Is subject GRE a must?

[nirmalnischal33]

I have completed a 3-year B.Sc in Physics with 75.86% marks and also M.Sc in Physics with 70% marks. My general GRE score is 1400 (verbal: 640, quantitative: 760) and iBT TOEFL is 104 (30, 27, 22, 25). I want to apply for MS in physics leading to Ph.D in USA for fall 2013. Most of the better ranked universities require subject GRE for admission or atleast for admission with financial sid and assistantships.

But i don't intend to take sub GRE right now.

What would you make of my profile? Whar are my chances of getting admission with assistantships (research) in good or meduim ranked universities in USA? Will you please suggest me few colleges better suitable to my profile, which do not require subject GRE for admissions and still provide financial aid?

[SymmetryOfImperfection]

you must take the physics GRE to be admitted to PHD programs in physics. There's almost no exception. It doesn't really help, but it can brutally hurt, yet it is required. However, if you insist, look for schools ranked below 70.

[TakeruK]

The OP was asking about MS programs, not PhD programs. But even so, there are some programs that will accept students without the PGRE. I just googled and found this as the first hit: http://www.physics.umn.edu/grad/physics/faq.html But I have no idea how this program ranks!

But since the OP is looking for "good" or "medium" ranked universities, it might be really hard to find one that will take you without a PGRE. In addition, it's even harder to find one that will take international students without a PGRE -- some schools like to see a GRE score because they are not familiar with foreign curriculum and grading systems.

Speaking of which, it would be hard for anyone to speak about your chances with only your grades and test scores. Firstly, how do your grades translate to an North American score system? I've heard that some countries grade much tougher, so scores in the 70s are pretty good. In Canada, scores in the 70s are usually not good enough for graduate school -- Canadian physics departments would expect applicants to have around 80% average (A-). In addition, graduate programs usually have a minimum passing grade of 65%-67% (or sometimes even 72%), so a 70% average in your MSc would be flag without further context. Secondly, other factors like your letters of reference and research experience would be really important. Thirdly, your General GRE scores are excellent, I don't think you have to worry about that. And finally, sorry I can't say anything about your TOEFL -- but most programs list their minimums (and you only need to meet the minimum, a higher score won't help you!).

[SymmetryOfImperfection]

The OP was asking about MS programs, not PhD programs. But even so, there are some programs that will accept students without the PGRE. I just googled and found this as the first hit: http://www.physics.u...s/faq.html��But I have no idea how this program ranks!

But since the OP is looking for "good" or "medium" ranked universities, it might be really hard to find one that will take you without a PGRE. In addition, it's even harder to find one that will take international students without a PGRE -- some schools like to see a GRE score because they are not familiar with foreign curriculum and grading systems.

Speaking of which, it would be hard for anyone to speak about your chances with only your grades and test scores. Firstly, how do your grades translate to an North American score system? I've heard that some countries grade much tougher, so scores in the 70s are pretty good. In Canada, scores in the 70s are usually not good enough for graduate school -- Canadian physics departments would expect applicants to have around 80% average (A-). In addition, graduate programs usually have a minimum passing grade of 65%-67% (or sometimes even 72%), so a 70% average in your MSc would be flag without further context. Secondly, other factors like your letters of reference and research experience would be really important. Thirdly, your General GRE scores are excellent, I don't think you have to worry about that. And finally, sorry I can't say anything about your TOEFL -- but most programs list their minimums (and you only need to meet the minimum, a higher score won't help you!).

There aren't many schools with terminal MS in physics that are also really good though. I can think of UW and UCI off the top of my head as tier 1 and tier 2 schools with terminal physics masters, and only UCI funds its terminal MS students. Seriously, this is almost impossible without PGRE and non-exceptional grades. a 70 is about a 3.0 GPA which is borderline failing for a MS.

[TakeruK]

There aren't many schools with terminal MS in physics that are also really good though. I can think of UW and UCI off the top of my head as tier 1 and tier 2 schools with terminal physics masters, and only UCI funds its terminal MS students. Seriously, this is almost impossible without PGRE and non-exceptional grades.

I think we are saying the same thing here

a 70 is about a 3.0 GPA which is borderline failing for a MS.

A 70 in a North American school grading system is a 3.0 GPA and yes, borderline failing. In North America, we issue grades so that 90%+ is an "excellent" score, but in other countries, "excellent" performance can be a different number. In some places, grades over 90% are extremely rare. For example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_India

So that's why I asked the OP how grades worked in their country. The profile information says they are from Nepal but I'm not sure where they actually went to school. Also, Wikipedia only has this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_Nepal

[nirmalnischal33]

Thank you Guys

What about these colleges like Michigan Tech, UML, Kentucky, OSU, SIUS, SDS, Portland, Temple University, UMSL, Virginia Tech, IIT, CAtholic University of America,Alabama A and M University, Arizona state, which say that PGRE is not required (at least for masters)?

What if i take PGRE after completing my MS?

[SymmetryOfImperfection]

On 7/19/2012 at 10:19 PM, TakeruK said:

I think we are saying the same thing here

A 70 in a North American school grading system is a 3.0 GPA and yes, borderline failing. In North America, we issue grades so that 90%+ is an "excellent" score, but in other countries, "excellent" performance can be a different number. In some places, grades over 90% are extremely rare. For example: http://en.wikipedia....rading_in_India

So that's why I asked the OP how grades worked in their country. The profile information says they are from Nepal but I'm not sure where they actually went to school. Also, Wikipedia only has this: http://en.wikipedia....rading_in_Nepal

I was actually correcting for the other countries.. in US, 80% is a B-, anything below 80 is C, on a normal scale. 90=A, 80=B, 70=C, below is D/F but D/F both count as fail. This is assuming that a standard straight scale is used. In East Asian countries, usually 80 is "excellent" （优），70 is "good" （良）which is equal to B, and 60's is just "pass" （合格）which is C.

On 7/20/2012 at 3:07 AM, nirmalnischal33 said:

Thank you Guys

What about these colleges like Michigan Tech, UML, Kentucky, OSU, SIUS, SDS, Portland, Temple University, UMSL, Virginia Tech, IIT, CAtholic University of America,Alabama A and M University, Arizona state, which say that PGRE is not required (at least for masters)?

What if i take PGRE after completing my MS?

what is the point of taking it after you complete your MS?

Those schools are not considered tier 1 or tier 2 schools. That's fine though, because you can move up to a tier 1/2 school for PHD, but you still must complete the PGRE at some point, preferably during your MS studies.