Hello!
I’m writing this post because I was curious about the quality of Kaplan, Princeton Review, Manhattan Prep, and Crunch Prep practice tests in relation to the actual GRE exam.
Now, I’ve heard that Kaplan’s practice tests can be harder than the actual GRE, and I’ve seen ample evidence of this on numerous forums. But, most of the aforementioned evidence seems to have come from 2012-2013. I’m not sure if this claim of difficulty still holds true today.
So far, my practice exam scores have been as follows (listed in chronological order, with corresponding practice test scores):
- Kaplan MST 1: 170 Q/163 V (was very relaxed on this day, took it after prepping with one of the 8 booklets from Manhattan Prep, with a specific focus on Reading Comp; no prep for math)
- Crunch Prep: 159 Q/163 V (no prep for math, so not a surprise, per se)
- Kaplan MST 2: 164 Q/155 V (I was really sick on this day - I had a migraine, and I foolishly took this exam after having studied for 2-3 hours... never doing this kinda thing again!)
- Kaplan MST 3: 164 Q/168 V (Took this today... maybe I was lucky? Who knows?)
- Princeton Review: 163 Q/161 V (Also took this today... I know, I know - I've learned my lesson, with migraines and all...)
I know that Power Prep II has a rather robust scoring algorithm and reliable level of difficulty (at least, that’s what I’ve heard).
If I could get input from anyone who’s taken the GRE within the last year regarding the reliability of all of these practice exams in comparison to the actual exam, as well as their relative levels of difficulty, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!