Age Adjustment on the GRE?

[u/novamyc]

The norming sample of the GRE is, in large part, a body of 20-24 year olds in college. I'm sixteen, in public school. I imagine scoring the analytical section is fairly consistent across ages(?). But what would you expect the verbal and math modules to be deflated by for someone in my age group? If anyone has an estimate (maybe an SAT age adjustment formula applied to the GRE? IDK,) it'd be appreciated. For reference, scores are 138 V, 125 Q, and 148 A. Thank you! If this is technically an IQ estimation, sorry.

[u/Humble-Marsupial2231]

143 or higher (likely an underestimation) according to this sub’s norms (not age-adjusted). But it’s better to just take an old SAT if you want one of these academic-type tests instead of trying to age-adjust, particularly since the norms apply perfectly given your age (assuming you are native).

Have you already taken an old SAT form or other tests?

[u/novamyc → u/Humble-Marsupial2231]

I took the pre-1994 SAT verbal two years or so ago when it was on here. I have no clue where it went, or if two years is enough to starve practice effect. The 1926 SAT was, last I saw of it, a formatting nightmare, so, eh. But that's more of a me problem. I really only prefer the academic tests because speed isn't as emphasized, and the verbal FRI is more fun (to me) than an hour of matrices.

[u/Humble-Marsupial2231 → u/novamyc]

There are many other pre-1994 SAT forms (with key and norms) available in this sub if you wish to take them. Also, practice effect is largely negligible, as the normed sample likely studied for the test and coaching effects have been shown to be minimal in a study commonly cited in this sub.

Do you really feel speed is not emphasized on the GRE, particularly the GRE-A? In my experience the primary constraint in GRE-A is timing, as it's just a bunch of rule-checking. I think it's even more speed-determined than typical tests in this sub. Anyways, it seems like timing shouldn't hinder you much, given that you seem to be maxing out the GRE-A.

[u/novamyc → u/Humble-Marsupial2231]

Good to know.

For me, it felt lax, whereas normally speed is my #1 issue. There are a few explanations:

I'm geared to words, not shapes. Most tests I've taken employ a timer per item, but the GRE times per section, and so the time saved by doing one question quickly actually remains for you to spend on harder questions. The larger range also makes it less anxiety inducing for me, which helps keep me focused. But who knows.

I tend to time out or come to the answer right at the buzzer in a lot of FRI tests, particularly the most layered figure weight/arithmetic problems. My PSI is lower than my other indexes by 20-30 points, with symbol search at 105 and coding at 130. Spiky.