GRE question

[DickVetPlease]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey all,

I'm currently studying to take the GRE on August 19th. The studying is coming along alright (I guess), but my only concern is being familiar with the computer, and the format/how it will look on the comp. I was under the impression that they were supposed to send me a CD when I registered for my exam, but that never happened.

Basically, I want an exact replica of the computer format to familiarize myself with it. Anyone know where I would get this?

thanks

Also, I thought i remembered hearing that ETS gives out a couple free computer exams. Is that true?

 

[amom427]

You can go to the ETS website and download the software that is sent on the disk. I'm not sure exactly where to find it. It has 2 full length tests on it.

 

[DVMDream]

I am also taking the GRE on August 19th so good luck to you.
If you go to the GRE website and click on practice for the GRE you will see a link to download the PowerPrep Software which is the same thing as the CD. It has 2 tests in it and explains how the computer screen works. It is quite simple and easy to follow. I did discover that the software does not work on Windows Vista so I had to download it onto an old computer that did not have Vista so if you have Vista you may have to contact the company to see if there is an updated disc. GOOD LUCK!

 

[sumstorm]

While it is pretty basic, i find the reading passages problematic on a computer screen...and switching between paper and screen for math slows me down a bit, so definitly a good idea to familiarize yourself with it.

 

[rileyroo]

the powerprep software doesn't work on Macs either.

 

[DickVetPlease]

Thanks for the responses. I guess this is the first and only time that i'm thankful for my good ol' piece of crap dell laptop 😛

 

[aspiringDVM]

I'm taking the GRE this Friday, and I was also under the impression that they would send me a practice CD. After I waited two weeks to no avail, I finally went and downloaded the PowerPrep software from the ETS website. Kaplan also has a CD with practice tests that simulate the ETS exam.
BTW, how accurate did you who have taken the GRE find the PowerPrep tests as an indicator of how well you did?

 

[mr1985]

For what it's worth, I'd definitely try and get my hands on the ETS 'powerprep' software. The one Kaplan uses is slightly different. Also, for some reason, I did much much better on the powerprep tests (and the acutal GRE) than the Kaplan tests.

 

[purplepup21]

i know this software has been mentioned, but i thought i'd throw the link out there to maybe save someone a little time!


www.ets.org/gre/stupubs

Then >> Test Preparation Materials and download & install the Powerprep software

Personally, I scored higher on the ETS practice tests than the Kaplan versions, and my real score ended pretty much exactly in between the two. However, I would recommend a book from Kaplan for reviewing. It was pretty well-organized and easy to use, even if I didn't care much for their actual practice tests. I also bought a Baron's GRE book (because it was cheap) and found that completely NOT helpful.

Good Luck!!

 

[aspiringDVM]

Just wanted to send out a bit of encouragement to everyone taking the GRE soon! It feels so, so good to have it over with. And as a testament to what serious studying can do, I raised my score nearly 500 points from my first practice test to the real thing 👍 That hard work pays off!
And I agree that the Barron's general book is garbage, though their vocab-specific one was okay.

 

[DVMDream]

Way to go AspiringDVM! I am so nervous about taking it on the 19th. It will be my 2nd time taking it and I hope that I can improve.

 

[rileyroo]

Just wanted to send out a bit of encouragement to everyone taking the GRE soon! It feels so, so good to have it over with. And as a testament to what serious studying can do, I raised my score nearly 500 points from my first practice test to the real thing 👍 That hard work pays off!
And I agree that the Barron's general book is garbage, though their vocab-specific one was okay.

WOW!!! i'm sooo jealous! congrats. so you used Kaplan's book?

 

[aspiringDVM]

Thanks guys! I primarily used the Barron's vocab book for verbal stuff and Kaplan for math. The most helpful part was doing the Kaplan tests on the CD then going back and figuring out questions I missed, then repeating them all a few weeks later. The ETS math help was also really good, as was the Powerprep software.
Good luck to everyone taking it soon!

 

[twelvetigers]

That's it, I'm signing up to take it. I'm thinking September 11 or 14... the latter of which is my birthday... not sure about that...

I'm not studying without a deadline, so I need a deadline.

 

[rileyroo]

That's it, I'm signing up to take it. I'm thinking September 11 or 14... the latter of which is my birthday... not sure about that...

I'm not studying without a deadline, so I need a deadline.

i'd never take it on my birthday. maybe that's b/c i'd like to avoid feeling incompetent on my birthday. 🙂 but for most it'd be a birthday present.

 

[rileyroo]

for the practice sections that say they won't affect your score in anyway, do you all do those questions or skip them (is there even a way to skip them)?

 

[DVMDream]

for the practice sections that say they won't affect your score in anyway, do you all do those questions or skip them (is there even a way to skip them)?

I am not sure if you can skip the practice sections but there is an unidentified section that does not affect your score. You will not be able to determine what section it is so just do you best on every section.

 

[rileyroo]

I am not sure if you can skip the practice sections but there is an unidentified section that does not affect your score. You will not be able to determine what section it is so just do you best on every section.

the last time i took the GRE it identified the practice section. before the practice section it said "the following section is a practice section to help us improve future exams. your performance on this portion will not affect your score."

 

[gone2dogs]

for the practice sections that say they won't affect your score in anyway, do you all do those questions or skip them (is there even a way to skip them)?

This may have changed, but when I took it a year ago the only way you would know when you got an experimental section was if it was a writing section with a different format... and they offered you a monetary award for doing well on it (I kid you not). Before we started the proctor warned us that this might happen, and that she had never heard of anyone actually getting the money, and that we could skip it if we wanted. I don't enjoy writing for the joy of writing, so when I got "lucky" and got it, I skipped it and left the test before anyone else!

If you get a more normal experimental section I don't think you will know, so you have to do your best for all of them!

Things may have changed in the last year though... and I'm not re-taking it so maybe someone else knows for sure.

Edit: for the case I got, there was a button to click to skip the section... they were very upfront with the option, but again, that was only because it was an experimental writing thing.

 

[aspiringDVM]

I didn't get an unidentified section (thank goodness!), but I did get a specified experimental section that offered a $250 dollar reward for the top 100 people who improved the most between their real math score and the experimental one. It was only about 25 minutes so I went ahead and did it.

 

[bunnity]

I got an unidentified section - I think it was a verbal one but honestly I forget. So I never knew which was the real one and which was the experimental one.

My fiance on the other hand did get a section with a money offer (he did not get any money though).

 

[rileyroo]

if you run out of time is it better to guess on the questions that are left or leave them blank? i have heard different sides to this - some say don't leave any questions blank while others say that guessing is more harmful b/c the more you get wrong the lower your score is due to the scoring rubric of the CAT.

i know in all actuality it's better to manage your time, but sometimes in standardized tests i get nervous and fall behind. so i'm just wondering, if when i take the gre i find myself in this situation, what is better - to leave blank or guess?

 

[DVMDream]

if you run out of time is it better to guess on the questions that are left or leave them blank? i have heard different sides to this - some say don't leave any questions blank while others say that guessing is more harmful b/c the more you get wrong the lower your score is due to the scoring rubric of the CAT.

i know in all actuality it's better to manage your time, but sometimes in standardized tests i get nervous and fall behind. so i'm just wondering, if when i take the gre i find myself in this situation, what is better - to leave blank or guess?

Guess! Blank answers damage your score more than wrong answers. The first 10 questions are the most important they will bring you score up 100's of points for each right answer, but they will also drop your score drastically for wrong answers. After the first 10 questions each wrong or right answer only slightly affects your score maybe 20-30 points. Good Luck!

 

[rileyroo]

Guess! Blank answers damage your score more than wrong answers. The first 10 questions are the most important they will bring you score up 100's of points for each right answer, but they will also drop your score drastically for wrong answers. After the first 10 questions each wrong or right answer only slightly affects your score maybe 20-30 points. Good Luck!

thank you so much for that information!! and the luck...lol i'm really gonna need it. and you're taking it the 19th right? good luck to you as well! 🙂

 

[aspiringDVM]

if you run out of time is it better to guess on the questions that are left or leave them blank? i have heard different sides to this - some say don't leave any questions blank while others say that guessing is more harmful b/c the more you get wrong the lower your score is due to the scoring rubric of the CAT.

i know in all actuality it's better to manage your time, but sometimes in standardized tests i get nervous and fall behind. so i'm just wondering, if when i take the gre i find myself in this situation, what is better - to leave blank or guess?

Also, I heard a rumor that in order to combat people taking advantage of the system and spending vast amounts of time to get the first questions right and getting a huge score even if they ran out of time, they penalize blank answers at the end pretty heavily. Wow, that was a run-on sentence if ever I heard one! Again, just a rumor, but definitely something to consider.

 

[DVMDream]

thank you so much for that information!! and the luck...lol i'm really gonna need it. and you're taking it the 19th right? good luck to you as well! 🙂

Yes I am taking it on the 19th. I am sooo nervous. I don't think the butterflies will leave until I get my scores. Thank goodness you get them right at the end of the test. Thanks for the good luck wish! 😀

 

[DVMDream]

Ok. I have been studying really hard for the GRE and it seems like no matter how hard I study I can't get my verbal score to go above the 400's on the practice tests. Does anybody have some last minute advice that might help get my verbal score to at least 500. I have tried everything and nothing seems to be working. I am getting really nervous because I only have 8 days before I take the test.

 

[shelterURIgirl]

What type of questions are you losing points on in the verbal section? Is it the analogies, the reading passages, etc? I sucked at the analogies, and the more I studied the worst I did. I think some of the answers are designed to trick you, so as a last [FML] resort I stopped trying to "figure out" roots/etc on the analogy questions I didn't know. I started picking the answers very quickly so I could spend more time on the reading and word fill-ins, which are easier to think through (when you come across a word you don't know) because of the available context. I found that especially with the analogies some of the answers are designed to reach out and trick the people who don't fully grasp the meaning of the word. So over-thinking and trying to hard to make educated guesses on some of these questions might actually be hurting you.

The GRE is messed up like that. Best of luck to you!

Ok. I have been studying really hard for the GRE and it seems like no matter how hard I study I can't get my verbal score to go above the 400's on the practice tests. Does anybody have some last minute advice that might help get my verbal score to at least 500. I have tried everything and nothing seems to be working. I am getting really nervous because I only have 8 days before I take the test.

 

[nyanko]

I didn't get an unidentified section (thank goodness!), but I did get a specified experimental section that offered a $250 dollar reward for the top 100 people who improved the most between their real math score and the experimental one. It was only about 25 minutes so I went ahead and did it.

....

I think I'd rather my "real" quant score be higher than the experimental one, even if $250 is involved.

now maybe if it's 4-5 figures we can talk about tanking the real quant section...

 

[DickVetPlease]

Ahh, within a week now! I hate the stupid analogy questions lol, they're totally out to get me. Good luck to all the 19th-ers

 

[DVMDream]

Ahh, within a week now! I hate the stupid analogy questions lol, they're totally out to get me. Good luck to all the 19th-ers

I feel the same way. Maybe they will forget to give me the analogy questions. At least I can hope. Good luck to you and all others taking it anytime soon.

 

[guppy73]

For those wanting a preview of the Analytical Writing questions, ETS also posts their entire list of topics for each type of question. The lists aren't the easiest thing to find on their site, so here are the links:

Issue topics: http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/...nnel=06c7e3b5f64f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD

Argument topics: http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/...nnel=06c7e3b5f64f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD

I read through several before the test & practiced typing up some responses within the allotted time frame. At the very least, I hope that it helps some of you to read them through in advance. Good luck!!!

 

[rileyroo]

For those wanting a preview of the Analytical Writing questions, ETS also posts their entire list of topics for each type of question. The lists aren't the easiest thing to find on their site, so here are the links:

Issue topics: http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/...nnel=06c7e3b5f64f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD

Argument topics: http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/...nnel=06c7e3b5f64f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD

I read through several before the test & practiced typing up some responses within the allotted time frame. At the very least, I hope that it helps some of you to read them through in advance. Good luck!!!

oooh i like this one:

"Success, whether academic or professional, involves an ability to survive in a new environment and, eventually, to change it."

i wish i would've had that one when i took the test. 🙁

thanks for the sharing the links, guppy73!

 

[DickVetPlease]

Just got out of my GRE exam, and it definitely went alot better than expected. My estimated score or whatever was higher than any of my practice tests for both V and Q!

Good luck to anyone else taking it today/sometime soon!

 

[badcats]

Good luck to everyone taking their test today!

Took mine last week and the overall score stayed the same. Verbal went
up and quant went down, so here is hoping that the AW score at least improved so I didn't just flush that money. On the bright side at least some schools take the highest of each section.

 

[DVMDream]

Finished the GRE just a little while ago. My verbal score 😡. I think it stayed exactly the same. Grrr! My quant score went up (it didn't need to but I am not complaining) to a 710 (I nearly fainted). I did really well on the AW section last time so I am not too worried about it. I am slightly upset that I studied really hard for the verbal section and my score didn't move but I didn't even look at the math and my score went up. Just a general question. Does anybody know of anyone that got into vet school with a verbal score in the 400's, A good quant score, a good AW score and an average GPA. And good luck to everyone taking the GRE in the near future. I did get an extra quant section where they offered me $250 if I am included in the group of 100 students that significantly get a better score than their graded section. Well, my score can't get too much higher so I am not expecting to receive anything but the experimental section was quite simple.

 

[DickVetPlease]

Congrats on increasing your quant score. Afterall, that seems to be the more important section! I also got the quantitative experimental section. I didn't even bother attempting to do it because I was so impatient for my score. I felt bad;y about not contributing to their study, but not badly enough, I guess...i just clicked through it as fast as i could haha. I didn't realize the monetary award was based on how you did in the original section, but i'm glad I didn't even waste the effort, since my Quant ended up being 780.

I was/still am completely shocked by my verbal score, since I was averaging around 580 on my practice tests, and by some freak accident ended up with a 700.

Pretty sure I bombed the issue essay, but actually kind of enjoyed the argument.

Honestly, I doubt having a verbal score in the 400s will keep you out of vet school. Sure, it won't turn any extra heads your way, but you have a nice quant score which is certainly more important. Good luck with the rest of your app!

 

[rileyroo]

congrats to you both!!! those are awesome scores. and DVMdream you were so worried - way to knock the quant. portion out of the water!

 

[DVMDream]

Congrats on increasing your quant score. Afterall, that seems to be the more important section! I also got the quantitative experimental section. I didn't even bother attempting to do it because I was so impatient for my score. I felt bad;y about not contributing to their study, but not badly enough, I guess...i just clicked through it as fast as i could haha. I didn't realize the monetary award was based on how you did in the original section, but i'm glad I didn't even waste the effort, since my Quant ended up being 780.

I was/still am completely shocked by my verbal score, since I was averaging around 580 on my practice tests, and by some freak accident ended up with a 700.

Pretty sure I bombed the issue essay, but actually kind of enjoyed the argument.

Honestly, I doubt having a verbal score in the 400s will keep you out of vet school. Sure, it won't turn any extra heads your way, but you have a nice quant score which is certainly more important. Good luck with the rest of your app!

DickVetPlease-Congrats on your amazing scores and thanks for all of the encouraging comments. If I felt that I had done really well on the quantitative section then I probably would have skipped through the experimental section but since I felt that I did not do well I went ahead for a shot at $250. Oh well, I would rather have a good score than $250. For the practice tests I was getting random numbers on the verbal sections. I would get a 340 on one and then a 750 on another and I got many numbers in between. So, I had no clue what the real test would end up like. The issue essay was ok, I had a slightly hard time deciding how to present my opinion and how to organize it, but I really enjoyed the arguement analysis. Good luck to you on the rest of the application process.. Now we have one less thing to stress about. YAY!!😀

congrats to you both!!! those are awesome scores. and DVMdream you were so worried - way to knock the quant. portion out of the water!

Thanks you so much rileyroo!! Have you already taken the GRE? If not, good luck to you and for the rest of the application process.

 

[randylrohm]

I took my GRE last august and did not do as well as I anticipated. 🙁 I have been doing a lot of reading and most of it says the scores are averaged together so it will not be worth while unless it is a large difference.

I was thinking of signing of up for it in the middle of September just to see if I could do better, but not sure if it is worth it...any advice???