Jaslet

ps. most of the test is reading, not identification, so I wouldn't waste too much time cramming. So many of the passages are by god-knows-who and are meant to be obscure so you're not familiar with them (and you usually don't have to identify the author of these). Spend your time taking as many practice tests as you can get a hold of so you can get a sense for the time and practice answering reading questions quickly!

Did you buy the study guide? I took the gre literature test in 2006 and felt this was a godsend. I used it (the updated version) again for the test this past Sept. and I did not feel as prepared. I got a somewhat higher score this time, but then I've been reading in the nine and a half intervening years, which I'd say accounted for it. I was very surprised by the lit GRE this Sept. Compared with the one I took in 2006 and the two practice tests I took before it this time, it was very heavy on nonfiction. Essays, journalism, literary theory. It felt like very little poetry and fiction, especially contemporary, and while that's always the case, this felt different than my many experiences taking this test. It was the first time taking any standardized test that I really felt that I ran out of time because I was just so confounded by the questions and the masses of text that went with them. My advice is to watch the clock like a hawk, and definitely do the first pass second pass third pass. Leave the huge, dense sections of nonfiction for second pass. When I realized there were 20 min. left, I began madly rushing through the rest of the test and found so many questions I could have done well on, including a section on Middlemarch, which I had just read (love middlemarch!) I know they always tell you this about passes and running out of time, but I'd taken this test before and it had never happened to me. The people who are trying to keep this test hard and unpredictable are doing their job. All that said, I do not think this test is very important. Most programs don't require it. I took it only to apply to one of the six schools, although I sent it to the others (because 5 are included with the fee). i got not that great of a score but the percentage was still pretty good and I wound up getting into the program that required it. Thus I think that it's more one of those hoops they put up for you to jump through (to deter the faint of heart) but they're not selecting based upon it. Hit me up with any other questions--I studied for this baby all summer and it wasn't the first time:)

Hey! Please let me know if you hear from Ohio--I'm still waiting on them! I am sort of disgusted by your story about UIC. They kept sending me emails about how they didn't get my gre, which they had, and no one would respond to me in any way except one email that said nothing. That coupled with their crappy way of letting you know you're rejected and the story you told, I'd dissuade anyone in the future from applying there. Good luck with the schools you're still waiting on!

Hi PattiJeane, I've been rejected from UIC and gotten into Cincinnati and Missouri. It's hard waiting--I hope you get some good news soon!

Thank you! I got a call from one and email from the other. It's all moving slow...

I just saw all of these! Wonderful. Good luck to us all! I have heard that I am in from Missouri and Cincinnati, but nowhere else, and funding is not finalized. I hope to read some good news from you all soon.

I have an MFA and have unsuccessfully applied to PhDs in literature once in the past. I finally decided (five years later) that a PhD in Creative Writing is probably perfect for me, even if such programs are new in the academic world and don't inspire universal prestige as the lit phd might. The schools I've applied to are: UIC, Texas Tech, UGa, Missouri, Ohio U, and Cincinnati. So many questions: has anyone been through this process before? When are decisions made? (from looking at last years' threads, it seems like as early as the first week in Feb. but other testimony is welcome!) How many do these programs take in each genre? What's the latest funding profile for these schools (their websites are so vague about how much they are likely to provide you if accepted). And most importantly, for anyone already in one of these programs, how do you like it?! Thanks for your help!