slee

It's okay- I'm laughing with you too. I do have a sense of humor as well. No offense taken. But, I'm gonna try again and simply give it a shot. There are many people that take the GRE more than 3-4 times and even 5 times.

I agree and will do my best to concentrate on time management. I have several practice books, flash cards and etc. The second time around I didn't run out of time as much as I did the first time. So, there is an improvement.

By the way- does anyone know anything about the paper test verses the computer test? I'm considering taking the paper test, as it might be less stressful for my third shot on the GRE.

I wish my first score was thrown out completely. Hopefully, the other scores after will be much higher and it will average out to a decent score in the long run. Hey, I listened to a Michael Jordan interview and I am paraphrasing so this is not an exact quote. But, he said he lost 100's of games and 1000's of shots and because of all his failures- he has succeeded. He said it was because of his failures, that he got to be where he is today. I hold on to that.

I agree with you, ADD is tricky. The biggest thing with ADD is the time it takes for those that have it- to get through timed portions of specified test areas because of the amount of added concentration it takes to block out being distracted by the time clicking away. ETS does consider ADD a learning disability for this very reason and they have an entire section on it on their website. However, it is difficult getting extra time (if you feel that is what you need and in my particular case, I felt I needed extra time). For me, the time clicking away really got under my skin. However, I did do better the second time around by 200 points- which is an improvement. But, as you said- it's tough when the actual field you will get into does not necessarily function in the same way. My field of interest does have deadlines, but on long term deadlines which is different. Nothing on the GRE test really accounts for creative individuals or their field, although there are many that are forced to take it. Even the writing portion is formatted and geared towards left-brain writing. Everything on the test is geared towards logic, IQ analysis, and the like. So, I have to simply flex those muscles and think the way that they do. I will study again and re-take the test. All I can do is continue to try. Right? No excuses here- I will buckle down and not give up.

It is refreshing knowing that there are others that have gone through the same thing. I am going to evaluate all comments and suggestions here and will take the test again. Again, the biggest problem I have is being timed. But, I'm going to move past that and just get better at being timed and being quicker with my responses.

Dear Honest Friend, I do not disagree with you. I am certainly looking at this from various angles. Having said that, I am considering taking this test a third time. I do not have problems with memorization. My main weakness is time, as this has happened twice so far. I have ran out of time. So, I suppose I can try and get through the questions with more speed. Devoting myself day and night- non-stop, and not giving up and having taken the test twice despite my failures and ADD is just the opposite of hiding behind a symptom. If I hid mam/sir- I would have given up a long time ago, but I have not. I appreciate your straight forwardness and will take your assumptions that I am hiding- with stride.

To everyone who assumes they got a low GRE score: You have not received a low GRE score until you read this post and listen to what I got. I have taken the GRE test twice so far, both with unfavorable results. After taking a GRE prep class, I studied hard and basically failed the test. Some of you are upset because you scored a total of 1000, to me that is not failing. I failed. Seriously. I received a 500 total on both quantitative and verbal and a 3 on the analytical writing. To back up, I have adult ADD (attention deficit disorder) and ran out of time in almost every section- thus the failed score. So, I called ETS and spoke with them regarding my condition and that I needed extra time on the test. I had paperwork from my doctor and everything proving that I have ADD. ETS has made it impossible for me to get extended time. They stated that I needed to submit records dating back to my elementary school years, and various tests (cognitive, and academic achievement) that takes weeks to get through a specialist (Neuro-pychologist). The tests are long and grueling, expensive, and are often not covered under insurance and I have great insurance coverage. So, I hired a tutor because getting extra time on the test would take literally months just for ETS to approve it and it didn't seem like it was going to happen anytime soon. Therefore, I studied non-stop day and night for this test, knowing that I would not get the extra time on the test that I needed. I worked one-on-one with my tutor, and didn't even work while studying for the GRE. I put all of my time and effort into this test. Being that I am a creative person, I worked hard to try and acclimate to this left-brain test. Now, for my undergraduate GPA overall I received a 3.2 which is decent with a few semesters having achieved a 4.0. I have worked very hard to study for this GRE and I know that based on my GPA and overall work ethics, I am a disciplined person. I'm not an idiot, but after failing the test miserably once- I certainly feel frightened that I may not be able to get into ANY master's program. Today, I just took the GRE for the second time. And low and behold after getting a tutor and studying day and night for at least 2-3 months straight, I received a 710 and this is total for both quantitative and verbal! While all of the practice tests I did at home- I scored over a 1000; I thought for sure this new GRE practice test score would reflect all of my hard work and that I would get that score, this second time around. It didn't. I am at a loss as to what to do now. I am currently trying to get into a creative writing program and hoping they look at the fact that I got 3.2-4.0 GPA through my undergrad years and equally look at my writing samples and portfolio. I guess I can take this test a 3rd time, but once again time is a factor for me. I am not trying to hide behind my ADD condition, but it's very difficult for me to finish specific portions of the test in the time that ETS gives. Maybe there are many people out there that do well under this sort of pressure. However, this test is designed in such a way that it is not working with the way I think or perform and I do not want this to affect my chances of getting in to Grad school. And so far, reading everyone's blogs and comments- I have yet to read anyone who has received as low of a score as I have. I'm embarrassed, emotionally drained, and frustrated because I have worked so hard to get to where I am at. Any one have any advise?