Physics GRE Discussion Forums

Hi dear friends..
I'm going to take PGRE for the first time in the next November.. I have a question from people who have taken this test before.. Is the real test similar to practice sample tests? I mean does solving all the practice samples assure a good score in the real test?
Thanx..

Star wrote:Hi dear friends..
I'm going to take PGRE for the first time in the next November.. I have a question from people who have taken this test before.. Is the real test similar to practice sample tests? I mean does solving all the practice samples assure a good score in the real test?
Thanx..

The best way to assure you will do well is to understand all you've learned in the field of physics. Do sample tests and review problems you have trouble with. But knowing all the practice questions does not mean you'll know all the questions on the test, because well, they change. =P

-Riley

Is it true that some questions in the real test exactly from those sample practices?

Star wrote:Is it true that some questions in the real test exactly from those sample practices?

no it's not. there are similarities but they are not exactly the same. you should definitely look deep in those tests and learn about the time saving tricks.

pqortic wrote:

Star wrote:Is it true that some questions in the real test exactly from those sample practices?

no it's not. there are similarities but they are not exactly the same. you should definitely look deep in those tests and learn about the time saving tricks.

Actually, there were at least a few problems on the test I took that were exactly the same as a question on the practice. One in particular that I remember was a question about placing three optical polarizers in a row, with the second and third at 45 degrees and 90 degrees with respect to the first. Then passing unpolarized light through all three, 1/8 of the original intensity makes it through.

Yes, I heard from my friend that some questions were exactly from the sample tests and she just answered them without solving them, because she had solved them before.

Star wrote:Yes, I heard from my friend that some questions were exactly from the sample tests and she just answered them without solving them, because she had solved them before.

In the 3 times I have taken the test, never have I seen a question duplicated from one of the practice tests that were available beforehand. Even if you take the most recent practice test released, there hasn't been a test since it has been released, so it isn't possible that people have seen the problems from this sample test yet. I am willing to bet that before they release practice tests they remove all the questions in them from the bank of questions entirely.

I haven't looked at the new practice test. However, I'm sure there will be a few problems I have seen over the past few years taking tests on it. Notice this is after I have taken the test, not before. You are implying that your friend had seen these "sample" tests before she took her real test.

-Riley

Star wrote:Yes, I heard from my friend that some questions were exactly from the sample tests and she just answered them without solving them, because she had solved them before.

I wen't through exam 8677 and found 4 problems that I recall from the real exam (I took it twice so I don't recall which of the 2 it was for each of the 4). One of those problems was the optical polarizer problem I mentioned earlier. The second was about two pendulums colliding and sticking together. There was one about Maxwell's magnetic divergence being 0 as the result of taking the divergence of the curl and, finally, one about the power of a black body after doubling the temperature.

HappyQuark wrote:

Star wrote:Yes, I heard from my friend that some questions were exactly from the sample tests and she just answered them without solving them, because she had solved them before.

I wen't through exam 8677 and found 4 problems that I recall from the real exam (I took it twice so I don't recall which of the 2 it was for each of the 4). One of those problems was the optical polarizer problem I mentioned earlier. The second was about two pendulums colliding and sticking together. There was one about Maxwell's magnetic divergence being 0 as the result of taking the divergence of the curl and, finally, one about the power of a black body after doubling the temperature.

Oh good.. You were so lucky..