When I first encountered with a GRE test (actually, with an official POWERPREP software by the ETS) I scored 400 on Verbal and 610 on Quantitative. Though a fairly good score for an international applicant, it was obviously not enough for a top school admission I was looking for. So, in late October, I started the GRE preparation course.

From the very beginning it was clear that the good score will never come unless I work hard. Hard work is definitely a must, and the decision to take the course implied that I would have had to sacrifice some other activities. Time management was among the biggest problems, and I have often faced the dilemma of choosing between studying and, say, having fun. Moreover, what was really distressing is that my results seemed to have remained as low as at the beginning.

Nevertheless, the better results actually did start to appear. The more tests and word lists were provided by Kevin, the better were the scores I received. However, as the preparation tests were often a bit more difficult than the actual GRE, my results have never been high enough, but rather slightly better than average.

Finally, at the very end of March, after months of preparation, I took the GRE. To tell the truth, it turned out to be as difficult as I have expected. As I have done many prep tests before and have worked on various word lists, I managed to cope up with the Verbal section in time, though I was not quite sure about my answers. The Quantitative section turned out to be a pretty challenging one, because of strong time pressure. Though my math background could be considered a fairly strong one, I ran out of time, skipped one or two questions, and finished the section in the last seconds. As I was completing the experimental section I came to conclusion I had definitely failed the test.

To my great surprise, the results turned out to be quite good. I scored 660 on Verbal and 780 on Math (my Analytical Writing score, as I found out later, was 4/6).

I am grateful to Kevin for the help he provided. Not just for the plentiful prep materials, essential information and useful advise, but rather for the strong and candid desire to help his students to achieve their goals and for his support. Recalling back the classes he delivered and the numerous problems I have faced, I can state that it was Kevin who has helped me to keep working on the test in the days when the possibility of getting a high score was distant and dim.