By now, you would have gone through the best GRE books, learned hundreds of new GRE words, and practiced thousands of quant and verbal questions. And now, you would anxiously want to test your GRE knowledge level on the actual grading scale of GRE.
But how do you do that?
By taking as many full-length GRE mocks
Taking GRE Mocks has several benefits:
- consolidate what you have learned
- build your stamina of working through a strenuous
- Four hour-long exam
- manage your timing
- strategizing your test-taking approach
To gain 100% benefit from the mock tests, I recommend taking at least six mocks before your GRE test day.
In this Article
Will GRE Mocks predict my score?
We all wish to have access to that one test, which can accurately predict our actual GRE score and give us all the assurance and confidence that we will need on the test day.
Unfortunately, there exists no such test. Moreover, the probability that the mock tests alone can predict (with 100% accuracy) what your actual GRE score will be is nearly 0.
Nevertheless, mock tests can predict a range in which your score will lie. In most instances, you can expect your score to lie within a range of +/-5 points to the score you are getting on your mocks.
Variations in the score
Moreover, as you take mock tests, you will notice that there is variation in the score you get on different mock tests.
For instance, you may score considerably higher on Princeton mocks than your score on the ETS Power Prep tests. This is because these different tests are of varying difficulty, and while some tests have more representative questions, others might have questions that test your knowledge differently.
Which GRE mock tests have more representative questions?
2 Full-length tests by Power Prep have the type of questions that you will find on the GRE. These mocks are created by ETS (publisher of actual GRE) itself.
Also, 6 Mocks by Manhattan does an excellent job of offering questions similar to what you can expect on the test. Other mocks such as those by Kaplan, Princeton, and Barrons are also good practices but have less real-like questions than those on the ETS or Manhattan.
6 MANHATTAN & 2 ETS POWER PREP are a very close PREDICTOR of your ACTUAL GRE SCORE. I would be more specific: The average Quant scores on the 6 Manhattan Mocks and the average Verbal scores on the 2 ETS will be close to predicting your actual GRE Score on test day. Make sure that you do these eight mocks and average out ETS’s verbal scores and Manhattan’s quant scores. Your actual GRE score will be very close to these averages.
Note of advice: Ensure that you take full-length mocks properly. That is, do not.
- pause your tests in between
- skip any sections such as the AWA
- cheat in any way during a mock.
By doing any one of the above, you will only be misguiding your self.
Watch out for any outliers.
Scoring less than 310 on seven mocks but scoring a 325 on one mock does not assure you of a 320+ score. Exclude such outliers; otherwise, your mean score will be biased.
Use mocks to be better prepared and not just as a predictive tool.
The primary aim of taking mock tests should not just be to predict your score but rather to prepare better for the grueling test day.
Your aim should be to dissect your mock tests and identify your weak areas. Then you need to work on those weaknesses before moving on to the next set of mocks.
The mocks are supposed to build your stamina and get yourself oriented to the test-taking experience.
Summary
Take all mocks by Princeton, Kaplan, Manhattan & ETS.
- Princeton & Kaplan are good practice.
- Manhattan’s 6 Mocks’ quant score will give you an accurate prediction of your test day quant score
- ETS’s 2 Mocks’ verbal score will provide you with a precise prediction of your test day verbal score
By accurate, I mean +/-3 in most cases. The above eight mocks will close the gap between your real GRE & practice test scores.