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saturday was not the day ifailed the gre


powerlifterty16

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haha I love how you sort of liveblogging about your progress. Fyi I'm taking the test this Saturday as well (also at 12!) and I'm freaking out too. I took Powerprep II today and I found the quant section 2 questions really challenging. Kinda demotivated a bit but I can't do anything except keep on practicing.

 

Like you, I'm aiming for a 310 too. We can do this. But don't forget to get enough rest! :)

 

Hey, just wanted to make a followup thread to my other one. I took the Gre today and got 156v and 150 quant. How do these scores rank? I know they're aren't perfect, but I am under the assumption that they are still not bad.

 

BTW, I had a very BAD testing experience. The employee there kept walking into the room, and walking back and forth behind me, and spraying tables.  I couldnt focus at all, so im going to call the proxi center and complain. She gave me a lot of anxiety.I finished the essays early too, which was good bc i had a lot of typos. I'm not sure if I understood the issue essay though.

 

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so are those scores good enough to get into a decent psych phd program? I had an undergrad gpa of 3.7.

I personally would take it again, but it's your call.  Definitely complain about the environment though.  My testing center was next door to a grooming shop.  Dogs were barking throughout the entire test.  

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i just looked at the scores section on ets and it has no scores for me....shouldnt there be scores..i got scores when i finished the test yesterday, I also checked 4 institutions to send it to but none are pending in the score report.

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do you guys think if  i call and complain about the bad conditions of the test center that they ill allow me to retest for free? Im not even trying to be a mooch here, but 200 is a lot for me, and  i spent a lot of hours studying, and I feel disrespected by how i was treated. I was distracted to the point that i took my eyes completely off the screen and jsut stared at the employee, and this happened about 20 times during the whole exam. she DEFINITLEY loweree my score by 2-5 points and caused me to get lower percentiles. i might have had a 160 verbal and 155 quant without her harrassing me.

 

im going to wait until after my scores are recorded though, im paranoid they will change them.

btw i checked ets and my scores arent there....does it take a few days to appear?

Edited by powerlifterty16
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I i apply to the program I want to go now, and send these gre scores, can I send them the new gre scores if i retake the test in november, or will they already judge me based on these? btw why do you need to apply 1 year in advance for these programs??? Applying december gets me a sep 2014 slot....one year away :(

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i would rather nott ake it again to be honest. I was pretty happy with my score, is it really that bad? I think  i did well on the essays too.

If you are applying to a PHD program, you run the risk of certain professors culling your scores to save themselves time.  It sucks, but it's a fact of life.  My advising professor in my masters program already told me he will not consider mediocre GRE scores.  Some professors know the test is a fiasco, but do you want to gamble on their being the ones who assess your application?  I perused your original thread, and you actually did not study the way one is supposed to for the GRE.  Many people go on an extended study program.  At this point, you need a few core study tools and several practice tests that mimic GRE conditions.  And yes, I would definitely attempt to get a discount on the next test.  If you feel you just cannot cope with taking it a second time, I would start praying hard that the rest of your app is brilliant.  

Edited by awells27
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i did study for longer than that thread, but then i took a little break and started again. I also did do the powerprep tests, but it was a while back. I also finished a lot of the stuff with extra time. I think the main issue was the distractions. I'm telling you, she really screwed me up to the point that I jsut marked anything on questions thagt I otherwise could have answered.

 

I dont see how a 70 percent verbal is mediocre though...i'm not applying to harvard, and I have a good gpa to fall back on. The quant score isnt perfect, i'll admit, but im not applying to a math major(psych)...I think under perfect conditions i could raise quant to 155 and verbal to 160....so nothing drastically different.

I also would be shocked if I scored under a 5 in AW. That has to help me somewhat right?

I will update when I get my aw scores.

I also had a stressful morning, bc I thought I showed up too late for the test.

I felt like my studying was good though, I have always studied a little different tly than most, but it got me pretty much straight a's through hs and college, so it works for me. I have always beena  good test taker, but let's remember I am competing with some very smart people ha...so i wouldnt say my scores are that bad...idk how the quant is only 41st either..it is 10 in between 130 and 170. I feel sort of jipped jk :P.

 

chances are, i will retake the test though, but only if they give it to me for free, which i am going to fight very hard to do, and may even go to small claims court over what happened....because I feel like my test was nott aken seriously, and that is not acceptable for the money and time I invested into the gre as well as the stress.

Edited by powerlifterty16
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chances are, i will retake the test though, but only if they give it to me for free, which i am going to fight very hard to do, and may even go to small claims court over what happened....because I feel like my test was nott aken seriously, and that is not acceptable for the money and time I invested into the gre as well as the stress.

LOL, that would be awesome to take an ETS testing center to court.  You might want to check the average verbal/AW scores for admitted applicants in the schools to which you are applying.  Unfortunately for PHD programs, only a few schools too which I am applying show an average verbal score below 90th percentile.  I can't speak for psychology.  

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LOL, that would be awesome to take an ETS testing center to court.  You might want to check the average verbal/AW scores for admitted applicants in the schools to which you are applying.  Unfortunately for PHD programs, only a few schools too which I am applying show an average verbal score below 90th percentile.  I can't speak for psychology.  

I dont think it's that outlandish. My neighbor who is a professor actually recommended it when I spoke of my testing experience.

90 percentile would be ahrd to get....I dont know if  i could do that.

I jsut got one of my eltters of reccomendation a few mins ago, and it is very complimentary, so hopefully I get two more good ones.

My statement of purpose will be good too, having aprofessor i know check it over.

Plus I think a 3.6 gpa is competitive.

 

I prob will retake the gre, but Im hoping I could still get in without it. i really doubt you need a 90th percentile gre or you're denied rom anywhere, but maybe you are right. i'm applying to the same school I got my undergrad at so hopefully that holds some steam lol.

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i was also curious, is ets going to wait to send my scores until after my AW is graded? They only had unofficial verbal/quant scores so hoping they send aw too.

Wouldn't it be funny if i got a 1 on the AW lol....what a bummer that'd be.

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Do you already have a Master's in Psychology? Have you presented papers at conferences? If the answer is yes, your GRE may be less important. From what I understand, though, psychology grad programs are extremely competitive and the GREs do matter -- especially for students pursuing a PhD. Finally, it can actually be harder to get accepted to PhD programs at schools where you received your undergrad degree -- unless, of course, you're a superstar! But most schools recommend that you go to another school and get exposure to new professors, etc.

Good luck.

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Do you already have a Master's in Psychology? Have you presented papers at conferences? If the answer is yes, your GRE may be less important. From what I understand, though, psychology grad programs are extremely competitive and the GREs do matter -- especially for students pursuing a PhD. Finally, it can actually be harder to get accepted to PhD programs at schools where you received your undergrad degree -- unless, of course, you're a superstar! But most schools recommend that you go to another school and get exposure to new professors, etc.

Good luck.

nope, just a bachelor's. I have a decent undergrad gpa(3.64), and although I went to a good school, it isnt harvard, so idk. It seems a lot of the good schools dont have master's programs, just phd programs. I had no idea a 150 quant was as bad as you guys are making it outt o be, it's right in the middle of the range.

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nope, just a bachelor's. I have a decent undergrad gpa(3.64), and although I went to a good school, it isnt harvard, so idk. It seems a lot of the good schools dont have master's programs, just phd programs. I had no idea a 150 quant was as bad as you guys are making it outt o be, it's right in the middle of the range.

 

right--it's in the middle, so that implies "average" or "mediocre." Most likely it's not going to completely decimate your application, but it's certainly not going to help. I've heard people say that they use the scores to determine funding as well--so your scores aren't going to be competitive enough to warrant funding (if the schools use it that way). Also, a 3.64 isn't that competitive either when you consider a lot of people applying to grad school will have a 3.8-4.0. 

 

I'm definitely not trying to be too harsh here or indicate that your application is going to fail, but I think you need to reorient yourself to what means "average," "good," "great," and "competitive" in terms of scores, grades, CVs, etc. 

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right--it's in the middle, so that implies "average" or "mediocre." Most likely it's not going to completely decimate your application, but it's certainly not going to help. I've heard people say that they use the scores to determine funding as well--so your scores aren't going to be competitive enough to warrant funding (if the schools use it that way). Also, a 3.64 isn't that competitive either when you consider a lot of people applying to grad school will have a 3.8-4.0. 

 

I'm definitely not trying to be too harsh here or indicate that your application is going to fail, but I think you need to reorient yourself to what means "average," "good," "great," and "competitive" in terms of scores, grades, CVs, etc. 

i know you aren't trying to be harsh, and i appreciate the honesty. It sucks that what I thought were good achievments are not competitive. I dont care about funding though, it'd be nice, but I can get by without funding.

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I wouldn't go so far as to say your achievements don't make you competitive, I just think that you need to be aware of what you're competing with and find an angle to make your application stand out. So, if you're grades aren't in the 3.8-4.0 range, that doesn't mean they aren't good enough (I have a 3.71 and think it is pretty good). It just means that you need to demonstrate in your SOP how your interests align with the program etc. Basically, you just want to make sure that anything you can make better that you do so. So, you can't change your GPA or where you got your degrees, but you can make sure you have a strong SOP, letters of rec, etc. It's worth thinking about re-taking the GRE. 

 

And, while funding might not seem important to you now, you might wish that you have it later. You gotta think about how much money you'll be making in your future job versus how much debt you are in. Obviously this depends on the profession; in English, for example, it would be ridiculous to get a PhD without funding because we're never going to make that much money. I'm not sure how this plays out in psychology. I'd ask some professors what they think you should do. 

 

Overall, getting down on yourself isn't going to help. But, knowing where you stand and what you can do about it will help. 

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thanks for the help, im trying to maximize my application, lor's and everything...and most likely will retake the gre.

btw   got a reply from a professor who told me she doesnt know if the school i graduated from will take me into their grad program since im a graduate there. I guess what you said was correct. in that case I have no idea where I'm going to go.....this makes no sense to me.

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I still havent gotten any official gre scores. it's frustrating because I want to call and complai nabout the test center already, and see what they will do for me. I want to wait until after my scores are in. Im worried though they will think im only complaining because my score wasnt perfect.

 

btw the school im applying to claims that me being an undergrad student doesnt matter.

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I still havent gotten any official gre scores. it's frustrating because I want to call and complai nabout the test center already, and see what they will do for me. I want to wait until after my scores are in. Im worried though they will think im only complaining because my score wasnt perfect.

 

btw the school im applying to claims that me being an undergrad student doesnt matter.

I received an email contacting me of the availability of my official scores online 8 days after taking the test.  I'm surprised there are no terminal Masters programs in your field. Have you looked hard enough.  3.64 and a GRE imrpovement coudl make you quite competitive for a masters program, as for these, barring the topmost tier, your GRE Verbal/AW does not necessarily have to be 90th percentile, although for funding perhaps.  I did two masters degrees prior to applying for PHD this fall.  The reason your position could be difficult is because schools may see applicants submitting graduate level work and transcripts in their application, while yours is on the undergrad level.  Yet you should know your field better than me.   

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do you guys think if  i call and complain about the bad conditions of the test center that they ill allow me to retest for free? Im not even trying to be a mooch here, but 200 is a lot for me, and  i spent a lot of hours studying, and I feel disrespected by how i was treated. I was distracted to the point that i took my eyes completely off the screen and jsut stared at the employee, and this happened about 20 times during the whole exam. she DEFINITLEY loweree my score by 2-5 points and caused me to get lower percentiles. i might have had a 160 verbal and 155 quant without her harrassing me.

 

im going to wait until after my scores are recorded though, im paranoid they will change them.

btw i checked ets and my scores arent there....does it take a few days to appear?

 

Was she that attractive?

 

Kidding aside, give it a chance. You may get lucky. A friend of mine talked ETS into rescheduling his test date after He missed the appointment, so it's possible.

 

As for the joke above, I was reminiscing about my testing experience.

 

 

Do you already have a Master's in Psychology? Have you presented papers at conferences? If the answer is yes, your GRE may be less important. From what I understand, though, psychology grad programs are extremely competitive and the GREs do matter -- especially for students pursuing a PhD. Finally, it can actually be harder to get accepted to PhD programs at schools where you received your undergrad degree -- unless, of course, you're a superstar! But most schools recommend that you go to another school and get exposure to new professors, etc.

Good luck.

 

And that's exactly why I am pursuing a Master's rather than go straight for a Ph.D

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