DiegoC11

Real GRE: V680 Q760 The quant really surprised me. I was scoring in the 790-800 range on practice tests up until the Test: Verbal First/Quant second PowerPrep 1 (before studying): V660 Q750 Barron's Diagnostic: 720/700 Barron's CAT: 650/650 Kaplan CAT: 660/710 ETS Paper Tests: V 600-750 Q 780-800 Manhattan GRE CAT1: 660/790 Manhattan GRE CAT2: 740/800 Manhattan GRE CAT3: 670/730 Manhattan GRE CAT4: 740/800 ETS PowerPrep 1: 720/790 ETS PowerPrep 2: 700/800 ScoreitNow Analytical Essay: 5

Hey everybody, First off, thanks for all the help over the course of the last several months. I took the GRE on Dec. 31. Below is the score: Verbal: 680 Quant: 760 AWA: awaiting I was really expecting to hit an 800 on the quant and was shooting for 1500 overall minimum, so I was less than excited to see this score. I know some may think, "what the heck is this kid complaining about?" but I really needed to blow this test out of the water due to a lackluster undergraduate GPA. (Also, 760 is basically an average score for engineering students in math) I'm considering returning to the test center tomorrow as a standby if possible as my practice tests were better than the score shown. Anyway, If it helps I can provide some insight into my study techniques: I studied for the past 5-6 months but I have a fulltime job so I could only dedicate 1-4 hours max each day. Did this for approximately 4-5 days out of the week. Books: Princeton Review 1014 Questions: Early on in my training I worked through this entire book. I feel the verbal is more difficult than the actual test in some parts but equivalent in other parts. The math I felt was a good review and rather comprehensive. Barron's: I went through all 3500 words and created flashcards for the ones I didn't know. I did this at the pace of one wordlist per day, occasionally two wordlists per day. I ABSOLUTELY suggest this wordlist for people who do not have a strong vocabulary. The math tests are a good review, albeit more difficult than the actual GRE. The CD sucks, don't waste your time. Much better Actual CAT Tests are available. Kaplan Advanced Math Workbook: Sucks!! Don't purchase this. It's filled with errors.. you're better off with the regular workbook. Kaplan Math Workbook: This is a good review, much better to be used at beginning of GRE Study, but I feel this is probably just the math section of their regular Kaplan GRE comprehensive books. Kaplan Advanced Verbal Workbook: Nothing crazy here, reading passages harder than actual GRE. Replicated materials from their regular comprehensive GRE Books. Purchase one of those instead. NovaPrep Math Workbook: Comprehensive and great overview of easy-harder questions than the test. Definitely recommend as it will catapult you into the higher GRE Quant scores (especially after reviewing basics with another book.) GRE Answers to the Real Essay Questions: Buy this. (especially if you are bad at writing essays.) I'm pretty sure I pulled anywhere from a 4.5-6 on my AWA solely based on this book. The examples provided really give you a better idea on how to construct an essay. This is invaluable. Iphone apps.: Flaschards Deluxe Looking back on my Barron's Prep, I wouldn't have created the flashcards manually. I eventually purchased a smartphone and downloaded an app (Flashcards Deluxe) and downloaded quizlet flashcards of every wordlist here. I tested and submitted to memory approx 90% of the wordlist by the time my test came around and found this to be far more useful than lugging around a pack of flashcards in my pocket. Also, the app makes use of spaced repetition so you are much more apt to learn the word in question. GRE Smart Vocab I don't believe this is a good learning tool, but is definitely a fun reviewing tool. I would recommend this just for that.. I used this early on in my prep in my downtime and found myself getting addicted. I think that is a good feeling when words can get rather boring to study. Kaplan GRE Vocab Don't bother. Get the flashcards deluxe above, you can find a quizlet app with the same words and you learn it much better. Princeton Review App(s) Don't bother. It can be fun, but it can also get annoying. I feel this app follows a law of diminishing returns.. At first you are learning and studying/reviewing words.. but the app doesn't repeat missed words as often as it should. AccelaStudy GRE GMAT: Useless. Use any of the above apps before this one. GRE Connect: Pretty cool app, use this only for testing features if you really want it, but by no means have this as a substitute for a print book. This may help you learn words, but at other times the suggested answers are so arcane and unlikely to occur in the GRE that I eventually stopped using it. Mariner Calc: This is a spreadsheet app with pretty advanced features. No graphs, but everything short of that is included. Why did I include this? I personally found it pretty nice to have a mobile spreadsheet of my test scores and test goals. Whenever I completed a practice test, I'd key my scores in and see how it affected my average or compared to other tests. I recommend this purely for the purposes of measuring progress. It's a definite morale booster which can be important in the dark ages of GRE Study. Computer Adaptive Tests: Powerprep: Do them. Enough said. Manhattan GRE: Worth the price, the questions are adaptive and they give great reports on areas you need to improve on. You'll find that it is pretty similar to Powerprep difficulty (esp. Quant.) Hope this helps!

Thanks everybody for your comments. I wouldn't have thought it to score so well, very happy.. more practice is needed though. I see what you guys say about the fourth paragraph, I myself had to read it a few times to understand what I wrote. I felt the first paragraph didn't flow into the essay as well, but didn't hear any complaints so perhaps that was just me. DAIZZY, I've given a couple responses to your issue essays. Feel free to post the link below and I'll review the essay you need help with. Cheers, Diego

I'd give this essay a 2 or a 3. The intro is a bit repetitive. The second paragraph looks like you grasp the issue, but then wanders. The third paragraph lacks a clear direction on first reading... needed a few readings to understand. I think you may have missed the point the author is trying to make with the issue. This can happen, I've found it happens to me most when I try to jump right into the essay without getting my thoughts and outline on paper. For example, maybe the study of a language.. Spanish, for instance, helps you appreciate the works of Don Quixote in a new light. You may be able to pick up nuances in characters that you couldn't pick up in the translation to your native language. Perhaps the study of weak chemical bonds in your chemistry class leads you to understand the forces that allow an insect to climb up your window. This could even push you to innovate a new adhesive that can seal bottles, or something. It isn't that the world has changed.. it's exactly as it was before... the only thing is you've changed, you see things differently, you are able to draw inferences and conclusions based on new experiences. You come close with the Galileo topic, indicating how he refuted conventional wisdom about the universe and it's workings. But you haven't spent enough time saying that his theories were the result of careful study of math and astronomy. The mechanic is a better presented topic because you focus a little more on the fact that his specialized learning provides a more enhanced understanding of the car's intricacies. You should check out the book GRE. Answers to the Real Essay Questions. It's the best book I've found, and one that's improved my writing style a good bit on first reading. Hope this helps!, Diego Feel free to grade my essay if you have a minute. http://www.www.urch.com/forums/gre-analysis-issue/126769-please-rate-ill-rate-yours-should-public-figures-expect-lose-their-privacy.html

Hey YourHarry, I think you've done an excellent job at highlighting a few examples that prove your perspective on the issue. The counterargument that I can provide is mentioned in the opening paragraph... I would consider phones and cars to be commonplace items in the modern age.. it is by the passion and entrepreneurial spirit that innovators have looked at them and created smartphones and electric cars. But that's just me.. I think the second paragraph is an interesting one but doesn't support the issue as much as the pea plant example. Why? It seems like the invention you refer to is fire, and the passionate interest is rocks? If you'd like to highlight this, it'd be important to show why the rocks are important to indigenous people of the past. It just seems a stretch that they have a passionate interest in rocks, lest you mention how they use them in everyday toolmaking etc. The fourth paragraph seems a bit rushed, but is in the right direction for a qualified agreement of the issue. Especially since you mention that you showed "many good ideas" for passion in obscure items in the conclusion. I'd rate this between a 4 or 5, probably rounding up to a 5 if that helps. :) If you have a minute, please rate mine: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/gre-analysis-issue/126769-please-rate-ill-rate-yours-should-public-figures-expect-lose-their-privacy.html Cheers, Diego

Please rate my essay, and be brutally honest. If you have an essay, please post the link to that part of the forum in your response and I will read and respond to yours as well. Thanks in advance!, Diego "Public figures such as actors, politicians, and athletes should expect people to be interested in their private lives. When they seek a public role, they should expect that they will lose at least some of their privacy." I agree with the author that public figures such as actors, athletes and politicians are increasingly positioned in the spotlight. The question of the extent of public involvement in private matters and whether this should be one that celebrities need prepare for is the real issue. I would argue that this would be a rational choice bred out of competition in political races, increased sales and a worsening economy. In my opinion, a tyro politician should come to expect that the level of public scrutiny in his or her personal life would be higher than that afforded to other job opportunities. A clear example of this is seen in the months leading up to elections for public office. The American people are bombarded with advertisements that malign contenders for office, stating different areas in their past in which they have been unscrupulous. Not only is this information made available for the general public, the content for this media is often paid for by the competing party's candidate. This indicates that politicians should not only expect a high degree of scrutiny from the general public, but also from their peers. I would agree with the argument that the public's involvement in the personal affairs of high profile people is too high, but one cannot deny that it sells. In an increasingly fast paced world, people are looking for a way to satisfy short attention spans. Tabloids and sensationalized stories provide just such an outlet for many of today's people. Take Michael Jackson's funeral ceremony for instance: the information spread immediately through all news outlets. For days following the tragedy, CNN, FOX, NBC and several other media conglomerates recapitulated the events that people had already seen days before. Why? Because it sold, bringing in over 4 million viewers above regular viewing statistics. This is unfortunate for the family members of the late Michael Jackson, but nonetheless one they surely knew to expect. In addition, a worsening economy and lifestyle at home provides the fuel for the proliferation of vicarious living experiences of the general public. Seeking a means of escaping their current condition, members of the general public turn to the latest gossip over celebrities and high profile figures. A recent study published at Penn displayed an inversely proportional relationship between the economy and the mass viewing of reality TV shows. This effect is believed to be inelastic. That is to say that the effect of a public prying on the private lives of celebrity is not expected to lessen should the economy bounce back. In the final analysis, as long as the public continues to be moved by sensationalized stories and gossip, celebrities should expect that their personal lives would fall victim to scrutiny. This is unfortunate but comes with the terrain of a public lifestyle.

I was wondering if anybody here has found a great app for keeping track of their GRE progress on their iphone... Criteria for app: Ability to count down to date of exam (simple spreadsheet function) Ability to chart my progress on a graph A grouping feature would be nice: i.e. - Barron's test scores grouped, ETS Powerprep test scores grouped Here's my personal experience: Roambi: Positives: Excellent graphing features and compartmentalization/grouping Negatives: Updating of data must be done on the computer, tedious data entry through excel Final score: 3/5 Mariner Calc: Positive: Easy to use spreadsheet application, ability to edit excel files on the go, plethora of formulas available (read: averages, etc.), wifi access to computer Negatives: No charting/graphing features, pricy Final score: 3/5 iSpreadSheet Positive: Ability to edit data on the go Negatives: No charting/graphing features, Formulas are shady/sometimes don't work, wifi updating not as good as Mariner Calc. Final Score: 1/5 Anybody else? I'm really looking for a good one if you've found any, or even if you've used a separate app to help you out... maybe your using a bootleg finance app that works perfectly? any suggestions appreciated

From Barron's: LAST : SHOE:: (a) cuff : trousers (b) finale : curtain © pattern : glove (d) buckle : belt (e) strap : slip Correct Answer: © really stumped on this one... Thanks in advance for you help!

Anyone else have this problem and/or know a workaround? I was testing powerprep1, it worked fine for the Verbal section but experienced glitches in the math section. Some answers/questions would have the letter "s" or even a quotation symbol "... it did not make sense as a variable. I usually score in the upper registers of the math section, so I am 100% sure that they weren't variable problems. For instance, I noticed that pi comes in as the letter "p" in my test. Any ideas? I used 1280 x 800 screen resolution on a windows XP laptop. Thanks in advance

I'd say to ostracize something is to prevent it from being embodied.. with this bridge D works.. but E doesn't... to sell something does not necessarily mean you can't purchase it.

I'd say hone both.. start with the weaker of your skillset... also, it's really specific to the problem. I don't know what's considered a complex algebra problem for you or when a substitution would be advantageous. In terms of QC, you're gonna want to increase proficiency at substituting numbers in the range: -1 I have read a good strategy for substituting MC questions is to pick B or D and substitute, then adjust if the answer should be higher or lower... you can quickly go through the choices faster... i.e. substitute B, if too big, A=answer. If B too small... try D, if D too big: C=answer, if D is right: D=answer, if D is too small: E = answer

I don't see how this can be a GRE question, but if you turn this into (1+m-1)100 and start to foil, you'll see a pattern emerge... (1+m-1)0 = 1 (1+m-1)1 = (1+m-1) (1+m-1)2 = (1+2m-1+m-2) (1+m-1)3 = (1+3m-1+3m-2+m-3) ... If you look at the constant values above, you'll see the following: 1 11 121 1331 etc... This is a fibonacci series... the product of 100 terms will be the 101st line in the fibonacci triangle for the constants and follow each constant with m0, m-1, m-2, etc. etc... hope this helps! where did you find this question?

To see that its always A=B=3, You can always substitute... They tell you 1) That 4A + 5B = 27, and 2) A and B are both positive integers... so try some numbers: if A = 6 then 5B = 3.. hence B can't be a positive integer.. so this doesn't work if A = 5 then 5B = 7.. hence B can't be a positive integer.. so this doesn't work if A = 4 then 5B = 9.. hence B can't be a positive integer.. so this doesn't work if A = 3 then 5B = 15.. making B a positive integer (B = 3)... this works! if A = 2 then 5B = 19.. hence B can't be a positive integer.. so this doesn't work if A = 1 then 5B = 23.. hence B can't be a positive integer.. so this doesn't work Hope this helps