My GRE scores are getting in the way of my future. How can I conquer this monster?

[silenus_thescribe]

If I may offer up a suggestion, youngcharlie101, and I say this not knowing if this is something you already do, so if I'm preaching to the converted here you can tell me to shove it.

 

The thing about the GRE, and really standardized tests in general, is that they are very little about memorization of particular things, but rather about adapting to the logic of the test itself. The relevant comparative is not, for instance, learning the bones of the body for an anatomy test. One could liken it to learning a new system of thought (and language). There were many cases in practice tests where on the sentence equivalence sections there were really three options that could fit equally well into an answer, but, of course, ETS has its own idea of what is "the most right answer". Memorizing vocabulary words, mathematical formulas, and so on are important parts to be successful on the test, but on their own they won't get you a good score.

 

You need to internalize the logic of the test itself, a process that I found comes when you just take as many practice tests as humanly possible. The sites/books that are of the most help here are those which give not just the answers to the questions when you're done, but the reasons for the answers as well. Up until the day I took the GRE, I still found myself asking, "Really? Why did they think that for the answer?", but noticeably less so than I did when I first started taking practice tests. 

 

Since I don't experience anxiety myself, I don't mean to say here that this will be a cure-all. But I find that if you approach the test with the mindset of the test, rather than as someone who has stored a bunch of answers in her head that you will then apply to the test, it's a lot easy to feel more comfortable. If you think like the test does, the answers will come easier.

 

Again, I don't know if you were given this shpeel at any of the courses you took, but that's what helped me get through this test, both the general and subject. (Although the latter definitely involves much more memorization than the former.) I jumped nearly 50 percentile ranks on the subject test after a few weeks of applying this methodology, and I got the exact scores I needed on the general. 

 

Finally, and most importantly, I would reiterate what CarolineKS and several others have said: GRE scores, while not irrelevant, are not gonna be what's gonna make your app shine. Lots of people get in the 90th percentile of the general test. But if you have a sharply written SOP and an inventive writing sample, departments will notice you. 

[drownsoda]

As SubmarineReflection has demonstrated (getting into Berkeley AND Harvard- congrats!), I don't believe the GRE is tantamount. I had a lower-than-average verbal score (159) for my dream program at Fordham, and I still got in. Granted, I averaged higher on the writing than their PhD students (I applied for their MA program), but my quantitative score was abhorrent (140-- yes, 140). I bought a $40 prep book for the test from Princeton Review in September, studied with that moderately, and took the test the week of Thanksgiving. I have to reiterate that it's hardly a knowledge test, but rather a test on the format of the test itself. Most professors know this. I think a solid statement of purpose, writing sample, and your letters of recommendation are more reflective of you as a student and you as a person; GRE just shows a very limited scope of your general aptitude. I have no doubt that my statement and letters of rec. are what got me into Fordham, not my GRE scores.

[NowMoreSerious]

I have paid over $6000 for the GRE. I used Manhattan Prep's $1000 online course, purchased over 30 hours of private tutoring at $225/hr, 10 books of the MP curriculum, and countless flashcards. I also used Magoosh and studied at least 4 hours every day. I brought flash cards with me everywhere I went, but come test day, these were my abysmally abysmal scores:

 

Verbal: 153

Quantitative: 146

Analytical Writing: 5.5

 

 

I went through hell for this exam, but on test day, it's like everything I studied was not on the test. I ended up in the hospital twice because of the GRE. It gives me severe anxiety; the day before the exam, I blacked out and had almost three panic attacks.

 

I also tried to get testing accommodations for extra time, but ETS is comprised of some of the meanest people who have no compassion for psychological impairments. 

 

I am planning on traveling to France this summer for a vacation, and I would be willing to take the paper-based version of the GRE there, if need be. I seriously don't know what else to do about this exam. It is standing in the way of me and my PhD admission.

 

What can I do? 

 

Who the F was charging you 225 an hour?  I used to privately tutor GRE verbal for like 20 bucks an hour, if that.  

 

I also wanted to ask you if you studied with others?  Did you have a support group of others who were taking the test that you studied with? Sometimes these things make a difference just for your overall mental health.  

[soundofworm]

Instead of GRE, I think GPA gets in the way of my programs. Is 3.60 really very low? Guess that's a factor I can't change.

[chateaulafitte]

Youngcharlie, have you talked to any of your professors about your application? They might be able to give you some specific feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of your specific application.

 

Youngcharlie, that should be your first step, really. Your writing sample might not be right for your target schools / programs. Perhaps your SOP is not good. You mention having shown it to a few of your profs; how about getting it through a few rounds of peer review with people in your program, or from this board?

 

Have you had someone read your recommendation letters? (Interfolio makes this possible for a third party, such as a DGS, to access reco letters so they can tell you whether you should eliminate (a) letter(s)).

 

All in all, I feel like you're all over the place and focusing on the wrong things (your GRE, getting another MA), instead of working on improving what probably needs work: your writing sample and SOP. I also read in another other topic that the schools you were still to hear from are Penn, CUNY, Rutgers, and NYU. If the schools that rejected you are of the same caliber, it might be a good idea to apply to a wider range of schools.