Owned by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a test taken by aspiring students who want to study for a Master’s program abroad. The test is designed to measure the verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking skills of the test takers.
What is a good GRE score out of 340? On average, a 320 GRE score is considered to be a good GRE score. As GRE is one test that is today widely accepted across universities not just for masters in science but for law and business streams as well, it is roughly taken by half a million aspirants every year. However, only a few candidates achieve the desired, good and highest GRE score. To study at a University/college of their choice.
How to score 320 on GRE in 20 days? Everyone has their own way of preparing for an exam. Some spend months, while others may choose to adopt a more targeted approach by preparing for it in a shorter period of time. Here, we look at strategies and study plans to follow if you are looking for how to improve your GRE score from 300 to 320. And how to prepare for the GRE in 30 days for a 320+ score.
Is it easy to score 320 on GRE? The usual tips for cracking the GRE are: taking the diagnostic test, learning vocabulary, strong and weak points, etc. The GRE online coaching or the GRE books would have given you enough tips on all of this.
The exam basically tests you on your quantitative understanding, that is basic mathematical skills and verbal reasoning, that is how well you can understand the English language, and how any statement made is supported by enough proof. Both the GRE Quant and the GRE verbal sections are going to be at the level of tenth grade.
Though conceptually they belong to a basic level, the questions can be twisted enough for you to be confused. This is not the only lock but a bigger ‘twist in the plot’ is the time that you have in hand. The questions can be confusing enough for one to spend more time than required and, as a result, score less than expected.
Then comes the AWA, Analytical Writing Assessment, where the aspirant would have to produce one detailed essay, analysis of an issue. This subjective presentation of one’s opinion could be a decent reflection of one’s school of thought.
The exam requires one to be well-versed in the concepts of mathematics from tenth grade. Though English would be a bit more of a challenge. It would require one to be familiar with a special set of words that the exam would test you upon in multiple ways. These are just the tip of a bigger structure that involves the usage of those words, synonyms, antonyms, and forms of words. All of this has to reflect in the essay or the subjective writing and of course, answering the MCQs as well to get a Good GRE Score.
Undoubtedly, practice will make a difference. But what is the practice one has to align to get the 320 highest GRE Score range?
Every student has their own strengths and weaknesses. Some might be good with mathematical skills, the others with language. Irrespective of which academic background one would belong to, their analytical abilities are gauged based on quantitative and language comprehension in this exam.
Accordingly, one has to practice topics in mathematics like percentages, basic geometry, and other topics including quantitative information. The verbal and the essay parts of the exam test the student on how well familiar he/she is with words, usages, figures of speech, and also the implicit meanings.
Undoubtedly, Manya – The Princeton Review’s GRE practice tests bring about a great deal of difference. One should start with a GRE mock test online to understand one’s performance and make the necessary modifications in their responses in the actual exam. Practicing only the GRE mock tests online doesn’t help in desired score improvement. Techniques and practicing techniques are the keys to success in this exam.
The full-length free GRE Online practice tests should only be an arena where the techniques play out. Without technique and practice of technique, any number of GRE full-length mock tests will never be able to bring about considerable improvement for the student. So, GRE full-length practice tests are important, but they should be a follow-up to the technique.
The source of information is an extremely important step at the start of the preparation. For students to familiarize themselves with the exam and understand the nuances of the exam and acquaint themselves to achieve their dream of 320 highest GRE score.
The source of information should neither scare the student nor make them complacent with respect to the standard of the exam. It should be conducive to generating enough intrigue in the student so as to initiate a learning curve that would last for a longer period of life. The skills learned should be reflected as early as possible in their presentations.
For example, the analytical writing practice is expected to show a considerable enhancement in the way the student develops the statement of purpose (SOP) for each university. If this does not happen, the source of preparation is not bringing the right change which might not last long enough to bring about a shift in the lifestyle.
This is an important question that can be answered only and only by the GRE aspirant and no one else. One needs to take help and assistance from professionals and well-curated material in the learning phase but needs to be sure when he could face the actual test by himself only. None can try and convince or push another into taking the test when not ready. Being ready is a state of mind that comes only out of sheer confidence and surety in their abilities and conceptual awareness.
There is no hard and fast rule for a GRE aspirant to complete the preparation in a stipulated time frame. One needs to nurture themselves into understanding what the exam needs them to be and what is necessary for achieving their dream score.
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Needless to say, with limited time at hand to prepare for the GRE exam, this approach requires greater discipline and focus. Thus the question always asked by GRE aspirants is, is it easy to score 320 with a GRE study plan? Or perhaps a common query, is 320 a good GRE score?
Well, the answer is typically based on each student’s ability and determination. But one thing is for sure no target can be achieved without a plan. Thus, here is a simple GRE study plan given below to help an aspirant achieve a GRE full mark.
As a general rule, there are two things to be followed for making any GRE study plan:
Here is a Sample; GRE Calendar
| Days | 1ST Week of GRE Preparation |
| Monday | GRE Quantitative + GRE Verbal Study |
| Tuesday | GRE Analytical Study |
| Wednesday | GRE Quantitative + GRE Analytical Study |
| Thursday | GRE Analytical Questions |
| Friday | GRE Analytical + GRE Verbal Study |
| Saturday | Take A Break, Give A Online GRE Test Prep |
| Sunday | Rest for the Day, do other Physical Exercise |
If the score of your GRE mock test tells you that your math is strong and the verbal section is weak, pick verbal as the section with specific topics to focus on first to learn and practice in the first week. For example, if you study for 3 hours a day learning a topic, spend the remaining hours practicing what you have learned.
Pick the weakest section first. For example – if it is reading comprehension, spend time learning techniques to improve your speed and then practice the tips and tricks learned that very day. Do not leave it for another day as that will impact your retention power. First practice by taking GRE mock tests meant to help you with the RC section, and then move on to practice with the previous year’s GRE question papers.
Apart from taking official GRE practice tests, you will have to put your learning to practice in your everyday life.
For Instance – To improve your reading speed, make sure you read one long article from the editorial section of a newspaper daily. Time yourself to see how to improve your GRE score from 300 to 320 aiming for a GRE 320 score. By applying the techniques learned during your study period.
TIP – Irrespective of what section you pick to focus on from Day 1 start working on your vocabulary. There is no way one can spend a week on vocab alone to achieve the desired target. Make it a habit to learn at least 70-80 new words a day. An approach to follow is the mnemonic strategy.
For example, associate words with objects or images that will help you to recall the words and their meanings. You can use flashcards or can also study prefixes and suffixes and word roots with meanings so that you remember them. There are several Apps available to assist you with learning new words like – Manya’s GRE WordsApp as it is a simple and efficient app to learn the GRE vocabulary.
It helps you memorize the GRE words easily. Improve your GRE vocabulary in bite-sized pieces using this app. It has 1300+ highly tested GRE words in three categories and each category is further broken down into levels for easy learning.
The more targeted approach you take, the higher your chances of success. Avoid worrying about other topics at this stage, as it will only distract you and divide your attention to what needs your immediate focus.
Even before you start studying for the GRE exam, as a pre-work, you will first need to put a plan in place. With 30 days in hand. And asking the question oneself is how to score 320+ on GRE in 1 month? clarity on the following points will be your starting point:
Once you have analyzed these points and gained clarity on them, it is time to start with the actual study plan. Before commencing, there is only one more thing left to do, which is as crucial as the plan itself – Commitment.
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE GRE PREP;
All the planning, research, and organizing will go to waste if it’s all on paper with no execution. Sticking to the plan and schedule is vital for success. We are not saying it has to be followed to the tee, but staying on track with the timelines can help you accomplish your goals within the timeline.
Structure of the GRE Exam
During your pre-study phase, familiarization is a good place to start. GRE, like any competitive exam, has its own pattern. To ace the GRE exam it is important to know the exam format to understand how it has been designed and structured. Gaining in-depth knowledge of the GRE exam format will highlight all the important information related to the exam, which otherwise may get ignored.
Instead of completely relying on information taken from others it is always good to spend time gathering the details of the exam yourself. The initial pages of the ETS official guide will give you all the necessary information and overview needed relating to the GRE exam structure. You will learn about the GRE exam pattern, various sections, scoring, and question types.
GRE Syllabus According to the GRE Exam Pattern
| GRE Subject | Duration |
| GRE Quantitative Reasoning | Section 1: 18 minutes
Section 2: 23 minutes
|
| GRE Verbal Reasoning |
Section 1: 21 minutes Section 2: 26 minutes |
| GRE Analytical Writing | 30 minutes
|
Baseline GRE Score
Before the preparation, your baseline GRE score will tell you what score you would have received if you were to take the GRE test today. This is vital for you to know, as this will bring out your subject and section-wise strengths and weaknesses. The practice test will provide a testing environment similar to the real GRE test. Thus, the result will give you a clear picture of the subjects you are good at and the ones you need to pay more attention to.
Taking the practice test will also help you familiarize yourself with the ETS question’s style and pattern.
Manya GRE Tests
Manya – The Princeton Review has successfully prepared thousands of students for GRE exams over the years. They have full-length GRE mock tests designed by experts for aspirants to help them understand where they stand in terms of their knowledge of each section of the GRE exam.
One can take a full-length GRE Free practice test to have an opportunity not only to familiarize with the actual GRE test format but also with the use of various tools like the Mark button, review screen, essay tools, online calculator, and more. There are paid versions available which we advise you to take at later stages of your study plan to track your progress as you prepare for the GRE exam.
Once you have your first mock test GRE exam score, you will have clarity on the subjects and sections you are strong with and the ones that require more of your time and focus to improve on them. Based on this information, now is the time to make your actual schedule which will go – week, day, and hour-wise.
As time is limited you will have to move to the next topic or section that most require your attention. If it is quantitative questions in the quant section, you know it requires your focus, start with the preparation right away in week 2.
Pick the best prep book that suits your need to learn the techniques and practice for the subject. There are plenty of books and guides available, basis feedback we recommend-
These are three trustworthy and reliable sources to learn and practice for the quant section.
Though there will be a calculator provided for the actual GRE test as part of the on-screen display, do not totally depend on it. Learn mental math techniques to do simple and basic calculations to save time to decrease your dependability on the digital calculator.
Alongside practicing for the quant section, it is now time to start maintaining an error log. An error log is a record of topics, which you may not be getting right, even after learning the formulas during your practice. Keeping the error log organized topic-wise will make it easy for you to remember where you need additional support. Based on the error log and time in hand you can decide what kind of extra support you require – face-to-face training, live GRE online classes, or targeted subject and topic-wise resources designed by GRE test prep experts.
So far, you have spent weeks 1 and 2 familiarizing yourself with the GRE exam pattern and strengthening weak areas, with significant time spent on putting your learning to practice.
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The GRE full marks or your combined GRE score range starts from 260-340. For the current GRE test pattern, there are three scores reported – the Verbal Reasoning score, the Quantitative score, and the Analytical Writing score. The Verbal Reasoning score and the Quantitative score range between 130-170 each and contribute to your final combined GRE score. Your official GRE score also contains an Analytical Writing score reported on a 0-6 scale. Any section in which you answer no questions at all will be reported as a No Score (NS).
The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections are section-level adaptive. This means the computer selects the second section of a measure based on your performance in the first section. Within each section, all questions contribute equally to the final score. For each of the two measures (verbal and quant), the number of questions you answered correctly makes up the raw score. The raw GRE score is then converted to a scaled score through a process known as equating. This ensures that a scaled score for a particular measure reflects the same level of performance regardless of which second section was selected and when the test was taken.
The issue essay is evaluated on a 6-point scale, by an e-rater (computer) and a trained human evaluator. If the human and the e-rater score closely agree, this score is used as the final score. If they disagree, a second human evaluates the essay, and the final score is the average of the two human scores. The final score on the essay is rounded to the nearest half-point interval on the 0–6 GRE score range scale. A single score is reported for the Analytical Writing measure.
Test takers who take the GRE test more than once can decide which GRE scores to use while applying to universities. The ScoreSelect® option can be used by anyone with reportable scores from the previous five years. But the GRE scores for a test administration must be reported in their entirety. Institutions receive score reports that show only the scores that test takers selected to send to them. There are no special indications about other GRE attempts.
Every candidate would wish to know where he/she stands with one’s skill set before taking the GRE exam. This is where GRE score prediction is necessary. If you are confused and worried about whether this would be a complicated process, GRE Score Prediction is the right solution for you.
The Raw score is equivalent to the total number of correctly answered questions and the GRE scores for both sections of the GRE exam are based on this. Both Verbal and Quant sections have 40 questions each, in total 40 being the highest GRE raw score achievable in either section.
This raw score is then rated on a GRE score range scale of 130-170 which will be the final GRE score. Kindly be informed that raw scores are not exactly the same as the final GRE score as ETS reserves the right to adjust points for selected questions on the basis of their relative difficulty level.
In situations where an average set of candidates are unable to attempt a question accurately then that particular question will be rated as harder than average, thereby increasing the chances of getting more points on answering such questions correctly, comparatively higher than the standard GRE questions. This will entail extra points on your final GRE score.
The difference between Raw and Official score, however, will be minimal.
The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the GRE exam, consisting of two essay questions, is not rated in a binary format hence a raw GRE score that can directly be converted to a 40-point score is non-existent.
Instead, the essay is based on a rubric score that GRE scores range from 0 to 6 with the calculations being done in half-point increments.
The AWA section is graded by a human examiner as well as a computer scorer-– ETS’s e-rater scoring engine. If the two GRE scores received are the same, the average becomes your final score, else in case of any discrepancies between the two, the two human examiners evaluate the section and the average becomes the final GRE score.
Due to minimal differences between the Raw and the Final scores, the Raw GRE score gives a good idea of the final adjusted GRE score. However the same may be tricky for the GRE AWA section though the prediction is still possible with the help of an expert or a guide who can assess your written work against GRE standards. Taking multiple tests to prove consistency is a good plan, to begin with, to accurately predict your score for the same. The ETS GRE Student Portal takes care of these student needs through practice tests, as do many unofficial ones.
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On the GRE General Test, three scores are reported:
The GRE percentile scores help the Universities to compare your performance against that of other test-takers. If your score corresponds to the 80th percentile, it means you are among the top twenty percent of the test-takers in terms of the score. The universities can either use the percentiles or exact scores as a benchmark for admissions.
The colleges do not accept the scores directly from the students. It has to be sent by ETS. The students can send the scores to four colleges on the day of the test at no extra cost. But if the student prefers to send the scores later or to additional schools, then he/she has to pay an additional $30 for every recipient.
For incorrect answers, nothing is deducted from your score. It is best to answer every question in order to maximise your Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores.
There are two types of MCQs on the GRE exam – MCQ with one answer choice and MCQ with one or more than one answer choice. In the second type, the student has to choose the only and correct answer choices.
How long should one prepare for the GRE depends on many factors- where do you currently stand and what is your score expectations. Practically one may need two or three months of intensive preparation should work. You need to take regular tests to gauge your preparation. A study plan should help you manage time effectively.
You have to take a diagnostic (full-length) GRE test to set the baseline. This will help you know where you stand and how far are you from your target score. Accordingly, choose a course or books to help you prepare for the test.
Here are some tips to help you prepare for the GRE exam:
1. Know the rules of the game – Get thorough with the structure, format, and scoring of the test.
2. Review the essentials (basic concepts) required for the test. For verbal, learn vocabulary and for math, learn the basics of the math topics tested.
3. Learn techniques, strategies and pacing tips to boost your score.
4. Practice questions from standard GRE materials.
5. Take GRE Full-length practice tests at regular intervals and review the test to learn from the mistakes.
For more on GRE prep, see our guide for making a GRE study plan.
Scoring a 320 can be a tough task as the GRE percentile is around 80 or above. But, GRE is a section-adaptive. If you want to get admission for a specific course, you need to up your game and should score good in each section as most of the universities look at the section score rather than the actual score.
Usually a 75th percentile is considered as a pretty good GRE score and 90th percentile is a great GRE score. Thus, a score of 318 and above is good, whereas a 329 is an excellent score. 300+ is considered as an average score and a score of 392 is considered below average.
If you are planning to achieve a certain target score or a baseline score in your GRE exam then you should opt for a complete study plan. You should put in your best efforts and make the best use of the time while preparing for the GRE exam. But before all this, one should know their strengths and weaknesses. You should explore and use the best study material which will help you work on your weak points.
The faster you learn the new topic/concept, the easier it will become for you to reach the target score. Your foundation is very important as the GRE tests knowledge that has been already taught to you over an extended period of time. You should set up a target score as it will keep you motivated to achieve it. Practice for the GRE exam in a similar test environment. Take the mock tests that are as feasible as the actual GRE. Atlast, practice till you are perfect in every section of the GRE.
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