Can Universities Tell Which GRE Scores are 'Most Recent?'

[testingtesting]

Universities often ask for the 'most recent' GRE scores if you have taken the GRE more than once.  Supposing a student decides to submit older GRE scores after scoring poorly on the most recent GRE, can universities identify when a student submits older test scores through ScoreSelect?

 

Thank you.

[TakeruK]

No they cannot. I think the applications that ask for "most recent" is leftover wording from pre-Score-Select times (July 2012).

[testingtesting]

No they cannot. I think the applications that ask for "most recent" is leftover wording from pre-Score-Select times (July 2012).

Actually, I just noticed that the score report includes the date of the most recent GRE exam. Therefore, department CAN tell.  

[TakeruK]

Actually, I just noticed that the score report includes the date of the most recent GRE exam. Therefore, department CAN tell.  

 

Interesting. This is the text from the ETS website (I added the bold):

 

Score reports sent to institutions will not include any information concerning the other score recipients you have chosen. Additionally, institution score reports include only the scores that you selected to send to them using the ScoreSelect® option. There will be no special indication if you have taken additional GRE tests. See a sample institution score report (PDF).

 

 

 

However, when you follow that link, as you said, there is a box that says "Most Recent:"

 

One potential resolution to this apparent conflict is that "Most Recent" only shows the most recent out of the ScoreSelect-ed tests. Another resolution of course is that there is a mistake on the website! I'd bet on the former, but it's easier for me to say this after all my GRE testing days are over

[Crucial BBQ]

If you took the test today, and sent today's scores, of course they would be the most recent.  Is this a bad thing?  

 

Now, if you want to use Score Select, and let us say you want to include the quant score from today's test and the verbal score from last year's test, then, I dunno...

[TakeruK]

If you took the test today, and sent today's scores, of course they would be the most recent.  Is this a bad thing?  

 

Now, if you want to use Score Select, and let us say you want to include the quant score from today's test and the verbal score from last year's test, then, I dunno...

 

You definitely cannot send Verbal score from one test and Quant score from another!

 

However, I think the OP is asking for a situation like this:

 

June 2014 test: 162/161/4.5

Oct 2014 test: 160/160/4.5

 

And the OP wants to send the June 2014 test scores using ScoreSelect. However, ScoreSelect is supposed to only send the single score you select (if you choose to send one set only) and the school is not supposed to know that the OP also took the test in Oct 2014 but chose not to send it. The wording that I quoted from the ETS website confirms this, but the OP is worried because there is a box that says "Most Recent: ____" on the sample test report that ETS links to. 

 

In my opinion, I think what would happen if the OP chose only the June 2014 score, then the test report should say "Most Recent: June 2014" because I think the "Most Recent" box on the score report refers to the most recent test score submitted, otherwise the ETS website will be in contradiction of itself.

[testingtesting]

You definitely cannot send Verbal score from one test and Quant score from another!

 

However, I think the OP is asking for a situation like this:

 

June 2014 test: 162/161/4.5

Oct 2014 test: 160/160/4.5

 

And the OP wants to send the June 2014 test scores using ScoreSelect. However, ScoreSelect is supposed to only send the single score you select (if you choose to send one set only) and the school is not supposed to know that the OP also took the test in Oct 2014 but chose not to send it. The wording that I quoted from the ETS website confirms this, but the OP is worried because there is a box that says "Most Recent: ____" on the sample test report that ETS links to. 

 

In my opinion, I think what would happen if the OP chose only the June 2014 score, then the test report should say "Most Recent: June 2014" because I think the "Most Recent" box on the score report refers to the most recent test score submitted, otherwise the ETS website will be in contradiction of itself.

Precisely my concern.

 

The bigger concern is actually a stupid error (I hope) on ETS' site.  I registered for GRE sittings in June 2014, October 2014, and December 2014.  I have complete the first two.  However, the "Most Recent" box currently indicates my most recent score is in December 2014 - when I haven't taken this test nor will I take it (I am canceling) - and I will be submitting applications to some programs with deadlines BEFORE December 2014.  So, they could receive a report with "most recent test date: December 2014" despite the application being submitted (and department's deadline occurring) in November!  It's really unclear.