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I just gave my GRE today. I got an overall score of 1440, 730 in Quants and 710 in Verbal. I was so surprised with my score because my PP scores were inconsistent so I wasn't sure I'll do well in the actual exam. I want to thank all the people here in the Urch forum who shared very helpful tips and inspired me during the times I thought I will fail miserably in GRE. I'm from a social science background. I'm neither bad nor excellent in math. Plus, the last time I was enrolled in a math class was seven years ago. So, I was not confident with my quants at all. But thanks to NOVA, I got a good score. It's the only thing you need for quants. Even if the test format is going to change soon, you still have to grab it! :) I bought the Kaplan Math Workbook but it did not help me at all. I've already done the entire book. Yet, I only scored 630 in PP1 a month ago. After I completed all the exercises in NOVA, not only did my quants score improved significantly in all the practice tests but that I can now figure out by myself why the correct answer choice is ,well, the correct one. I tried studying from Barron's for the quants part as well but some exercises simply didn't make sense to me especially the chapter on estimating the measurement of the angles. As for the verbal part, I've always thought my English is pretty okay for someone who considers it her third language. Barron's Essential Words for the GRE and Norman Lewis' Word Power Made Easy made the verbal portion more manageable for me. But don't simply cram those words in your head! The best way to reinforce what you've learned from these books is to read read read! For example, in one Economist article, the author states that the German students might rue (a GRE word) the decision of the govt to abolish university fees. In a Guardian article, one British politician unfairly described the chavs as feral (another GRE word). And yes, the Harry Potter series surprisingly was likewise helpful because some GRE words are sprinkled here and there. In the Half-blood Prince, Harry Potter received a missive from Dumbledore that he will pick him up and bring him to the Burrow. In the fifth book, Zacharias Smith was acting superciliously after finding out Harry was taking remedial potions classes. See? Helpful eh? Even if analogies and antonyms will no longer be part of the new GRE format, having a great vocabulary will still be essential so the books I mentioned will still come in handy. Should you join a coaching or review center? In my opinion, there's no need for that. Really, every time I can't figure out the solution to a math problem I encountered in PP, all I have to do is go to URCH. I know it's a cliche to say this but it's really important to believe in yourself. A week prior to my exam date, I was feeling frustrated with how my review was going on and thought of canceling my appointment and just take the new one when I feel more ready and confident. Good thing I changed my mind! :) Apart from the usual preparation, try to eat healthy food as well. Although I love veggies, I consciously increased my intake of it a week before and ate almonds, walnuts, and cashew nuts. Try to have a long sleep before the day of the exam, unlike me who was watching CSI LV and Cheaper by the Dozen the night before the exam. Don't think of depressing things because you need a positive attitude when you are in that dimly-lit cubicle palpitating (as I was) answering the quants part. I was getting easy questions in my quants (or maybe I just thought they were easy) so I was thinking that I was not doing well and I started to panic. This thought increased my anxiety during the exam. So to gain some control, I kept on repeating in my mind over and over again to stop worrying about such things, to do my best, and hope for the best. Tadah! It worked. For others, 730 is not a good quants score but for me it is. :) And I'm so happy. :) As for the practice exams, I tried some of these. Some do not have the same level of difficulty as the GRE but do it anyway so that you will learn to manage your time more effectively during exam. Also, do not rely so much on the scores you get because if you do, you will only get depressed. :p 1) BIG CD 2) Peterson's 3) Kaplan (provides one free practice exam) 4) Princeton (provides one free practice exam) 5) Barron's CD 6) Manhattan (provides one free practice exam) Once again, a big thanks to the Urch community. I hope you will find my post helpful. Good luck! :)

Hi, I need some feedback on this book. Although I have heard from many people here in the forum that it is one of necessary books to score 750+ in quantitative section, I am still a little bit hesitant because of the review in Amazon that says it is full of errors. For those who have used this, do you think the $24 is worth it? I have already spent a lot of money by buying Nova, Barron's, and the usual suspects. I am average in Math so I need to have as many practice questions as I can. Is Nova enough? Or would Nova's Math Bible and EZ Solutions be the right combination for an amazing quants score? My field is in the social sciences but focuses more on the quants score of GRE because higher level of stats is required in grad school. Please share your experiences. :)

Thanks a lot, Naresh007. :) It's been years since I have taken any math subject so whatever little math skills I have had already disappeared.

I've tried countless times to figure it out myself but to no avail. Please help! After 5 adults leave a party, there are 3 times as many children as adults. After 25 children leave the party, there are twice as many adults as children. What is the original number of adults?

Thanks a lot, score. Yeah, I should just stick to EZ solution's GRE book since it's GRE I am preparing for. :)

They are different. EDIT BY MODERATOR I think you won't have a problem finding it since you're in India. A friend of mine was able to find it in some store.

Hi, chuck in SC. First of all, congratulations to you! Which books did you use for the quantitative part? :) For the verbal portion, I am using Norman Lewis' Word Power Made Easy and Barron's Essential Words for the GRE. Is this a good enough?

Hi, Quiyang. Try out these websites. The GRE Test - Prepare for the GRE with Hundreds of Practice Questions, Tutorials, and Five Practice Exams --> The good thing with this website is that the words you have not yet mastered are repeatedly shown until you master them. Flash Matching Quiz - GRE Vocabulary Words --> This is a fun way to learn vocab. I also bought Barron's Essential Words for the GRE and Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis. At present, I'm going through Word Power. It is really helpful. :)

Hi, Score. I'm taking the GRE sometime next year. I want to ask you if it's a good idea to use GMAT Math materials to practice for the GRE quantitative section. Since GMAT Math portion is tougher, I am thinking this is a good preparation for me since I will be used to dealing with more difficult questions. As Tdear mentioned, both GRE and GMAT basically test the same concepts although ask them in a different manner. I am impressed with the review of this particular EZ Solutions GMAT book - EZ Solutions GMAT Math Practice Advanced Workbook. Amazon.com: EZ Solutions - Test Prep Series - Math Practice - Advanced Workbook - GMAT (Edition: New. Version: Revised. 2010) (Ez Solutions: Test Prep Series) (9781605621586): Punit Raja SuryaChandra, EZ Solutions: Books By the way, EZ solutions also has the GRE Advanced Math Workbook but reviews of it are mixed. There seems to be more consensus on the greatness of the GMAT Math Workbook so I am thinking of buying it instead. What do you think? :) Thanks

Hi! I tried looking into Barron's website and I can't seem to find a link which indicates I can buy GRE CATs. Or are you talking about the 2 CATs included in the CD which is an accompaniment of the Barron's GRE prep book? The same is the case with Kaplan. I may not be reading properly but they only have 1 free practice tests and the rests are GRE review packages such as one-on-one tutorial and GRE Anywhere which I am not really interested in. Please, let me know as I am willing to pay a bit of extra money to get as many CATs as possible. I didn't join any review course and instead spent my money on buying CATs. Thanks a lot. :)