GRE, Should I even bother studying for verbal/analytical?

[markhobbus]

So I am planning on taking the GRE in March and I'm really only focusing on getting a perfect math score. Is this the wrong approach or should I also be working on the verbal/analytical. I would expect mediocre grades on verbal/analytical sections without prep.

A little background: 3.8 gpa with interdisciplinary Math/Econ major, american born, expecting good ref. letters, 2 finance internships. I will also have time for a retake during the summer if I mess up this test. I plan on applying to berkely, cmu, nyu, and columbia this fall.

All thoughts welcome.

 

[jackcoke]

Berkeley's admission requirements state that..

"We anticipate that the most successful applicants will have GMAT or GRE Quantitative scores in the 90th percentile. Verbal and Analytical scores should also be strong."

I think you might want to try getting a non-mediocre verbal/analytical score which will taint an otherwise polished application.

 

[ICQuant]

So I am planning on taking the GRE in March and I'm really only focusing on getting a perfect math score. Is this the wrong approach or should I also be working on the verbal/analytical. I would expect mediocre grades on verbal/analytical sections without prep.

A little background: 3.8 gpa with interdisciplinary Math/Econ major, american born, expecting good ref. letters, 2 finance internships. I will also have time for a retake during the summer if I mess up this test. I plan on applying to berkely, cmu, nyu, and columbia this fall.

All thoughts welcome.

Listen mate, I did the GRE exam without preparation as well. I thought that what matters would be a high GRE verbal as I believe that the GRE Verbal isn't a good measure of your communication skills in English anyway. I easily got a perfect Quant score (thus, i don't think you need that kind of preparation for the quant part. it's very easy) but a mediocre verbal score just like jackcoke said and I was denied (put on Hold) for UCB. Mind you that the remaining elements of my application are really strong.
So my advice would be to score a minimum of 500 in the Verbal section. I dunno how that converts in the new GRE, but aim on getting not less 70 percentile. It's a shame to be denied the place just because you didn't spend two months memorizing words and practicing essay questions.

 

[AMIRHAMED]

So I am planning on taking the GRE in March and I'm really only focusing on getting a perfect math score. Is this the wrong approach or should I also be working on the verbal/analytical. I would expect mediocre grades on verbal/analytical sections without prep.

A little background: 3.8 gpa with interdisciplinary Math/Econ major, american born, expecting good ref. letters, 2 finance internships. I will also have time for a retake during the summer if I mess up this test. I plan on applying to berkely, cmu, nyu, and columbia this fall.

All thoughts welcome.

As an international applicant I got Q:800 V:420, AW:4.
I practiced Quantitative part for just 8 hours and had no AW practice. So a US citizen must get a higher grade with little practice.
Although I don't know whether it is good or not. But if I were you I would invest on Verbal and AW much more than Q.

 

[bhavin]

Something to consider about the new GRE is that getting a "perfect" math score is much harder than it used to be. Previously 6% of students achieved an 800 - it was the 94th percentile. Now that ETS has re-adjusted the scale only 2% of students get a perfect 170 (the new 800.) In fact, some students that may have received an 800 on the old scale would only receive a 166 on the new scale. So a little bit of prep may help more than it did prior to the GRE changes.

 

[AMIRHAMED]

Something to consider about the new GRE is that getting a "perfect" math score is much harder than it used to be. Previously 6% of students achieved an 800 - it was the 94th percentile. Now that ETS has re-adjusted the scale only 2% of students get a perfect 170 (the new 800.) In fact, some students that may have received an 800 on the old scale would only receive a 166 on the new scale. So a little bit of prep may help more than it did prior to the GRE changes.

I got a 166 on the new exam,(94%) and according to the comparison table it was a 800 on old scale. I don't understand what is more that 166? I think the achievable grade is different from exam to exam.(a range from 166 on some exams to 170 on the others) Do you have any idea?

 

[bhavin]

Happy to help! The highest score on every exam is 170. One major criticism of the old exam was that it didn't differentiate the high scorers - basically that too many people received 800's. With the new exam, they've made it more difficult to receive a perfect 170 on math. Someone who gets a 170 on the new GRE is in the 99th percentile. 169 is likely in the 97th percentile...and 166 is the 94th percentile. That's still a very good score but not the highest. I actually answered a very similar question here: Is getting a 170/170 harder than getting an 800/800.

 

[AMIRHAMED]

Happy to help! The highest score on every exam is 170. One major criticism of the old exam was that it didn't differentiate the high scorers - basically that too many people received 800's. With the new exam, they've made it more difficult to receive a perfect 170 on math. Someone who gets a 170 on the new GRE is in the 98th percentile. 169 is likely in the 97th percentile...and 166 is the 94th percentile. That's still a very good score but not the highest. I actually answered a very similar question here: Is getting a 170/170 harder than getting an 800/800.

Thanks for your help, I think the reason I got a 166 is that I took the PBT version, and the maximum grade for it is probably 166.

 

[bhavin]

No problem. I'm pretty sure the max score for the PBT is also 170. 166 is still equivalent to 800 on the old scale, and it's a strong score, but the max is 170. http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/scores/

 

[ferdowsi]

BTW, 170 on the new math is 99th percentile, not 98th.

 

[bhavin]

Thanks! You're right. I've edited my earlier post. Here's a link to the new score percentiles: http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table1a.pdf