NeuroBatman

Hi. I have a few questions regarding graduate programs in Canada. First, do Canadian clinical psych PhD programs require a master's degree prior to entering a doctorate program. If so, does the master's count towards the PhD? I know that in the U.S. a masters in clinical psych is not very useful and only serves to waive a few of the course requirements in a given PhD program. I'm wondering if it works like this in Canada since, from what I gather, most if not all PhD programs require a masters. Secondly, if one is required to get a masters, do the masters programs provide research or teaching assistantships? Thanks for taking the time to look at this, and if you can think of any other information that might be useful to an American student considering grad school in Canada, please let me know. Cheers!

Cool. Thank you for clearing that up. Much appreciated. : )

I understand what you are saying. Yes some folks in my field have commented on my score being low, yet if you look at historical trends (mean scores on admissions sites, program guides, etc) , 1200-1250 has often been an acceptable comprehensive score (using the old scale) in my field and my scores are equivalent to 1350 (165V + 152Q). It seems that people are saying that standards have risen significantly since the implementation of the new test, suggesting that the applicant pool has quickly become more qualified. It seems possible but unlikely. Do you see where my confusion lies? Perhaps it's a matter of, 'are these concordance tables really accurate when comparing scores?'

I have a question regarding the GRE concordance table. My confusion stems from the fact that I have been repeatedly told that I have a low Quant GRE score (152), yet when I look it up on the concordance table (https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/concordance_information.pdf) it is equivalent to a 670 on the old scale, which according to the 2012/2013 'Insiders Guide to Clinical Graduate Programs' is barely below the mean for scores of students accepted by top-tier schools ( x̅=676), and well within the standard deviation(SD=38). So is my score really that bad? I would appreciate any input. Cheers!

Thank you so much! ^^^^

I'm not offended. I am willing to retake the test. My primary concern is that I won't score as well as I did the first time on verbal. Do admissions committees look more at the individual scores or your score as a whole? I mean, I've read that the cutoff used to be around 1200 total and my score is equivalent to 1350. Clearly I'm not incompetent, or I wouldn't have scored in the 95th percentile verbally . . . but I digress. Also, I'm not trying to get into Stanford or Yale, I'm aiming more at 2nd or 3rd tier programs. I saw that the mean score for those admitted to Northwestern U was 155Q a few years back. I was considering taking college algebra and trig in the spring hoping that it will get my brain working in the right direction so I can boost my quant score. I have plenty of electives so I thought that it might be useful. Like I said in my prior post, I was a troubled teenager and didn't learn ANY math in high school. In fact, I really have no idea how I passed. I was absent almost as many days as I was present (stupid yes, but I had my reasons). That being said, when math is used for practical purposes, I do really well. I excelled in Gen Chem 1 and 2, for example. So I guess I was hoping that if the math had some practical purpose, as it does in the classroom, I might learn it better.

I just took the GRE and got a 165V(95th %) and a 152Q(48%). I'm wondering if I should retake it due to the low Quant score. I'm planning to apply to clinical psychology PhD programs. I'm a Neuroscience/Psychology double major with a 4.0 GPA, close relationships with professors and significant research experience. I've taken a ton of natural science (biology/chem) courses and have thrived. I don't feel like the GRE accurately reflects my mathematical acumen. I got nearly 100% in stats and solid A's in Gen Chem 1 and 2; however, I was one of those kids who thought that high school was boring and didn't try, so I failed to learn foundational algebra and geometry (I got C's and D's) . . . not to mention the fact that it's been 15 years since I've taken those classes. Will I automatically be tossed out due to that score, or will schools look at my profile holistically? Would it help me to take college algebra in the Spring and then take the GRE immediately afterwards? I feel like I do well in math when it has a pragmatic application. Any help would be greatly appreciated. That score was a real kick to the gut. My verbal went up five points from the practice tests and my quant went down five points. Ugh . . .

Yes! What Citypsych said. ^^^^ I think that there is a lot of confusion between neuroscience and neuropsychology, which led to my own confusion. I guess my main question was: would it be easier to get in with a neuropsych faculty member? I was wondering if its as competitive. I would conjecture that it's just as difficult because while not as many people are likely to pursue neuropsych, there are less faculty members who specialize in it. Would I be correct in making this assumption?

Greetings! I've been researching admissions stats for getting into Clinical Psych PhD programs and have noticed several comments stating that it's 'easier' to get accepted into neuropsych programs than clinicial programs. I'm bemused by this statement because, correct me if I'm wrong, I was under the impression that neuropsychology is a concentration within the clinical track. I would appreciate any help clearing this up, because if it's in fact the case that neuropsych is easier to get into, I would be ecstatic as I am very interested in pursuing neuropsych. I would not be surprised, however, if there is less interest in neuropsych because a lot of my psych major colleagues abhorr the more tedious neuroscience courses. Is this the case? I'm just curious as to whether there is actually a distinction and whether or not it's easier to get accepted into a neuropsych lab than a straight clinical lab. If I'm completely off base, please excuse my credulity.

Thank you so much for your advice. I've read on a number of forums that the cutoff used to be around 1200 (comprehensive score in the old system). My score is equivalent to 1350 in the old scoring system. Do admissions committees look more at the scores individually or comprehensively?

I am in the same boat my friend. I have thrived in math and science courses throughout my undergrad, but put me under timed conditions and I fall apart. I think for me a large part of it might be learning a multitude of information in a short amount of time and trying to sort through all of that information for each question. The knowledge is there, but I can't pull it off of the hard-drive in time. I am a non-traditional student (32 y/o) and did not care one iota about math in high school, and my grades showed that. I basically had to spend the summer teaching myself basic algebra and geometry. I'm not sure if you are in the same boat, but I'm a neuroscience major and the only thing that I can conclude from what I've studied regarding the brain is that I filled my cortex with so much information that it was difficult to access what I needed in a timely fashion. In laymen's term, perhaps I over-studied and should have spread my studying out over a longer period of time so the information had some space and time to be consolidated. I'm not sure if that helps. In all honesty I'm posting because I just took the test and can really relate to you (I scored a 152Q and 165V). Additionally, I'll never understand why a clock is needed to measure one's erudition. I've taken some very difficult courses (biology, chem, neuroscience) and the lowest test score I've received during my undergrad was an 89% (in Gen Chem II), which happens to be my only B. I share your frustration friend. Good luck!!

I just took the GRE and got a 165V(95th %) and a 152Q(48%). I'm wondering if I should retake it due to the low Quant score. I'm planning to apply to clinical psychology PhD programs. I'm a Neuroscience/Psychology double major with a 4.0 GPA, close relationships with professors and significant research experience. I've taken a ton of natural science (biology/chem) courses and have thrived. I don't feel like the GRE accurately reflects my mathematical acumen. I got nearly 100% in stats and solid A's in Gen Chem 1 and 2; however, I was one of those kids who thought that high school was boring and didn't try, so I failed to learn foundational algebra and geometry (I got C's and D's) . . . not to mention the fact that it's been 15 years since I've taken those classes. Will I automatically be tossed out due to that score, or will schools look at my profile holistically? Would it help me to take college algebra in the Spring and then take the GRE immediately afterwards? I feel like I do well in math when it has a pragmatic application. Any help would be greatly appreciated. That score was a real kick to the gut. My verbal went up five points from the practice tests and my quant went down five points. Ugh . . .