When to take GRE before applying to Clinical PhD programs?

[CoastalGLaDOS]

Hello everyone,

I have one simple but important question I was hoping I could get advice on: when would be a good time to take the general GRE before applying to graduate school PhD programs in clinical psychology? I'm aiming for an early September date and (just in case) I'm also trying to leave ample time to retake it if needed. So if I take the GRE on the first week of September, I can retake it the last week of September if needed (3 weeks later).

Do you think this is too early? Or maybe not early enough considering all the stuff that I have to do additionally for the applications? (personal statements, request transcripts, etc.)

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

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[EmotRegulation]

There's no right answer here. You can retake it into October if needed, as most programs aren't meeting to discuss interviews until early December (at the earliest! My program often doesn't meet until after Jan 1). Getting it out of the way makes sense for some people, and taking a little more time to study makes sense for others. To answer your question directly, it's not too early (some people take it a year or so in advance, because scores last for 5 years, and that's fine too!) nor is it too late.

 

[CoastalGLaDOS]

There's no right answer here. You can retake it into October if needed, as most programs aren't meeting to discuss interviews until early December (at the earliest! My program often doesn't meet until after Jan 1). Getting it out of the way makes sense for some people, and taking a little more time to study makes sense for others. To answer your question directly, it's not too early (some people take it a year or so in advance, because scores last for 5 years, and that's fine too!) nor is it too late.

Thank you! This was helpful.