So I took a diagnostic test randomly yesterday. For context, I took it in the afternoon after I’d been researching the best way to prep for this exam, and I felt very overwhelmed and not confident at all.
So I took at PowerPrep Diagnostic, and I got a 147 V, 142 Q. (I wanted to fudge these numbers because I’m embarrassed, but I decided to stay truthful.) I think I would have scored more on the verbal because during the first section I didn’t realize that you were only supposed to select 2 answers for the SATA, and I selected 3. I screenshot every question I got wrong and pasted it into Claude to see if it could identify patterns for what I got wrong and it said this “You’re not bad at math - you’re rusty on basic formulas and making careless errors under time pressure. Section 3 you panicked (4/12 = 33%), Section 5 you settled in (10/15 = 67%). What you’re missing: Exponent rules, Formula manipulation, Basic geometry, Fraction algebra, Data interpretation…Overall I think I guessed on 75% of the quant section. So idk how I made 10/15 on the last section.
Regardless, my question to you is whether or not I should put my head down and study this test non-stop for the next 4 weeks. I was going to take it April 10th. The deadline for the program I’m applying to is May 15. So hypothetically, if I take it April 10, I can take it again 21 days later. However, that would bring me to the week of May 4th to retake it and idk if that’s enough time for the school to receive my results before the deadline.
I know I have a wildly long way to go. I haven’t touched math for over 20 years. My program minimums are 150Q 150 V, 3.5 writing, but the rest of my application is solid. My plan of attack, as far as studying goes, is to dive into Gregmats “I’m Overwhelmed” plan and then do the Magoosh flashcard app. I also have the entire GRE vocab list on Anki.
TLDR; I need to get my veryyy low score up to a 150V and 150Q in ~4 weeks. Is this possible? Or should I forego applying this round and apply to schools who don’t require the GRE. Would you take the test April 10 and then again 21 days later, or give yourself 2 more additional weeks to study? However, this would mean I only get to take the test once, and I’d just pray to God that I get a good score. I don’t have many commitments and I can study ~4-6 hours a day (but probably more tbh) until I take the test. Also, would you retake the diagnostic test right now, or wait another week and see if that really was a good representation of my baseline or it was just a fluke because I was tired, overwhelmed, and unfocused?
Thanks for your help, please let me know what plan you think I should do. In the meantime, I’m going to focus on the “I’m Overwhelmed Plan” and chip away at the quant section.