<p>I routinely get excellent to perfect scores on the Princeton GRE practice tests on the verbal sections only. I know that this isn’t the same thing as the real exam, but when I take the GRE I’m aiming for a perfect verbal score anyway. </p>
<p>My brain feels happy and well-stimulated when I take verbal drills and practice tests. I might actually think its fun. </p>
<p>What does this say about my style of learning and reasoning skills? Personally I think that learning how to do well on the GRE doesn’t necessarily transfer over to other tasks. But since I do well on the verbal sections without specifically prepping for it beforehand, I think it speaks to years studying in a particular way.</p>
<p>In case you’re wondering, my math scores are distinctly average. I do well on the data interpretation and statistical questions, but mediocre to average on the theoretical algebra and geometry sets. I’m working on getting better.</p>
<p>It means you are probably a good standardized test taker. You likely find it fun, because it reaffirms your sense of self-worth. (I don’t mean this in a bad way. When you get a good score on a test, you’re going to be happy. When this happens repeatedly, you’re going to feel extremely good about yourself, which makes taking the test “fun,” because you know you’re good, and the test just “confirms” that sentiment.) </p>
<p>For everything else: You are likely someone with a pretty decent mental lexicon, and someone who can analyze never-before-seen words just through sheer familiarity with the English language. You are also somebody who knows what the GRE is testing for, and this probably helps you sift through incorrect answers in the reading passages.</p>
<p>That you like to take tests? That you may have a big vocabulary? I don’t think enjoyment of the GRE is directly relevant to a lot of other tasks in life, because rarely are you asked to write essays in 25 minutes or answer brain-teasers for a living.</p>
<p>I got a 790 on the verbal section of the GRE (missed one or two questions, I think) without much prep. I think the two biggest benefits have been 1) I have a very large vocabulary which is very useful in grad school and 2) I’m pretty good at very quickly figuring out the conventions of a particular institution or test and adapting very quickly to them.</p>
<p>I love this thread. Graduate students dgaf.</p>
<p>If the GRE were a person, I would choke him to death with my bare hands, and then curb stomp his deadbody until there’s nothing left.</p>