Wish me luck!

[Owlie]

I'm taking the GRE in an hour and 45 minutes. If you don't know, the GRE is the graduate school admissions test. I'm a bit nervous, but I test well, so hopefully I'll be okay. I'm still registering for taking it a second time if I don't like the scores.

Wish me luck!

[bmccasland]

Good luck! I had my brain fried by that exam. Got home, and had absolutely no reccollection of getting there. Had to go check the car for scratches & dings - fortunately there weren't any.

And then I didn't go to grad school. But I did get good scores. :D

[redrhodie]

Good luck!

[tribogota]

I got the worst score on the GRE TWICE and applied to grad school 3 years in a row, finally got into an excellent program with the terrible GRE and have a PHD so just be perserverant!

[DDH]

Good luck to you. I hope you do great!!!!

[NbyNW]

Good luck!

[kenyonchris]

Good luck!

[graceomalley]

How did it go, Owlie?

[Owlie]

Thank you all!
Apparently my brain is broken. Since the test is computerized (who thought that was a good plan?!), you get your scores back instantly. It seems that the verbal section is harder for everyone, so that a score in the 90th percentile in verbal is the same as a score in the 40th in math. There was a 90-point gap between my verbal and math scores. :confused: So while I did very well on the verbal, I have quite a bit of work to do in math.

Ah well, at least I know what I need to do.

[Miranda]

Ah well, at least I know what I need to do.

I think just taking the test in itself is quite an experience. Good attitude--keep that up and all will be well:cool:.

I took the test twice. Did all the pre-study stuff etc. Did score I think better second time.

DH took it with me on the 2nd time on a whim. No preparation what-so-ever. STILL scored way higher than me. Which I kinda expected. Why did he take it *really*? Just to see if he could get a higher score than me:p (typical DH:rolleyes:).

What did he *do* with the test and letters he received from grad schools asking him to apply based upon his GRE score? NOTHING! Too much 'work' for him to be forced to apply himself further.

I went on and got my Masters in Business Administration.

Good luck on your second try!:) Now you know a lot of what to expect--helps.

[Tri Girl]

I applied for grad school at a school that didn't require the GRE because I'm scared to death of that test. I don't want to know how stupid I really am. :p I don't test well at all, so it makes me nervous.

I'm glad you took it and got your results back immediately. When is the next one?

[Crankin]

It is not unusual to have a large discrepancy between verbal and math scores. I took the GRE once, many years ago and it confirmed my lack of math ability. However, i still made it into a PhD program, which I eventually left because I decided I wanted to have kids instead...
Anyway, the big difference in the different types of intelligence runs in my family (my kids). Both had verbal SAT scores well into the 700s and math scores in the 500s. The oldest one, who really didn't like math took a prep class and raised his math score 40 points. So, with a little concerted effort, you can improve it.
Of course, it seems that now-a-days everyone is perfect in everything!

[Owlie]

I'm glad you took it and got your results back immediately. When is the next one?

I won't get the writing section results back for another month, most likely. My next test date is October 22. Happy freakin' birthday, Owlie. :rolleyes:

[wannaduacentury]

I got the worst score on the GRE TWICE and applied to grad school 3 years in a row, finally got into an excellent program with the terrible GRE and have a PHD so just be perserverant!


+1 Way to go. What's your doctorate in? I'm considering the same route. Working on BA in History right now(non trad. junior). Sometimes I think these entrance tests are a waste of time b/c In my opinion, it really doesn't represent how intelligent or determined a person really is or what they can accomplish. Jenn

[Possegal]

I took them ages ago - no computerized test for me. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad one. I test well on those sorts of things, so I just walked in and took it. I agree that it doesn't gauge many things that you need to get through a PhD program. I do think a lot of programs are not requiring them anymore. My scores in math and verbal are nearly always identical, not sure what that says about me. :)

One guy I was in grad school with took them several times, while we were in the program, until he got the minimum score needed. Yet he was doing fine in the program. More fuel to the 'why are they necessary' camp. He's since been published in "Science", which is a pretty good feat for our field.

[ny biker]

When I took the GRE (late '80s) it was a 3-part test. The third section was some kind of logic or analytical thing, I think. Did they drop that?

[Owlie]

Yeah, they dropped that. It's now verbal+math+writing.
Possegal--My opinion on the computerized test is that it's a bad thing. It sort of defeats the purpose of a "standardized" test, since the computerized version is an adaptive test. It also means that you can't skip questions that are giving you a hard time.

[tulip]

I won't get the writing section results back for another month, most likely. My next test date is October 22. Happy freakin' birthday, Owlie. :rolleyes:

That's my birthday, too! And I have to give a big presentation to a new client on that day...:rolleyes: I'm sure we'll BOTH do great!

Oh, and in my experience (two Masters degrees), GRE scores are not that important to grad school. Not nearly as important as all the other factors, including life and work experience, and the ability to write well.