Confused?Nervous?GRE?Vet Med School?

[Miss Vet]

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So im in a bind. a bad bind.
God only knows, well EVERYONE knows how much I love animals, the intellectual aspects of Veterinary Medicine, and the need (well not really need) but wanting to help, save, fix animals. But its not like magic and BAM it can happen.
Sadly, I need to take this GRE and im nervous! Really nervous. I am not good in math yet alone, I am a POOR test taker.
I do not want to risk failing. What would I do with a Biology degree? *sigh*
Sometimes i figure, Oh just take the easy way out and take up Veterinary Technology (easy and a breeze) but then i ask myself, do i really want to help the doctor or be the doctor? and I want to be the doctor.
I really guess, this GRE test has me all messed up. It may sound dumb but goodness, I want to know if anyone felt or feels this way.....🙁

 

[Spartanvet4cows]

I absolutely hated the GRE. I found out later that I didn't do bad with a 1310 (verbal and math only) and a 4.5 on the writing, but that was the second time I took it. You're definitely not the only one dreading it but DON'T (and I really mean DON'T) let the idea of failing a test keep you from your dreams. Take it early and study beforehand as best you can. Standardized tests really mean nothing, and most adcomms can see that. Average GRE scores are in the 1170's for most vet school admissions I'm pretty sure. The math portion really isn't that bad, it's the verbal that kills everyone. Having grown up in a small town and not having much in the way of proper vocab training, mine suffered greatly. I just remember taking a practice test and thinking WTF do I need to know the word lugubrious for!??? Then I saw it like 3 times in the book I was reading....whoops. There are some great practice tests out there, and the more of that you do, the better. Don't freak out if you do poorly the first time. Yeah it's another hundred and something bucks to take it again, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to the loans you'll be taking out in a few years.

One thing about the GRE that I really dislike is the fact that you cannot go back to previous questions. It is well documented that the brain works on problems it can't figure out even while you're thinking about something else. I can't tell you how many times during that test I thought "CRAP I know what that one question was and I CANT GO BACK!!" Made me want to punch out the computer monitor.


Oh and the nice thing is: If you fail, you're not required to send that score to a school. I was really unhappy with my first score, so I sent it to a different department at my university. I think they can probably look into it when you send your next score to a school, but many of them take either your latest or your highest so if you do better the next time, you're all set.

 

[Serendipity4]

First of all, I agree with Spartanvet 100% -- don't let fear of a test hold you back! If what you want to be is a veterinarian, keep working towards that goal!

As for the GRE itself, have you taken a practice one yet? If not, I HIGHLY recommend this. Go out and get one of the Kaplan or Barron's or whatever you prefer books that has the CD rom with full length practice tests. This way you can take them in the comfort of your own home, with no worries about "how well you need to do." I took at least two or three of the full length practice tests, and this definitely helped my nerves. Plus you get used to exactly how the test is set up, so it saves you time on the real test trying to figure out exactly which buttons do what. Good luck!!!

 

[Miss Vet]

Thank you! I mean, Im a horrible test taker, just not my thing. But i do study my behind off but not practical test. Like who does that!!! ya know?
I see you're a veterinary student, must feel pretty darn amazing.
Is it all that it appears to be and more?
I know a few people in the human med field and they just loathe it. *sigh*
I hope veterinary isnt, well as a dr. lol

 

[Spartanvet4cows]

A friend of mine that's also a vet student considered med school. She said that one thing she noticed is that a large percentage of the residents she encountered were absolutely miserable, and whiners to boot. Vet school is awesome. I have loved it, and even with the stress, it's totally worth it. I think veterinarians get more fulfillment out of their work, and have to deal with less political crap than doctors. Anyway, that's off topic so I'll save it for later 😀.

Just know that vet school rocks, and take lots of practice tests for the GRE!

 

[cyrille104]

Actually, I'm not sure that SpartanVet is right about not sending them your first score. When you send a score report, every test you've taken is on it, unfortunately. Still, SpartanVet is right that most schools will take the highest score, so don't worry about it - just didn't want you to have misinformation.

 

[ri23]

Cyrille is definitely right on that. All of your scores will be sent, but I don't know of a school that doesn't look at your highest.

 

[Angelo84]

Cyrille is definitely right on that. All of your scores will be sent, but I don't know of a school that doesn't look at your highest.

Purdue averages your scores. I think they may be the only school that does however. Most schools will take either your highest single test or even your highest scores in each category whether they are in seperate tests or not.

 

[Spartanvet4cows]

Sorry, I guess I didn't make myself clear. For me, it was easier sending the 2 scores together and sort of say "See? I'm not an idiot, I improved." For me that was better than sending the scores separately because I had something to sort of "cushion" the blow. I remembered that they put both scores on the report after I posted and didn't feel like changing it because I'm lazy like that.

 

[Catnapper]

Yep, I just took the GRE this past weekend & didn't do too well, but fortunately (and UNfortunately!) can take it next month to try to boost my scores. I usually do well on the verbal (English major), and poorly on the math, but whatever your weakness, just practice a little every day--get some prep books (I used The Princeton Review), and go for it! The techs I've worked with make horrible money (especially considering how indispensable they are)...it seems worth it to push yourself that extra mile so that you can support yourself and do something you enjoy. Also see the "GRE dummy" thread I posted after I took the @#*&% test! 😉 --There are some good pointers in there.

 

[dyachei]

I suggest using the website number2.com. They have practice questions and go over everything on the GRE with vocab you can go over every day. it also keeps track of what you missed for vocab so you can go over it again and again if needed. It's free, too, so that's nice.

 

[cubs11]

I suggest using the website number2.com. They have practice questions and go over everything on the GRE with vocab you can go over every day. it also keeps track of what you missed for vocab so you can go over it again and again if needed. It's free, too, so that's nice.

I have been using number2.com, and I really like it.

 

[kate_g]

I have been using number2.com, and I really like it.

Ditto. Lots of their vocab words are on the GRE, and the math problems are also very similar (in terms of all the formulae and stupid tricks you need to remember).

I used the vocab drills to get myself back up to speed after years away from non-scientific literature, but beware... the definition for each word is exactly the same every time, and the "wrong" definitions for each question are drawn from the other vocab words in the drill! I found after a point that I could rule out many choices based on recognizing definitions as belonging to another word, rather than actually knowing what the current word meant. This is different from actually being able to use the word in the real test questions, so make sure you do the practice tests too!

 

[kia320]

I'm no where near taking the GRE yet, but I think a really important part in taking a test like that is thinking positively and believing that you can do well. Don't go in thinking you're going to fail before you even start the test. Even if you don't do as well as you hoped the first time, there's always another chance.