Problem: You took only a few official practice exams.
Solution: Complete all 5 of the full-length, official ETS practice exams, so you can get an accurate gauge of your readiness to hit your score goal.

Suppose that your GRE score goal is 330+. You take the two free, official ETS practice exams from ets.org. You score 330 and 335 on those exams, so you figure that you are ready to sit for the GRE. Needless to say, you’re shocked when you score 315 on test day. How could this happen?

Many GRE test-takers make the mistake of taking just a few of the available official practice tests and assuming that the average score from those tests is a true representation of their current GRE skills. The thing they don’t realize is that their sample size is too small.

ETS (Educational Testing Service, the GRE test-maker) offers five full-length practice exams: two free POWERPREP exams and three paid POWERPREP PLUS exams.

There is a reason why the Target Test Prep study plan recommends that every GRE student take all five of those exams prior to taking the actual GRE exam. You want to have a substantial enough sample size of data to get an accurate idea of whether you’re truly prepared to reach your target GRE score.

So, bite the bullet and purchase the three paid exams — at $39.95 a pop, they’re well worth it. If, after taking all five official practice GREs, your average score is 330+ (or whatever your target score is), then you have an excellent shot at reaching your score goal on test day.

Happy studying! ✨

Warmest regards,
Scott