On Oct. 1st., 1932, the American baseball player Babe Ruth stepped to the plate. It was the sixth inning of the World Series, so a lot was at stake. Most players would walk gingerly to bat, take a deep breath and hope for the best. Ruth, upon coming to the plate, lifted his finger and pointed towards centerfield. The gesture was clear: he was going to hit a homerun. After a few pitches, he did just that, sending the ball an estimated 450 feet from home plate.
Now I don’t mean to encourage Ruth’s brash mix of hubris and chutzpah. Yet, given the gravity of the moment Ruth could have easily been content with a single. He aimed high—literally—and now his homerun has been forever memorialized.
If you are thinking of retaking the GRE, then don’t hope for a few more points. Aim much higher. If you scored 150 on Verbal, then look for a 160. If you score 137 in Verbal, then aim for 150. If you scored 162 on Math, then aim for 168. A lot of this is very dependent on what percentile you’re at and how much room you have for improvement.
You may fall short of your goal; even then, you may very well amaze yourself with your score differential. I’ve had a few Babe Ruths, so to speak, over the years, students who set what many would deem unrealistically high expectations. Their unrelenting determination and belief in their own capabilities made their score improvements possible (we can boast a Magoosh user who improved by 27 points!).
If you scored very well– ask yourself, is it even worth taking the exam again?
So the answer to the question posed in the title is wherever you want to point. That is, whatever score you believe you are capable of.
At the same time, there are constraints. Babe Ruth had a lifetime of practice to help him drive the ball 400 plus feet. Many of my students studied for months and months. Nonetheless, with even one month of prep you can still increase your score significantly.
All that said, you will need more than just raw willpower to help you hit a GRE homerun, to continue the metaphor. Use this blog as much as possible, digesting the tips and strategies. You will learn to tackle everything from a grueling three-blank Text Completion to stress management during the test. Most importantly, you will learn about the best way to go out about preparing for the test, so that when you sit down to the computer you will be able to make the most of your potential.
Hi, I took Gre two times.With studying Barron`s+ETS+BigBook i got Quantitative=153 in both of them,but i wanna get 159!! i have two months to my next exam,and i`m studying Nova+magoosh for quantitative section and 1100 words+kaplan for verbal with this schedule can i get higher than 159 in q and 145 in verbal sections?If not, what should i do to get best results?
thanks alot
Hi Sepehr.
That plan sounds good. However, I would warn against using Kaplan for verbal. The questions are nothing like the actual test, and, in general, are poorly written. Manhattan GRE verbal is a little bit better, though they focus too much on obscure words. Only Magoosh’s Verbal questions were written after the new GRE came out, so our questions actually reflect what you’ll see test day.
Also, for both Quant and Verbal (but esp. Verbal) take advantage of the Magoosh blog. There are many useful tips and strategies. Much of this insight is gleaned and conveniently distilled in our ebook:
http://magoosh.com/gre/gre-ebook/
Good luck, and with enough prep (don’t forget to take ETS timed test), you’ll get that 159
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Hi Chris
I took my score this week.
V:150
Q:156 ( I really ruined my Q score.I do not know why?)
W:3.5
Overall:306
Last year : 290
I used your package.Thank you and you staffs so much. Right now I am bewildered. there is another paper-base at my country for February.My Math is strong.Do not laugh at me.I do not know whats happen for my Q.So that I am sure in another exam I can boost my Q.But I am not sure because the February exam and the score will come after 50 days.I fear I lose my deadlines.Mostly they are in 15 January. Pulse, after 17 November I did not read vocabulary for GRE until now.I was wondering if you’d mind giving me some piece of advice.What should I do?I mean it mays at another exam I boost my math but my verbal decrease.Please help me.I am in a junction.
Simon
Hi Simon,
I think you should definitely try to take the test again. If you are confident you can do better on quant, you will do better. I also think that you should apply now with the scores you currently received. Then, just as a back up, take the test again Feb. The best case scenario, you are able to get into the program of your choice based on your Nov. test. If you do not get in, then you will be able to reapply based on your Feb. score.
And remember, Magoosh will be with you, helping you reach a verbal score that is even better than the last test.
Good luck, and let me know what you decide to do
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I like this post. The attitude mentioned describes me to a tee.
It is my personal belief that one should always shoot for the moon. In 6th grade I remember my classroom had a poster and it said “shoot for the moon, if you miss, you’ll be among the stars”.
Cheesy right? It sure is. But, I never forgot that. As someone who was not a good student early on in life, does poorly on standardized tests, and takes a while to learn things, I have had a rough road with education.
That being said, I have come to realize that no matter where you start, as long as you are doing things beneficial to help you learn, you really go as far as you want to go.
The more you’re willing to fight through the areas you do not understand, the better off you’ll be. I’m not sure exactly when I will take this test, but whenever I do, I know for sure I will have no regrets.
If you give any endeavor all your effort in an intelligent way, I think that should be viewed as success in and of itself.
J., Thanks for those awesome positive words. It is exactly that attitude that will get you to the stars
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