Worst GRE Story

[coffeeandtoast]

Here is mine:

So, I signed up to take the GRE early December (my first school had a deadline of Dec. 8--I checked with this school and they said that would be fine as long as I submitted my unofficial scores). I took the test this late, because we moved across the country during the summer and didn't have much time to study then.

1st Try: I was supposed to take the test Dec. 3rd (Thursday), but I had the swine flu that week. I also had to work long hours that week, because I had a client presentation later that week. This was going to be my first time taking the GRE, so I decided to take my chances (lose the $150) , cancel the test, and try to reschedule it for that Saturday (Dec. 5th). I was able to reschedule--no problem.

Lost $150 and paid another $150.

2nd Try: So, I show up to take the GRE that Saturday and I have my marriage license, because I registered for the GRE under my maiden name and married name (I know, stupid now that I think about it), since all my schools will have my documentation under both names. Well, they inform me that they can only take a government-issued photo ID (my driver's license), but since I only have my maiden name on it, they tell me that they don't take marriage licenses anymore (as of 5 years ago) and that I can't take the test .

Lost another $150.

3rd Try: After having a nervous breakdown, because I thought there was no way I could make the Dec. 8th deadline (for my top choice school), my husband and I call the Testing Centers trying to find a place open that can have me take the test by Dec. 7th. There are none. There are some testing places but they are 6-7 hours away. I couldn't talk on the phone anymore. I was just a complete emotional mess (so many months studying for nothing). My husband got on the phone and pleaded with the person to find a test location. Well, guess what? They found one for Dec. 7th that was only an hour away from us (although it was "VERY" hard, because they were "full") . We get there, I take the test, and there are probably 20 EMPTY SEATS. Ugh.

Paid another $150. I took the test and everything was fine. $450 later... Ugh...

I set up myself for failure, as you can see, but as some of you can relate, it is hard when you have a full-time job and have to juggle studying/taking the GRE and fill out apps!

PS: Did I mention that I can travel on a plane showing my marriage license and driver's license to match the name on my ticket, but I can't take the GRE????????

Edited February 1, 2010 by coffeeandtoast

[Smaudge]

Oh my goodness, the SAME EXACT THING happened to me!!

Attempt #1: Registered for the GRE on a Friday. Decide at the last minute that I could use the weekend to study, so I reschedule for the following Monday. That's $150 plus $50 for the reschedule. Feel great the night before the test: eat a good meal, work out, get to bed early. I'm casually reviewing the confirmation email when I realize that I registered under my married name, and my license still says my maiden name. I halfway convince myself that I'll get by with a Social Security card (in my married name) and my marriage license. However, after reading the fine print closely, I crumble into the depths of despair due partially to the current situation, and mostly to my test anxiety. Call in the morning to cancel, but it's past the refund deadline.

Attempt #2: Register again for the following week. Feel great, take the test, don't do as well as I had hoped. Another $150 down the drain.

Attempt #3: Study for 6 more weeks and memorize 300 more words. Register again ($150) and feel horrible the day before the test. I show up late to the testing center and wind up at my test sweaty and out of breath. Take the test and do better than I thought I could! Go figure.

So that's $500 on GREs, plus another $80 to send out additional score reports. (Doing well on the GRE: Priceless?)

[coffeeandtoast]

Oh my goodness, the SAME EXACT THING happened to me!!

Wow, that is crazy! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought it was OK to have supporting documents explaining name changes!

Now that you mention it, I couldn't have rescheduled it for another $50, because I missed the 3-days-prior to the exam deadline by 4 hours or so. UGH

[Dreams]

Great stories. Mine pales in comparison. The first time I took the GRE, I fell asleep at the beginning of the verbal portion and was only awakened by the 5 minute (or something similar) dinger. Needless to say my score in that section was not hot at all.

[NervousNellie]

My story is that I registered to take the test at a testing center 2.5 hours away in order to get the latest possible testing date (which still wasn't that late, as I didn't realize how fast the spaces go even a month in advance). I made arrangements for a 24 hour period reserved for study and sleep before the test (at home I have two very young very crazy kids and study is touch-and-go) and an overnight stay out by the testing center to assure I'd be calm and well-rested.

The night before I was scheduled to head off, I was up studying late. It was about 1:30 in the morning, and I was like "well, I better hit the hay so I can make the drive tomorrow. Before I shut down my computer, though, I am going to write down my confirmation number, etc. so that I can just pack up and go in the morning."

And I went to do that. Only to discover that I had mis-remembered the date and that my testing was actually that very morning. I went to sleep for a couple hours, then woke and rushed off. No more study time. No real rest.

Awful. Awful.

I didn't have money to retake though.

[Smaudge]

Great stories. Mine pales in comparison. The first time I took the GRE, I fell asleep at the beginning of the verbal portion and was only awakened by the 5 minute (or something similar) dinger. Needless to say my score in that section was not hot at all.

So crazy!! How did that happen? Did you cancel your scores?

[coffeeandtoast]

And I went to do that. Only to discover that I had mis-remembered the date and that my testing was actually that very morning. I went to sleep for a couple hours, then woke and rushed off. No more study time. No real rest.

Awful. Awful.

I didn't have money to retake though.

That is so awful! I'm so sorry!

[JerryLandis]

A driver's license doesn't count as a government issued ID?

That sucks, all of those stories. My own experience was stressful, but it turned out generally okay. With the travel factored in though, it did cost me several hundred dollars.

[coffeeandtoast]

A driver's license doesn't count as a government issued ID?

That sucks, all of those stories. My own experience was stressful, but it turned out generally okay. With the travel factored in though, it did cost me several hundred dollars.

Yes, the driver's license counts. The problem is that you have to register with the same name that is in your driver's license. In other words, you can't use other supporting documents to prove that you are indeed that person, in case your name is different. Like I said, you can use supporting documents when flying a plane, but not to take the GRE!

Oh and I'm sorry about the hundreds of dollars. I guess you spent them in travel and we just gave them to ETS!

[qzlb]

Same here! $180 down the drain. Those guys have some weird policies.

Anyhow, I'm not taking it, since I can't afford the test fee and the deadlines (at the schools I was applying to) have already passed. I'm only applying to a couple of Canadian universities and one or two European schools whose deadlines haven't passed.

[liszt85]

Great stories. Mine pales in comparison. The first time I took the GRE, I fell asleep at the beginning of the verbal portion and was only awakened by the 5 minute (or something similar) dinger. Needless to say my score in that section was not hot at all.

Yea, ETS is horrible! Sue them!

[RaymondDale]

Yea, ETS is horrible! Sue them!

When I think of ETS, I think of three words: avarice, Nazi, Monopoly.

[UnlikelyGrad]

Out of all the greedy companies you have to deal with you entire life (insurance companies, banks, student loaners)

Not to mention the IRS.

Here's my GRE story:

I started with the AW section. In the middle of the second essay, something weird happened to my computer. I could not type inside the entry box without it doing really bizarre things. I flagged the ETS rep down, and he spent five minutes figuring out what was wrong and how to fix it. Then he said to me... "okay, get back to work, you have 10 min left," or something like that.

I asked if I could restart with a new prompt, since it wasn't fair that I'd had 5 minutes of test time wasted by a computer issue. He said he could restart, but then I'd have to restart from the beginning of the test--i.e. my first essay (which I thought was pretty good) would be wiped out. In other words, I'd have to write 3.5 essays instead of 2. I didn't think I'd have enough energy to get through the test if I had to start over, so I chose to go on. Needless to say, I didn't really have time to edit this second essay as much as I wanted

He told me he'd put a note in my file to "let the graders know about the problem." But since one of the graders is a computer, I'm sure no adjustment was made to my score...

[aditi123]

It's really sad that so much importance is given to the GRE that your other achievements are completely overlooked.Despite having good grades and academic history my application was rejected only because of my poor GRE scores.

[liszt85]

It's really sad that so much importance is given to the GRE that your other achievements are completely overlooked.Despite having good grades and academic history my application was rejected only because of my poor GRE scores.

They get hundreds of "good grades + academic history" applications. GRE is just one aspect of the application that may or may not keep you out of the race..but to say that the GRE is not indicative of anything at all is wrong, I've argued for it in another thread and really don't have the energy/time to discuss that again. People really should stop complaining about how the exam is structured. Dummies did not design the test. Trained professionals did.

[liszt85]

Yea, ETS is horrible! Sue them!

I was responding to the guy who said that he fell asleep. The reasons people come up with! Blame that too on ETS? ("They should have had snore detectors installed, eye tracking equipment and alarm bells installed to prevent people from sleeping, they charge so much money! Its the least they can do!")

[JerryLandis]

The person who fell asleep did not blame it on ETS, just said that she had a bad experience because she fell asleep. Some other people blamed ETS for what happened to them (i.e. not accepting their valid forms of ID and making them pay double to take the test), but this thread is about discussing bad personal experiences, not necessarily about bad policies of ETS in particular.

The point made by the person who said it's a shame that GRE scores overshadow years of real performance and accomplishments made a valid point, in this context. Someone who performs excellently throughout his or her life may get unlucky and fall seriously ill not be able to sleep the night before their test. I personally went in not having slept the night before, because I was with my friends who had swine flu and they were up coughing all night. One of my friends almost fainted during her exam due to her illness. There was no option to reschedule, unless we wanted to pay for the test again (and book extra hostel nights and train tickets). So we took the test, and did alright but certainly not great. I'm sure all of our scores would have been a bit higher had we taken the test under normal circumstances. I can't afford to retake the GRE, so now there is the potential that my performance on that one test may determine my future, even though I've performed excellently on all my other academic requirements. So it is a valid concern. I did not say that it's specifically ETS's fault that I had a crappy experience, simply that the experience was crappy. However, they should give serious thought to revising their policies so that people who follow correct procedure and bring the appropriate documentation are not screwed when they show up for their tests.