161. It really is hard to judge. Sometimes you luck out on the test, and it primarily covers the topics you were stronger at. Other times, it seems like you can't escape the concepts you were worst at.

[psych-grad]

3 hours ago, Quant_Psych_2018 said:

I think I consistently had about 156/157 on Magoosh (lower on some other practice tests), but I ended up getting 161. It really is hard to judge. Sometimes you luck out on the test, and it primarily covers the topics you were stronger at. Other times, it seems like you can't escape the concepts you were worst at.

Wonderful! So happy for you! Yeah, I was just so psyched out by the whole process. Best of luck with your apps!

[zeeek]

On 9/11/2017 at 4:27 PM, psychgirl44 said:

I've heard Magoosh math questions are a bit harder than what's on the actual test/ Would you say this is true? I do well on the Magoosh medium and easy questions, but tend to struggle with the "hard" ones. 

1

Magoosh math problems tend to be harder than GRE questions insofar as they require somewhat more rigorous computational work. However, I would say that hard GRE problems challenge test takers to be thoughtful about what is being asked of you in a way that Magoosh problems do not. Doing Magoosh problems provides the most value to those who need work with things like manipulating equations/formulae, but the actual GRE questions focus less on manipulating formulae and more on sifting through intentionally obfuscating wording and determining which formulae are applicable for a given problem.

As an aside, to add another data point for those who are currently preparing with Magoosh (or who are considering doing so), my Magoosh score predictor was between 164-168 (where I mostly only solved the "hard" and "very hard" problems), and I ended up getting 169 on the real thing.