Taking the GRE

[Yaboosh]

Well, this morning I went and took the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) which is the standardized test used for many graduate schools. It is scored on the same scale as the SAT.

Anybody else taken this recently? I must have guessed lucky on a lot of the questions because I didn't feel like I was knowing many of them but I ended up getting a 1420, so I am thrilled about that. Hopefully that will be enough to not only get me into a Master's Program but also get me scholarships to at least help pay for the schooling.

The test sucks though. The vocabulary on this test is the most ridiculous set of words I have ever seen. I mean really, how often do you use the word assuage or chary?

[DrunkCajun]

Heh, yeah, I took the GRE a little over a year ago now. Not a fun way to waste a few hours of your life. Scored a little lower than you, in the ~1350 range (don't remember offhand), but the written part was the one I blew away. They take a few weeks to score it and get back to you with the score on that one, which is agonizing. Got a 5.5 on that.

At any rate, I was pretty pleased with what I got, especially considering I didn't study much for it and hadn't done a lick of math since sophomore year of high school. Now I just need to hurry up and apply to a grad school before the window of validity closes on the scores--I think they're only valid for like 3-4 years?

[jmervyn]

Well, this morning I went and took the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) which is the standardized test used for many graduate schools. It is scored on the same scale as the SAT.

Anybody else taken this recently? I must have guessed lucky on a lot of the questions because I didn't feel like I was knowing many of them but I ended up getting a 1420, so I am thrilled about that. Hopefully that will be enough to not only get me into a Master's Program but also get me scholarships to at least help pay for the schooling.

The test sucks though. The vocabulary on this test is the most ridiculous set of words I have ever seen. I mean really, how often do you use the word assuage or chary?

Sorry, 'recently' must be over 5 years ago. I wiped it from my mind, and don't even recall the score I got. I do remember outlandish vocabulary though.

Don't sweat it, man. Nobody gives a damn what score you got once the scroll is on your "I luv me" wall. I had a 3.98 for my grad program, and it means absolutely feck-all for my job hunting.

[Yaboosh]

Of course the GRE doesn't mean crap for after graduate school, but it does mean crap getting into graduate school and getting money.

Drunk, that is where i think I bombed. The topics were shallow and I believe I answered it as best as I could but I just don't think I am going to be scored very positively on that portion. Luckily I have been told that the written section has less weight than the rest.

[DrunkCajun]

Drunk, that is where i think I bombed. The topics were shallow and I believe I answered it as best as I could but I just don't think I am going to be scored very positively on that portion. Luckily I have been told that the written section has less weight than the rest.

I didn't think I had done well either, but wound up getting a 6/6 on one and 5/6 on the other. And yeah, the topics leave a LOT to be desired. They were really kinda disappointing to me--like they tried really hard to come up with groundbreaking topics that allow for personal expression but in reality wound up being things that might be groundbreaking for 9th graders worded in adult language.

As far as the weight of that section, it depends on the type of program you're looking at I'd expect. A fiction writing or journalism program might be more interested in this section than a biology program. :teeth:

[maccool]

I took it in the 90's, with a #2 pencil. Kids today with their fancy computers. I remember there were 7 sections (2 vocab, 2 math, 2 logic, + 1 test section). I also remember bombing one section, but based on my score of eleventy-billion and three*, I reckon that was the test section.

* don't remember what I got. Besides, everyone on the Internets is 6'3", 215 lbs and sleeps on a pile of money with many beautiful women (or men) and has scored a perfect mark on every exam they've ever taken.

[Garbad_the_Weak]

Nobody gives a damn what score you got once the scroll is on your "I luv me" wall.

Depends on the field and the job. Especially for analytic fields, some employers ask for standardized test scores.

It is all prep time tho. I took the LSAT, GMAT, and GRE all right around the same time with no prep. I got almost identical scores on the Lsat/gmat (170 and 740 ~98th percentile iirc) and when I went into the GRE, I decided I would study up on my math because that is my weak part usually (I generally get perfect in the nonmath and usually like the 75% percentile in math, so it pulls my average down a lot. :/)

Anyhow, I preped for the math section for a few hours and got a 780. Of course, my other sections slipped a bit and I ended up in......you guessed it, the same overall percentile :lol:

Congrats on a great score btw.

Garbad

[Yaboosh]

Thanks.

Does anyone know if I have to wait on them to mail me my scores before I can apply to graduate programs or if I just apply and then they recieve them later?

Right now I just have to email some of my former professors and see if I can squeeze out a letter of recommendation or two.

[Raft Boy]

Does anyone know if I have to wait on them to mail me my scores before I can apply to graduate programs or if I just apply and then they recieve them later?

I asked the programs I applied to if they wanted everything in all at once (letters, test scores, the actual app) and depending on the program, some were fine with getting the test scores afterwards. Some were fairly adamant about getting everything in at once, which I suppose makes sense if you consider the paperwork issue.

If I remember, you can have the scores sent directly to the program too, but I forget if you can do that after taking the test without paying some kind of fee.

Good luck man!

(By the way, I took mine about two years ago, applied to some grad programs, and ended up working as a chemist without a higher degree. What a waste of money. )

[AeroJonesy]

No GRE for me, just the LSAT. You needed to take it? I thought you were already accepted any everything.