Can official GRE scores (Verbal+Math) be different from the unofficial scores?

[5h0ckW4ve]

Hi Guys!

I took my GRE on 07/11 and my UNofficial score was Verbal:630 Quant:800...I'm a little surprised by the scores cause I was honestly expecting them to be lower...

Has anyone here ever gotten different official and unofficial verbal and quantitative scores?

Thanks in advance!

[youven]

i have never heard of that. Btw congrats pal!

[Luma]

Originally Posted by 5h0ckW4ve

Hi Guys!

I took my GRE on 07/11 and my official score was Verbal:630 Quant:800...I'm a little surprised by the scores cause I was honestly expecting them to be lower...

Has anyone here ever gotten different official and unofficial verbal and quantitative scores?

Thanks in advance!

Congratulations
Can you debrief about your background, preparation and how can we achieve such an amazing score.

[5h0ckW4ve]

Thanks...

Sorry for the late reply as I have been really busy at work, which is why it took me 3 months to prepare for GRE in the first place.

I didn't spend as much time on the quantitative section as I did on verbal because it's just basic high school math (although I got slaughtered on the probability questions sometimes). I honestly feel that this section is more about reading and understanding the questions. As long as you read the questions carefully, you'll find that the solution is very straightforward.

I haven't read many books recently, but I do read a lot of online blogs and articles on a daily basis. Even then, I always got stumped by the vocabulary in the verbal section. It makes one wonder if any English speakers really use those words at all in their writings/conversations. So all I did to prepare for this section was A LOT OF practice questions and I also compiled a list of unfamiliar words that I've come across. I highly recommend GRE Big Book (I downloaded this) if you are serious about improving your verbal score.

Internet is your friend. I would never in my life be able to form a relationship between the words reel and tape (are you serious???). Every time when I'm stumped by these analogy questions, I just google it (e.g. reel:tape) and, more often than not, you'll find the answers in some forums.

The writing part is hardest for me. All I could do was to read a lot of sample essays from the internet (google "sample gre issue essay") to see if there are any ideas you can borrow. Don't try and memorize these sample essays, you would just make yourself more anxious before the exam. I have more confidence in writing the argument essay because the points are already presented to you and all you need to do is just to identify the underlying assumptions.

In the end, I feel that GRE is just a formality in the application process. After all the practice questions I've done, I think self-confidence on test day is more important in getting a good score. I'm still pleasantly surprised by mine. I hope sharing my experience is helpful to you all. Good luck to everyone taking the exam soon. Just remember to relax and you'll do great!


Books/Programs I've used:

Princeton Crack the GRE - I started with this book because I thought all GRE books are the same. The questions are fairly easy. The vocab list in the book is great.

Kaplan GRE - I bought this book later because I heard from many people that the level of difficulty is higher, which is true. Highly recommended.

GRE Big Book - Spent 2 weeks working on the 27 verbal tests. Highly recommended.

GRE Powerprep - you can download this from ETS. Highly recommended

The following are websites that helped me decide how to prepare for GRE:
What you must know about the GRE!: Rediff Getahead
How to prepare for the GRE Kapeesh Saraf
The GRE Mot Juste