Will studying for GMAT make me get better GRE scores?

Question

I plan to taking the GRE this year but I recently reached a stale point with improving my scores so I began to explore various resources.

I have been using GMAT Prep books for the Quantitative section, and this is really helping me improve my GRE Quant. scores. However, I am not so sure if this strategy can be applied for the Verbal section. Is the GMAT reading comprehension harder than the GRE? I feel like it is at the same level. GMAT grammar could help me improve my essay writing and I would need to increase my vocabulary for the GRE sentence completion questions.

Your thoughts and comments?

udaypratapsingh99 · Answer

If your plan is for GRE, then i'll suggest only GRE specific prep, as you may improve a little bit with gmat prep but you'll waste a lot of time. If you're stuck in improve, this sometimes happens because, with time, we divert from the precised approach to solve a question, so in that case, take a rest and start again from the basics. You'll see difference. Regarding RCs, this takes time to improve. Best thing you can do is read a lot of books. Read for long hours. Try reading 1 book per week, soon you'll see a drastic improvement.
Don't forget to press kudos, if my answer helps.

akela · Answer

Hi  Confusedstudent ,

Welcome to gmatclub!

GRE and GMAT are 2 inherently distinct exams. Although some topics in the syllabus are similar, they are not the same and the mode of preparation will definitely differ. So, it is better to use GRE books.

Hope this helps

m1033512 · Answer

My two cents

Focus on the exam specific material books mocks etc.

It will give you clear idea what is actually tested in the specific exam and you cam focus on practicing that .

Posted from my mobile device

Confusedstudent · Answer

I believe m1033512 got it right. I have taken many GRE prep exams, and done practice problems from the GRE practice material. I was able to get a idea that, for example, statistics and geometry are areas I am struggling with.

I believe that GMAT Qunat. books cover math fundamentals in a thorough manner (it makes sense because GMAT is graded in a much more tough manner- the grading is question based whereas GRE is section based). Obviously the GMAT Quant. books will strive to establish a strong math foundation due to the rigorous grading. From personal experience - the GMAT quant book helped me tackle prime number, factor and multiple concepts in such a effective way.

Akela and Uday mention valid points as well. What I have taken away from this discussion so far:

1) Do GRE mock tests until I get a strong idea about which concepts I am weak in, and concepts I am strong in
2) I can explore GMAT and GRE prep books to build my math fundamentals I am weak in 
3) I come back to GRE practice questions and mock tests to see if I have improved

All these steps are for the Quant. section

For reading comprehension I believe I need to do more practice and seeing improvement here will take months.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Confusedstudent,

Both the GMAT and GRE 'test' a number of the same concepts - although each has its own special Quant question type (DS and QC, respectively) and the GRE Verbal section places a much greater emphasis on a Test Taker's vocabulary knowledge. That having been said, many of the skills, Tactics and patterns that you can use to score at a high level on one Exam can be used to score at a high level on the other. Many Business School Programs accept either the GMAT or the GRE as part of the application process, so there's something to be said for focusing on whichever Exam is 'better' for you (assuming that the Schools that you plan to apply to accept both Exams).

Before I can offer you any additional advice, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied for each Exam?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs/mocks and practice GRE MSTs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT/GRE?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

udaypratapsingh99 · Answer

You got ut rught. And it's good that you mentioned taken points separately, it will help other followers too. Thanks for that. One more point to be added. Always ignore EMPOWERgmat's comment. They're always waste of time.

Posted from my mobile device

Confusedstudent · Answer

Thank you  uday ! I laughed readying your response. I am going to answer @EMPOWERgmat's comment just so other members can benefit more from this discussion.

Studies:
 1) How long have you studied for each Exam? 
I took the GRE early 2017 with only 10 days of preparation because people said it was a 'slighter tougher' version of the SAT (which BTW is not true- do not believe this). My score was Quant. 156 and Verbal 147. Writing 3.5 
I have studied for the exam on and off since then.

2) What study materials have you used so far? 
I do not just blindly follow a couple of prep books because this does not help that much especially if your goal is big score increases. My insights so far:
 GRE Verbal - One Section contains  
- half the questions are reading comprehension (the GMAT and GRE reading comprehension are at similar levels; btw the goal isn't to just do a bunch of reading, its to understand the various question types and to practice so much that you become so familiar with how to tackle each question type; two big question type categories -> general questions and detailed questions)
- half are sentence completion (You need to learn the vocabulary and  not  memorize- I got the GRE hot 500 or 1,000 word list and will slowly learn this)
- a few questions are short argument (The exact questions can be found on LSAT Logical Reasoning Section; note you can practice a lot here and get tons of practice problems)

GRE Quant. - One Section 
- There are around 10+ math topics (geometry, functions, probability, word problems, equations, roots, algebra, etc.)
- There is the part where there is a graph and you need to answer 3-5 questions about this graph 
- (Find out what math topics you are strong in and what you are weak in then go to the math fundamentals for weak topics then come back to see if you have improved- please look at my above comment in this discussion)

3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs/mocks and practice GRE MSTs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)? 
I have explored many books for the GRE from ETS (the people who make the GRE) Original Prep Book, Barrons, Kaplan, Manhattan Prep, etc. 
I have explored many GMAT books as well

Goals:
 4) What is your goal score? 
170 Quant and 170 Verbal, Writing 5-6 (everyone's dream score)

5) When are you planning to take the GMAT/GRE? 
Whenever I see a good improvement in my score. My issue is with verbal because it actually takes continuous practice and months before a score improvement can be see.
With Quant. the process if pretty straightforward, and improvements can be seen quickly (as compared to Verbal)

6) When are you planning to apply to Business School? 
I am in no rush. Maybe 2-3 years from now or maybe 5-6 years from now

7) What Schools are you planning to apply to? 
Oxford, Cambridge, (I am in the process of building the list)

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Confusedstudent,

Studying for the GRE/GMAT now - far in advance of when you'll 'need' your Score - is a smart choice. That having been said, having the proper structure and commitment to a guided study routine can make the whole process far more efficient (and save you time - and potentially some money). In my prior post, one of my questions was focused on your prior practice test Scores. From your response, it is not clear whether you have taken any FULL-LENGTH practice GREs yet. For example, you can access 2 for free from www.gre.org. Have you taken any of those practice tests yet (and if you did, then how did you score)? Taking practice exams under regular intervals - and under realistic, test-like conditions - is an essential part of training for any standardized test.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Confusedstudent · Answer

Hi @EMPOWERgmat,

Yes, I have taken full practice tests both online (I have already used up the 2 GRE practice tests offered on the gre website) and with prep books. With Math my score range is 156-160 and with verbal my score range is 147-152. If I am frustrated and not focused then I get a lower score (I make silly mistakes), and when I am focused I get a better score.

I understand that it will take continuous practice for months to see score improvement. I have weeks/months where I am all into practicing then I have weeks/months where I am not - I believe I should trust the process more and its okay if it takes longer than (my expectations) to see improvement.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Confusedstudent,

I'd like to know more about your practice Scores - but NOT the ones that you took through any books (or other print-based materials). There are specific aspects to Test Day that you can only 'mirror' when you take a practice Exam on a computer under realistic testing conditions - and THOSE Scores are the ones that are most relevant to defining your current ability level and what you will need to work on going forward.

1) On what date did you take each of your practice GREs and what were your Scores on each (including the Quant and Verbal Scores)?
2) Did you take the FULL GRE each time (including the Essays)?
3) Did you have to have to rush to finish any of the sections (and/or leave any questions unanswered?)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Confusedstudent · Answer

Hi @Empowergmat,

I honestly do not remember any dates for when I took the online exam and this is because I gave my online and prep book tests the same importance. This year I have just done prep book exams and have not taken any online ones.

To be honest, I am surprised by the importance you are giving to the practice computerized tests. In general I tend to skip the essay for any practice test I do. The essay isn't going to be graded so why give it? The only purpose of giving the essay would be to capture the full GRE test day experience (and I will try this since you have given great importance to this).

So what I have taken away from this is that every few months, I should do a computerized GRE test (with essay) and whatever score I get here will be the actual determinant of how much my score has improved.  (In that case I need to give a online GRE test soon to see where I am at)

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Confusedstudent,

Test Day is a rather specific event - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to do your best to 'mirror' those details when you take your practice GREs. The more you deviate during your practice, the more your scores can be "off" (and that often means 'inflated'). Considering the Goal Score that you listed, you cannot afford to be imprecise with how you take your practice Exams. I highly recommend that you take a NEW practice GRE sometime soon and take it in a realistic fashion (take the FULL Test - with the Essay sections, take it away from your home, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GRE, etc.). Once you have that score, you should report back and we can discuss the results and how best to proceed.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Confusedstudent · Answer

Hi @Empowergmat

In that case I will give this test sometime this month, I will let you know the results accordingly (I am going to give both the GRE and GMAT).

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Confusedstudent,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. First off, I’m wondering have you taken a practice GRE to get a baseline score? Also, what is your GRE score goal?

Regarding HOW to study for the GRE, although you may have been unable to improve your GRE score using certain GRE materials, the issue may be more related to which materials you were using rather than the fact that they were GRE-specific. That said, I believe that there are enough GRE-focused resources that you really don’t need to use GMAT prep materials for your quant prep. Although there is carryover between GMAT and GRE quant, GMAT quant materials won’t have numeric entry, multiple answer, or quantitative comparison questions. Additionally, GMAT prep materials have even less carryover for verbal, since the GMAT does not test Sentence Equivalence or Text Completion questions (heavily based on vocab).

If you are unsure of which GRE prep materials to use, you should take a look at GMAT Club’s sister site, GRE Prep Club, to read reviews of various GRE prep programs.

Certainly, if you’d like further advice on how to improve your GRE quant or verbal skills, feel free to reach back out, and I’d be happy to help. Also, you may find it helpful to read the following article about  How to Score 330+ on the GRE .

Good luck!

maiphgx · Answer

I have tried both GMAT and GRE and found out that their quant preps are complementary while verbal preps are not quite relevant. 
 1. Quant:  
- The foundation of GMAT and GRE quant is essentially the same, but I realized that the testing strategies of GMAT and GRE are vastly different. I need to get VERY creative at solving GMAT questions, while I just need to be careful at GRE questions. To be honest, after practicing GMAT quant, taking GRE quant is like a breeze for me...
- The difficulty per question is wild in GMAT. You might get the first couple of questions right, then the questions start to get insanely hard (to be solved in 1.60 minutes). I am not a good test taker as I lose my confidence quickly if I fail to solve a streak of questions. GRE also has an adaptive nature, but it adapts per section. It's easier to answer a block of all medium questions, knowing that you can go back to any question anytime (although you will not go back anyway). 
 2. Verbal:  
- GMAT and GRE test different things in their verbal section. GMAT seeks logic, and GRE seeks basic verbal skills (GRE still tests logic, but not as rigously as GMAT does). The strategies for each test are different. You will need to prep a lot of vocab for GRE, and tons of logic prep for GMAT. The vocab prep is painstaking but controllable, the logic prep sounds easy but time-consuming (and uncontrollable). If your logic is wrong, how do you know if your logic is wrong... The only similar part is reading comprehension. 
- Verbal is my biggest fear, so I find time management a bit difficult in GMAT. I tend to linger in SC questions as it "looks easy" and I always think "if I could linger a bit, I might answer it right". Also, I am afraid that if I get this question wrong early in the test, GMAT will punish me with the adaptive per question nature...This bad habit always drains my time, leaving me 6 minutes with two long passages at the end of the test...For GRE, when I see the vocab questions, I know whether if I could answer a question or not at the first glance. If I don't understand both nuance and words, I know I'm screwed and move on to other parts. It actually saves me tons of time for reading comprehension.

Again, it is totally up to you. I would recommend you take the practice test of both GMAT and GRE to see how well you score => pick the one that you are more confident that you can hit the target at a certain time frame and go for it.

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

The GRE requires a much stronger command of vocabulary than the GMAT.

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