Just decided to go to graduate school,. but if I want to apply I have to take GRE's in September. Not a smart move, because I have only one month to study. Do you think I can do it or should I wait for a year and take a course.
P. S. I did not do too well on SAT, because English is my third language. However in three years I am pretty sure it improved and I am a walking proof that tests like SAT are b.s. With low SAT scores I am a top student at my university. Should I go for low GRE score and hope that Graduate schools select me because of my good grades, or GRE is a very important factor?
2006-08-05 03:59:42 · 2 answers · asked by sweetundina 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
You will be sent free software to study for the GRE when you register. However, if you're taking the test soon it may not get to you in time. I used the Princeton Review website's practice tests to study. There are also review books (with cds) that you can buy. Also, many schools will only look at the score that relates to your course of study. My profs (historians) all laughed about how low their GRE math scores were. One of them literally picked random answers. Unlike SATs, grad schools aren't looking for well rounded students.
While GRE scores matter, they matter more if you need them to cancel out a shakey GPA. Some schools give them more weight than others, but most schools recognize that some people just don't do well on these tests. I would go ahead and try them in September. I took GREs the fall of my senior year in college and did very well with no preparation. I didn't go to grad school until years later, so I had to take them again. I didn't do nearly as well, though I did study.
The computer based tests give you your scores when you finish, so (if you're taking them that way, and in the US its now the only option) you won't have to wait for them to come in the mail to know how you did. In either case, if you don't do well you could retake them. Also, with some schools you may be able to point out that English is not your first (or second) language to mitigate a mediocre score.
2006-08-05 07:54:50 · answer #1 · answered by pag2809 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
GRE is important if you need scholarship... After studying in an American University, and preparing for the GRE by studying words, my GRE score was exactly equal to my SAT score... 640 Verbal and 780 Math... And a 5 on the essays. So don't expect that much of an improvement...
Check if you can take it in November or December... You will have enough time for applying then as well...
2006-08-05 11:06:15 · answer #2 · answered by kichka_2002 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋