April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Forum for the GRE subject test in mathematics.
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AlexHoang
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2017 10:45 am

April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by AlexHoang » Sat Apr 08, 2017 3:52 pm

Hello guys,

So I have just taken the test morning today (Asian time). That was brutal. I didn't do well as I was expected. There is no one else besides me to blame on. I will definitely retake it in September. I haven't reached to the end of the book test; about only 45 attempts with guesses.

I felt so bad myself because there are not some but actually a lot of questions I thought I would have got. I didn't study well enough and master the the material. I even miscalculated the [deleted] problem; that was such a fundamental question; I got mixed up with [deleted].

The problem of the [deleted], I was baffled until after the test, the other guy who also took the test, told me I had needed to switched the [deleted]. Omg, I was just be so shitty!

Getting done incorrectly on [deleted] questions made me feel so bad, especially it made me not have the good confidence to move on to finish the test, because I choose to master that category first during the 2 months but before the test I felt so fatigue or complacent to not review it. This time I didn't have time to make the summary sheet for the test. I will absolutely me make it by myself next time. The best and only true best for each one is the one you make by yourself!

There is a [deleted] problem I made a guess on, which is related to [deleted], anyone remembers?

I will change the material to study on for the test now. I studied Linear Algebra and its apps (Otto Bretscher) - my undergrad textbook. Before the test, I found that that was not a good and mathematical enough to study when having been doing the GRE linear algebra problems. But I was afraid to switch to another book cuz I know the textbook so well, remember the structure of the book, easily flipping pages out.

How were anyone else doing? The next guy taking the test with me today, I think, did very well; that was his 2nd try. He already got a fellowship from a phd program after his 1st try. This kid finished the test 20 minutes earlier.

There is nothing else to do to succeed the test besides make yourself be like a machine in order to respond to the questions with deep correct knowledge under quick techniques and high accuracy, guys.

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ghostfish
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2016 4:16 am

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by ghostfish » Sat Apr 08, 2017 5:14 pm

When you filled out your information for the test, you signed an agreement not to disclose its contents. Please honor that agreement so we can keep this forum to share application information.

AlexHoang
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2017 10:45 am

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by AlexHoang » Sat Apr 08, 2017 5:59 pm

Sorry, I think there are some threads discussing more details about the past exams before in this forum. Actually they are the hottest ones. So I thought it was okay to do the same! If a question is leaked out in too much details, does the admin delete them all by himself, is he a in GRE math council?

kennethahah
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:39 pm

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by kennethahah » Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:43 pm

Yeah, I don't think it's appropriate to talk about the exam here. Considering you have signed the agreement, I think it's unethical to discuss test materials in this public forum.

I have also taken the April exam. I think the questions are generally tougher than what I expect. If you want to talk about the exam in a general sense, I would like to talk with you.

fluffyj
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 7:59 pm

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by fluffyj » Sat Apr 08, 2017 8:33 pm

Are we allowed to discuss our thoughts on what the curve will be here? If so, does anyone have thoughts? I answered 59 questions and definitely got a few wrong (after thinking about the problems after the test) and also a few "educated non-rigorous" guesses when it came down to 2-3 answer choices. I also didn't check any of my work (is this par for the course?), so definitely made some silly errors here and there knowing me. I'm expecting my score to be much lower than 59. However, I won't discuss any problem specifics.

I took it for the first time today as "sort of practice". So, I expect to be taking it again in the fall.

angryapple
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 10:04 pm

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by angryapple » Sat Apr 08, 2017 10:43 pm

Is it normal for testing centers to not allow bags in the room, regardless of their contents? I knew that we couldn't bring mechanical pencils, watches, cell phones, etc but I brought a small purse containing my wallet (as did pretty much everyone else), and they people giving us the test were very rude and told us that the instructions disallowed bags. So I went to put my bag in my car and carried my wallet back, and they told me I had to put the wallet in my car, too. I was only allowed my ID and my pencils.

junglemath
Posts: 33
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 10:44 pm

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by junglemath » Sat Apr 08, 2017 10:54 pm

ghostfish wrote:When you filled out your information for the test, you signed an agreement not to disclose its contents. Please honor that agreement so we can keep this forum to share application information.
Just out of curiosity, what exactly can be done to this website by ETS if people do openly discuss unpublished questions?

I understand that we signed the agreement, although it is a bit ridiculous that even after all the security measures they take and the limited amount of practice material they publish they still require you to sign the privacy agreement in order to take the test. It's one thing to not allow recording devices or to tear pages from the test booklet, but being able to remember questions and use them to practice shouldn't be a major concern. Also, not being allowed to bring even an analog watch with you is absurd. It is very disconcerting to keep track of the time after they announce 20 minutes left, because you're trying to think but at the same time you are sort of expecting them to interrupt you at any moment to tell you that time's up. Of course all this nonsense is primarily motivated by the desire to make as much money as possible by making people retake the test as many times as necessary.

Regarding the exam today, I thought it was a lot easier compared to the one I took last October. Even though I was likely better prepared and also taking it for the second time, I thought the questions were objectively a lot easier. Probably will retake at the next opportunity.

junglemath
Posts: 33
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 10:44 pm

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by junglemath » Sat Apr 08, 2017 11:05 pm

fluffyj wrote:Are we allowed to discuss our thoughts on what the curve will be here? If so, does anyone have thoughts? I answered 59 questions and definitely got a few wrong (after thinking about the problems after the test) and also a few "educated non-rigorous" guesses when it came down to 2-3 answer choices. I also didn't check any of my work (is this par for the course?), so definitely made some silly errors here and there knowing me. I'm expecting my score to be much lower than 59. However, I won't discuss any problem specifics.

I took it for the first time today as "sort of practice". So, I expect to be taking it again in the fall.
I answered 49 questions, and feel the same way you do.

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ghostfish
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2016 4:16 am

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by ghostfish » Sat Apr 08, 2017 11:48 pm

junglemath wrote:Just out of curiosity, what exactly can be done to this website by ETS if people do openly discuss unpublished questions?
I'm not sure what they could do, although I'm sure they have a list of terms and conditions on their website. The most probable consequence is that this website could be closed down like other forums in the past. I also don't agree with a lot of their practices and have my own complaints about "standardized" testing as a part of graduate admissions. However, schools do need some sort of measuring stick, so it's a necessary evil.

Regardless, we should all strive to have integrity and follow our agreements.

SheldonCopper
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 3:26 am

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by SheldonCopper » Sun Apr 09, 2017 1:07 am

Do you guys think all problems were legitimate though? Am I the only one who felt like there was an error in the problem with [deleted]? It is most likely that I've missed something but I have heard other people saying there was one wrong question in the exam.

kennethahah
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:39 pm

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by kennethahah » Sun Apr 09, 2017 1:16 am

SheldonCopper wrote:Do you guys think all problems were legitimate though? Am I the only one who felt like there was an error in the problem with derivative graph? It is most likely that I've missed something but I have heard other people saying there was one wrong question in the exam.
No. Every question is legitimate. I cannot talk with you in detail but I don't think that problem has errors itself.

kennethahah
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:39 pm

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by kennethahah » Sun Apr 09, 2017 1:22 am

I answered all 66 questions and made a guess of 3 questions.

I expect my raw scores to be around 60 (provided that I will always make arithmetic mistakes). Which percentile will that be in?

Grant
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:14 am

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by Grant » Sun Apr 09, 2017 1:28 am

AlexHoang wrote:Sorry, I think there are some threads discussing more details about the past exams before in this forum. Actually they are the hottest ones. So I thought it was okay to do the same! If a question is leaked out in too much details, does the admin delete them all by himself, is he a in GRE math council?
This site is not affiliated with the GRE math council, but I still try to delete information posted about specific exam questions. The motivation for deleting things is I don't want this site to be a place where people go to violate an agreement they signed on test day, and I also want this site to be a place that professors and students are comfortable recommending to others. Please let me know of any threads that talk about actual exam questions so I can delete any references to specific questions.

junglemath
Posts: 33
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 10:44 pm

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by junglemath » Sun Apr 09, 2017 10:24 am

If there was a question that was legitimately flawed, I think it ought to be discussed. I think ETS would want it to be discussed so that it could be brought to their attention.

verysweetjuices
Posts: 108
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2016 3:47 pm

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by verysweetjuices » Mon Apr 10, 2017 10:30 am

junglemath wrote:
ghostfish wrote:When you filled out your information for the test, you signed an agreement not to disclose its contents. Please honor that agreement so we can keep this forum to share application information.
Just out of curiosity, what exactly can be done to this website by ETS if people do openly discuss unpublished questions?

I understand that we signed the agreement, although it is a bit ridiculous that even after all the security measures they take and the limited amount of practice material they publish they still require you to sign the privacy agreement in order to take the test. It's one thing to not allow recording devices or to tear pages from the test booklet, but being able to remember questions and use them to practice shouldn't be a major concern. Also, not being allowed to bring even an analog watch with you is absurd. It is very disconcerting to keep track of the time after they announce 20 minutes left, because you're trying to think but at the same time you are sort of expecting them to interrupt you at any moment to tell you that time's up. Of course all this nonsense is primarily motivated by the desire to make as much money as possible by making people retake the test as many times as necessary.

Regarding the exam today, I thought it was a lot easier compared to the one I took last October. Even though I was likely better prepared and also taking it for the second time, I thought the questions were objectively a lot easier. Probably will retake at the next opportunity.
They can't do anything.

verysweetjuices
Posts: 108
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2016 3:47 pm

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by verysweetjuices » Mon Apr 10, 2017 10:31 am

kennethahah wrote:I answered all 66 questions and made a guess of 3 questions.

I expect my raw scores to be around 60 (provided that I will always make arithmetic mistakes). Which percentile will that be in?
If you got 60 correct, probably over the 90th percentile.

kennethahah
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:39 pm

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by kennethahah » Mon Apr 10, 2017 11:10 am

verysweetjuices wrote:
kennethahah wrote:I answered all 66 questions and made a guess of 3 questions.

I expect my raw scores to be around 60 (provided that I will always make arithmetic mistakes). Which percentile will that be in?
If you got 60 correct, probably over the 90th percentile.
Thanks. I also checked the GR1268 scale score form, and 60 turns out to be 900.

artskjid
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri May 05, 2017 12:31 am

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by artskjid » Fri May 05, 2017 12:41 am

Scores seem to be released. How did everyone do?

sieubebuvietnam
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri May 05, 2017 2:20 am

Re: April 08 2017 Exam Discussion!

Post by sieubebuvietnam » Fri May 05, 2017 2:21 am

Terrible score 790 (79%)



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