Is it even possible for me to get a decent score on GRE Quantitative?

January 16, 2019 6:40 PM

I’m thinking about applying to a business school with a requirement for a GRE Quantitative score of 155. I am pretty successful professionally (sixteen years professional experience, and seven years in a senior management position) and I think would otherwise be a good candidate, but maths is not my strong point.

I’m fine with spreadsheets and financial analysis etc., but can barely remember anything of what I did from algebra, geometry etc. which appears to be a big focus of the GRE Quantitative component. I’m also generally not maths minded, despite working in commercial/financial roles for most of my career.
Has anyone that’s done the GRE got any opinion on whether or not I could realistically obtain this score? I have about nine months up my sleeve to complete the test, so there is time to study, but I have no idea whether I should even bother.

posted by ryanbryan to Education (8 answers total)

Best answer: I used to teach GRE test prep.

1. Take an actual practice text under timed conditions and see how you do
2. Look over your missed answers. See if there are any areas that need real improvement (and how much were "mistakes")
3. get a test prep book from the library and really study
4. take a second test a month later

Are you getting better? Then you can probably continue to get better and a 155 isn't a really nuttily-high score. The big deal is not to think of it like "I need to relearn math" but "I need to learn enough math concepts to be able to do okay on a multiple choice test where I have a fair idea about the degree of difficult of each question." and then train with test prep materials (I used to work for The Princeton Review, I liked them, you can often get their books in libraries). Some of the techniques in the GRE include learning to answer fewer questions so you get more time on each if you're aiming for a score that isn't "get basically everything right" Good luck.
posted by jessamyn at 6:59 PM on January 16, 2019 [17 favorites]

I’m a statistician. In four tries over 5 years, I topped out at 153. Obviously, you’re a different person. Probably worth a shot though.
posted by OrangeVelour at 7:02 PM on January 16, 2019

I feel like for the GRE it's just as much standardized test-taking skill as subject matter skill, like jessamyn mentions. So even if math isn't your thing, I think it's definitely worth a shot! Source: my GRE percentiles were significantly higher than those of several people who are better and smarter than me at both math and the verbal/reading section.
posted by Maecenas at 7:18 PM on January 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

Most reasonably intelligent people can train themselves to be better test takers. If getting a better GRE score means funding or acceptance into a specific program, it is worth trying to learn how to be a better test taker.
With standardized test math in particular, there are a lot of shortcuts that people that are good at math are probably not familiar with.
I worked for a test prep company for years and there were ~3 major methods for answering any math question that dramatically reduced the time one spends on a question and eliminating possible answers to get to the right answer more quickly. As Jessamyn says, get a book and work at it. You'll be amazed.
posted by k8t at 7:30 PM on January 16, 2019

Don't get discouraged! Yeah, you have plenty of time, and like others have said, 155 is definitely an achievable goal if you "learn the test" like Maecenas suggests. Even if you're not great at math, you can strategize your way to a score like that. Lots of good test prep material floating around on the internet these days that will help you consolidate all the knowledge you feel you're missing.

( I taught and tutored GRE math for years so I have some pretty good context here). Feel free to PM me with any questions or if you need specific advice/input on your study plan.
posted by shaademaan at 7:32 PM on January 16, 2019

I took the GRE about seven years ago. I got a non-ETS test guide, and was surprised how different from the actual test the practice questions were (and some of the questions for the verbal portion were just poorly written / ambiguous). Take the free official ETS practice test under timed / reasonably test-like conditions and see how you do, review what you missed, then decide. I'm good at math but needed to review the geometry parts because I never really had geometry and there were some rules of thumb that were really helpful to know (right triangle ratios is one I remember).
posted by momus_window at 8:27 PM on January 16, 2019

Best answer: I got a 163, seven years back, just after the format changed. Granted, I had finished my masters only a few months prior, but it was in a different field and my math skills were (is!) bad (actual nightmares about calculus). I prepared for about a month or so. If I can do it, you certainly can.
What helped me -
(i) Using ETS recommended prep, including an in-house publication (I hope that still exists? If it does, it will be closest dupe to the real thing)
(ii) Using timed tests (again, either from ETS or recommended packages). Never more than one a day, and actually sitting down with the results to analyze what went wrong, seeking out similar problems to practice. It's so much easier once you grasp the basic principles.
(iii) Genuinely learning to respect the clock. I think the thing that helped me most on actual test day was using mark and review liberally - I finished all the sure shot stuff very quickly and could then concentrate on the trickier questions. I actually had to practice this because this is an easy area to get bogged down in (esp if you're a perfectionist, like I am)
A lot of it is high school math, nothing harder. I vaguely remember a lot of questions from inequalities...
You have ample prep time. Good luck! Do PM if you have more specific questions.
posted by Nieshka at 12:55 AM on January 17, 2019

I helped a (late-30s) colleague pass this test and she hadn't done any maths since age 16, and even then hadn't liked it or done well. Do as per the best answers you've marked and I'm sure you'll be fine, but also feel free to PM me for help if you feel like you're missing a big chunk from your understanding!
posted by london explorer girl at 4:08 AM on January 17, 2019