creativelives

kudos to you man! did you get the feeling while doing the verbal that you are getting all the questions right? also, did you practice a lot of vocab, or is your vocab naturally good.

Thank you. I practiced a lot and got feedback early on from friends who were good writers. You can ask your English teachers to go over your essays. I sucked in the beginning. It took a lot of practice I tried to absorb the texture of the sample essays on the GRE website, if that makes any sense. I also purchased Thomson's Writing Guide which helped a bit. Also, always time yourself from the very beginning. And practice the essays as if they were part of the normal test. That is, do two essays, take a 10 minute break and then solve a verbal and quantitative. Hope this helps. All I know is that my essays on D-day were the best ever in all practice, because I somehow could come with many examples. I knew that something was going right. Guess I was building myself to that level (although in Quantitative i did pretty bad compared to my regular performance; i didn't even finish the test)

hey kaushik, great scores man! it's incredible that a 750 is a 99 percentile. I am assuming that most people, then, dont get an 800. one person on our board got a 770 in verbal. that means she also got 99. but what this also means is that she got more questions right than you, right? it looks like this: 800 - all questions correct - 99.8 %ile 770 - one question wrong - 99.5 %ile 750 - two wrong, or one wrong in the first 10 questions - 99%ile 700 (MY SCORE) - at least three wrong or at the most five wrong - 97%ile it looks GRE is successful in keeping Verbal hard (what with endless possible words), but not in keeping the Math more challenging.

Verbal - 700 (97%ile) Math - 770 (86%ile) AWA - 6/6 I am thrilled with my AWA scores. I had practiced like crazy, and had some of my literatti friends score my essays. In the beginning, they said that my essays rambled, lacked substance and were too grandiose. They said that I was a 4 out of 6. I began to force myself to write essays in the American style. It really helps to brainstorm for five minutes, think of as many examples as possible and use them at appropriate time. I made my introductions and conclusions very strong. I was expecting a 5 or a 5.5, but a 6 is heartening! Also, I cannot believe the number of students that have now begun to crack the Quantitative! I think my 770 must mean that I got most of initial questions right. I only attempted 27 of 28, and also am pretty sure that I got atleast two incorrect. My Verbal score was disappointing because I had practiced like crazy, but my percentile is pretty decent. I expect that I got at least 25 questions right out of 30, and most of the initial ones right. I wonder whether colleges receive percentile scores. I read somewhere that they don't. I would be at a disadvantage if the Humanities/S.Science program I applied to knew my Verbal score and not my percentile. Does anyone know?

hey sri congratulations! i got the same score in my Q, but havent recd my scorereport yet! i gave the exam on nov1. is there a way to call and know your score? also, what was your percentile in Verbal?

GRE-analyze an argument.The following appeared in a letter from the manager of a rock band named Double Rice. "One year ago, tickets for Double Rice's concerts in stadiums around the country took, on average, at least 24 hours to sell out, if they sold out at all. But the band has been enjoying a surge in nationwide popularity among 14 to 25 year olds, and the 30,000 tickets for a recent concert in Megalopolis sold out in 12 minutes. Clearly the ticket sales in Megalopolis are a result both of the band's increased popularity and of the advertising campaign run in Megalopolis by the Ad Lib advertising agency. Thus, in order to ensure that the band's success in Megalopolis is repeated across the country, the band should hire Ad Lib to duplicate the Megalopolis ad campaign on a nationwide scale.” --------------------------------------------- The conclusion presented in this argument is not persuasive and is barely substantiated by pertinent evidence. Twelve minutes is very short indeed for a sell-out of thirty thousand tickets, especially in comparison to the previous twenty-four hour average. This clearly implies that in Megalopolis at least, there is an incredible demand and fanfare surrounding Double Rice’s music. What this does not imply is that the age group of 14 to 25 year olds comprises a significant portion of the demand and thus of the sales revenue. We do not have access to these statistics to conclusively correlate the response to the sales with the patronage of 14 to 25 year olds. More revealing data would be the sell-out time for a previous Double Rice concert in Megalopolis and the age profile of that crowd. If indeed it took much more time for tickets to sell out, then we can be fairly convinced that the band is currently enjoying increased popularity. Further, if most of the attendees had been in the range of 14 to 25 years, we can ascertain that in Megalopolis at least, they are the target audience for Double Rock concerts. It is logically extrapolated that the national target audience, then, does not include the age groups above 40 (how many bands appeal concurrently to teenagers and retirees?). With regard to the greater time of sell-out in other concerts in other regions of the country, it is quite possible that Double Rice’s music appeals to a more urban and fast audience such as Megalopolis’ (assuming that about Megalopolis). For example, it is quite foreseeable that tickets for a Michael Jackson concert in New York City would sell like much quicker than a similar concert in Kansas City or Minneapolis. Firstly, the concentration of Michael Jackson fans in New York city is much greater. Secondly, the population of New York City is much greater than that of Minneapolis; so a thirty thousand-seat stadium fills out much faster in the former. Moreover, regarding Ad Lib’s campaign, we need to know its content. Was it designed to appeal to the 14 to 25 year old target group? If not, then we cannot conclude that the success of the Megalopolis concert resulted from effective ad campaigning. Maybe it was just word-of-mouth amongst the 14 to 25 year old age group. Or simply a pent-up demand after having heard their music on newly released albums. On the other hand, if the ad did result in a greater curiosity and thus in increased sales, that ad can be duplicated for concerts in regions where this age group enjoys a higher concentration. It is not advisable to have the same ad campaign across the board, though. Because different regions of the country may have different age profiles and different music tastes, Ad Lib, if hired, would be advised to tailor its ads according to locales. For example, for a concert in Shreveport Louisana, Ad Lib might hire a local celebrity for a print and radio campaign that might more successfully generate interest. Therefore, it is only after such a comprehensive understanding and questioning should the manager of Double Rice re-hire Ad Lib. Otherwise, the agency might get undue credit for what may have been a success due to entirely different reasons. --------------------------------------------- GRE Present a Perspective: "Colleges should require students to engage in public-service activities in order to assure that each student receives a balanced, well-rounded education." ------------------------- College is a time of discovery of our interests and of focusing energy in their pursuit. It is that pocket of our existence blatantly devoted to active learning, either from academia or from our social environment. It is an opportunity to be exposed to what arouses our curiosity and what we consider potentially meaningful. In this regard, colleges can encourage students to engage in public-service activities, but do not have the responsibility nor should have the inclination to make them mandatory. The institution that has the authority to mandate public-service activities is high school. It is in high school that we learn to undertake dutifully what is assigned to us. By indulging in numerous and different activities – some that we enjoy, some that we don’t but nevertheless learn from – we are made aware of the myriad dimensions and complexities of life. Our younger, inchoate minds are more malleable and accepting and can therefore be more fruitfully deployed in public-service activities. At this juncture, we form opinions about whether or not we find such service stimulating and that we’d like to explore it as a hobby or even a career. Such a pursuit can occur during college. While high schools can credibly enforce upon us relevant exposure and furnish us with ideas for possible futures, colleges do not and should not aspire to such authority. It is the job of high school to provide a balanced education. College education, on the other hand, must act as stepping stone to one’s career. Therefore, college curricula necessarily abet students to focus after having being initially exposed to a liberal range of subjects. It is during these formative years where our preferences materialize into character traits and we are catapulted excitedly into awareness of the kind of people we are. The function of a college education is to enlist for students diverse areas of interest and then faciliate the marriage of passions with potentials. This is not to obviate public service activities from the realm of college life. By all means such activities can be encouraged, especially during students’ freshman years when they’re on the prowl and still fairly curious and enthusiastic. The last attitude that colleges must adopt is to deny the chapter of public service. Indeed, there are colleges devoted to social service that accept many earnest applicants. But the insitution of college in general must never mandate career or activity choices. It is through an effective presentation and sufficient flexibility of their offering of activities and courses that colleges can best hope proactive decision-making within their student bodies. In the final analysis, what colleges should require from their students is to acquire a clear comprehensive understanding of their interests and goals. If public-service activities happen to be something that they wish to pursure, so be it. If not, then students must be given the opportunity to whet their appetites and skills in other fields they deem fulfulling. After all, they’re paying a great deal to college to decide how they would like to pay for their lives after.

erin, a question. if ETS claims that the first 5 questions indeed do not count more, how can they also claim that the computer decides the student's general level in the beginning, and then zooms in onto a more specific level? doesn't a general level imply a greater score range than the specific level. i am guess what they mean is that if you get the 10 questions right and the remaining 20 wrong, then your score can go below your previously 'decided' general level. in other words, the general level holds as long as you do reasonably well on the other questions. what do you think? every guide, incl. Princeton Review, Kaplan and Insider's, profess that the first five questions are decisive.

thank you kaushik! the more practice tests i do, the greater becomes the range of my score. we'll see. i just go the new cd from ETS which is apparently different from teh software i downloaded in august! so that's a god-send! good luck in all your affairs! my only real worry is not reading fast enough for the RCs. on an 80 line RC i take as much as 5 minutes to read, forget answer questions. any clues?

Sorry this is my third post of the same message, but i was advised to post a separate thread. Just so thrilled firstly to find a discussion group. I was trying hard, but guess I was just using the wrong search words. I have lots of questions, so could KAUSHIKR, MANOJBHAVE, SEENYDESAI, and XAERO please respond (and any otehrs who've taken the test in october): 1. Do the first 5 questions count the most in your opinion? All test guides insist they do. what do you think? 2. If so, what were the first five questions in verbal like? any RCs? 3. How many RCs did you guys get and how long? I know that seeny got three RCs of 35, 80, 30? others? 4. When did the 10 minute break come? after the first verbal? 5. When to Stop a Section : Princeton Review and Insider's Guide to GRE CAT (v.good, btw) both insist to either stop after having reached the minimum requirment of questions (24 in verbal, 23 in math) or to guess very selectively, because they say that after this point, the scores dont change much at all, at the most +-30. Kaplan, on the other hand, says that severe penalties are allotted for any unanswered question. What is true? i do face a time shortage sometimes. what strategy should i follow? 6. A Princeton Review diagnostic exam (on their CD) gave me my score changes with each question. I got the first 5 questions of verbal correct and i had a 700 (starting off with 550). My sixth question was wrong and i got a 670. I ended with a 710, after having reached 720 on my 24th question. I finished answering 29 questions. on math, i had a 450 wheni got question 1 wrong and then with question 5 & 6 wrong i ahd a 500. The between #7 & #24, i got #14 and #22 wrong and i got an overall score of 740 though. do you think that this diagnostic exam must be incrementing/decrementing scores in a manner similar to the actual CAT? 7. like a fool, i did my powerpreps as the first step to my practice when i started two months ago. i got a score of 630 in verbal and 710 in math. and this is without very little prior practice or skills. what do you think? is this a reliable score? what does it prophesize? 8. i am worried about my vocab. i have prepared about 800 flashcards and i am learning about 200 word roots, but i feel with every practice exam, i dont know so many words (esp in antonyms where this is a huge disadvantage). any ideas? 9. what are the other new topics in math? somebody mentioned parabola?! where do i learn that from? it's not covered anywhere. 10. i need to get at least a 750 in both. verbal and essays are probably more important because i am applying for the humanities /social sciences. but when i took the VERY HARD tests of 800score.com, i got a 530 and 590 -- way below what i normally get...that freaked me out! are these tests at 800score harder than normal? i know i have inundated u guys with questions, but i would really appreciate your help. THANKS A MILLION

Hi! I am also new to this forum! Just so thrilled firstly to find a discussion group. I was trying hard, but guess I was just using the wrong search words. Like another person on this forum, I too have my GRE on the 22nd. Hey, i did not know that the TOEFL was a requirement for gradschools in the US if you're international. I have lots of questions, so could KAUSHIKR, MANOJBHAVE, SEENYDESAI, and XAERO please respond (and any otehrs who've taken the test in october): 1. Do the first 5 questions count the most in your opinion? All test guides insist they do. what do you think? 2. If so, what were the first five questions in verbal like? any RCs? 3. How many RCs did you guys get and how long? I know that seeny got three RCs of 35, 80, 30? others? 4. When did the 10 minute break come? after the first verbal? 5. Princeton Review and Insider's Guide to GRE CAT (v.good, btw) both insist to either stop after having reached the minimum requirment of questions (24 in verbal, 23 in math) or to guess very selectively, because they say that after this point, the scores dont change much at all, at the most +-30. Kaplan, on the other hand, says that severe penalties are allotted for any unanswered question. What is true? i do face a time shortage sometimes. what strategy should i follow? 6. A Princeton Review diagnostic exam (on their CD) gave me my score changes with each question. I got the first 5 questions of verbal correct and i had a 700 (starting off with 550). My sixth question was wrong and i got a 670. I ended with a 710, after having reached 720 on my 24th question. I finished answering 29 questions. on math, i had a 450 wheni got question 1 wrong and then with question 5 & 6 wrong i ahd a 500. The between #7 & #24, i got #14 and #22 wrong and i got an overall score of 740 though. 7. like a fool, i did my powerpreps as the first step to my practice when i started two months ago. i got a score of 630 in verbal and 701 in math. and this is without very little prior practice or skills. what do you think? is this a reliable score? what does it prophesize? 8. i am worried about my vocab. i have prepared about 800 flashcards and i am learning about 200 word roots, but i feel with every practice exam, i dont know so many words (esp in antonyms where this is a huge disadvantage). any ideas? 9. what are the other new topics in math? somebody mentioned parabola?! where do i learn that from? 10. i need to get at least a 750 in both. verbal and essays are probably more important because i am applying for the humanities /social sciences. but when i took the VERY HARD tests of 800score.com, i got a 530 and 590 -- way below what i normally get...that freaked me out! are these tests at 800score harder than normal? i know i have inundated u guys with questions, but i would really appreciate your help. THANKS A MILLION.

Hi! I am also new to this forum! Just so thrilled firstly to find a discussion group. I was trying hard, but guess I was just using the wrong search words. Like another person on this forum, I too have my GRE on the 22nd. Hey, i did not know that the TOEFL was a requirement for gradschools in the US if you're international. I have lots of questions, so could KAUSHIKR, MANOJBHAVE, SEENYDESAI, and XAERO please respond (and any otehrs who've taken the test in october): 1. Do the first 5 questions count the most in your opinion? All test guides insist they do. what do you think? 2. If so, what were the first five questions in verbal like? any RCs? 3. How many RCs did you guys get and how long? I know that seeny got three RCs of 35, 80, 30? others? 4. When did the 10 minute break come? after the first verbal? 5. Princeton Review and Insider's Guide to GRE CAT (v.good, btw) both insist to either stop after having reached the minimum requirment of questions (24 in verbal, 23 in math) or to guess very selectively, because they say that after this point, the scores dont change much at all, at the most +-30. Kaplan, on the other hand, says that severe penalties are allotted for any unanswered question. What is true? i do face a time shortage sometimes. what strategy should i follow? 6. A Princeton Review diagnostic exam (on their CD) gave me my score changes with each question. I got the first 5 questions of verbal correct and i had a 700 (starting off with 550). My sixth question was wrong and i got a 670. I ended with a 710, after having reached 720 on my 24th question. I finished answering 29 questions. on math, i had a 450 wheni got question 1 wrong and then with question 5 & 6 wrong i ahd a 500. The between #7 & #24, i got #14 and #22 wrong and i got an overall score of 740 though. 7. like a fool, i did my powerpreps as the first step to my practice when i started two months ago. i got a score of 630 in verbal and 701 in math. and this is without very little prior practice or skills. what do you think? is this a reliable score? what does it prophesize? 8. i am worried about my vocab. i have prepared about 800 flashcards and i am learning about 200 word roots, but i feel with every practice exam, i dont know so many words (esp in antonyms where this is a huge disadvantage). any ideas? 9. what are the other new topics in math? somebody mentioned parabola?! where do i learn that from? 10. i need to get at least a 750 in both. verbal and essays are probably more important because i am applying for the humanities /social sciences. but when i took the VERY HARD tests of 800score.com, i got a 530 and 590 -- way below what i normally get...that freaked me out! are these tests at 800score harder than normal? i know i have inundated u guys with questions, but i would really appreciate your help. THANKS A MILLION.