Is this true?

[columbia09]

I read somewhere that if you demonstrate competence on at least one of the GRE sections, depending on your GPA, you might make the cutoff? I have a horrible GRE, verbal and math both 145 with a 4 in AW putting me in the 56th percentile. Since I scored better then half of the applicants on AW will I make any cutoffs? I have a 3.83 GPA with two majors and a minor from a top state school I don't want to be rejected everywhere because of this test. There isn't anytime for me to retake it to improve my scores so I'm a bit worried now. I'm applying for my MS in geology  

[fuzzylogician]

I'm sorry, but this sounds like a myth to me. Programs might care more about one section than another if it's more closely aligned with the kind of research the program does, but if there are official cutoffs then having just one section above the cutoff is probably not enough, and the AW section is generally the most likely to be ignored. A program might still choose to fight for you if your profile is otherwise strong, and they might be able to get around official cutoffs, but unfortunately your scores might be a hinderance in at least some cases. 

[columbia09]

Why does this test even matter ? I have research experience, a senior thesis, two majors, and a high GPA. Why is it that this test will keep me from gaining admissions to most if not all my schools? Do they seriously think that the GRE makes a good researcher/student ? ETS itself made a statement stating that schools should not have cutoffs based on GREs and yet schools continue to do so. None of my schools have "official strict cutoffs" but apparently it's all BS. Sorry for the rant standardized tests have kept me from doing a lot of things. I got a 21 on my ACT and I still managed to get a great GPA so I don't know what the value of these scores are other then the fact to throw applicants out that might be horrible test takers but great researchers/students. What happened to the whole holistic approach idea ? I thought grade schools were less concerned about numbers and more about research experiences. Oh well I guess I'll just wait for my 8 rejection letters to come. 4 years of work for nothing, thank you GRE !!!! Again I apologize for this, it's been building up in me all day.    

Edited November 6, 2014 by columbia09

[ashiepoo72]

Unfortunately, programs need a way to evaluate students across the board. Applicants come from myriad backgrounds and undergraduate institutions, some are domestic applicants and others international, and one of the ways to have a standard metric for all these very different applicants is the GRE. I personally don't think the GRE is a good indicator of ability, but there have been studies that show a correlation between students who succeed in PhD programs and higher GRE scores. 

 

Here's what I would do. First of all, when was your test? I believe there is a waiting period between when you take the GRE and when you can retake. If you are able to retake it by, like, no later than November 20th, you'll still have enough time to get your new scores to schools with a Dec 1st cutoff. That gives you around a week and half to two weeks to study for the exam. You need to be really smart about how you study. I've said this a bunch of times on this board, but I think the best way to study for the GRE is to take as many practice tests as possible. For the verbal, the thing that raised my score the most was studying vocab like crazy and practice tests (I ended up with a 165). I didn't do terribly well on the quant (151) because my field does not weigh it heavily, but ETS has math study guides that list every single concept they cover on the exam. If I was you, I would spend the next 10 or so days acting like studying for the GRE is my 9-5 job. If that's not possible, then try to study as much as you can. You CAN raise your score. 

 

Secondly, it looks like you are applying to MS programs. In general, their expectations will be lower than doctoral programs. You should certainly apply to safety schools, and make sure you apply to several programs at the very least.

 

Thirdly, if you REALLY want this, you have to try to not feel sorry for yourself when things tank. We all have moments of utter desolation and defeat, and that's fine, but if all you do about it is rage at a standardized test, you are going to shoot your own foot. If you really want to do graduate school--which means you're in for the long haul--you need to take the long view and not get stuck in a rut.

 

Fourthly, adcomms DO take a holistic approach, so the GRE is not the end all be all. Don't let it destroy you. If you don't have time to retake the test, polish the rest of your application like you've never polished anything before. You need to be your biggest supporter right now, and that means working extremely hard to make the aspects of the application you can control as good as possible. If it makes you feel better, you should contact the programs you're applying to and ask them straight up if they will toss your application because of a low GRE score. If they say yes, that's money saved on an application. 

 

Best of luck.

[columbia09]

There isn't enough time for me to take it so I'm going with polishing my application like never before. I asked a couple of my prospective advisors and they all said no strict cutoff score. 

[Vene]

I got a 21 on my ACT and I still managed to get a great GPA...

I kind of wonder if this is something to bring up in your SOP, to show that a standardized test doesn't accurately describe your abilities. Naturally, you're going to want to phrase such a lot more diplomatically, but I understand that this is from a rant.

[columbia09]

I kind of wonder if this is something to bring up in your SOP, to show that a standardized test doesn't accurately describe your abilities. Naturally, you're going to want to phrase such a lot more diplomatically, but I understand that this is from a rant.

Yea this is what I thought about too. A lot of applications have sections where you can put in additional information that you'd like the committee to know about. I wonder if I can put this in there. 

[columbia09]

Anyone thing I should do that ?