Expectations for the GRE

[MattNice543]

Howdy! As many of you are preparing your applications for the current cycle, I am doing the same. I'm feeling pretty confident with my GPA (cum GPA 3.59, pre-req 3.61), observation hours (well over the minimum and recommended), and LORs. What's freaking me out is the GRE. I'm taking it for the first time next week, and so far, the practice exams have reported a 144 Verbal and a 151 Quantitative. Many of the schools don't have a minimum GRE score, but I feel intimidated by the average GRE scores from the previous entering class. I have spoken to some PTs who have told me not to stress about the GRE, and that I'll be fine. The field has been drawing a heavier application pool each year, and I worry that I won't be good enough to even get into one program.With the schools that have a 60%+ average, should I even consider them as schools that I want to apply to? Even without a minimum score, and assuming that my practice scores become my true score, will those high GRE scoring schools give me a legitimate shot to show who I truly am?

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[MagDPT]

Howdy! As many of you are preparing your applications for the current cycle, I am doing the same. I'm feeling pretty confident with my GPA (cum GPA 3.59, pre-req 3.61), observation hours (well over the minimum and recommended), and LORs. What's freaking me out is the GRE. I'm taking it for the first time next week, and so far, the practice exams have reported a 144 Verbal and a 151 Quantitative. Many of the schools don't have a minimum GRE score, but I feel intimidated by the average GRE scores from the previous entering class. I have spoken to some PTs who have told me not to stress about the GRE, and that I'll be fine. The field has been drawing a heavier application pool each year, and I worry that I won't be good enough to even get into one program.With the schools that have a 60%+ average, should I even consider them as schools that I want to apply to? Even without a minimum score, and assuming that my practice scores become my true score, will those high GRE scoring schools give me a legitimate shot to show who I truly am?

Hey Matt, I took the GRE in April just to get an early start and did much better than I thought. Just a bit of advice, the sections go by much faster than anticipated. I would not say to rush at all, take your time and work problems out, but do not forget about the timer. Your stats are very similar to mine. Just study hard and do your best. Good luck.

 

[MattNice543]

Hey Matt, I took the GRE in April just to get an early start and did much better than I thought. Just a bit of advice, the sections go by much faster than anticipated. I would not say to rush at all, take your time and work problems out, but do not forget about the timer. Your stats are very similar to mine. Just study hard and do your best. Good luck.

I appreciate the encouraging words. It's intimidating to see all these other students having such high GRE scores. They feel like they have a small chance of getting in, so where does that put me?

 

[kdhdpt]

I'm sort of in the same boat. I just took the GRE for the second time today. My first attempt I received a 152 V & 142 Q with a 4.5 AW. Today I received a 148 V & 146 Q. I was hoping to do way better but it's something about these kinds of tests I just can't get right.. My cGPA is 3.88 & my pre req should be around a 3.73 based on my own calculations. I've seen a few threads where students with scores similar to ours and lower gpas still get in, especially to my top choice of Georgia State. I think I'm going to give the exam one more shot with some hardcore studying and doing practice problems (I've heard that was the key to improving your score the most) using Magoosh and flash cards. I think I'm going to go ahead and submit this weekend and just update my scores later after the retake in September. It all just depends on how confident you feel with your overall application in my opinion. Good luck

 

[MattNice543]

I'm sort of in the same boat. I just took the GRE for the second time today. My first attempt I received a 152 V & 142 Q with a 4.5 AW. Today I received a 148 V & 146 Q. I was hoping to do way better but it's something about these kinds of tests I just can't get right.. My cGPA is 3.88 & my pre req should be around a 3.73 based on my own calculations. I've seen a few threads where students with scores similar to ours and lower gpas still get in, especially to my top choice of Georgia State. I think I'm going to give the exam one more shot with some hardcore studying and doing practice problems (I've heard that was the key to improving your score the most) using Magoosh and flash cards. I think I'm going to go ahead and submit this weekend and just update my scores later after the retake in September. It all just depends on how confident you feel with your overall application in my opinion. Good luck

On the bright side, you've got a higher verbal than quantitative whereas that's the opposite for me. It's a good thing for you because the DPT programs that I've researched would require a higher or evenly matched verbal score compared to the quantitative one. I'm pretty much cramming and doing as many problems as I can before my test comes up on Wednesday. Best of luck to you as well!

 

[MagDPT]

On the bright side, you've got a higher verbal than quantitative whereas that's the opposite for me. It's a good thing for you because the DPT programs that I've researched would require a higher or evenly matched verbal score compared to the quantitative one. I'm pretty much cramming and doing as many problems as I can before my test comes up on Wednesday. Best of luck to you as well!

What schools are you applying to?

 

[MattNice543]

What schools are you applying to?

Columbia Univ (NY)
Creighton (IA)
Duke Univ
Emory (GA) Univ
Governors State (IL)
Marquette Univ
Midwestern (IL)
Northwestern Univ
NY Medical College
Regis Univ (CO)
Rosalind Franklin (IL)
San Diego State Univ
SUNY
Univ of Delaware
Univ of Florida
Univ of Iowa
Univ of Kansas
Univ of New England (ME)
Univ of Oklahoma
Univ of Pittsburgh
Univ of SoCal
Univ of Washington
Univ of Washington St. Louis
Univ Texas South West
University of Colorado
University of Miami (FL)

It's a work in progress

 

[MagDPT]

Columbia Univ (NY)
Creighton (IA)
Duke Univ
Emory (GA) Univ
Governors State (IL)
Marquette Univ
Midwestern (IL)
Northwestern Univ
NY Medical College
Regis Univ (CO)
Rosalind Franklin (IL)
San Diego State Univ
SUNY
Univ of Delaware
Univ of Florida
Univ of Iowa
Univ of Kansas
Univ of New England (ME)
Univ of Oklahoma
Univ of Pittsburgh
Univ of SoCal
Univ of Washington
Univ of Washington St. Louis
Univ Texas South West
University of Colorado
University of Miami (FL)

It's a work in progress

You'll be fine. You have a wide array of options, just focus on the GRE. Your stats are good.

 

[kato3]

Columbia Univ (NY)
Creighton (IA)
Duke Univ
Emory (GA) Univ
Governors State (IL)
Marquette Univ
Midwestern (IL)
Northwestern Univ
NY Medical College
Regis Univ (CO)
Rosalind Franklin (IL)
San Diego State Univ
SUNY
Univ of Delaware
Univ of Florida
Univ of Iowa
Univ of Kansas
Univ of New England (ME)
Univ of Oklahoma
Univ of Pittsburgh
Univ of SoCal
Univ of Washington
Univ of Washington St. Louis
Univ Texas South West
University of Colorado
University of Miami (FL)

It's a work in progress

That's an awful lot. I would cut down to a list of 5-7 schools that you would really want to go, as well as research the ones you think you will have the best shot in.

 

[MattNice543]

That's an awful lot. I would cut down to a list of 5-7 schools that you would really want to go, as well as research the ones you think you will have the best shot in.

I'm still in the process of narrowing it down. There is no way I'd be able to afford the application fees for all those schools. I think 10 might be a realistic number for me. Just have to wait and see what my GRE results come to be after Wednesday.

 

[ash5321]

I completely understand how you feel about the GRE. I was super worried about it and used Kaplan to study for the first time around and didn't do good at all. So I did some research and purchased Magoosh and studied hard core for one month. I ended up doing 10 points better on the second exam! I really recommend it!


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[MattNice543]

I just took it today. My unofficial score was a 151 Verbal and 156 Quantitative, which I am more than happy to have.