GRE General Test Practice Score vs. Actual Score?

Question

Hi, I've studied for a few weeks for the GRE General test, using paper tests and Kaplan CD with actual CAT format. The best score I got was today, 670 verbal and 790 math. I'm wondering, do your practice scores translate to the same scores on the actual test? or, did you get the same scores on the practice and the real test? (difference of 10points)

Percentiles aside

Thanks for the help

yea, when i said "difference of 10 points" i meant that +/- 10 is pretty much the same score. Thanks

Does anyone know a special way of studying the vocab? I'm not worried so much about long, complicated words as I'm worried about short words that can't be deciphered using the "root" system, ie "beard" or "surly"

Answer 1

Were your other most recent scores pretty close to these as well? Sometimes when students are studying for the test, their scores swing wildly, since they are applying techniques and strategies inconsistently.

You should be scoring about 20 points over your goal score, and doing so consistently, for the week or so before you take the real test.

Also, some people react differently to an actual test taking environment. If you have anxiety problems, your score may go down, but if you enjoy the thrill of it, your score may go up. Make sure that you are consciously applying the same strategies that you used in practice during the real test.

On the bright side, the Kaplan tests are usually pretty hard. Try the free test that you got when you registered, too, and you should have a good idea of where you are.

Good luck to you, with the test and grad school!

Answer 2

If you took the test in an honest, timed way. the actual test score should be very close.

However, since there are multiple versions, you will naturally do better on some versions than on others. Your score will probably be close to the average of your last 3 practice tests.

Looks like you have the math down, keep studying those GRE vocabulary words!

Answer 3

Since there is a standard degree of measurement for such tests, statistically speaking, a difference of 10 points really is no difference. Or thinking of it another way, where you take a test, the time you take it, what you had for breakfast, the resolution of your monitor, knowing one is a practice test, the other isn't, and a thousand other things could be variables that made the 10 point difference, so I don't know how you could make any definitive statement about a practice vs actual score.