They're good for developing discipline, and often there is the kernel of a concept buried beneath the calculations, which have a non-zero value in their own right. (3) That said, with point (2) in mind, there is a non-zero value in computationally demanding (quant) questions, especially if you are mindful of their limitations. Sentence completions seemed marginally more realistic, but still second-best to anything from ETS. GRE reading comprehension questions from outside sources seemed to be worse than harmless (I can recall at least one Magoosh critical reading question where I am certain the "logic" behind the "best answer" was far too sloppy for it to have made it past ETS and into the GRE). On quant, in particular, they attempt to generate dispersion between student answers to make their content "hard." But I've found they end up adding in more computational steps and phases of calculation to make the question "hard" and that this does not necessarily reflect what the GRE tests. The GRE quant seemed to focus more on concepts that are less computationally intensive once you realize the underlying principle at hand. (2) Be extremely wary of outside test prep companies that try to be "harder" than the real GRE test. Nonetheless, there is not a ton of it, so you will likely end up needing to turn to second-best solutions if you put in a lot of time studying. Everything that is not from the ETS will be a major step down in its value as an investment of your time relative to content from the ETS. Approach it like a forensic psychologist, trying to understand what the ETS hoped you would think and the underlying logic behind the entirety of the question. This holds for both the quant and verbal sections. Dissect apart every question in the ETS paper books, even if you got it right, and with the PowerPrep tests. The errors were careless more than anything attributable to a lack of comprehension or knowledge, so I'll be focusing as much on developing the discipline necessary to minimize the risk of any such mistakes while maintaining the existing stock of knowledge (and brushing up on vocab, a weakness for me in the verbal section).Ī few takeaways that may be helpful for people: I think I know the questions I got wrong and, on that basis, will be tailoring my plan of study accordingly. I'm still going to retake to try to get 170 / 170. Kaplan practice tests were in the mid-160's. Paper ETS test II (closest to test day): 170 Q / 170 V Paper ETS test I (close to test day): 170 Q / 168 V Power Prep II, after studying: 168 Q / 170V PowerPrep I, before much studying: 164 Q / 170V
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