Worried about my chances for top English PhD programs. Looking for Advice.

[truckbasket]

I should probably just point out too that my reason for emphasizing what the GRE seeks was not to influence people intentionally write lame essays on the test, it was really to assuage the feelings of being bummed out that some Grad Cafe posters had expressed from their results. The writing style required is somewhat antithetical to what we do in the humanities (which is why the score doesn't carry a lot of weight -- unless it's eyebrow-raisingly low) as opposed to, say, engineers or scientists who don't spend nearly as much time chiseling an academic voice in the same manner. I hope I didn't offend or come across like a know-it-all -- just trying to ease the suffering of those navigating this year's season.

[shepardn7]

Actually, it's both. A computer grades it first, analyzing for sentence complexity and variation. It determines keywords that should be used for given topics, and looks at phrasing structures related to pre-programmed standards. It assigns a grade based on this and generates a report. A reader, usually a graduate student who may or may not have experience with composition, scans the essay (90 seconds is the suggested average) and verifies the computer's report.

How do I know this? I was approached to be a grader.

I'll reiterate from direct experience that what they want is a formulaic 5-paragraph-esque structure. Good luck to all those who have it coming up!

Trust me, at least at this point in time, the score you get is not half-graded by a computer rater. Here is the info from the GRE site:

"For the Analytical Writing section, each essay receives a score from two trained readers, using a six-point holistic scale. In holistic scoring, readers are trained to assign scores on the basis of the overall quality of an essay in response to the assigned task. If the two assigned scores differ by more than one point on the scale, the discrepancy is adjudicated by a third GRE reader.

Otherwise, the scores from the two readings of an essay are averaged. The final scores on the two essays are then averaged and rounded up to the nearest half-point interval. A single score is reported for the Analytical Writing section. The primary emphasis in scoring the Analytical Writing section is on your critical thinking and analytical writing skills rather than on grammar and mechanics. (Read the "Issue" and "Argument" scoring guides.)

During the scoring process, your essay responses on the Analytical Writing section will be reviewed by ETS essay-similarity-detection software and by experienced essay readers. SeeIndependent Intellectual Activity."

There is software that detects cheating, but doesn't score -- the two essay readers determine your score. I'm not really trying to defend ETS and their test, just reiterate that it's a good idea to consider that bored humans are reading these essays while you're writing them on test day. Don't do anything crazy and "unique" with your structure or approach, but do write with the facility and insight you would as you wrote any other essay you'd share with the world. There's no need to dumb down your language structure, for example. Your pretty sentences might be appreciated, as long as they further your argument.

[truckbasket]

Trust me, at least at this point in time, the score you get is not half-graded by a computer rater. Here is the info from the GRE site:

Thanks for digging this up and clarifying, sarandipidy. It's good to see they've made some changes!

Don't do anything crazy and "unique" with your structure or approach, but do write with the facility and insight you would as you wrote any other essay you'd share with the world. There's no need to dumb down your language structure, for example. Your pretty sentences might be appreciated, as long as they further your argument.

And this is good advice, for sure. Again, I wasn't advocating for (and hope I didn't lead anyone to) simple sentence construction, I was simply pointing out what's in my now dated "GRE cracking" guides (2010) and what I picked up from training meetings (2009). Absolutely use complex sentences and ten-dollar words, but stick to the formulaic paragraph structure so you hit all the right notes with ease. "When such as such proposes such and such, they are correct for reasons x and y, but fail to take into account reason z"; that kind of thing. Methodical, terse, and efficient are the keys! Good luck on the test, everyone!

[caromd50]

Penn State will tell you that they unofficially look for around a 1500 combined score although they admit on a case-by-case basis.

[user_name]

Penn State will tell you that they unofficially look for around a 1500 combined score although they admit on a case-by-case basis.

so like general + subject test = 1500?

[wintergirl]

Penn State will tell you that they unofficially look for around a 1500 combined score although they admit on a case-by-case basis.

so like general + subject test = 1500?

So, what you're saying is that I'm not going to get in anywhere?

Cue sad Charlie Brown music.

[rawera]

Combined 1500, I think very few people would get in anywhere...

[Two Espressos]

Combined 1500, I think very few people would get in anywhere...

That number doesn't feel right. caromd50, do you mean general (verbal) + subject =1500, or 1500 total on the general exam?

Either way, that's quite high. A professor told me to aim for ~1300 on the general exam.

Edited December 7, 2011 by Two Espressos

[Grunty DaGnome]

GREs are now graded on a 170 point scale, so I'm calling troll on the 1500 posting.

[perrykm2]

I've actually heard about the 1500 scores mentioned above^^^. I'm pretty sure that is accurate. I've realized that a lot of state schools I'm applying to (Penn State and OSU) seem to disproportionately care about the general GRE scores. I don't think it has anything to do with how the English department chooses qualified applicants, but it's important for funding students. They don't want to admit students they can't fund, and the financial aid departments have certain qualifications that need to be met.

[caromd50]

In regards to the 1500- as in general test (Q+A=1500). I go this straight from the previous head of department in Spring 2011. He stated that the use the GRE as a general way to begin to weed through their 700 or so candidates, so if you want to be looked at strongly right off the bat, having a high GRE score will grab attention