Finally done with it! 1530 (800Q, 730V)

[GRE_Kickboxer]

Shad:

 

I think you have to take the full 10 minutes break after the writing sections and recharge yourself with something like a snickers bar. Also, don't take the analytical writing so seriously. Just be logical, organized, write a lot, and make several strong points. I truly feel that getting a 6 in analytical writing is one of the easiest things to do if you are a creative thinker.

 

It's often harder for very logical thinkers that are better at using just the left side of their brain. If you have a broad imagination it is easier.

[GRE_Kickboxer]

IntEcon: I agree. Sanjay is better at math than me.

 

You have to remember one thing though. ETS is weighing several factors when they score you:

 

1) The level of difficulty of questions you are capable of answering.

2) The % of examinees that got the questions you answered correctly right.

3) Did you get them right at the start of the test or at the end of the test when time is running out?

 

Notice that I got 4 questions wrong in verbal and Sanjay got 3 wrong, but I got a slightly higher score in verbal.

 

Not all adaptive tests are created equally. You have to rememeber that.

 

ETS weighs earlier questions more because they don't want to place a heavy emphasis on processing speed. They want to test "working memory" and problem solving ability. As a result, if you get the first 15 questions right, many of which were level 5 questions, and start making mistakes at the end because you are running out of time, they don't want to punish you as much.

 

Overall though you are right. There is a difference between Sanjay's ability and mine. This is largely because Sanjay thinks faster than I do when it comes to math.

 

He consistently performs better than I do in timed math tests. Granted, I could have done a lot better in the math section than I did (due to my anxiety issues), but no way could I have gotten 100% right. I don't think that fast.

 

I would be curious to see how Sanjay and I would perform in an untimed math test with problems that are harder than those seen on the GRE. It would be interesting. I think our performance would be closer, although I still think Sanjay would outperform me. He's just better than me and I'm not trying to inflate his head into a hot air balloon. The truth is the truth.

 

In untimed tests I can solve problems FAR HARDER than those seen on the GRE. That's one of the reasons why the first 15 questions were easy for me and I got them all right.

 

ETS rewards you heavily if you get all the of the first 15 questions right.

 

GRE_Kickboxer

[IntEcon80]

hey kickboxer,

 

your performance was not bad at all, it was very good. 22/28 is very good, most people who get 800 do have some questions wrong; only a few candidates are able to get 28/28.

[ketki]

hello sanjay

u did a great job..

tell me something abt this Bigcd??

thanks in advance

[shad]

Thank you so much, Ramin. So on all your reported scores on the preparation tests, did you take the AWA as well?

 

AWA is not that hard for me, just the fact that I need to sit down and spend that much time on writing two essays is somewhat tiring.

[Ancalagon The Black]

Ancalagon and Sanjay:

 

Both of you guys are smarter than me in math. I just work harder.

 

I challenge you both to an essay writing contest though. I may have a good shot there. :)

 

Ramin

 

I accept !!! :D

 

PS How goes the application? I love your profile. Very funky in my opinion.

[GRE_Kickboxer]

It goes just fine, buddy. I'm kind of in a personal juncture right now. I'm seriously considering starting a new business. I may decide to go that route instead of going back to school. So many options, so little time. :)

[GRE_Kickboxer]

shad: For me personally I did not find it necessary to practice analytical writing. It is one thing that comes very naturally to me.

 

I guess the same skills that allow me to come up with goofy GRE practice math problems pretty easily also makes brain storming and formulating arguments very easy.

 

To get a 6 all you really have to do is write a lot, be organized, and make logical and/or creatively insightful/rational points and then defend them very well while synthesizing them into a cohesive whole.

 

Most of my time was spent practicing math problems, which I am not as naturally talented at.

[shad]

Thank you so much, Ramin! You are very helpful and always have great feedback to give.

I need to work on my Reading comprehension and have the 3000 RC printed out and was trying to find out if I need to learn how to become a faster reader or if it's just better to keep practicing RC questions or if it's better to keep reading magazine articles like WSJ or Scientific American. I think it varies among individuals. I need to speed up my comprehension of the articles I read. but still not sure which one of these ways that I mentioned will contribute greatly to that? Like natural science topics are very easy for me to understand but topics related to art and complex business articles are very hard to grasp in such a short period of time! Do you think it's my lack of familiarity with such topics that is making it harder to understand?

[GRE_Kickboxer]

It could be your lack of familiarity that is the problem, but that's not necessarily the case. I highly suggest you learn methods to encode the information you read into smaller pieces so that you won't have to hold as much in your head. Focus on the main point of the paragraphs and just notice the details. Abbreviate the information so that you can come back to it later and put everything together when a specific question is asked.

[shad]

Okay, I will try new methods that would teach me how to do that. Thanks again!

[sanjay21]

Gre_K: I seriously doubt if GRE is an indicator of IQ or Math ability. I think what got me through was calmness during the test and ability to see through ETS's traps.

 

And about the essay competition, I'm sure you'll kick my ***. I'm just glad to get 5.0 in my AWA, could'nt really expect more.

 

Shad: I think you should do BigBook questions. I learnt a lot of ETS traps present in RC's by doing BigBook. Reading the passage is one part, but looking out for the differences between similar looking right and wrong answer is a totally different thing.

[sanjay21]

Analcogon: I wish I was from the IIT's. But, I'm from a second tier engineering college in South India!

[chowdary88]

congrats sanjay....I am new to this site.I have to take my test on December 11..can u guide me the way i have to take the practise materials regarding the quant.I am cocentrating on the verbal from big book as u suggested in your previous posts.Please suggest the materials regarding the quant and the practise tests recommended to take before i take the actual gre..

[shad]

Thanks Sanjay! It's not easy to do very well in RC especially when English is not one's first language! But it's possible. As far as big book, you mean to take the whole test in big book or just focus on RC passages in big book? By any chance did you post your GRE practice scores? If you still have that record would you be able to post those! Thank you so much

[GRE_Kickboxer]

Sanjay: Well, the GRE was originally designed to be an IQ test. That doesn't mean it is a good one. :)

 

Believe it or not, your score on the GRE predicts your score on IQ tests quite well.

 

However IQ tests aren't really all that good to begin with.

 

I still have a lot of respect for your math abilities. I think your natural insight is definitely above average. The GMAT math section requires a lot of analytical ability to do well, more so than the GRE.

 

I bet you would be a pretty good chess player if you wanted to be.

 

I was teasing about the essay competition, of course. :)

[Ancalagon The Black]

GRE_K: Start that new business !! You will earn more money !! :D

 

sanjay: Anything under VIT, Anna University, Madras University, Coimbatore Institute of Tech, PSG College is ok with Anna and Madras really ruling the roost.

 

I am from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Heard of it ever?

 

Here's a link I am posting which you might find useful since adcoms take into account, the reputation of foreign universities:

 

India Today Ranks VIT UNIVERSITY as No.1 Private Engineering Institution in the Country

‘Outlook’ Ranking of Top Govt. Engineering Colleges-India « AdmissonSync

 

Is your college on the list? Remember, you have to write the university name and not the college on your application so even if you are under some godforsaken college under anna university, you are still good to go.

[wahl]

Believe it or not, your score on the GRE predicts your score on IQ tests quite well.

That's probably because if you have a low IQ, you won't learn the material very well, but if you have a high IQ, there's no reason you wouldn't have learned the material. When you consider that most of us learned the things in the math section eight years ago in middle school, it's clearly not about the ability to grasp high-level material. It is a good measure of your concentration and attention to detail, though, which of course are important. Maybe even more important than intelligence, because a lot of people who have the intellect to succeed don't work hard enough to see it through.

[IntEcon80]

The GRE cannot measure your IQ, I strongly disagree. How about students who get better as the test goes on? Those students will certainly get a poor score because the way the GRE is designed you must do near perfection in the beginning to do well. Furthermore, the test is very coach-able, KAPLAN has a very good track records, a few of my friends who did poorly the first time did much better after attending Kaplan courses. Those who are non-native speakers of English and those who don't have the resources to get all the prep materials they need are at a disadvantage as well. In light of those I just don't see how GRE can somehow predict your IQ. A great performance on the GRE will certainly help to get into grad school, but its definitely not some kinda of ego-booster to make one feels good about their intelligence. I got 750 Q and 520 V and I am satisfied with my score. Did someone who got 800 Q and 790 V have a higher IQ than me?

 

After memorizing over 3000 words and spending over 2 months studying, a candidate who get a very good score should not be surprised about his/her performance. It is not necessarily the result of high IQ, but can attributed to hard work and diligence.

[KBTA]

Congratulations!

 

I've noticed several times your quick responses. You've made an opportunity for us to practice BigGRE CAT. I'm really glad to see your success in GRE.

[p001]

Congrats!

[wahl]

milkyway: AWA is the writing section. There used to be an analytical section, but that was replaced by AWA.

[GRE_Kickboxer]

IntEcon:

 

Don't get mad at me, my friend. :) I am not saying that IQ tests are good instruments. I am simply stating that the GRE was created as an IQ test. This isn't an opinion, this is a fact. The SAT was created as an IQ test too.

 

If you don't believe me then please go read about the history of the old SAT test and the correlation they claim it had with the WAIS IQ test. The GRE is essentially the same as the old SAT test.

 

Now, this doesn't mean that these tests do a good job of measuring intelligence. That's a completely different debate.

 

Vocabulary is used in almost all professional IQ tests including the Wechsler IQ test and the Stanford Binet which are considered the GOLD STANDARD IQ tests. Vocabulary measures "acquired intelligence" or "crystalized intelligence". Again, this is a construct they created, not one I necessarily take very seriously. General knowledge is also part of many IQ tests. They also have "fluid intelligence" tests which includes things like arranging blocks into patterns.

 

Again, I'm not arguing whether or not this is the right thing to do. I am simply stating that this is what IS DONE.

 

The makers of the SAT used to try and convince colleges that unless a person had a high level of ability to start with, prepping for the tests would not help. The same arguments used to be made about the GRE. Again, this is what they claimed, not what I claim.

 

The book "the Bell Curve" based much of its research into IQ on the SAT and the GRE.

 

Peace,

 

GRE_Kickboxer

[ayonbd2000]

GRE_k:

GRE tries to measure IQ, however it measures what I did in last 2-3 months

[GRE_Kickboxer]

Yah, I think it measures a few things:

 

1) Your determination.

2) Your ability to improve at standardized tests. (If you don't have certain abilities, no amount of practice will help very much.)

 

In fact, the higher your supposed IQ, the less amount of practice you will need to boost your score significantly. Some people are so naturally capable they can get scores over 1500 without studying a day.

 

I also know of a guy that has a professionally tested IQ of 165 (Adult Scale). This is extremely high. The first time he took the old version of the GRE he scored 450 in the analytical section in the Big Book. He scored poorly for a few days. He practiced for 2 weeks and then scored 800 in analytical when he took the real test. He scored 780 in verbal and 800 in quant. He didn't study anything for verbal or quant. He is a math major and skipped several grades as a child. His vocabulary and general knowledge is naturally very extensive. Despite this, he struggled with the analytical section at first until his brain adapted. (I'm not talking about analytical writing, I'm talking about the old analytical section.) He found it very hard at first and was terrified that he was scoring so low.

 

They also say that your highest score is the best reflection of your potential. If you don't have some ability, you won't be able to improve your scores significantly, even if you memorize vocabulary. You will forget the words, or not be able to apply them correctly during the test. Moreover, you won't be able to improve your reading comprehension and ability to use language correctly.

 

This is all theory, of course. I think you have to look at each individual case. There are some smart people that won't be able to get a good GRE score no matter how much they practice.

 

Personally, I believe IQ measures how fast you can think, how many ideas you can juggle in your head at the same time, and how good your memory is. It doesn't measure sound judgement or other skills that are harder to measure. It certainly doesn't measure creativity.