The importance of the GRE

[forego4]

Hello,

Just some brief background, I have always been awful at standardized testing. I don't think I've ever done above average on any of them. Yet, I've always been a pretty good student. I have a very strong undergrad and grad GPA. I did not have to take the GRE because I did my grad degree in Canada.

Now, I would really like to apply for American Ph.D. programs but I am dreading having to take the GRE. I have not done well on any practice tests. I am looking at programs in the 50-100 range. I've heard that the GRE does not really matter, yet, they all require you to take it. I'd love to hear some more opinions on how much the exam really matters. I am confident in the rest of my application but I am afraid an awful GRE score could disqualify me. Opinions?

[CageFree]

Conventional wisdom is, a bad GRE won't keep you out if everything else is very strong, but can be used to weed people out with lesser credentials (eg. bad GPA + bad GRE = weed out). It can also help make a difference if they are trying to decide between two people.

The math really doesn't matter for admissions purposes, though it can make you competitive for fellowships.

[New England Nat]

The GRE can't get you into a program and it depends on the university how heavily they weigh it. Some universities impose a hardline cut off and wont let the department admit someone below that cut off no matter what.

My best advise is that you should invest some time in really understanding how the written section is scored and practice writing an essay to that standard. A strong writing score can signal that you are just bad at the standardized questions.

[Simple Twist of Fate]

It's true that in terms of admissions, the GRE is not hugely important compared with the rest of your application. As NEN says, it won't get you into a program (though, as CageFree points out, it does help with funding. I know that my very strong GRE scores helped me secure funding at the schools I was admitted to.) However, if you're like me and frustrated with the seemingly arbitrary nature of the application process, the GRE is something you have a greater degree of control over than anything else. It's a test that can be studied for and conquered. Even if you've done poorly on practice exams, you have time to work hard and master it. Personally, I went from sub-50 percentiles on my first practice test to a 99% verbal, 99% writing and (I think) 67% quant. So don't write it off completely just because you have poor history with standardized tests and with the practice tests. I probably sound like the cover of one of the many GRE-prep books, but you can defeat it.

[Professor Plum]

I'm on the admissions committee at a middle-of-the-road doctoral institution, and GRE scores are about the fifth thing I look at in an application--after the writing sample, letters of recommendation, undergraduate transcript, and statement of purpose. The comments upthread are spot-on: a good GRE score won't get you in, and a bad one won't keep you out. Many members of the admissions committee had lousy standardized test scores (historians are not good test-takers, by and large), so they tend to be more forgiving. I don't take them too seriously because I knocked mine out of the park, only to discover that those skills were essentially useless as a graduate student. Invest the extra time in polishing your writing sample.