When to take the GRE?

[NervousNellie]

My first school of choice for an M.Div. program did not require the GRE as of last year, but it just posted on its website that it now requires the GRE scores. I am in a panic, as I do NOT tend to test well and I don't have a lot of time to study.

The admissions application (including GRE scores) deadline is around January 10th. If I took it in November, would there be time to re-take in December as needed...or do I have to fit this first test in in October? How long does it take to get scores?

[RedPotato]

you can only take it once per calendar month, fyi.

[Serric]

First off, relax. Really. I don't test very well either, but I did fairly well after three weeks of studying for the GRE; it just depends in part on how much time/energy you can devote to preparing for it. I'd say taking it in October would be advisable, since it gives you a bit more of a buffer in case your scores are lost/misreported/etc., and you've got two plus months to study for it.

Second, manage your time well. Look up what scores your program focuses most heavily on, and devote the bulk of your study time to that (for example, in engineering the quantitative score is the biggest focus; while a 500+ or so is okay on verbal, a 'strong' score is 770-800 quantitative; in the humanities, I'd expect it to be the opposite). Pick up a study guide (I'd recommend Barron's) or two, and hop to it.

Third, RELAX. The GRE is a huge pain, no question, but it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Prepare, take the practice tests in your book(s), take the practice tests on the GRE PowerPrep software (provided free of charge through Kaplan, although I'd recommend taking other practice tests first as the Powerprep tends to score more accurately, at least in my experience), and you'll do fine. The GRE, in my opinion, wasn't NEARLY as bad as the SAT was.

[modernity]

Don't wait until November. Take it in October at the latest, especially if you want the option to retake. I took mine in November, as I am usually a good "test taker", and thought I would do fine on the first go around. I ended up being quite sick the day of my test (and was not allowed to bring kleenex cough drops or anything in with me because of regulations), and I bombed it. However, it takes a few weeks just for them to get your scores back to you, and then on top of it those months in particular are very packed by other students scrambling to take/retake/seniors taking it during their winter break. So by the time I got everything back, and I saw I needed to retake it, there were no spots left in the time frame I needed and I was stuck applying to schools with crappy GREs that I am positive I could have improved on a day I was actually healthy and aware! Its little things you're not expecting that can cause problems for you on standardized testing.

[NervousNellie]

Thanks for the advice, and for trying to get me to calm down. That's helpful.

Sounds like October, then!