Hello folks!
I am starting my GRE journey today. I am a software engineer with a genuine interest in math so I am not that worried about the quant section. I completed the practise section of integers, primes, factors and multiples. I’m making some silly mistakes here and there (which I think is because I’m a bit rusty in regards to performing in a test like situation) but concept wise I’m still sound. I completed the 33 question section in about 35 minutes.
I can spare (on an average) about 1.5 hours a day on weekdays and 6-8 hours on weekends. Verbal and analytical writing is what I’m worried about. So some extra help here would be great! 
Diagnostic Test:
Verbal: 159
Quant: 167
I plan to join a Masters’ program in fall 2024 but plan to take the GRE in the next year. I am targetting to complete preparation within 4 months but am happy to extend if it means a better score. I see most people join with a short term requirement ie they want to take the exam a month or two after. Any guide or pointers for people like me would be appreciated.
Moving on, I am not sure if we’re allowed to discuss this in this forum. Does a higher GRE score mean better chances of getting an admit? I have seen some people say it’s used like a cut off but also have seen my friends get rejected in favor of candidates with similar profiles who scored higher. And it would make absolute logical sense to prefer the candidate with a higher GRE score given their profiles are similar-ish.
One more question is what would be some realistic universities which I can aim for given my profile? I know I am not getting into something like MIT or Cornell but I am not sure what universities I can get. I only have 1.5 years of full time experience in big tech which would become ~2.5 ish by the time I apply with no research experience. My GPA is also pretty decent with a 9.46.