Took GRE on no sleep anyone else experience this and re-take later?

[grimmiae]

Quick reference:

I made the dumb decision the night before the gre to let testing anxiety get the best of me. I could not sleep. My test was scheduled for 8AM. I didn't sleep at all and needless to say as I was taking the exam my eyes felt like they were burning out of my skull and I think I may have even dozed off a few times. I just quit caring but didn't cancel my scores.

I could look them up, but the actual scores to me are irrelevant. I just know I could have done a lot better.

My question is this: has this happened to anyone before, and when you retook the exam on a full night of sleep did you do significantly better than your old scores?

Guessing I am not the only person who has made this mistake. Just curious to hear some experiences. Because I am praying that my scores were really just due to exhuastion though I did not bomb as badly as I could have. Just gotta control my testing anxiety better the night before.

Edited April 23, 2012 by grimmiae

[Spore]

How do you know if you should retake the exam if you don't know what your scores are?

And even if you would do better on sleep, if you did fine, there would be no need to suffer the same event twice!

My adivce: look at your scores and determine if they are in a competitive range for your programs.

Edited April 23, 2012 by Spore

[grimmiae]

I know what my scores are, they were lackluster. I didn't want to post them on here because I wanted to keep them personal. They could somewhat qualify for some of my programs but they are still weak. I'll get over my sense of embarrasment.

Q-145 30th percentile

V-155 70th percentile

Analytical writing score 4.5

I really barely tried I just could not maintain my focus. I was more so hoping to hear from someone who had the same experience, and then retook it. I just want to hear a happy retake the GRE story? I still have considerable anxiety about retaking it.

[MakeYourself]

I took the GRE on no sleep and did well. I think it depends on the individual. You know yourself best, but are you sure it was the sleep that was hindering you? Maybe it was anxiety.

[cunninlynguist]

For most people, not getting any sleep will detract from your performance on a big day. Your physical comfort level can affect your scores whether you're aware of it or not. I've read plenty of advice saying that the night before and morning of the GRE are crucial, regardless of how diligently you've studied. Pretty sure I read a post here by MYRNIST stating that quite plainly.

If you're not satisfied with your scores, and you can attribute it to the sleep trouble, there's still plenty of time to re-take. It will probably pay huge dividends.

[Spore]

Given that the application process is naturally anxiety-provoking and expensive, I recommend doing everything in my control to make an acceptance more likely. No one wants an otherwise strong application to be bounced because of low GRE scores.

I would retake the GRE.Perhaps if you feel very prepared, your anxiety level with dampen down.

FWIW, I did poorly (what I thought was poorly) on my math SAT and retook the exam. I knew in my gut the score was wrong. Indeed it was because I improved 130 points the next time I took the exam.

[blankslate]

I second what others have said. I would re-take. Study hard the weeks leading up, try to relax in the 1-2 days before your test. The sleep the night before is important, but so is the sleep the night before that. Knowing that you're well prepared will help reduce your anxiety. Good luck!

[Hatem]

I didn't sleep a wink the night before the test. My test was scheduled on 9 a.m. However I scored nearly the same score I used to get from practice tests especially power prep. But I'm going to retake the revised test soon.

[grimmiae]

Yeah I agree with the above, especially the gut feeling. From my memory of the test I stared randomly guessing without reading the questions after awhile because I felt so tired and my attitude was F it. So retaking the exam is probably the best. Individual differences can vary considerably.

[emmm]

Since the GRE is partly an endurance test, you should not attempt it if you are sleep-deprived. I found that taking the GRE very early in the year (June) and going in with the attitude that it was my "practice" run to determine whether/how much I needed to study really helped prevent anxiety from taking over. This technique might not be right for everyone, but it worked well for me.

[NeedFunds]

Definitely retake the exam. Quantitative is definitely an area you can improve with some studying and a good nights sleep. In addition, as you probably know, your quantitative score is going to be very important when applying to social psychology programs.