Nov 7 2009 GRE - Score estimation

wisegops · Post by **wisegops** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 3:00 am

For those who took GRE Physics y'day (Nov 7, 2009), what's your guess on the score scales. To make myself more clear, what raw score would correspond to a scaled score of say 900.
Given that yesterday's test was probably the easiest of the decade, i am thinking that a raw score of 80 (if not higher) might correspond to a scaled score of 900.
Any estimates?

blackcat007 · Post by **blackcat007** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 3:39 am

wisegops wrote:For those who took GRE Physics y'day (Nov 7, 2009), what's your guess on the score scales. To make myself more clear, what raw score would correspond to a scaled score of say 900.
Given that yesterday's test was probably the easiest of the decade, i am thinking that a raw score of 80 (if not higher) might correspond to a scaled score of 900.
Any estimates?

for 0177 it was I think 84 for 990.. this time it may go up to 87 or so

sravanskarri · Post by **sravanskarri** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 12:48 pm

Yeah , sounds like 80 is a good benchmark for 900. GR0177 had 73 to get a 900. I think I am right at the edge if this turns out to be true.

delton · Post by **delton** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 1:31 pm

dang, if I knew that I probably would have worked faster and answered more.. it was easier.

I answered 83, a few were guesses, so I'm probably around an 80.

Some people I talked to answered 50, 65 and 80.

wisegops · Post by **wisegops** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 3:55 pm

absolutely, it was all about time, i answered 40 questions in the first hour and still found myself exhausted and lagging behind with about 20 more to go after the bell. This test was more like a sprint. constant momentum and you are through,..
Anyways if 87+ ~ 990, then.,
say 79/80 ~ 900
so that's 70 ~ 800
60/62 ~ 700
....

I am curious to know of those who answered over 80-85 questions, how many were guesses (if any)? Really, 30 minutes more and anyone could work out that exam top to bottom.

MacCutcheon60 · Post by **MacCutcheon60** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:21 am

The November test was like the October test on speed.

Both were way faster than any of the practice tests - a lot more of "you either know it or you don't" questions with a few definitions thrown in. I thought the November test was over the top with that. I ended up answering 98 questions on the Nov. test (of which I already know two are definitely wrong). Only one or two were real guesses, but it's ETS, so there's no telling how many tricks I fell for.

As a bettin' man, my money's on: {{79-81 ->900}, {92 -> 990}}, with 1:3 odds (my $1 to your $3).

Prologue · Post by **Prologue** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 1:09 am

Yeah, around 87 for 990 I suppose. I answered ~92, about 5 were guesses. I do know that I got one wrong! I got the split resistor right on the first go and then changed my answer with like 1 minute to go, that was a mistake. I fell for their trick, shouldn't have doubted it.

We'll see in a few days!

Edit: and I noticed there were a few problems that would take a lot of time to compute, but if you look at the answers the correct one is obvious. For instance, the MoI of the cone.

kroner · Post by **kroner** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 3:28 pm

On the Oct exam, 82 was enough for a 990 (I don't know what the exact cutoff was). I thought that test was no harder than 0177, but I don't know how it compares with the Nov exam. Maybe someone who took both can comment on that.

Also bear in mind there are different forms of each test, which may vary in difficulty and scoring.

unrelated · Post by **unrelated** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 8:17 pm

I've been calling ETS several times a day the past couple of days to check if scores are out. A quick glance through the Nov. test scores posts from last year seems to show that they were out a couple of days early.

If anybody's scores are out, let us know!

geshi · Post by **geshi** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 10:06 pm

unrelated wrote:I've been calling ETS several times a day the past couple of days to check if scores are out. A quick glance through the Nov. test scores posts from last year seems to show that they were out a couple of days early.

If anybody's scores are out, let us know!

http://www.ets.org/gre/subject/scores/get/index.html

ETS says they will be available by phone on December 7th, which is next Monday. Generally speaking it's almost exactly 30 days after the exam date that the test scores are available via phone. The mailing date is about 2 weeks after that.

aovgun · Post by **aovgun** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 9:52 am

November PGRE scores are now available by phone.....

bobn · Post by **bobn** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 10:20 am

yes they are available now.

blackcat007 · Post by **blackcat007** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 10:41 am

bobn wrote:yes they are available now.

which number are you calling?? I tried 1-888-473-8333 there is no answer..

aovgun · Post by **aovgun** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 10:48 am

1-609-771-7290 call this one

blackcat007 · Post by **blackcat007** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 10:59 am

aovgun wrote:1-609-771-7290 call this one

wooohooo got 990.. but my percentile is way to low.. only 95

will this improve with time?

higgs_boson · Post by **higgs_boson** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 12:07 pm

i got 810... 74%

grae313 · Post by **grae313** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 12:23 pm

blackcat007 wrote:
aovgun wrote:1-609-771-7290 call this one
wooohooo got 990.. but my percentile is way to low.. only 95 will this improve with time?

Congrats!! Don't worry about the 95th percentile. It may change with time, but this was kind of expected as the test is getting much easier. It just means that the test was not capable of distinguishing between the top 5 percentiles, so 95th percentile really means 95th-99th percentile, undistinguished. 990, 95th percentile is the highest score anyone can get.

quizivex · Post by **quizivex** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 12:53 pm

While many people on here announce that their test seemed "easier" than the 4 sample tests, we really can't tell how true that is unless we knew the scaling for the test form we took. I think it's likely that students are just getting better at the test over the years, partly due to better preparation and easy to find resources (review sessions at school, sample tests and webpages for advice).

A good example I like is the use of logarithmic paper. I never learned about log paper in undergrad, and if I were taking the test in the 80's, back when a 990 was 98th percentile, I would not have known to study it (nor would I have known that positronium was a recurring theme in these tests). But seeing it show up in several sample tests showed me I need to learn it. While many of the problems are still quite tricky, having 4 sample tests makes it easier to know what topics to study and that allows you to attempt more problems, so I think that's part of the reason for the decrease of percentiles for given scaled scores.

electricdipole · Post by **electricdipole** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 1:19 pm

830 - 77 percentile

This is EXACTLY the same score that I got on the October test--and that time I had the flu while I was taking the test! I really thought that I had done much better this time, is there any way that I was told the score from the October test when I called on the phone? Has this happened to anyone else?

darkmav · Post by **darkmav** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 1:36 pm

Sorry for such a dumb question, but does one have to pay to find out the scores of the Nov 7 test?

Also: http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php ... 417#p25417

kroner · Post by **kroner** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 1:42 pm

darkmav, they will mail you your score in the next 2 weeks or so for free. If you want to find out before then you can get your score over the phone but it costs $12.

Also congrats blackcat007

wisegops · Post by **wisegops** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 3:16 pm

congrats to all you guys who did well. i was wondering though, if you have any idea about what raw score you achieved and could tell it here, we may be able to estimate what approximate score one would fetch. This would be particularly helpful to those who cannot afford the $12.
I do not know whether you can find out the raw score (no. of questions answered correctly - .25 * no. of incorrect ones)
through telephone, but if you have, and if there are a few of those who know them, maybe we could sort of graph the outcome.

sravanskarri · Post by **sravanskarri** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 3:30 pm

Congrats guys. I screwed up big time 660, all this after feeling the test was easy..huhhh.. now i feel bitterly embarrassed at me.

yageda01 · Post by **yageda01** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 4:15 pm

Hey guys, so I've called all three numbers listed and its saying my scores are still unavailable. To be more specific, I have done all three options: entered my registration number, confirmation number (for the physics exam), and social security number, and all options either say my scores are unavailable or they cannot find my record (it varies).

The problem might be that I took the General GRE on Nov. 27 & the Physics Subject on Nov. 7, so when it asks for test month & year I enter the same thing (1109).

Any ideas or suggestions?

YellowXDart · Post by **YellowXDart** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 4:26 pm

yageda01 I have the same problem! I took the general Nov. 14 and they just keep giving me those scores instead of my physics GRE. When I put in the physics test confirmation number they "cannot locate my records." I'm so frustrated!!!! I've fed ETS $24 just to hear my general scores, bastards.

blackcat007 · Post by **blackcat007** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 4:46 pm

kroner wrote: Also congrats blackcat007

Thanks a lot to you and all the guys around..

ramparts · Post by **ramparts** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 5:13 pm

So that's the problem! I also took the general on Nov. 27 and the November physics test, and when I called and entered my social, it said scores not available. Using the registration number from my ticket worked just fine, though.

YellowXDart · Post by **YellowXDart** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 8:33 pm

I got it to work using the registration number on my subject test stub too. 670 48%... Better than last year but still nothing to be proud of =/

yageda01 · Post by **yageda01** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 8:53 pm

Unfortunately I have no idea where my ticket stub is, and the confirmation number sent in the email (see below) is not working on the ETS website! Is there any other way to get my registration number?

----------------

Your registration for the paper-based Graduate Record Examinations (GRE ) is confirmed. Please find the registration details below.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ORDER DETAILS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Confirmation Number: 000*****
Order Date: September 30, 2009
Total Amount: $130.00
Payment Method: ***

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TEST REGISTRATION INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Test Name: Physics
Test Date: Saturday, November 7, 2009
Reporting Time: 8:30 AM Local Time
Test Center: ***

YellowXDart · Post by **YellowXDart** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 2:41 am

You probably just have to wait till Monday and call customer service

nfeldberg · Post by **nfeldberg** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 4:48 am

I got a 710 which they said was 54% but that seemed to be a really low percentile compared to even last year. What was it you were saying about the percentile going up?

unrelated · Post by **unrelated** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 1:59 pm

grae313 · Post by **grae313** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 4:59 pm

It's not that strange. If you plotted a histogram of raw scores, it would be more Gaussian than flat. The majority of scores are clustered around the average at 50th percentile, so small changes in raw score make big changes in percentile.

moyses · Post by **moyses** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 8:03 pm

I'm an international student (from Brazil). I got 810 74%. It is possible to be accepted at NYU or Purdue with this grade??

grae313 · Post by **grae313** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 9:10 pm

moyses wrote:I'm an international student (from Brazil). I got 810 74%. It is possible to be accepted at NYU or Purdue with this grade??

Sure, it's possible. Admissions are based on a lot more than PGRE and an 810 won't preclude you from either of those schools. It's the rest of your application that will make the difference.

Violin · Post by **Violin** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 9:54 pm

Nov. 7, 2009 PGRE

Is there someone who has a raw score of 76 and has inquired the corresponding scaled score and percentage by phone?
Please tell me so I would not have to phone ETS.

Thank you very much!

wisegops · Post by **wisegops** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:00 am

Well, the graph is usually a Gaussian, but also consider this:

Nfeldberg said he got a 710 with a 54%ile, that is almost half the candidates scored over 710. (990-710 = 290)

so almost half the test takers scored over 700, which consequently means a lot of 800's and 900's as well.

fjornada · Post by **fjornada** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 12:08 pm

990 here too!

(#wooohooo)

just one question: I took the General GRE after the PGRE, and half the universities to which I am applying was entered in each application. Will all institutions receive both scores? Or will I have to re-enter the recipients, since one test was taken before the other?

YellowXDart · Post by **YellowXDart** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 4:49 pm

fjornada, if you log into your MyGRE account and look under test scores, it will tell you what date your test scores were mailed out. If one set was mailed out before the other set became available, then those schools did not receive all of your scores.

fjornada · Post by **fjornada** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:53 pm

thanks YellowXDart!
looks like i'll have to make another donation to ETS...

grae313 · Post by **grae313** » Tue Dec 08, 2009 2:25 pm

670 - 48%
710 - 54%
740 - 62%
790 - 71%
810 - 74%
830 - 77%
850 - 80%
990 - 95%

Prologue · Post by **Prologue** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:26 pm

Add 790 at 71% to the list. I was expecting 800's, hoping low 900. I am pretty bummed but will still apply to some top schools this year.

hk · Post by hk » Thu Dec 10, 2009 6:13 am

Got 700 - 54%
That's enough for me

But I wonder why it has the same % with 710 score?

CKtalon · Post by **CKtalon** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 9:03 am

950 for 92%

yyzzxx · Post by **yyzzxx** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 9:43 am

I am a international student (Chinese), my score is 810 74%, seems low for an Asian student, will this score have some bad impact on my application? I am ready to apply some good but not top universities, such as university of rochester.

wisegops · Post by **wisegops** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 9:52 am

Given that there are 3 different forms for each test (form A, form B, form C), could it be the reason for the apparent disparity in some scores listed here? for instance, someone with 710 got a 54%ile while someone else with 740 got 62%ile.
Could this be because the scores reported belong to two different forms of the same test?

grae313 · Post by **grae313** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:20 am

wisegops wrote:Given that there are 3 different forms for each test (form A, form B, form C), could it be the reason for the apparent disparity in some scores listed here? for instance, someone with 710 got a 54%ile while someone else with 740 got 62%ile.
Could this be because the scores reported belong to two different forms of the same test?

yes

kroner · Post by **kroner** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 3:58 pm

I kinda doubt it. The conversion from raw score to scaled score is supposed to account for the varying difficulties of the forms. A 710 on form A is supposed to be an equal performance to a 710 on form B. The percentile scores should be based on scaled scores across all the forms. 54th percentile means that 54 percent of all test takers an all forms got under 710.

edit: In fact, it may be that the percentile takes into account the whole year, since all the Nov and Oct scores/percentiles agree. In that case they would have to adjust the percentiles from the earlier tests after the later test results, but the percentiles have been known to change...

kroner · Post by **kroner** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:06 pm

By the way, here's a graph of scaled scores to percentiles for the 4 old tests and the partial data from nov 2009. The 2009 scoring is more generous than those others but otherwise pretty normal looking.

edit: Added the other points. I guess that 710 point is a little wonky.

MacCutcheon60 · Post by **MacCutcheon60** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 6:00 pm

Nice plot... I'd love to see one for raw score vs. scaled score when the data's released.