when is the best time to take GRE?

[leo89]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to apply for a master's in Int'l Affairs in the fall of 2011 for a start in 2012...

So it's long time ahead but since I've got a couple spare months this summer and the scores seem to be valid for 5 years, I would like to take the GRE in advance, say in August 2010.

any ideas whether this is possible?...what will happen to the scores? Do I need to send them to schools immediately even though I dont apply straight away?

any help would be appreciated...

good luck to everyone taking the tests!

[LateAntique]

I hate to be a downer, but I think you're pretty behind the ball. Time management is pretty key with things like this.

[randybobandy]

You get to send your scores to four schools for free...but they ask you to pick immediately after the test. I don't know if schools would keep the reports around an extra year or two.

[jacib]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to apply for a master's in Int'l Affairs in the fall of 2011 for a start in 2012...

So it's long time ahead but since I've got a couple spare months this summer and the scores seem to be valid for 5 years, I would like to take the GRE in advance, say in August 2010.

any ideas whether this is possible?...what will happen to the scores? Do I need to send them to schools immediately even though I dont apply straight away?

any help would be appreciated...

good luck to everyone taking the tests!

Taking in August seems completely appropriate. Scores are generally good for five years (there is a new version of the test... make sure you know when they start giving that version, and think whether you want to take the new or old version and study/plan your date accordingly) so taking it in advance won't be a problem. If you're on a very strict budget, as Randybobandy pointed out, you get to send four schools reports for free. Most schools won't have their applications open yet in August (when they DO open their apps is another question, ask schools) so you won't be able to utilize your four free score reports, and since every score report is 20 bucks, that's like swallowing an extra 80 bucks, but maybe it works out best for you to take it then and the marginal cost is worth it. A lot of people on the board changed their GRE date which is like eating 50 bucks, so I mean ANYTHING you do with ETS is going to be expensive.

[swisnieski]

I would take it the year you apply. If you're applying in fall of 2011 to start in fall of 2012, take them in the early fall of 2011. I took mine on September 1, with deadlines this month.

Schools aren't particularly interested in knowing how well you did on a test a year ago -- they want up-to-date info.

[leo89]

@swisnieski

I can see your logic but then what's the use of the test validity of 5 years if nobody takes it seriously?

I dont seem to understand this...

Also, I will be in a very stressful full-time job (about 16+ hours a day) from September 2010 and I am quite sure I will not find the time to study after that.

So it seems strange to expect candidates to only take the test in the year of their application...

any other thoughts?

thanks

Edited December 19, 2009 by leo89

[leo89]

Taking in August seems completely appropriate. Scores are generally good for five years (there is a new version of the test... make sure you know when they start giving that version, and think whether you want to take the new or old version and study/plan your date accordingly) so taking it in advance won't be a problem. If you're on a very strict budget, as Randybobandy pointed out, you get to send four schools reports for free. Most schools won't have their applications open yet in August (when they DO open their apps is another question, ask schools) so you won't be able to utilize your four free score reports, and since every score report is 20 bucks, that's like swallowing an extra 80 bucks, but maybe it works out best for you to take it then and the marginal cost is worth it. A lot of people on the board changed their GRE date which is like eating 50 bucks, so I mean ANYTHING you do with ETS is going to be expensive.

Thanks, Jacib

I was not aware of the new version of the test...do you have any more info about it and when it will become available?

Also how different is it from the old version?

For me, taking GRE in Aug 2010 really seems the best option because I can devote sufficient time to it...I will not be able to take off time from work after Sep 2010, so I cannot

see any more appropriate time to study at this moment...

[glasses]

Schools aren't particularly interested in knowing how well you did on a test a year ago -- they want up-to-date info.

I'm not sure if this is true?

I'm a first-time applicant, so obviously I don't know anything, but I took the GRE in 2007 and I'm applying now. I've been told that's just fine.

The downside was that at the time, I did not know where I was applying, so I couldn't take advantage of the free score reports. But I did get four free score reports with the subject GRE I had to take this November, and since you're allowed to send general score reports along with the subject score reports I ended up getting my 4 freebies anyway. If you're not taking a subject test and won't have that option, it seems like the only downside to taking the test so early would be that you'll have to pay $80 that you wouldn't otherwise have had to.

[leo89]

@glasses

Paying the additional $80 is fine for me, however, would anything change if I knew the options I would like to go for?

Can I send the scores to these 4 schools in Aug 2010, one year before applying?

[glasses]

Can I send the scores to these 4 schools in Aug 2010, one year before applying?

I wouldn't. While I can't imagine that schools will have a problem with a score that's a few years old, I highly doubt that they would keep your scores in a file for you for so long.

Edited December 19, 2009 by glasses

[swisnieski]

I'm a first-time applicant, so obviously I don't know anything, but I took the GRE in 2007 and I'm applying now. I've been told that's just fine.

Hmm. I guess it depends on the school? All the schools I applied to suggested I should take the GREs no more than 2-3 months before the deadline for applications. Admittedly all the schools I'm applying to are pretty top-tier.

Still, as has been mentioned, with the upcoming changes to the GRE, I don't see much point in taking them now.

[leo89]

@glasses

You mean I should take the GRE and keep the scores. then pay the $80 fee when the time comes to submit the application, is that right?

[glasses]

Admittedly all the schools I'm applying to are pretty top-tier.

As are mine, for the most part -- actually, we have some overlap! Perhaps this rule differs by discipline? Anyway, back to @leo89 . . .

@glasses

You mean I should take the GRE and keep the scores. then pay the $80 fee when the time comes to submit the application, is that right?

Yes, that's what I meant. But as for what you should do, that's entirely up to you, and it really all comes down to (1) your discipline's approach to the GREs (as illustrated by my exchange with @swisnieski), (2) when you think you could do your best on the test, and (3) how you think the changes to the test can affect you. (See the ETS website for more information about the changes; I think the New York Times also did an article about them.) I'd recommend researching the changes to the test and talking to a few advisers.

[jacib]

re: the new test,

this is the article that I read about it, there's probably more info out there. It will be less vocabulary on verbal, but harder math (presumably... you get to use a calculator at least). I guess it starts in 2011 so in August 2010 you'd still take the current one. They've been testing new questions for a while now, but haven't really rolled out the changes yet (the new questions seemed much easier than the old but presumably the curve will make up for that and that's why they've been testing them for so long).

And you almost definitely can't send scores to school a year before applying... but it never hurts to ask (plus it shows an interest in their program so who knows it might even help).

There's a discussion in the GRE/GMAT forum about this, but it's mostly just a poll... and a lot of people lamenting that they had to study useless stuff. I like the old GRE personally and think the changes won't necessarily be a change that makes the test a better indicator of grad success... if anything, it will become more of a "minimum" score, I feel, like the math section already is for the sciences.

[leo89]

Yes, that's what I meant. But as for what you should do, that's entirely up to you, and it really all comes down to (1) your discipline's approach to the GREs (as illustrated by my exchange with @swisnieski), (2) when you think you could do your best on the test, and (3) how you think the changes to the test can affect you. (See the ETS website for more information about the changes; I think the New York Times also did an article about them.) I'd recommend researching the changes to the test and talking to a few advisers.

[LifeIsGood]

I took the GRE two years ago during the app season for my MA and I'm using those same scores in my apps for PhDs. No schools I've spoken to (all top-tier) care when you take them, except that you need to take them enough in advance so that the scores can be received in time. They don't consider the GREs to be the most important part of your app, so don't fret over them. Since you're confident you can do better on it now, take it now and eat the $80+ for sending the scores later. The problem with sending scores now is that you don't know yet (I assume) exactly what schools you'll want to apply to a year from now. Also, if you don't do as well on the test as you might want, you can always retake during the next year, and then send those scores. True, the report will contain both your first and second scores, but at least they'll include the best set. Even if you wait to take it until next year, you'll still want to take it in the spring so that you can retake if needed. Waiting until 2-3 months before the app deadline precludes giving it a second try.

Short version: Take it now and wait to send until next year.

[Pamphilia]

I've never heard of a school insisting that GRE scores be taken within months of the application date. That sounds a little nuts to me (I'm sure it's true for some schools and some disciplines, I've just never heard of it; as leo89 said, check what's standard in your discipline). The scores are valid for five years from ETS, though a couple of schools I looked at (none I applied to, if I'm not mistaken...) asked for the test to be taken within the last three years. Personally, I took my subject test within a year of graduating college because I didn't want to be too rusty on the literature (though I also studied every day for a month straight). Come to think of it, I also took the general GRE within a year of graduating because I didn't want to be too far removed from my studying habits. These approaches must have worked because I did really well on both--MUCH better, I'm sure, than if I'd taken them this year. I took the subject test more than two years ago and the general test about 22 months ago. I HIGHLY recommend taking the tests way in advance like this, because it was one less thing I had to worry about during the application season. I was able to focus entirely on my applications, and didn't have to bother studying for an idiotic exam or two. I also didn't have to panic about whether my scores would arrive in time.

As for waiting until the "new" general GRE comes out--well, there are a couple of reasons why I wouldn't bother doing this. Firstly, from what I understand, ETS has promised to change the GRE several times in the past few years and hasn't followed through. Secondly, with the current version of the test, there are countless study aids at your disposal, countless books and courses that teach you how to take the test (which, for GRE purposes, is far more important than teaching you anything about language or math in general). When the new test changes, there will not be as many relevant study aids available. Finally, everybody on this forum and everybody I've spoken to has bemoaned the fact that ETS is changing the test because "I would do so much better with the new format!" None of them knows this, and it's probably not true for many people. It's likely to change in new and unexpected ways that will make it JUST as unfair and idiotic as it is now. I bet you $10 that after the format changes, there will be an equal number of people on this forum complaining about how awful the GRE is. Even if the test does become easier, the curve will just change and just as many people will end up with low percentiles and curved scores.

Long story short: take is as early as you can. It will save you SO much anxiety.

Edited December 20, 2009 by Pamphilia

[shai]

The best time to take the GRE is never.

The 2nd best time is yesterday.

[leo89]

@Pamphilia

Cheers! Thank you so much! I share precisely the same opinion...

Good luck with your applications!

[fuzzylogician]

Paying the additional $80 is fine for me, however, would anything change if I knew the options I would like to go for?

Can I send the scores to these 4 schools in Aug 2010, one year before applying?

I don't see any problem with taking the test a year before you apply. As others have pointed out, the test is going to change so make sure you study for the right one. I also don't see a reason not to send your scores out to 4 schools you might like to apply to. There's a good chance they won't keep your scores for that long or that you'll change your mind about applying there, but it's free - you have nothing to lose. Worse case scenario, you'll pay to have the scores sent again a year later. The only caveat to this is when I was applying, some schools wanted scores that were less than 2 years old, even though scores are officially valid for 5 years. It's not a big deal if you take the test one year before applying, but you might have to retake the test if you decide to postpone your studies by another year. But right now that's an uncertainty you might not even want to consider.