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38 Responses to All Posts by Category

1. 

   Salil August 13, 2012 at 10:12 pm #

   Hi Team,

   I am taking my GRE test in October and applying 2013 aug session. I am doing the quant section from barrons and was looking forward to the plan needed to be followed for the verbal section. With verbal section, i have done questions related to all the sections but have not gone through the word list as of now. With what has been done, i have seen improvement in understanding questions and looking for the correct answer which i think the new pattern is based on.

   Can you please provide an action plan on how to proceed with the word list as this is the area where a lot of time has to be spent now. As of now i have started with the Kaplan’s word list but not sure if that is enough for the exam.

   Looking forward for an update.

   Regards,
   Salil
   • 

     Chris August 15, 2012 at 6:52 pm #

     Hi Salil,

     Which word list were you speaking of? Were you alluding to the Barron’s 3500 word list? If so, I would definitely not recommend it. Vocabulary for the Revised GRE is more about understanding how words function in context. By only reading a definition, one has a limited understanding of the word functions.

     So word lists are fine, but always check to see how writers employ the words in that list. Wordnik.com is an excellent resources. For any word you look up, there are accompanying sentences.

     To learn more about how to approach vocabulary for the new exam, read our vocabulary ebook:

     http://magoosh.com/gre/2012/gre-vocabulary-ebook/

     Good luck!
2. 

   Ankit July 25, 2012 at 7:29 am #

   hi chris.!

   thank you for your help.:)

   my gre score is 289. Q- 151, V- 138. i want to go to US in spring 2013 and in university which has good placement.

   would i be getting any good university..??

   if possible can you be please tell me few universities which i would be getting on the basis of my score..?

   OR should i GRE again ..?? and if yes than approximately at what date and month…
   • 

     Chris July 27, 2012 at 3:24 pm #

     Hi Ankit,

     This post should help answer your question

     http://magoosh.com/gre/2012/what-is-a-good-score-on-the-revised-gre/
3. 

   Ankit July 21, 2012 at 1:53 pm #

   please provide solution to these questions..

   Q1.
   d=3.17486 and [-d] is the decimal expression for d rounded to the nearest thousandth

   Quantity A , Quantity B

   [d] – d , 0.001

   Ans: B (as given in material)

   Q2.
   [x] = the largest integer less than or equal to x

   Quantity A , Quantity B

   (1/2)[x] , [(1/2)x]

   Ans: D

   i am badly frustrated with this type of problem..plz help me..
   • 

     Chris July 24, 2012 at 4:33 pm #

     Q1 : [-d] is 3.175 (I think that should be [-d] in column A. Then you can just do old-fashioned math to get the answer.

     Q2: I just plugged in two sets of numbers. If x = 1, then the answer is (A). If I plug in ’0′ the answer is (C). Therefore (D).

     I’d say the key is interpreting the symbol. This takes a little practice.

     Hopefully that helps!
4. 

   Ankit July 21, 2012 at 1:31 pm #

   hi chris !!

   like i was practicing in powerprep, there was option of skipping question(next) and then i can go back to it later..

   so this same thing can i do it in the test.? means if any question is taking a bit more time so can i attend it later..?
   it will not affect my score.right.?

   and i heard that in adaptive test if ur first 5-7 questions are correct than there will be a good score even if u attend remaning questions on average..??
   • 

     Chris July 24, 2012 at 4:25 pm #

     Hi Ankit,

     Yes, you can skip a question and come back to it. The adaptive part with the first few questions applied to the old GRE, not the new GRE. The new GRE is section, not question, adaptive.
5. 

   Aaron July 18, 2012 at 6:34 am #

   Hey, new Powerprep II was released. Now has 2 practice tests.
   • 

     Margarette July 18, 2012 at 11:57 am #

     Hi, Aaron

     Yes, we were very excited when it came out! The first test is actually a repeat of the old one, but the second one is all new– we’re working on a post about it right now, so check back in a few days .

     Best,
     Margarette
6. 

   jay July 8, 2012 at 7:48 am #

   Hi Chris ,
   I got 151 in verbal and 161 in quant. The AWA score is yet to come. I want to do masters in renewable energy. Please express your views about the chances of getting into a good grad school. I am willing to take the GRE again if its required. Could you please tell me some websites that are good for selecting grad schools.
   Thanks
   • 

     Chris July 9, 2012 at 3:54 pm #

     Hi Jay,

     That’s a pretty good score. For a more thorough — a much more thorough take — the following post should be helpful:

     http://magoosh.com/gre/2012/what-is-a-good-score-on-the-revised-gre/

     Hope that helps
7. 

   Shubham July 2, 2012 at 6:22 am #

   Hi Chris,

   I am writing GRE in last week of August and have been preparing for a couple of months.

   My target score is 320(around 155 V/ 165 M) which is still around 10 points away from where I am now. I really need to boost up my accuracy and practice so I can reach my target.

   Suggest me what shall I do. Also, please tell does Magoosh GRE prep provides full length tests.

   Thanks,
   Shubham
   • 

     Chris July 2, 2012 at 5:02 pm #

     Hi Shubham,

     So Magoosh does not provide full-length practice tests (though we are working on that). You can, however, create your own mock tests. As for achieving your goal, can you tell me thus far which texts you’ve used and which section you’ve spent more time on? If I know this, I’ll be able to provide you a better answer
     • 

       Shubham July 3, 2012 at 10:18 am #

       Hi Chris,

       I am weak in Verbal section, however, I have devoted almost equal time to both the sections.

       I have used Nova maths, Kaplan Verbal book, ETS book, Manhattan DI book and couple of other books. For Vocabulary, I have word list of one coaching institute along with that I use Word power made easy and Kaplan word list. Now planning to cover Magoosh Complete Guide to Vocab pdf.

       Being a non native English speaker, I find verbal section difficult. I am better in SC/SE than RCs but not up to the mark in either of the type of questions.

       In Maths, I am still facing problem in solving all the tricky question within time limit.

       I hope above information will help you in assisting me on how to I proceed and work so that I can improve in remaining time.

       Thanks,
       Shubham
       • 

         Chris July 3, 2012 at 5:20 pm #

         Hi Subham,

         Make sure you do plenty of practice questions. Identify your weak areas and constantly improve upon them. Make sure to learn words in context, instead of just memorizing lists. The vocab ebook should help:

         http://magoosh.com/gre/2012/gre-vocabulary-ebook/

         Magoosh could definitely help with your quant time limit issue. We have hundreds of questions, many of them very difficult. There will always be a timer, an experience which simulates the actual test.

         Hope that helps, and update me on your progress .
         • 

           Shubham July 15, 2012 at 12:01 am #

           Hello Chris,

           As per your advice, I have been practicing a lot. And I can see improvement in verbal.

           Just now I have become a premium member of magoosh. I have around 5 weeks to go. Please tell me how to go about Magoosh material from now. I have following all your blog for long.

           My another concern is that I am doing unnecessary silly mistakes in Math section. Though I have already recognized this weak area and making myself aware of it, I am still doing a few of them and all this irritates me a lot because all my efforts are getting drained by such stupid mistakes. HELP PLEASE!

           –
           Shubham
           • 

             Chris July 18, 2012 at 3:17 pm #

             A good way to go through the Magoosh verbal is to start with the lesson videos. Then, work your way through the questions, going back to the relevant lesson videos (we have a feature that links each question to the relevant lesson video(s)).

             For Math, careless mistakes take many forms. Is it simple arithmetic, are you writing down the wrong number, is your writing just messy in general, are you not writing down enough? You need to identify which of these in order to improve.
8. 

   Sudesh June 29, 2012 at 6:01 am #

   Hi Chris,

   I will be taking the GRE exam in mid-October.Could you please tell me a schedule that I could follow as I am aiming for a high score.
   Thanks a lot in advance.
   • 

     Chris June 29, 2012 at 2:54 pm #

     Hi Sudesh,

     With about 3.5 months to go, you should take a look at the 3-month study guide. Here is a link to all study guides, so you can have a look at which one best fits your schedule:

     http://magoosh.com/gre/gre-study-guides-and-plans/
9. 

   Kiran June 28, 2012 at 10:29 am #

   Hi Chris,

   I have been taking Magoosh classes since May which has been most useful for my GRE preparations. My GRE test is scheduled for 24 rd July.

   I am planning to take power prep a week before test. I ‘ve been doing MGRE online tests (4 so far). My verbal score remains in the range 155-160. I am trying to improve the score with Magoosh. Then I tried a few online tests of Kaplan (2 tests so far). I found the difficulty level of Kaplan higher and to my shock the score dropped to 150-155 range.

   I have no issues with quant (167-169 range).

   Please let me know which of the above (Kaplan or MGRE) is a true indicator of one’s actual verbal score?

   Kiran
   • 

     Chris June 28, 2012 at 1:41 pm #

     Hi Kiran,

     That seems strange that you would drop so far from Kaplan. Typically the MGRE tests are more difficult, and the verbal content much more accurate and true-to-the- test, then Kaplan’s.

     With diligent practice on Magoosh coupled with vocab studying (have you checked out our vocab ebook: http://magoosh.com/gre/2012/gre-vocabulary-ebook/ ) should help push you into the 160s.

     Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions!
     • 

       Kiran June 28, 2012 at 6:25 pm #

       The scoring patterns of both the tests are different.

       For instance, in MGRE, I scored 12 and 12 correct in first and second verbal sections which fetched me a score of 157.

       In Kaplan, I scored 13 and 14 correct in first and second verbal sections which gave me only 153.
       It is very confusing. Can you clarify the pattern on which they arrive at scores?
       Thanks for your suggestion. Will try your vocab ebook.
       • 

         Chris June 29, 2012 at 2:51 pm #

         Hi Kiran,

         Honestly I have no idea exactly how they tabulate these scores. Something does seem a little awry if you answer every question and scoring below a 160. I have not heard this happening to anyone else. Anyone else out there having a similar experience?
         • 

           Kiran June 29, 2012 at 8:14 pm #

           Hi Chris
           I am sorry I did not make my position clear. I did not answer all the questions correctly as understood by you.
           My confusion was because I scored 12/20 and 12/20 for a verbal score of 157 in MGRE and scored 13/20 and 14/20 for a verbal score of only 153 in Kaplan where I should have scored more.

           Just wanted to know if there is a formula for calculation of the estimated scores by them.
           • 

             Chris July 18, 2012 at 3:25 pm #

             Hi Kiran,

             From what I’ve learned, Kaplan’ algorithm is a bit funky. Also, I’m pretty sure it is not the same one the test uses. That said, I would be surprised if your score differed drastically from the scores above.
10. 

    sony June 7, 2012 at 8:22 am #

    Hi Chris,
    Try to make a Weekly Challenge problem on your blog similar to manhattan.
    • 

      Chris June 7, 2012 at 2:38 pm #

      Sure, I plan on having a weekly math challenge problem and verbal one too. Stay tuned .
11. 

    AkshayaS13 May 28, 2012 at 1:17 am #

    Hello, Magoosh team!

    I’ve been studying about Magoosh for roughly 2 days now. To be honest, I’m still skeptical on purchasing it. Can you please draw a fine line between the privileges of non-registered vs. registered users. I’m sorry if I must have missed out something here which answers the above question. Please leave a link then.

    The thing is I already see a lot of Magoosh’s videos on Youtube, and blogs accessible by everyone! Also, I already have n number of GRE books for the New GRE (except MGRE ). Will all the above stuff be enough to score in the top percentiles, or, as I read from you posts, Magoosh+Manhattan is it!!?

    PS. Aiming for the 90th+ percentile in Math!
    • 

      Chris May 29, 2012 at 1:35 pm #

      Hi Akshaya,

      You are right – we do have a lot of free stuff out there .

      The major difference – and it is a huge difference – you get access to our Magoosh product. Hundreds upon hundreds of questions, essential lesson videos to help you strengthen your foundation, and the toughest Quant questions in the industry . And all that is wrapped up in a computer-based format (which helps prepare you test day).

      As for MGRE – their book material and on-line test is excellent. To access the on-line tests (there are 6 of them), you only need to buy one book.

      Putting Magoosh and MGRE together is the magic combo. And the rest…well you can read my book reviews .

      Let me know if you have questions, or if there is any other way I can dispel your skepticism .
      • 

        AkshayaS May 31, 2012 at 4:07 am #

        Skepticism dispelled! Thanks a ton, Chris!
        • 

          Chris June 1, 2012 at 1:01 pm #

          You are welcome .
12. 

    mohar May 2, 2012 at 8:45 pm #

    Hi Chris,

    I found magoosh gre a great help and it helped me to increase my gre score by 12 points

    from the previous one. My new gre score is 149(verbal) and 155(quant) for a total of 304.

    What are the possibilities of getting admission to M.S. in USA in electrical and computer engineering.
    • 

      Chris May 3, 2012 at 12:18 pm #

      Hi Mohar,

      Congrats on that great score increase! That’s a difficult question to answer. Your best bet is to use the data from the U.S. News and World Report article. My gut is telling me that for Comp. Sci. you may need a slightly more competitive score. Your verbal, though lower overall, should be fine.

      http://magoosh.com/gre/2012/what-is-a-good-score-on-the-revised-gre/

      Following this link, you can look at the old score range of people who were accepted to a university, and then use the concordance table (old score vs. new score) to get a rough sense of where you rank. Let me know if you have any questions!
13. 

    Lea April 4, 2012 at 6:18 am #

    Thank you so much for posting great information for the GRE!
    I need to score for the Revised GRE at least 153 Verbal; 144 Quantitative; with the written section remaining at 3.5
    I have been out of school for quite a while so I am very nervous about taking the GRE. I am hoping to study for and take it during the summer. Do you recommend self study over a prep class? If you had to pick a prep class which would you do you think offers the best approach?

    Thank you for your time,
    Lea
    • 

      Chris April 4, 2012 at 2:36 pm #

      Hi Lea,

      I would recommend trying out self-study for awhile. If you feel you are making progress (something you can do by taking a mock test every couple of weeks), then I would recommend sticking to that path. (The Magoosh product — gre.magoosh.com—provides an excellent way to make sure you are learning all the core concepts—we also provide hundreds of practice questions).

      If you need more prep and somebody to help you with your weaknesses, I would recommend an experienced tutor over a prep class. I haven’t heard many good things about the prep class (the all-size fits all approach). If you still decide to take the class, I’d recommend MGRE over Kaplan or The Princeton Review. MGRE has far more rigorous standards for employing tutors than do the other two).

      Hope that helps, and good luck .
14. 

    James February 16, 2012 at 7:47 am #

    Hello Team Magoosh, I just purchased the official ETS GRE study book and was curious if all of the explanations and videos for it that you all made are still available? There was a link at the top my dashboard a few weeks ago, but I haven’t seen it since. Once again, thanks for everything you guys do and continue to do.
    • 

      Margarette February 16, 2012 at 9:26 am #

      Hi, James

      Here’s the link: http://gre.magoosh.com/videos-for-revised-gre-official-guide

      Hope that helps!

      Best,
      Margarette