Will missing GRE subject tests be detrimental to my application?

[dentalflosstycoon]

So, here's the deal. I'm signed up for the regular GRE in a few weeks. I've taken a couple practice tests and I'm fairly confident my score for both Verbal and Quant will be in the range of 165-168. My GPA is currently 3.93 and I don't anticipate it changing significantly in my final semester (I'm graduating in December). My undergraduate degree is in mathematics, but I have no significant research experience. I anticipate I can get one excellent letter of recommendation, one pretty good, and one decent. I am applying to several phd programs in both Mathematics and Psychology (I have a strong interest in both fields). It seems most psych programs are much more lenient about requiring the GRE subject test. However, pretty much all serious math phd programs seem to require the GRE subject in math. What's the problem?

I naively missed the signup for the subject test and the next one isn't offered until April! I know about standby and I will be doing this for the October 28 testing date, but as ETS has emphasized, there is no guarantee I can sit the test on standby. I have two questions.

1. Does anyone have any experience with doing GRE subject tests standby, and if so what are the odds do you think?

2. How seriously will math phd programs consider my application without the GRE subject test given my other stats?

[TakeruK]

1. Both times I wrote the GRE subject tests, everyone on standby got in. As long as there is space, they will let you take it. One of my tests was delayed almost an hour because it took a long time to register all of the standby testers. I would recommend going to a place with a very large room (i.e. if you can find out that it's in a large lecture hall on a University campus or something, then your chances might be higher than if it's in a small room somewhere).

2. After Oct 28, if you cannot take the test, then you should contact all the math programs you are interested in and see if they will consider your application without the subject GRE test. Sometimes there is no getting around a requirement, but you only know if you ask. Based on those answers, you can decide if you want to still apply this year only to programs that will consider you without a subject test, or wait another year to apply.

[dentalflosstycoon]

Thanks for your input. I'm relieved to hear the whole standby thing is a regular occurrence. Nevertheless, I am still anxious about it. I will definitely try to call the testing centers and see which one accommodates the most people. If I get screwed over and end up not being able to take the math GRE, it looks like I'll be applying to mostly psychology programs.

Regardless of what happens, I will post back here after the 28th to update as to how the standby testing situation went. It looks like this is a question which all too often goes unanswered on the Internet.

[TakeruK]

1 hour ago, dentalflosstycoon said:

If I get screwed over and end up not being able to take the math GRE, it looks like I'll be applying to mostly psychology programs.

I'd still say you should contact all the math programs where you were planning to send in an application. Sometimes the wording on the website implies a stricter requirement than in practice. For example, my PhD program said "strongly recommended" for the subject GRE and in reality it is completely optional. The reason it says "strongly recommended" is that the University only allows the department 3 choices: "required" (application rejected if not sent), "strongly recommended" (= "optional"), or "not required" (GRE score will be discarded before department sees it). 

[dentalflosstycoon]

I was able to take the GRE subject test on standby this past Saturday! I might start a new thread on this for anyone who's in a similar situation, but for now, I'll just post it here.

I purposely went to the testing center with the lowest population nearby but which was still within a reasonable proximity to my location. The reason being, when I called ETS, the woman on the phone advised me that the testing centers in lower population areas tend to have more availability. This turned out to be wholly true, and I was, in fact, the only standby test taker at the center I attended in New Jersey. To any future standby testers: don't sweat it. If you go to a testing center away from major cities (even if you need to drive an hour it's worth it), it should be a piece of cake to get in. They had a ton of extra packets for all subjects where I went.

[TakeruK]

Congrats!