GRE question

[db2290]

Hi all, I was wondering whether someone could offer their insight.

I am currently studying for the GRE, booked November 2nd, just in time for Phd applications, which are in mid December. I basically have everything riding on the GRE now, so I am working pretty hard at it and have made some quite decent progress. I did a 800score practice and got 620V, 600 Quant with some silly mistakes in there. I'm looking to get around about a 700Q, 650-700V by November (I am fairly inept at Maths!).

I just realised that you can retake the GRE once every calendar month, rather than every 30 days - this has led me to think that I should reschedule my test to the end of October (and stomach the $50 fee) so on the off chance I have a bad day/weird questions I can retake it. Is this a good idea? I'm not sure if I will realistically chance that much anyway over the space of a week but it seems like a good insurance. Perhaps....

[newms]

Hi all, I was wondering whether someone could offer their insight.

I am currently studying for the GRE, booked November 2nd, just in time for Phd applications, which are in mid December. I basically have everything riding on the GRE now, so I am working pretty hard at it and have made some quite decent progress. I did a 800score practice and got 620V, 600 Quant with some silly mistakes in there. I'm looking to get around about a 700Q, 650-700V by November (I am fairly inept at Maths!).

I just realised that you can retake the GRE once every calendar month, rather than every 30 days - this has led me to think that I should reschedule my test to the end of October (and stomach the $50 fee) so on the off chance I have a bad day/weird questions I can retake it. Is this a good idea? I'm not sure if I will realistically chance that much anyway over the space of a week but it seems like a good insurance. Perhaps....

If you have the money to spare it might be a decent idea to give yourself two bites at the cherry, as they say. Your scores are likely to be the roughly same, but if (in the small chance) something were to go horribly wrong on the first attempt - such as you being sick, you could cancel that test and do it again a week later.

[anthropologygeek]

Its nor a bad idea but honesty you are pushing the time frame for early december even if you take it late october. To be sure I was able to get my scores to the schools I would take it no later than Oct. 16th because yes you get the verbal and quant scores that day it takes a month to get the writing score. And then the way the send out the scores, Once a month they give the school a disk with all scores requested for that school. So lets say you take it late october and they send the scores on November 15th and December 15th. Any due dates before the 15 of december will mean you scores being sent late.

[db2290]

oh really? I was under the impression it would take 3-4 weeks from when you actually sit the exam to when the university receives it. Does anyone else have any experience of this?

Looks like I should play it safe and schedule it earlier.

[newms]

oh really? I was under the impression it would take 3-4 weeks from when you actually sit the exam to when the university receives it. Does anyone else have any experience of this?

Looks like I should play it safe and schedule it earlier.

I've heard that it's around 5 weeks. The end of October should be fine for a mid December deadline. You can check with the schools though, because for a lot of programs, they don't start to review applications until January - even with a mid December deadline. So in some cases they anticipate ETS being late with the scores - definitely check with the schools if you have any doubt.

Edited September 6, 2010 by newms

[hahahut]

I remember reading from one school that they receive GRE scores from ETS twice a month. If that is common, it could take up to six weeks as official score including AWA is about four weeks. However, some schools also mention they understand GRE score is beyond applicant's control and it is all right to be a bit late on that. You better check your schools to be safe.

Edited September 6, 2010 by hahahut