Scored low on GRE but not interested in retaking..

[cnkwoc2]

I received a 133 Q and 147 V on the GRE.. however I have a 3.2 Gpa, A research assistant position and really good letters of recommendation.I really don't want to have to retake the GRE because I'm naturally a bad test taker and I don't believe re taking it will make much of a difference. Do I have a chance of getting into Georgia State, Texas A&M, UT Houston's, MPH program?

[ts1493]

Hmmm.  I would probably retake the test if I were applying to an MPH program as I imagine they look at the quantitative score more than verbal.  I don't know about those programs specifically but most do post some kind of range on their admissions pages.  I'm not sure if a decent GPA and good LORs can overcome those scores, unfortunately, as it seems hard to escape the GRE completely in the admissions process. 

I did not do well my first time taking the GREs the first time and really didn't want to take the test again, believing that I just couldn't improve on those scores.  But I tried again focusing on the quantitative scores and I used Khan Academy as a study tool along with some Magoosh vocab tools.  My scores went up 5 points but on the GREs that makes a big difference - up from 18th percentile to 45th percentile, moving into the competitive range for the programs.  Even small improvements can make a big difference.  

[sjoh197]

2 of the programs you mention say "competitive scores" for the gre requirement on their admissions pages.... and I'm sorry, but the 1 percentile in Quant and only 33 percentile in Verbal is not competitive.  I would seriously reconsider taking it again. There are a lot of forums on here dedicated to GRE resources that can likely help you improve your scores dramatically if you really try. 

[Love3]

I'm not a good test taker at all either but my score came up about 19 points. It's still not great but I just needed it to be high enough so it would be above the cutoff. I could've studied more and took them again but it wasn't an option for me. There are plenty of resources, some are more expensive than others but some are free. This is definitely a test you have to study and strategize for. 

If you really don't want to take the GRE again, you could consider a program that doesn't require them. You will definitely have to take them again and try to get their average or at least cut off scores and hope the rest of your application is good enough. 

[juilletmercredi]

You should definitely retake. Your quant score is the first percentile and the verbal score is in the 33rd. And your GPA, while decent, is not astronomical.

Change your test-taking mindset from a fixed one ("I'm naturally bad at this") to a growth mindset. Taking standardized tests is not some natural or innate quality that some people are born with and others aren't...standardized test techniques are learned. You can learn them too, with some practice.

[ts1493]

6 hours ago, juilletmercredi said:

Change your test-taking mindset from a fixed one ("I'm naturally bad at this") to a growth mindset. Taking standardized tests is not some natural or innate quality that some people are born with and others aren't...standardized test techniques are learned. You can learn them too, with some practice.

Yes, absolutely!  As a woman of color I feel like I constantly heard stats about how "minorities" score low on tests, and in the past it's definitely affected how I think about testing (well, if I don't do well it's because of x,y,z).  But that mentality doesn't help at all.  Tests are so much about learning the strategy and you can definitely do better.  Give it a try ...

[works_on_paper]

On February 10, 2016 at 7:31 AM, cnkwoc2 said:

I received a 133 Q and 147 V on the GRE.. however I have a 3.2 Gpa, A research assistant position and really good letters of recommendation.I really don't want to have to retake the GRE because I'm naturally a bad test taker and I don't believe re taking it will make much of a difference. Do I have a chance of getting into Georgia State, Texas A&M, UT Houston's, MPH program?

Definitely retake it. Your verbal's in the 33rd percentile, and your quant is way down in the first. Your GPA is solid, but not spectacular enough to overcome GRE scores that low. 

In the first round of screening applicants, admissions committees are looking for clear reasons to reject you. They're trying to winnow down a mass of applications to the most promising ones (which then get narrowed down further in each round, based on narrower and narrower criteria). Extremely low GRE scores (especially Q, if you're going into Public Health) will kill your application in the first round. 

So I agree with the others who recommend taking it again after further study. 

You say you're "naturally bad" at taking tests, as if you're doomed, and there's nothing you can do about it. I disagree. I don't like taking tests on a computer, am not comfortable with it, and get performance anxiety whenever I have to do so. I tend to second-guess myself, and linger too long over questions because I know I can't go back. 

But here's the thing: with the GRE, you can re-take it. You can take it up to five times in a 12-month period (after waiting three weeks between tests). So bad scores the first time around do not mean you're doomed; you do have the opportunity to improve them. And having already taken the GRE, you have an advantage for next time in that you know what to expect from the experience. You know what you need to study; you know where you got bogged down; you might have insights into how to use your time more effectively. All of these can help you relax, so you'll do better.

And you can do better--don't give up on yourself, and write yourself off as a bad test taker, as if there's nothing you can do about it. Study. Take lots of practice tests. Try again. Because if you really want to get into grad school, you will have to.

 

[cnkwoc2]

Thanks guys! Does anyone know any MPH programs that don't require the GRE?

[cnkwoc2]

Luckily I found that DePaul University in Chicago (which is where I'm from!) does NOT require applicants to submit a GRE score IF you have a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or higher! I will be applying there! Thanks for all your suggestions though guys!

[cnkwoc2]

On 2/12/2016 at 5:41 PM, Love3 said:

I'm not a good test taker at all either but my score came up about 19 points. It's still not great but I just needed it to be high enough so it would be above the cutoff. I could've studied more and took them again but it wasn't an option for me. There are plenty of resources, some are more expensive than others but some are free. This is definitely a test you have to study and strategize for. 

If you really don't want to take the GRE again, you could consider a program that doesn't require them. You will definitely have to take them again and try to get their average or at least cut off scores and hope the rest of your application is good enough. 

Thanks for the suggestion! I actually ended up finding out that DePaul University in Chicago my hometown does NOT require the GRE if you have at least a 3.0 GPA so I have decided to submit an application there!

[cnkwoc2]

On 2/13/2016 at 3:23 AM, juilletmercredi said:

On 2/10/2016 at 2:43 PM, sjoh197 said:

2 of the programs you mention say "competitive scores" for the gre requirement on their admissions pages.... and I'm sorry, but the 1 percentile in Quant and only 33 percentile in Verbal is not competitive.  I would seriously reconsider taking it again. There are a lot of forums on here dedicated to GRE resources that can likely help you improve your scores dramatically if you really try. 

You should definitely retake. Your quant score is the first percentile and the verbal score is in the 33rd. And your GPA, while decent, is not astronomical.

Change your test-taking mindset from a fixed one ("I'm naturally bad at this") to a growth mindset. Taking standardized tests is not some natural or innate quality that some people are born with and others aren't...standardized test techniques are learned. You can learn them too, with some practice.

Thanks for the suggestion! I actually ended up finding out that DePaul University in Chicago my hometown does NOT require the GRE if you have at least a 3.0 GPA so I have decided to submit an application there!

[cnkwoc2]

On 2/10/2016 at 2:43 PM, sjoh197 said:

2 of the programs you mention say "competitive scores" for the gre requirement on their admissions pages.... and I'm sorry, but the 1 percentile in Quant and only 33 percentile in Verbal is not competitive.  I would seriously reconsider taking it again. There are a lot of forums on here dedicated to GRE resources that can likely help you improve your scores dramatically if you really try. 

Thanks for the suggestion! I actually ended up finding out that DePaul University in Chicago my hometown does NOT require the GRE if you have at least a 3.0 GPA so I have decided to submit an application there!

[sjoh197]

I'm glad that you found a place that will let you apply without the GRE

[easybreezy]

@cnkwoc2 I applied to both Georgia State and Georgia Southern's MPH programs.  Georgia Southern just requires you to take the GRE, but doesn't have an requirements as far as the score.  As for Georgia State, on their website it states that applicants who scored under a 280 combined are unlikely to be admitted. Good luck!