<p>I'm in the process of applying to graduate schools. I have two questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>How accurate are Kaplan and Powerprep in preparing and predictiong scores for the GRE? I ask as I've taken a practice test with each and bizarrely I did better in the math, significantly so in the Powerprep. But I am very weak in math, and have never even taken or wanted to take calculus. While I consider myself decent in verbal areas.<br></li>
</ol>
<p>I've been studying quantitative methodically, for verbal it's harder to study really, as once you study a few techniques for the analogies, and reading comprehension, really other than memorizing vocabulary what else can one do?</p>
<ol>
<li>If an admissions essay asks for approximately XXX words, how much over that can you go without annoying the admissions readers? I ask as of my applications, most are liberal, and I'm finding it difficult to cut down the statement for one school without cutting out a lot of interesting and relevant material.</li>
</ol>
<p>The powerprep is the most accurate tool , however, in order to study for the GRE math section I used several books and websites to practice, kaplan books, and Barrons were good books, however Nova Press was the most completed one. I also found free practice questions with detailed answers only for the math section at [Math</a> tutor in Miami for people that hate math, GRE/SAT/CPT test preparation services](<a href=“http://www.i-hate-math.com%5DMath”>http://www.i-hate-math.com) and [GRE</a> tets prep, practice tests, practice questions, tutorials and vocabulary - myGRETutor](<a href=“http://www.mygretutor.com%5DGRE”>http://www.mygretutor.com)
Good luck !!</p>
<p>I agree, Powerprep seems to be the most accurate, based on the scores I have gotten on various Powerprep and non-Powerprep prep tests compared to my final score.</p>
<p>Kaplan is crap and the standard is very different from real GRE. POWERPREP is very very close to GRE and correct indicator of your real GRE score. As far as essay thing goes, be as succinct as possible and never cross the word limit.</p>
<p>In regards to your second question… I suggest asking either the department head or the office supervisor for the department. For one of my schools I simply couldn’t make a coherent essay without an extra paragraph or so… though I crossed the word limit, I kept it to two pages. Essentially, I asked the department head and in my case, they said they didn’t care about the limit, but to only say what I had to say. In my case, I deemed it more important to go a bit over the limit than to leave out important information.</p>
<p>The verbal section is basically an obscure vocabulary test. Even if you think you are strong in verbal, you really need to memorize a couple hundred of the Barron’s GRE words to really prepare. You could be an international Asian student with a very limited understanding of the English Language and just memorize thousands of words and score above the 90th percentile. </p>
<p>The Quantitative section requires a solid understanding of algebra, geometry, stats, and some probability. If the programs you are applying to are not quantitative, then you could probably get away with a 600+ on this section.</p>