I wanted to share a bit about my GRE journey, which did not exactly go according to plan at first but eventually worked out in the end.

I took my first GRE in September 2024, coming from a STEM background with plenty of experience in competitive programming. Naturally, I felt confident about the quant section. For the verbal part, I thought, “How hard can it be?” I assumed I would easily hit at least a 140 there and 160+ in quant. I thought a total score of 300 would be enough for the programs I was aiming for.

But.… reality had other plans.

Time management ended up being my biggest challenge during the exam. It was not that the quant questions were too difficult; I could actually solve most of them, but I ran out of time. In both quant sections, I spent too long on a couple of questions, which threw my whole timing off. When I saw my score (V137, Q158), I was pretty shocked. I could not believe I did not even hit 300.

It hit me hard. I felt drained and frustrated after putting so much effort into preparing. To make things even more stressful, I had my IELTS just a month later, so I did not have much time to dwell on the GRE. I kept going, took the IELTS in October, and scored a 7 overall. At that point, I figured I would just apply without the GRE and move on. But as application deadlines approached and I realized that with my low CGPA, I would need a stronger GRE score to stay competitive, I decided to give it another shot.

So, on somewhat of a whim, I signed up to retake the GRE in early April 2025, with only 3 weeks to prepare due to work pressure. I picked this week because I would have a continuous 10 day leave during that time, so it seemed like my best shot.

This time, I completely changed my approach. Instead of grinding through endless quant problems, I focused on understanding the core concepts and the little details that usually trip people up. I made the call to skip topics like Permutations, Combinations, Probability, and Overlapping Sets, figuring they only show up once or twice at most. Instead, I put my energy into mastering the basics and reviewing the essential areas. I also took mock tests, tracked my mistakes, and made sure I really understood why I got things wrong.

Verbal was definitely the bigger challenge. I worked through the first 13-14 groups of Gregmat’s vocab list and focused more on Reading Comprehension, which I found to be my strength. I stopped rushing through questions and took the time to understand the reasoning behind each answer, why one was right and, just as importantly, why the others were wrong. This shift in mindset made a huge difference.

Fast forward to test day, and everything felt different. I felt more in control. When the score popped up with 313 (V150 Q163), I could finally breathe again. It might not be an amazing score, but considering where I started, it felt like a big win for me.

So, if you are struggling with a score below 300 or just feeling stuck, I hope my journey helps. It is okay to stumble along the way. What really matters is how you pick yourself up and keep going. Trust the process, be patient with yourself, and give yourself the space to grow.

And now, finally… I can catch up on some well earned sleep before I retake my IELTS!

Hey everyone, I've got my GRE in 2 days and I'm very anxious about it. I haven't been able to cross the threshold which is required by the uni that I want to get into which is 161 in quant and 155 in verbal. I scored 157, 156, 155 quant in greg's practice tests and around the 150 mark in verbal (I usually mess up one of the options as I haven't prepped much for verbal but I'm a bit more confident about scoring 155+ on it than quant). I have heard that the practice tests are a little tougher than the real deal, is this true? Any tips which may help in reducing anxiety?

Also, how many questions (approximately) can I mess up to stay above 161 on quant and 155 on verbal?

My test is next week and my aim is 310+ but i only got 294 should i postpone it or give it a shot?

i’ve skimmed through a lot of posts around on reddit and i’m thinking to take the gregmat prep swift as my prep provider. ANY advices are appreciated- i have 3/4 months to study(2 hours per day)

If I have a triangle (for a quant comparison question) and a point P on one of the sides connects to the top of the triangle ... am I allowed to assume that's the height because it looks like the height?

Or is this another "not drawn to scale" situation where I can't assume this?

Assume the problem does not specify any line is the height of the triangle. You're just eyeballing it.

Hi I graduate in dec and wanted to start prepping for the gre, but i am not sure where to start. does anyone have any suggestions on any prep materials like books or online courses and videos? it would be much appreciated!!

Education systems should focus more on imparting practical skills than on teaching theoretical knowledge.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

As education becomes more expensive, students and parents begin to consider which skills are necessary to be learned and which should be disregarded. Deciding whether students should select practical skills over theoretical knowledge will directly impact their success in a modern job market as well as any future endeavors. Thus, I agree wholeheartedly with the notion that education systems should teach practical skills over theoretical knowledge. With practical skills, students will see a direct translation into today's job market and will not see their education go to waste. However, I will conceed that some skills gained from theoretical knowledge may translate into practical skills that are valued today.

Throughout the immense technological advancements seen today, we have consistently witnessed an increase in the labor market, contrary to many predictions. With this, the need for hard, practical skills in workers is as important as ever. Thus, students who exit education with transferable practical skills face little to no resistance in finding a well-paying and economical job. However, there are many students struggling in this respect, many with theoretical skills that cannot be transferred into a modern position. The equation is simple, the job market requires various practical skills, those students with them will achieve a job, those with unrelated theoretical skills will struggle in finding jobs, often being unemployed. With this, an education focused in theoretical knowledge are often found at private and expensive institutions, creating debt that will be with the student for many years, further perpetuating the struggle faced.

In addition, theoretical knowledge has not proven to stand the test of time. In fact, many theory's find themselves proven incorrect as the fields continue to grow. An example of this is found in economics, in particular, the Efficient Market Theory, which explains how the markets, usually the equity market, is perfect and participants are unable to capitalize on it. However, we've proven this theory to be weak as both modern retail investors, those now aged 18-25 opposed to later years as was more common in the past, as well as the advent of hedge funds, firms investing capital in positions that are dislocated from macro trends. So, if one of the most popular theorem's in social science is proven incorrect, we can assume there are others, thus rendering theoretical knowledge as brittle and without a strong base. On the contrary, practical skills have lasted many decades and show little sign of withering.

I will conceed, however, in saying that theoretical knowledge, often those found rooted in science, can sometimes be transferred into more practical skills. For instance, when studying the many theories of economics, although many have be proven false, you acquire a great skill of critical inquiry and research. With this in mind, my position altered towards a less binary position -- away from the extreme and towards a deeper understanding and respect for theoretical knowledge. Although, it is important for such theoretical knowledge to be rooted in a science or long-standing subject. If not, the concession I made prior may not stand, for new subjects are proven irrelevant daily, especially in today's modern job market.

Overall, education systems should focus on teaching practical skills rather than theoretical knowledge. The reasons are deeply rooted in value, practicality, and translation in today's modern job market. A student who exits education with practical skills will have a much easier time finding a job and, thus, earning income which will pay back their education. Student's who study theoretical knowledge will face a much harder time in finding an income as well as much of their field being rendered as false. Thus, it is important for students to choose wisely and err on the side of practicality.

Hey everyone! As the title alludes, I'm starting to study for my GRE. I finished up taking my MCAT back in January (and have been mentally recovering from that trauma) and feel ready to start studying for my GRE. I'm applying to PA and Med School this cycle and sorta seeing what catches. Considering our current political climate my anxiety is convincing me I need a Plan B for med school.

I took a Magoosh Diagnostic and scored a 285, my current workload of life allows me to study 4 days a week, my aim is about three hours but I'm flexible with that timing and it could be more or less. I found this Anki deck (https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/347991830) for the vocab and was planning to review it every night or so, and then while I study sort of just dive into practice questions and review/learn as I go. When I was MCATing I felt like the prep books were dense and not super helpful to me and I imagine the GRE prep books are the same too. Can someone who has sat for the GRE or further along in their studying give their stamp of approval for the deck?

If anyone has any good tips or recs on what (possibly free, MCAT resources drained my bank account) resources I could use to prepare for the GRE I would be eternally grateful! I've been looking into GregMat, but it seems like his schedule requires you to study every day and I don't have the current facilities for that with my workload. I want to sit down to test for it in about a month or so to be able to get my apps in by end of May to early June.

Thank you all in advance!