Revised New Experience Shared by HighHopes.
I have been an HSB reader for some time; but, admittedly, this is my first post. I guess, this is a good time to start!..
I took my New GRE on Aug 9th 2011.
New GRE Registration
I booked my seat on May 1st.
I had started looking at the content some 1 week prior to that. I was spending time as and when I get it, still I would say I ensured that I spend atleast 1 hour on weekdays and 4 hours on weekends. There had been quite a few instances where I exceeded these limits.
New GRE Books Used
- ETS official guide, Materials given in ETS site,
- Princeton Review – Cracking the New GRE
- Barrons Essential words for GRE (80 sections of words; not the ROOT part of it),
- Word Power Made Easy (I liked this)
- Magoosh GRE 1-week course (thats what comes free of cost)
- Vocaboly
New GRE Preparation
I started by learning parallely from Word Power Made Easy & Essential Words.
Once I completed that I shifted my focus to actual GRE questions(both Quant & Verbal)..
During the last one month leading to the test, I took 8 practice tests(2 were repeats though).
I feel that, one should practice thoroughly the ETS official guide and don’t mind taking the tests (1 in the book & another one in the CD) repeatedly.
I always took ‘timed tests’ although there were options to take Untimed tests also. I used to have discussions with one of my friends who is preparing for GRE, on the published AW topics. I would say we discussed some 30-40 topics.
On GRE Test day
It took almost 4 hours and it was an arduous task, no doubt!..I was able to complete the Quant sessions on time but I could not attempt 2-3 questions from each Verbal(I blindly chose 1 option though) session. I had 2 Quants & 3 Verbal. AW was easy as others were also mentioning.
New GRE Summary
I feel that 100 days of preparation is good enough (provided you spend 2 hours per day on an avg). 90 days for learning and 10 days for refreshing the entire learning you had in those 90 days. Practice tests & ETS guide hold the key.
GRE Scores
I was a bit anxious while screen was about to show the scores.
It read: 750-800 for Quant & 510 – 610 for Verbal.
To be frank, my target score was 800+500. Now I am waiting to see the official score report.
Best part
I have a full time job and I did not avail a single leave for GRE preparation(Obviously, I was on leave on the test day). You guys should be encouraged from this, esp those who study for GRE on a full time basis.
Old GRE History
I took GRE previously in Aug 2010 and my score was 760+330. I thought, I should improve it and gave an attempt again. I think, I can target Fall2012 admission now.
Note: I was just sharing my experience and you should possess discernment to absorb the points that is fit for you. Hope this helps you guys.
Good Luck!.
New GRE Experience – Long, Hard and Exhausting.
Thank you for sharing. I am giving GRE this August
congrats buddy for ur good score…
magoosh gre prep..???? from where to get ???
please help if any one knows..
thank you
magoosh.com
Hi,
How to get free 1 week course? thanks
Follow the link, http://gre.magoosh.com/plans, look for this sentence —> “Want to try it out first? Sign up for a 1-week free trial with 28 free practice questions” and click on the ’1-week free trial’.
http://www.happyschoolsblog.com/gre-discounts/
Just comparable 2 a gr8 job! dude u gonna hit an oosum uni. good luck fr future bro !
I’ve a CGPA of 8.59
class 12: 84%
class 10: 85%
I’ve passed out in 2011,I’ve a good final year project which was also published as a paper.
I’m currently employed with a reputed IT firm in India. My question is will my work experience help in doing MS. What kind of universities can I expect to get admission in US?I’m a B.Tech in computer science, will like to go for an MS in computer science in US . What score should I look for?Please help.
Hi Jay,
From what you’ve mentioned in your post, you seem to have a good profile. To answer your questions:
1. Whether or not your work experience help you in doing your MS will really depend upon what your experience is and what your focus will be during your MS. Ofcourse if you will specialize in (during your MS) in something that lets you build up on what you are currently doing/learning in your job. So your SOP (statements of purpose) to various universities when you submit your applications will need to reflect that too for you to make your case.
If you meant to ask whether your work experience will be a +ve factor or a -ve factor when you go for your student visa interview, its hard to say, for how your interview goes and whether you are issued an F1 visa or not depends on a variety of other factors. But , most of all, if you are able to get a very good score, and acceptances from some very good schools in the US, your case for an F1 visa is more or less made.
2. You should look for Q:800 and V:800 ofcourse. What I mean is that shoot for the best score. Moreover, if you wish to go to really good schools then you will need to get a very good score, say, Q:800 and upwards of V:600. So my suggestion to you would be that you try to find out what sort of scores the universities that you are interested in accept, and then you’ll have a goal in mind for your score.
- aman
thank you so much for the reply,exactly what I was looking for…I’m not yet sure about the type of scoring the new GRE is giving…but I’ve seen a lot of comments with verbal marks 550-610 and similar…m hoping for something similar…once again thank you for the reply!
hey hjust to let u know i got same exACT SCORE ….ACCORDING TO YOU WHAT SCORE WE WILL GET ANY WHICH UNIVERSITIES WE SHOULD LOO FORWARD TO???
Oh!..thats interesting…
We will have to wait for the official conversion factor!!..Still, I would say it might be something like 167(Q)+153(V) in 170 scale..
how was the reading comprehension????
It was time consuming…I would say, you should complete the non-RC question taking 1 minute per Q and then go for the RCs (if you are very particular about attempting all questions)..
Just had a question …. How much did u score when you solved ETS exam ??? Was it similar to the one you received ???
Yes, Similar..If you take a few, say 4, tests and average out your score, it will be the score you are going to get in actual exam…
Thank you for sharing your experience. it is really inspiring. I also do full time job now with little or no time to study. However, i will surely make out time because there is no substitute for hardwork. And if you can make it, i believe i can too. But can you assist me to narrow down the books that helped you most as what i saw here are many. Thank you for your anticipatory response.
Let me list the books/materials in the order of imp(according to what I felt) :
1. ETS official guide
2. Hit Parades in Princeton Review
3. Vocaboly (its a software tool which you can install in your PC)
4. Princeton Review Quant & Verbal and Barrons Essential words
5. Word Power Made Easy
6. Magoosh
Please do remember that I have not evaluated any other materials….
This post is good as its written by someone who is a working professional. Being professionals, we hardly get time to prepare for competitive exams. Job is important and at the same time we have a desire to chase our MS dreams. Seeing this post, I think, its a inspiration for all working guys. Spending one hour is of course possible. Requires dedication.
I was wondering if some websites are available to browse and learn a few words in day while at work. Do u guys think Magoosh GRE is worth enough ?
I did not pay for Magoosh..I just took the 1 week course…
You can install Vocaboly in your PC and learn during the day..
Thanks for your valuable feedback buddy. Hope it will encourage me a lot as I am also working and not getting enough time to study.
Hey I’m also preparing Barron’s wordlist. I’m first completing wordlist and will ltr take all the tests. Any suggestion on quant side. Pleasee…
ETS book has a good Quant section..if you get time, go for Princeton Review also..(I have not checked with any other materials..)
hi can any one tell me the total mark for revised pattern of gre
Verbal-170 and Quantitative-170 …Total 340.
Hey,
Congratulations on your scores & good luck for the admission process as well.
Sorry , I forgot to tell u that my target is PhD / MSc in Electrical / Electronic Engineering
with financial aid
Hi ,
I’ve got Q : 800 & V : 320 . My preparation was just 4 weeks for math & nothing for verbal . I know previously that it doesn’t make any difference whether you prepared for the verbal or not. If anyone know good universities suitable for my score pls tell me .
thnx
Pls which textbook and materials did u use to score 800 in QUAT? Thank u.
refer kaplans quant. workbook
Hi anshul ,
Actually I prepared for quantitative from real exams . Just go on & find some real exams & try to solve them all correctly in 30 minutes not 45 minutes . You’ll feel so comfortable inside the exam. I used to solve 5 exams per day .
good luck
Hi MMM,
I have been taking power prep and kaplan tests.My score is in the range of 730-800Q and 410-510 V.Please can u tell me what do u mean by real tests.Dis u take the old power prep quant section?Please do let me know what material u exactly referred for quant.
Thanks,
VB
All the best for your visa and admission…
which endall university did u apply….
I am yet to apply..
Nice and informative ! Good luck for ur future prospectus..
Good to see positive post.All the best for your visa and admission’s.
Congrats, it really helped. i have just started preparing for GRE and planning to take in November. i am little bit confused how to start and how should i use this 3 month properly. To be frank i have the dedication to get a great score because my undergrad grades are poor and thats why i haven’t applied for any JOB. pls help me how shud i prepare to get a brilliant score, i badly need it. Thanks for sharing ur experience.
I think, I also took the same duration to prepare..So, you can refer my original post..but, you should be able to make a plan according to your strenghts/weaknesses…
Thank you very much for ur kind response…pls help me with that which test i shud take to measure my standings…i mean the gradual development….like as i have just started preparing so, right now to measure my standing and ..and after some prep then …and after some prep then and finally before that test …..pls help with that if possible with details.
Anyways all the best dude…even i am planning to take on november…but currently i am working and not able to concentrate more….but expecting to get good score….
Really Awesome !!! Best luck for admissions !!!
Really Awesome !!! Best luck in admissions !!!
Hey .. Nice to hear read ur experience with GRE .. I would like to know ,when are u planning apply for admissions with new GRE scores …??Official score will be out only in November r8 ??
Hey thanx for sharing your experience. And congrats for good score.
Hey there! I’m glad that some one came out with a positive experience in the revised GRE for the first time( as far as i’ve known). I would like to discuss many more details regarding the revised GRE . Let me know the means to do so.
Good luck for your score and admissions!
I would like to share a few more points here:
1. Please be open for new materials only for 2-4 weeks(if you have a total duration of 100 days). So, you should find and gather the materials you require in first 2-4 weeks and then dont think of adding to your collection; rather, concentrate on extracting the max from the available materials..
2. If you take practice tests, make sure that you analyse your mistakes after you complete the test. In fact, thats the more important part of it.
Great experience! Well done, reading your experience here is highly motivating.