Help! Accidentally reported my GRE scores wrong by a percentile. what do I do now?

[cannotdecide]

I am applying to MPP programs and I just submitted an application, and as I did, I double checked my GRE scores, the hard copy that was recently sent to me and saw that I have been reporting the percentile wrong all this time! All this time meaning, I have submitted two applications already to top tier universities, and one of them wants self reporting, the other wants hard copies and self reporting.

I could have sworn that when I looked online at my GRE scores, they were the way that I reported and I am not someone who makes such petty mistakes.

Anyways, I have no idea what to do. The difference is small- my verbal score percentile rank according to the hard copy is one percentile lower, my quantitative one percentile lower, and my AW two percentile higher.

My apprehension in sending an email to the admissions office is a) I don't want to bring attention to my less than average GRE scores in the quant and verbal department to the schools, especially since the new percentiles are lower, and I have already emailed them so many times and they know me and I don't want it to seem like I am bothering them and remembering my application as such [which may sound stupid, I know].

My actual scores were reported correctly, and just not my percentiles, apparently. And one of the schools will receive my official scores and reported scores and see that they are different!

Will this hurt me? If I get into my school that just required reporting, would they reject me after they get official scores?

[IRToni]

I think you've gotta bite the bullet and send them an E-Mail. Just explain the mix-up to all the unis, be nice and apologetic about it.

The thing is that if you don't do it, there's a good chance that you're gonna get rejected for nothing else but reporting the scores wrong. You did sign that the information you submitted has been the truth, so if it isn't, it is entirely within their rights to reject you. You can also be expelled at any later date for submitting wrong information.

While I think an e-mail like this might hurt your admission chances a tiny bit, esp. because your GRE scores apparently are sub-par, but it is, IMO, the better course of action.

For the school that doesn't do direct reporting, I would also attach the GRE score report.

For the school that does reporting, I would directly address it: You might have noticed the discrepancy between the reported percentiles and the percentiles I have put in...

You might seem a little disorganized, but it's definitely preferable to getting rejected or getting expelled or them thinking you're a cheater and a lyer, who's trying to make their scores look better. In my experience, most admission committees are really nice and know that students aren't infallible and that we're under enormous pressure with our applications, so they probably wouldn't hold this against you in the same way they would hold you telling a lie against you.

Just my two cents, of course, but I hope I was helpful and made sense to you.

Toni

Edited, because translating wrong expressions from my mother tongue into English doesn't work.

Edited December 30, 2011 by IRToni

[bellefast]

I think you've gotta bite the bullet and send them an E-Mail. Just explain the mix-up to all the unis, be nice and apologetic about it.

The thing is that if you don't do it, there's a good chance that you're gonna get rejected for nothing else but reporting the scores wrong. You did sign that the information you submitted has been the truth, so if it isn't, it is entirely within their rights to reject you. You can also be expelled at any later date for submitting wrong information.

While I think an e-mail like this might hurt your admission chances a tiny bit, esp. because your GRE scores apparently are sub-par, but it is, IMO, the better course of action.

For the school that doesn't do direct reporting, I would also attach the GRE score report.

For the school that does reporting, I would directly address it: You might have noticed the discrepancy between the reported percentiles and the percentiles I have put in...

You might seem a little disorganized, but it's definitely preferable to getting rejected or getting expelled or them thinking you're a cheater and a lyer, who's trying to make their scores look better. In my experience, most admission committees are really nice and know that students aren't infallible and that we're under enormous pressure with our applications, so they probably wouldn't hold this against you in the same way they would hold you telling a lie against you.

Just my two cents, of course, but I hope I was helpful and made sense to you.

Toni

Edited, because translating wrong expressions from my mother tongue into English doesn't work.

This and GRE is not everything.

[Fell4Ever]

By one percentile point? If one percentile point is the difference between you getting in and you NOT getting in, then what's the point really. You're stressing yourself out over something as simple as one percentile point. Either do as the first poster said and bite the bullet, send an e-mail, and just say "I wanted to give you the best representation possible, here are my fixed scores, I'm sorry" or go out, buy a coffee, and relax.

[emmm]

I don't think you need to do anything. GRE percentiles are constantly changing. What you sent out WAS probably accurate when you sent it out. Schools must see this happen ALL the time, as it is very common.

In other words, DON'T worry about it -- look here: http://www.ets.org/g...res/understand/

Quoting (emphasis added):

Each GRE test score is reported with a corresponding percentile rank. A percentile rank for a score indicates the percentage of examinees who took that test and received a lower score. Regardless of when the reported scores were earned, the percentile ranks for General Test and Subject Test scores are based on the scores of all examinees who tested within a recent three-year period.

You are always being compared to everyone who took the test within a certain period of time -- regardless of when YOU actually took the test.

As an afterthought -- you could stick with the percentile ranks you got with your printed score report or you could try to send the most up-to-date one. Either way, there is no guarantee it won't change again before the committee meets and actually reviews your application. Fortunately, your actual SCORE won't change, so as long as that is reported correctly, you'll be fine.

Edited December 30, 2011 by emmm

[cannotdecide]

I don't think you need to do anything. GRE percentiles are constantly changing. What you sent out WAS probably accurate when you sent it out. Schools must see this happen ALL the time, as it is very common.

In other words, DON'T worry about it -- look here: http://www.ets.org/g...res/understand/

Quoting (emphasis added):

Each GRE test score is reported with a corresponding percentile rank. A percentile rank for a score indicates the percentage of examinees who took that test and received a lower score. Regardless of when the reported scores were earned, the percentile ranks for General Test and Subject Test scores are based on the scores of all examinees who tested within a recent three-year period.

You are always being compared to everyone who took the test within a certain period of time -- regardless of when YOU actually took the test.

As an afterthought -- you could stick with the percentile ranks you got with your printed score report or you could try to send the most up-to-date one. Either way, there is no guarantee it won't change again before the committee meets and actually reviews your application. Fortunately, your actual SCORE won't change, so as long as that is reported correctly, you'll be fine.

Thanks for this.

I ended up emailing two of my schools, and not one of them. This makes me calmer. It was, yes, by a percentile. and more importantly, my scores themselves were the same, just the percentiles which seems to change all the time.

indeed, a very stressful application process. at least i was able to change the reporting for my other applications in time. too bad my percentiles now make me look worse in the quant and verbal.

[LLajax]

This happened to me too- when I was submitted my first app in October one of my scores was a 75% and by the time I finished my last (January), it was being reported by ETS as a 74%. I didn't even realize it until i was comparing the confirmation papers they send you.