Importance of Chem GRE?

[carlnag]

This test seems to be optional for a lot of departments; does it detract from admission chances if it's not included?

[tomyum]

It depends upon the school that you are applying to. I only studied for two weeks for the chem GRE and did very poorly on it but still managed to get admitted to some really good chemistry programs. Schools like Stanford and MIT seem to put much more importance to the Chem GRE but others like Harvard, UPenn don't care much about it.

[lgottlieb]

I took this exam and I didn't horribly. I have some schools I'm interested in that have this a requirement but now I feel like I may as well not bother applying to those programs.

Some of these programs include UC San Francisco, UC San Diego and Carnegie Mellon (they say that it's not required but it is "highly recommended").

Help?

[sareth]

...they say that it's not required but it is "highly recommended"

Help?

I did not take the subject exam and was nonetheless accepted to several programs that listed the subject GRE as "highly recommended." As long as the rest of your application is strong you should be fine.

[lgottlieb]

What about schools that require it?

[synorg]

a stellar score guarantees nothing, and a not-so-great score (~700) isn't the kiss of death. the subject GRE seems to be one of the least important factors in what you will find is a mysterious and unpredictable process.

if you prepare and take some practice tests, you'll do fine. spend the bulk of your time refining your statement of purpose for each school.

[prolixity]

The subject GRE is not very important if you have a great all-around application package. I only pulled a 48th percentile on mine and I was accepted at every graduate school to which I applied (Harvard, Stanford, MIT, etc.)

[Chronos]

Yes, I have to agree with prolixity. I only achieved a 54th percentile and was accepted to schools in the top 10 (Scripps, Columbia). I took the test too early though, before I even cracked open a book in inorganic chemistry.

[process chemist]

If you are a domestic student, ~50% is a solid score, >70% is the stratosphere. We usually see those >70% scores from internationals from universities that are relatively unknown in the US to adcoms. In chemistry I really don't think this test is really that heavly weighed unless it is stated as a requirement to complete your application package. In other fields (math, physics) these tests are more or less required, as those students are expected to have near perfect Quant. scores on the general GRE, and another piece of data is needed to differentiate between applicants.

[6616]

I have a similar problem. I scored a 680 and I am not sure if I should include them for the "strongly recommended" universities. I saw on the Harvard website that the average score was over 850. Should I bother applying to that program even though they have amazing research groups?

I am contemplating on retaking the subject gre, however, I graduated undergrad in 07 and a graduate in 09 (terminal masters) and work full time. I studied for 2 months reading text books, class notes, 4 practice exams, watching lectures from other schools, but a lot of the questions were esoteric.

I've been trained to think critically and solve problems rather than memorize ideas that I can easily lookup. Thus, I am really worried that I may only improve slightly on the second exam (maybe slightly higher than ～50 percentile). Or worse...

If i retake the exam, would it be better to hold off until I get the results for the second exam and slow down my application process? Or submit my applications ASAP?

I saw some post regarding "very good schools" and "very poor" gre subject score. Would you mind defining what that means? The schools I am interested in are Yale, northwestern, Harvard, uc irvine, uc San fran, uc Santa barb, purdue west Lafayette, u of wis madison.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Li-S]

I have a few old Chemistry GRE exams from 1982, 1990, 1995 as well as some ETS drill questions. Would you like me to upload them on a torrent engine?

[synorg]

6616:

Several posts in this thread provide percentiles AND schools...what more are you looking for?

[6616]

6616:

Several posts in this thread provide percentiles AND schools...what more are you looking for?

I am trying to collect as much data as I can to arrive at the most sensible goal. I was hoping I can get some stats of people for both success and unsuccessful results that includes their subject gre.

I am sorry if I keep touching your nerve, I am just trying to get the most out of this forum so I don't get my hopes up, again.

My other question previously stated was whether or not disclosing my subject gre score for universities that "strongly recommend" a subject gre would hurt my application? Or would a 43 percentile be better than none? Thanks in advance.

@LI-S it would be great if you could post the older exams. Thank you.

Edited July 12, 2012 by 6616

[synorg]

i bet if you took some practice tests, you could get your score into the range where you don't need to be afraid to submit it. i'd be a little gunshy about a 43, but i still don't think that would disqualify you from being strongly considered by most or all of your schools because:

1) chem GRE might be the least important part of the application

and

2) you seem to be very competitive in the research department (most important piece of the puzzle)

don't think too much about it. just get a book if you can and register for the earliest test and just get it over with.