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Daniil Osipov is our December 2004 Student of the Month

Daniil scored an outstanding 800 on the GRE math!

Congratulations to Daniil Osipov, December's Student of the Month. Daniil recently took the GRE and scored 800/800 on the math section (92 nd percentile), and 610/800 on the verbal section (85th percentile).

A native of Moscow , Daniil specialized in nonlinear optics and laser physics as an undergraduate at Moscow State University before going on to complete a masters in financial management. Since finishing his masters, he has kept busy teaching quantitative analysis in economic models at MSU, as well as working for the International Moscow Bank. Currently, he is studying "mathematical methods of economic analysis" in the Graduate School of Economics Department at MSU.

So where does the GRE fit in? Daniil aspires to secure a professor's position teaching finance. To achieve this goal, he plans to complete a PhD in finance at one of the elite schools in the US . He is sending applications to MIT, Chicago, and Harvard to name a few.

In addition to being one of the brightest students at Pericles, Daniil is also one of the most helpful. Since his GRE success, he has been eager to share his methodical approach to exam preparation with other students. Here is what he had to say.

The two main difficulties with the math section are insufficient time for long problems, and careless mistakes made because of rushing. Therefore, it is not only a question of how to solve the problem, but also how to minimize the time needed. My three methods include:

  1. Simplifying where possible
  2. Increasing calculation speed
  3. Using the calculation method with the lowest probability of mistakes.

 What's more impressive is that even after scoring in the 85 th percentile on the verbal section, Daniil concedes his English still needs improving. When asked how he accomplished this score, he pointed out that the GRE (and GMAT for that matter) tests passive knowledge of English, i.e. vocabulary and reading comprehension, not speaking. Therefore, it is possible to score well by focusing on test strategies and the specific knowledge required for the test.

Daniil is certainly off to a good start in achieving his goals. And if his diligence and thoroughness in preparation for the GRE are indicators of his future success, he is sure to have a bright career ahead of him. Congratulations Daniil, we wish you all the success in the future!