Are GREs worth taking, 2021-2022?

[AlexZutt]

I noticed that a lot of schools are not requiring GRE scores this year (2021-2022) for phd programs (at least, in English Lit). Some schools say weird things like "you can send it in, but we won't factor it into our decision", and others just say they're not required. What are people doing/saying? Is it wise/helpful to take it anyway, or better to just concentrate on the rest of the app?

[nelska]

If any schools you're applying to require it, take it. Otherwise, I'm not sure why you would. $205 is a lot of money for something you don't need.

[Mr. David Jay]

Personally, I feel like the GREs could only hurt my application. Doing well is expected, so good scores wouldn't add anything to the application; doing sub-par, however, would raise some eyebrows. 

[Idris Barakat]

Hi everyone! I would be interested to hear your thoughts on schools that say " GRE General and Chemistry subject tests are recommended but not required." 

[YogaChem]

It was optional for the program I was applying.  "Optional but recommended." was what was written on their website.  I straight up just emailed the POI I'd been emailing with to ask him how "optional" it really was, and he told me it was not very optional, so I took it.