GRE_Kickboxer

Sure, Kristina. GRE Sentence Completion / Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence Practice Sets » E-mail me with any questions. Good luck. Payman

Yes, I definitely think you should retake the test. I am sure you will do much better with a little practice. Contact me if you have further questions or need help getting the score you need as quickly as possible. Payman

Hello, Anu. Smith was incapable of seeing any distortions in his words even when they were clear to others; even the suggestion of confusion (i) ________________him and despite his denials, he continued to (ii) ________________ serious trouble when he drank heavily. In the first blank we are looking for a word that describes the discomfort that Smith feels when he speaks in an irrational manner. The word "unnerved" implies that Smith does not feel comfortable when others imply that he is not making sense. "Vilified" is wrong because pointing out that Smith is not making sense does not imply that he is being criticized in a very harsh manner. Suggesting that someone is confused is not the same as telling him or her that he or she is worthy of horrible insults. "Vilified" is simply too strong of a word, and doesn't really tell us about the discomfort Smith feels when he denies being irrational. "Compounded" makes no sense because it would imply that Smith is being "increased" or "added to" in some fashion. That word is a bad choice in this context. You can "compound" the problem, but can't really "compound" the person, in this particular context. In the second blank, "beg" is the best choice because it implies that Smith was "asking for" trouble. This is really what "beg" means in this context. Smith isn't "questioning" trouble in any way. You generally use "question" when someone or something is being reviewed or doubted in some way, not when it is pretty clear that a problem will continue if bad behavior is repeated. "Digress" implies that Smith is moving away from the key issue at hand. Not only does this word sound odd in the sentence, but Smith is not digressing from a main point. Smith is acting in an improper fashion that will lead to problems for him.

Have you viewed the average scores for your program? I did a search for the average quant scores for materials engineering programs and they tend to fall around 157 or higher. If you want to get into a top program then your quant score is low. Some programs may not require the GRE, but you might want to go to the web sites of the programs you have listed and see what the trend is. My gut feeling is that if you can avoid submitting your GRE scores you should. Otherwise, you will want to retake the GRE. Your quant score is clearly low because you didn't prepare and I'm sure you can do better. Contact me if you have any further questions. Good luck!

In my previous post, I was simply explaining that the SAT was originally used as a quasi IQ test, and that until recently it was accepted as an IQ test by many people who were hiding behind closed doors. Please note that I do not approve of its use as an IQ test! While the GRE is no longer accepted by many high IQ societies, it was accepted by them as such as recently as the 1990s. The same thing holds true for the ACT and SAT. In addition, similar tests such as the GMAT and LSAT are still accepted as IQ tests by high IQ societies. I totally agree with Dr. V that the SAT will serve as a very poor measure of intelligence for many people! It is also true that its correlation with professional IQ tests such as the WAIS will vary significantly depending upon the life history of the test taker. In fact, some of the statements made by Dr. V can be seen on the Prometheus Society web site. Finally, the inconsistent correlations between the SAT and IQ mentioned by Dr. V were actually findings from Dr. Thomas Bouchard, whom I took a course from at the University of Minnesota.

By the way, don't interpret what I wrote to mean that you shouldn't know how to calculate combinations and permutations. You should. It is just that understanding the basic logic of how these problems work is more important than memorizing formulas. For instance, you will almost never see a combinations problem WITH repetition on the GRE and if you do, it will almost certainly involve a relatively small number of items. If the question involves many items then it will most probably be a "counting" problem in the form of A ways to do things x B ways to do things...

Here is an example, GREinsanity: In container of crayons, there are 3 green crayons, 4 red crayons and 2 silver crayons. Assume that the crayons are removed at random without subsequent replacement. a) What is the minimum number of crayons that must be removed in order to make sure that two crayons of the same color have been removed? b) What is the maximum number of crayons that can be removed without pulling out two crayons of the same color? c) What is the probability that 2 crayons of the same color will be have been removed after 3 crayons have been removed? What about after the 4th removal, the 5th removal and the 6th removal?

mrsultan, are you using old material? As you probably know, the current GRE General Test is scored from 120 to 170 per section.

Anytime. Let me know if you have any questions or need assistance.

Hello, the solution I used for that one was intuitive. This helps save time in many cases. 8 x 8 x 8 x 8 vs. 10 x 9 x 8 x 7 64 x 64 vs. 90 x 56 Now, even if column A was larger (64 x 70) it would only be 4,480. Also, if column B was smaller (90 x 50) it would be 4,500. B is still bigger. As a result, column B must be bigger than A when comparing the original values..

The answer is C and can be reasoned out by logic. On the left side of the equation, 3 is not squared. On the right side of the equation, -3 is squared. Both sides of the equation square x. This means that the only way the two sides of the equation can be equal is if X is 0 because otherwise it is impossible to equate them. Payman

Amane, have you done a complete review of all the concepts you need to know for the test? If you take a lot of practice tests without improving your underlying knowledge, then your score will not change. What have you studied so far?

Hello, everyone. Please let me know if the video is not loading properly. I want to make sure that anyone who wants to see the video can. If it is not loading, I can post a text version.

One more thing. Maybe the reason you thought "trigger" and "impact" go together is because "impact" can mean "collision" or crash. This makes the word sound similar to "trigger." This can cause you to select the wrong answer. In the sentence above, however, the meaning of "impact" is to have an INFLUENCE on. The sentence is implying that there will be an INFLUENCE on interpretation. If you use the word "trigger" it makes it sound like someone will "start interpreting" for the first time, which is clearly not what is meant.

D and F are definitely the best choices. The reason is that the sentence requires a word that is similar to "affects" which means "to influence" or to "have an impact on." Trigger means to set in motion, or "to start" as if it had never happened before. "Affect" doesn't mean that it is just starting to happen. That is why trigger is wrong. To "color" in this context means "to influence."This is quite similar to "affect." "Impact" is a good answer because this also means to have an influence on. Let me know if you need more of an explanation.

Perhaps "anxiety" decreased the amount of information you could hold in your mind during the test, and this made the test feel harder than it was. This is common. As you may know, in each individual section of the GRE, the problems are not arranged by order of difficulty. You should always leave the hard problems for the end of the test and solve the easier ones first. You may have seen a few tough questions at the beginning of the test and then focused on those rather than moving on and solving easier ones first. Also, are you absolutely sure that the hard math section wasn't an experimental section? Sometimes the experimental section causes anxiety, which then causes a person to do poorly on the real sections! This is a horrible trap. If you need verbal practice, I have 125 sentence completion type practice questions on my web site. You can practice on those. How many of the words on the Barron's list do you know? The Barron's vocabulary list is very good if you want to find a reliable method for boosting scores on the verbal section. If you want difficult math training then 800 Score is pretty good. Another good strategy is to practice GMAT math questions, which are available online. GMAT questions are often harder than the GRE and if you can handle these, then you can do well on the GRE quant section. I will also be adding a ton of math content to my web site, but this might be after you finish your test, so it will be too late for you to use the info. If you need more advice, feel free to e-mail me.

No problem. Good luck on your test. Let me know how your studies go.

Hello, ritu! I think we should examine why you struggled. We should answer a few questions: 1) Did you panic on the test? If you panicked then this may have lowered your score even though you had enough skill. I created a video about panicking on my site if you need to see it. Before you start practicing on problems, make sure that panic isn't the main reason you did poorly. 2) Which problems are you struggling with? Did you feel the test was harder than the POWERPREP practice tests? Did you take the POWERPREP tests? 3) You need to create a personalized strategy and focus on your weak areas. Regards, Payman

Logic is much more important than formulas on the GRE. Almost all problems have shortcuts that you can find!

When you solve permutations and combinations problems, make sure you should try to see if you can answer them in under 1 minute and 30 questions. Also, remember that sometimes you will do better if you DON'T use formulas. In fact, the GRE test makers intentionally make some problems work better WITHOUT formula use. Try this one: You have the digits 8, 8, 8, 8, 9 How many positive 5 digit numbers can you make using all of these 5 digits? You don't need a formula! This is the type of problem the GRE makers will create to slow you down if you rely on formulas. Relying on formulas for problems such as these is resulting in lower scores for many people. Contact me if you need more examples or have any questions. Good luck. The answer is below. Answer: 5 88889 98888 89888 88988 88898 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here are some high quality Sentence Equivalence practice problems. Sentence Equivalence problems are a good way to rack up points on the GRE. Answers are included. If you need more practice, there are many more practice questions available. (See my signature file if you need more practice.) Good luck! PICK THE TWO CORRECT ANSWERS FOR EACH SENTENCE... 1) Being disloyal is a clear sign of a lack of ______________ and a lack of ability to be a good friend. A. lucidity B.creativity C. acumen D. integrity E. character F. aptitude 2) This article is written in such a ______________ fashion that it is very difficult to take the author seriously. A. polemical B. reactive C. objective D. controversial E. indifferent F. inept [TABLE] [TR] [TD=align: center][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] 3) Going to school is often viewed as ______________ to young children, but forgoing an education would result in far more long-term suffering than the children realize. A. torture B. unnecessary C. persecution D. complex E. amusing F. lax [TABLE] [TR] [TD=align: center][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] 4) The ______________of facts were on the side of the prosecution and it did not look as if the defendant stood much of a chance. A. preponderance B. lack C. mix D. weight E. paucity F. brunt [TABLE] [TR] [TD=align: center][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD=align: center][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Answers: 1) DE 2) AD 3) AC 4) AD

Sure I can help you. I believe question 1 probably meant what I have written below. I have changed what you wrote to make sure we are discussing the same problem, and to make sure there is no misunderstanding. Pumps P1, P2, P3 together can finish a job in 5 hours. Pumps P1 and P2 together need 7 hours to finish the job. How long would P3 need to finish the job alone? _________________________________________________________ (1 / P1) + (1 / P2) = 1/7 See the formula I gave you the link for. P denotes time for each pump. (1 / P1) + (1 / P2) + (1 / P3) = 1/5 Notice that we now have two equations and that we can subtract the two equations to get rid of "(1 / P1) + (1 / P2)" which will, in turn, leave us with an easy equation to solve: (1 / P1) + (1 / P2) = 1/7 - (1 / P1) + (1 / P2) + (1 / P3) = 1/5 = - (1 / P3) = 1/7 - 1/5 = -(1 / P3) = - 2/35 P3 = 35/2 hours = 17.5 hours By the way, if you need more practice, you might want to check out my quant comparison videos. Payman

GRE Sentence Completions / Text Completions 71) The pain medication the doctor gave Mr. Sterns is causing (i) ______________that lasts throughout the day and this is (ii) ______________ since Mr. Sterns has a long (iii) ______________ from home to his place of employment. [TABLE=width: 478] [TR] [TD=width: 143, align: center]Blank (i) A. stimulation B. somnolence C. contrition[/TD] [TD=width: 142, align: center]Blank (ii) D.caustic E.vituperative F.precarious [/TD] [TD=width: 142, align: center]Blank (ii) G.vacation H.commute I. transition [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] 72) If you are attempting to be a funny comedian, you cannot do so by being (i) ______________ when ridiculed because this is (ii) ______________part of the job that you must accept. [TABLE=width: 364] [TR] [TD=width: 143, align: center]Blank (i) A. ostentatious B. sheepish C. indifferent[/TD] [TD=width: 142, align: center]Blank (ii) D. a variable E. an inherent F. a stellar [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] 73) It is easy to lose faith in someone that makes______________ promises and fails to deliver repeatedly. A. grandiose B. factual C. alternative D. indentured E. listless [TABLE=width: 104] [TR] [TD=width: 143, align: center][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] 74) The goal of this doctrine of peace is to ensure that your (i) ______________ do not interfere with our freedom and that our (ii) ______________ do not (iii) ______________ on your land. [TABLE] [TR] [TD=align: center]Blank (i) A. allies B. enemies C. dissidents [/TD] [TD=width: 142, align: center]Blank (ii) D. infantries E. caretakers F. veterans [/TD] [TD=width: 142, align: center]Blank (iii) G. digress H. settle I. encroach [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD=align: center]For more practice problems, see my signature below[/TD] [TD=width: 142, align: center] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Answers: 71) BFH 72) BE 73) A 74) ADI

Hello, Gekko. The first question can be solved quickly using the formulas seen here: Work Word Problems (with worked solutions) Let me know if that helps you, or if you need more help. For the second question, I'd need to see the original question to make sure you have written it correctly. Regards, Payman

When you work on these quant comparisons, make sure to hit pause. You are not expected to solve these in the time frames provided in the video. Also, make sure you enlarge the video so that you can see the explanations clearly. You may want to view the video in your full screen. Also, make sure that you understand the purpose of doing these problems in your head. This is to improve your focus and concentration. DURING THE REAL test you should use paper and pencil! You want to build up your working memory before the test and then use it efficiently ON the test. Very important. Trying to solve all of the problems in your head on actual test day is a bad idea.