How important will my scores be?

[meli12]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum but I cannot believe how incredibly helpful it is! I have been browsing it for some time now and have finally found the courage to ask a question.

So, I am a junior in undergrad right now. I know that I have lots of time before it's time to think about grad school but I like take care of this stuff kind of early to avoid lots of stress.

I am a political science major at a top 50 university. I want to get an MPP in Education Policy. My absolute first choice is Vanderbilt's MPP program through their Peabody School. It's the #4 program in the country, so I'm kind of nervous. I e-mailed the department and they said their average GRE scores are in the 1150 range and their minimum is 1000.

On my first ever practice test I got a 530 in quant and a 640 in verbal. I know I will improve some, but I am scared that this is still not good enough (I'm sort of in shock that their average is so low. Could this be?) I have a fantastic GPA, I am in the honors progam at my school, and have done tons of education policy research, including working at a think tank on a project with some policy experts. I also have teaching experience and will have fantastic reccomendations. I also plan to complete an honors thesis on rural education policy. (It feels like I'm bragging...that's not the point, I promise!)

Ok, so assuming I bring up the scores a bit...will they still inhibit me from getting into some really good schools? I know the tops schools' quant levels are very high and I'm not sure I can make it that far. I am not a great test taker but I do extremely well in school. I guess my bottom line question is : How much are these scores going to hurt me, assuming I bring them up some before May when I plan to takt he GRE?

I can't wait to hear your responses. Thanks in advance, everyone!

Best,

Melissa

[cherubie]

The good news is that even in your practice test, you're already within the "acceptable" range of Vanderbilt's program (although on the lower end). The even more good news is that the GRE is something you really can study for.

The bad news is that you're too nervous about this. You haven't even taken the GRE yet, and you're asking "how much are these scores going to hurt me"?! What scores are you talking about? If you walk into the same exam feeling that lack of confidence, that alone will hurt your score. Plus, you obviously KNOW that you have a great application, maybe you're just looking for reassurance?

I can't answer the question of how much your future/hypothetical score will hurt or help your application- neither do I know what PoliSci programs look for (I would imagine they place more emphasis on verbal). You also mentioned that the top programs have really high "quant levels", do you mean the level of computation required in the programs, or the average GRE quant?

My advice (keep in mind I'm not a grad student, neither am I in your field, but I did just took the GRE): search the forums on "study tips". Take out some time to work on your weakness. If it's math, just keep doing problems and understand the basics. It's the easiest part to improve in. If it's verbal, start memorizing words and doing practice questions. Also, since the GRE is changing in August or so, make sure you give yourself enough time to take the old one if you end up having to take it a second or a third time.

Lastly (but very importantly), which practice test did you take? Are they those diagnostic ones from Princeton Review or Kaplan? If so, then your real score will likely to be much higher. (My Kaplan score was >200 points below my real score.) To get a better prediction of where you stand, I would recommend downloading the PowerPrep software from the ETS GRE website. Stimulate it as a real exam (aka, do all the sections in a library, without stopping to read forums or Facebook), and see what you get. Almost everyone agrees that powerprep was the best predictor of their actual score. Don't worry, after you finish your studying, you can take another PP test to see how you do then. IF you get around the same score on PP- around 1000, then you need to start cracking on the books (not to sound haughty, but while a 500V is around 50th percentile, a 500Q is not impressive to say the least).

Hope that helps!

Edit: One more tip on the powerprep software. Stimulate it *exactly* as the real exam. For example, I honestly believe that nervousness can dramatically affect your performance on the GRE. If you take a practice exam without feeling any anxiety, in the comfort of your dorm/home listening to your favorite music, you will not get an accurate prediction at all. Try to look at it as if it IS the real test. For me, I actually felt MORE nervous during the practice tests (ironically) than during the actual exam, and I think that play a big part in getting a score higher than all my practice ones.

Edited December 23, 2010 by cherubie

[Alyanumbers]

cherubie has good advice, but it's also important to remember that research experience, a good SoP and strong LoRs trump bad or average GRE scores every day. This may be more true for humanities than other disciplines, but it's still worth keeping in mind. The GRE is NOT that big a deal. Top grad schools see a lot of applicants, and have certainly admitted strong applicants who weren't great test-takers, and so did not do well on the GRE. It's certainly not what will make or break your application. Graduate schools set a minimum, yes, and you're often advised to shoot for 1200+ (to have a better shot at fellowships), but as long as you're above the minimum AND above the program's average, you should focus on other aspects of your application.

[meli12]

Thank you both! I truly appreciate your advice.

[Zimaleah501]

I empathize with your situation, as that is exactly what I did myself. And I agree with the poster who said that your main problem is the fear at this point. It will be more difficult for you to study if you do so out of panic, (for me the information will magically not stick in my brain ) so you should make a serious effort to stay relaxed. This is also important during the test. You are more likely to rush and make mistakes if you are nervous during the exam. I was not able to fend off the nerves while studying, but was able to during the exam, and I turned out with average, but acceptable scores (for my program). Part of me really thinks that the test scores are only there to make sure you aren't completely incompetent, or can help if they are really stellar. But most people are in the middle, and that just means writing a great statement of purpose (and writing sample, if your program needs it), and getting great letters of rec! Try not to worry, you can do it!