Standardized test scores not high enough?

[fj20]

I was just notified by the above-mentioned program that my application was rejected because my standardized test scores on "the standardized test that is required for entrance into the particular school or for the particular discipline that the student has selected for his or her education" were not in the top 10% nationwide. I was very surprised at this, because my particular discipline is English literature, and my GRE scores are as follows:

Gre General

Verbal: 790, 99 percentile

Math: 660, 62 percentile

WRiting: 6.0 98 percentile

Gre Subject, in Literature

720, 97 percentile

The only explanation I can come to is that I was rejceted because of my GRE math scores, but that's not fair, right? The GRE test in math is NOT the test required for my particular discipline. Moreover, NO one applying to English graduate programs scores in the top 10% on the MATH score - it's not their field. Don't I have a legitimate cause for protest here, and if so, any ideas on how I can rectify this error? Thanks.

[Jae B.]

That is truly ridiculous...I'd like to know who got into this program! Good luck.

[socnerd]

I was just notified by the above-mentioned program that my application was rejected because my standardized test scores on "the standardized test that is required for entrance into the particular school or for the particular discipline that the student has selected for his or her education" were not in the top 10% nationwide. I was very surprised at this, because my particular discipline is English literature, and my GRE scores are as follows:

Gre General

Verbal: 790, 99 percentile

Math: 660, 62 percentile

WRiting: 6.0 98 percentile

Gre Subject, in Literature

720, 97 percentile

The only explanation I can come to is that I was rejceted because of my GRE math scores, but that's not fair, right? The GRE test in math is NOT the test required for my particular discipline. Moreover, NO one applying to English graduate programs scores in the top 10% on the MATH score - it's not their field. Don't I have a legitimate cause for protest here, and if so, any ideas on how I can rectify this error? Thanks.

No offense but if the requirements for the program were clearly stated then you have no cause for protest. Yes the requirements may be very high but it's not their fault if you don't meet them. The only way it would be unfair is if they never stated what the standardized testing requirements were for their program, and my guess is that they are likely listed somewhere.

[2010international]

This is ridiculous. To score in the top 10% for math you would need to get an 800. And since you are applying for English - this is highly irrelevant (even in the social sciences, where math is required, but not that much - the given reason would be utterly ludicrous). I think they have given a bogus reason for why they denied you admission, and if I were in your place, i would bring this to light and ask to be told the actual reason.

[milestones13]

I'm guessing that the way the GRE is structured is the reason your scores are not high enough for this particular program...(GRE=sort of an SAT but not meant to be an SAT structure).

If the GRE were structured like the GMAT, where verbal and math got coupled into one scaled score, then you'd definitely fall well within the top 10%.

But I guess what this program may have done is average the two scores so that arithmetic mean (in GRE parlance) of your two scores in V and Q falls below the 90%ile threshold.

Let's say you scored 640 Verbal (91st percentile) and 780 math (89%Ile), then, according to their method (which I'm making assumptions on), you probably would have made the cut, despite a 1420 combined which is less than your 1450.

How this program is evaluating scores is not consistent with the way in which the GRE is structured (where ESL students have to learn foreign words and non math people have to dust off old math text books).

It is also very possible that they expected top 10% score in both V and Q -- and that would mean 790 quant.

I'm going to bet that your subject test and analytical writing scores were not given any weight at all...which is pretty typical for scholarship programs that only really care about Q and V.

Their method for evaluating your scores was not good, but then, not good for everyone equally.

In any event, your scores are great and for university wide fellowships, I believe the combined scaled scores (not the averaged percentile score) is what's taken into account.

Edited May 5, 2010 by milestones13

[lily_]

That sounds outrageous considering most humanities or social science departments do not expect applicants to have 800Q scores. I guess this year was just super competitive for funding? But I seriously doubt that for English your Q scores are low...I would definitely delve deeper into this and ask if there was anything else aside from your GRE that got your application denied. Sorry about that, huge bummer. I'm especially surprised about your AW and Subject scores, you would think those would be weighted higher for an English program.