Did you decide in advance what scores you would/wouldn't send?

[Macrina]

I'm just wondering how it works at the end of the test. When you see your scores, how long do you get to decide whether or not to send them? And did you go in knowing what your personal cut-off was? What scores you would or wouldn't send on to your schools?

Please tell me how it works after you finish the actual test. Thanks,

[danieleWrites]

I decided without even thinking about it too much. The scores I would send were the ones that were very near, at, or above the minimum required. If I bombed the test, then I'd send those scores the universities that never mentioned minimums.

 

There are only three groups of people who think the GRE has serious value in predicting a student's ability in any graduate program: ETS (because they make money off of it), US News (because they use it as 1/3 of their rankings methodology), and people who are trying to get into grad school (because we're all neurotic and anxious and the admissions process is nearly a complete mystery).

 

Focus on your writing sample, SOP, and recommendation letter writers.

[TakeruK]

I wrote the computer test before the August 2012 revision. I am pretty sure that we do not get to see the score before deciding whether or not to cancel them. At the end of the test, there was a screen that asks you whether or not you want to cancel the score and an explanation of what happens in each case (and that you will not be able to cancel the score after seeing them). There was no time limit on this page.
 
This may have changed in the new "Revised GRE" but the ETS website still seem to indicate you cannot cancel scores after seeing them (some added emphasis):

Will I see my scores at the test center when I take the computer-based GRE revised General Test?

After completing the computer-based GRE revised General Test, you will be given the opportunity to Report or Cancel your scores. If you choose Report Scores, you will see your unofficial scores for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures at the test center. Because of the Analytical Writing essay scoring process, you will not be able to view your Analytical Writing score at the testing center.

Although you have the option to cancel your scores, consider very carefully before doing so because the score reporting choices available with the ScoreSelectSM option allow you to report only the scores you feel reflect your personal best. If you cancel your scores, neither you nor any schools will ever see them and they will not be part of your reportable history. If you select to report your scores, you will view your unofficial scores on the screen and the score will become a part of your reportable history.

Your official scores will be available in your My GRE Account and sent to your score recipients approximately 10–15 days after your test date.

 

This is in line with the policies on their Subject GREs, which are paper-based and if you want to cancel your score, you do so by filling in certain bubbles on your test form (during your exam, before the test is scored!)

 

The only schools that will automatically see the score for this test (if you choose not to cancel) are the ones you selected as your four free schools. With additional schools, you would use ScoreSelect to pick the best ones. So, I would recommend choosing your four free schools to be the ones where the scores do not matter as much (e.g. those without minimums as danieleWrites suggests, or the less competitive programs).

 

One thing I would recommend is to maybe set a goal score before coming into the test. When I took the test, I had no idea what the scaled score for my percentile goal would be so when I got that number in the end, I had no idea if it was "good" or not until I got home. And since I had to travel 3 ish hours to the testing site, it was a very long bus ride home before I knew if I should be worried about my score! 

 

Edit: I found a place that says this much more clearly:

If you view your scores at a computer-based GRE revised General Test session, you cannot cancel them at a later date.

 

 

Both of the above quotes come from the FAQ page: http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/faq/

Edited November 27, 2013 by TakeruK

[Calamari2013]

Once you've clicked on "finish the test", I think you will be asked whether you want to view your scores or cancel them. If you choose "view", you cannot cancel the actual scores anymore. You will then be asked to choose your schools to send your reports to. However, dont worry, there is also a button "SKIP"    so that you will end up viewing scores but not really reporting them anywhere unless you choose to. Of course, if you are sure you want to send your scores out, that's your chance to take advantage of the 4 free school choices. After the test day, you can choose what scores you want to send out (I have just checked it on my ETS account and the GRE Select setting works!). now you can relax and give your best shot in the exam good luck

Edited November 28, 2013 by Calamari2013

[Macrina]

Once you've clicked on "finish the test", I think you will be asked whether you want to view your scores or cancel them. If you choose "view", you cannot cancel the actual scores anymore. You will then be asked to choose your schools to send your reports to. However, dont worry, there is also a button "SKIP"    so that you will end up viewing scores but not really reporting them anywhere unless you choose to. Of course, if you are sure you want to send your scores out, that's your chance to take advantage of the 4 free school choices. After the test day, you can choose what scores you want to send out (I have just checked it on my ETS account and the GRE Select setting works!). now you can relax and give your best shot in the exam good luck

Thank you! I couldn't figure out how the free scores/seeing your raw scores thing worked.

Ok, I know my desired scores, and I will send if I'm close, wait and decide later if I'm not. Perfect!