It took Harvard student John Na just three weeks of nonstop studying to get the perfect GRE score on the January exam. Earning a 340 on the Graduate Record Examination – a standardized verbal and quantitative reasoning test used in graduate school admissions – is a rare feat.
Of the approximately 1 million test takers who took the GRE between 2020 and 2023, less than 1 percent got a top score on verbal reasoning and only about 8 percent scored perfectly in math.
Na’s winter break study sprint wasn’t his first encounter with the test. He took the test several times in 2020, when he landed a near-perfect score of 334. “This time, I feel like I really got the preparation down,” Na said. “I just reviewed it cover to cover, every single concept, every single question, just straight through, front to back in the official guide.”
This included taking five full-length practice tests under timed conditions, reviewing every question he got wrong and getting faster at answering each question. Na dedicated himself to learning the ins and outs of the test, relying exclusively on the official guide sold by ETS, the company that administers the test.
Na, who also got a perfect score on the SAT in high school, believes these tests offer every student a chance to prove themselves. “A lot of people think that standardized testing might be unfair,” he said. “But I feel like it may be the best chance that somebody from a lower income background has to really stand out. Even if you didn’t go to a top-notch boarding school, if you study … and you put in a lot of work, then I think you can get the perfect score.”
He stressed the importance of also cultivating a “winning mindset” – of knowing that “you’re going to get every question no matter what, even if it’s down to the last second, you’re just not going to accept defeat.” For Na, this included a steadfast focus on self care before the test, making sure to get adequate sleep and exercise and to eat balanced meals.
Acing the test was part of Na’s preparation for law school. Now in his second semester of a master’s in public administration, he already has a MBA from Notre Dame and a bachelor’s in economics from Bowdoin College. He has previously worked in financial services at companies including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JPMorganChase.
Now he is hoping to pursue a legal career and use his knowledge to help people. “I want to be able to do something where I can stand up for people who have different types of difficulties,” Na said. “I feel like in the law profession you have more opportunities to stand up for the underdog, so to speak, stand up for people [who] are low income, stand up to companies and landlords and basically anybody that is greedy or cruel.”
A perfect standardized test score – on the GRE, or the LSAT, which is more commonly used in law school admissions – can set an applicant apart in a competitive cycle and potentially yield better scholarship offers. “I figured having the perfect verbal and quant scores would really stand out, if I could do that,” Na said.
He has already submitted his applications, but he’ll have to wait a few months to find out how law schools respond to his achievement.
A stronger
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