GRE Breakdown

[ronin13]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Bear with me, I'm new to the GRE game.

I see many schools posting average GRE scores for applicants, and have seen cumulative numbers up to 2000. I assume this takes into account the verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections.

What I want to know is...what the hell is the analytical section?

Is it the same as the subject test? The written portion?

Anyone with a little more knowledge of the GRE, please help me out!

 

[boogita]

That's a really good question. A few years ago, about 3 I think, there was 3 sections to the GRE all multiple choice. There was no written portion. There was an analytical section similar to one that you would see on the LSAT.

It had things like if bobby sat next to charlie but not dana and dana sat near fred then what order would they be sitting in. To be honest I actually thought it was a good thing to keep in. I used to be really good at those types of problems.

It was also out of 800 points so the total score was out of 2400 instead of 1600 + a written section.

I hope that helps.

 

[MintyKitty]

Hi, and welcome to the game! I'm new to all of this too, but since I took the GRE less than a month ago, I can tell you what I know of the new GRE.

The verbal and quantitative sections are the same as before (out of 800 points each), but the analytical section has been replaced by an analytical writing section which is scored out of a total of 6 points. Therefore, the cumulative score is now 1600 and 6.

The analytical writing section is composed of two writing tasks, one in which you pick an issue to argue, and the second in which you critically analyze a given argument. Whereas the V and Q section raw scores are given immediately after you finish, if you are taking the computer-adaptive test (CAT), the written portion is manually graded and the score is announced in your official score report, along with your score percentiles.

The beauty of the CAT test is that you can register online for the test up to a day or so before the test date, if spaces are available. I for one made the belated decision to test, registered for the GRE four days before the test date, and crammed for three days straight. It was one of the most harrowing testing experiences I've undergone yet. But hey, I got into the school of my choice with that score, so it's possible!

I recommend you look at the official GRE site's test prep materials (http://www.gre.org/pracmats.html#gentest). It's pretty thorough and gives a list of all the possible topics for the writing tasks, though there are hundreds. It just gives you an idea of what kinds of topics you'd be dealing with, and there are writing samples as well as lots of math/verbal help. Also, definitely practice the GRE on a computer before you take the test! The computer-based testing experience is truly different from paper!

Hope this was helpful! If there's anything else, give me a buzz!

 

[ronin13]

Thanks all. I actually wrote my GRE back in January, but haven't given it much thought since (pretty much just wrote it in case I needed it). I was getting a bit freaked out seeing numbers like 2000, thinking that I had somehow missed an entire section.

Would a 640Q, 560V, and 6 on the written be decent scores for most schools? I actually posted in another thread that I got > 80th percentile, but that turns out to be a lie (only went above 80 on the written and subject tests, the others were more like 70th percentile). Like I said, I haven't paid much attention to my GRE, maybe it's time to get my head out of my *ss

And would any schools ask for your subject scores? Since mine was in psychology, maybe some of the schools that have a Health Behaviour focus would be interested.

Again, thanks to all who answered!

 

[MintyKitty]

You might want to search the forum archives for GRE discussions because this is a hot topic, but I think your scores sound pretty good. As a general rule, above 50th percentile is the minimum cutoff. I don't know about subject tests, but all the schools I looked at only needed the general test.

Would a 640Q, 560V, and 6 on the written be decent scores for most schools? And would any schools ask for your subject scores?

 

[AspiringDoctor9]

Thanks all. I actually wrote my GRE back in January, but haven't given it much thought since (pretty much just wrote it in case I needed it). I was getting a bit freaked out seeing numbers like 2000, thinking that I had somehow missed an entire section.

Would a 640Q, 560V, and 6 on the written be decent scores for most schools? I actually posted in another thread that I got > 80th percentile, but that turns out to be a lie (only went above 80 on the written and subject tests, the others were more like 70th percentile). Like I said, I haven't paid much attention to my GRE, maybe it's time to get my head out of my *ss

And would any schools ask for your subject scores? Since mine was in psychology, maybe some of the schools that have a Health Behaviour focus would be interested.

Again, thanks to all who answered!

Hihi!

Your GREs are fine - as long as your GPA is decent. If you want to go to a top school and have a 3.3-3.4 or better, you'll be in good shape as long as you don't have any other major flaws in your application. I hope this helps relieve some of the stress!

 

[ronin13]

Great! Thanks again for the quick replies.

Yes, I've looked over the forum for info on GRE scores, but it's always good to hear someone say that your specific scores are good enough. You can never be too careful I guess!

I'm applying with a 3.5 GPA (actually much higher if you pretend my first year doesn't exist), so that aspect should be just fine. What are some of the "major flaws" that you're referring to? Lack of experience, research, etc?

 

[AspiringDoctor9]

Great! Thanks again for the quick replies.

Yes, I've looked over the forum for info on GRE scores, but it's always good to hear someone say that your specific scores are good enough. You can never be too careful I guess!

I'm applying with a 3.5 GPA (actually much higher if you pretend my first year doesn't exist), so that aspect should be just fine. What are some of the "major flaws" that you're referring to? Lack of experience, research, etc?

Hihi!

When I say "major flaw" - I mean something that is a huge red flag but is totally avoidable. Many people who enter the public health field don't have much experience or research under their belt. What I do mean is that you're not a convicted felon, wrote your personal statement in crayon, etc. With your stats, if you honestly spend quality time to do your applications and write out a thoughtful personal statement, you'll be just fine. I hope this helps!

 

[ronin13]

Hihi!

When I say "major flaw" - I mean something that is a huge red flag but is totally avoidable. Many people who enter the public health field don't have much experience or research under their belt. What I do mean is that you're not a convicted felon, wrote your personal statement in crayon, etc. With your stats, if you honestly spend quality time to do your applications and write out a thoughtful personal statement, you'll be just fine. I hope this helps!

So...crayon is bad?

What if it's a black crayon?

Back to the drawing board for me!

Thanks for all the help.

 

[faith100]

Do you have the option of sending the scores to your desired schools on test day - or do you have to do this separately...along with an extra charge?

 

[MintyKitty]

At the end of the test, you will have the option to send your scores to four schools of your choice. If you do not use that option, you will have to request the score reports separately at $15 each.

Do you have the option of sending the scores to your desired schools on test day - or do you have to do this separately...along with an extra charge?

 

[chigrl]

Hello! I'm new to the forum and am wondering what to do about my GRE score. I took the test back in 2001 and would like to re-take it to hopefully improve my score. My stats are as follows:

480Q (below 50th percentile)
570V (I think above 50th percentile, not sure)
700A (above 50th percentile)
GPA 3.6
1+ years fulltime work experience in community health

Ideally, I would like to apply for fall 2006. Should I re-take the GRE and wait 1 more year to apply, so that I won't have to report the old score or should I re-take the GRE and apply this year (assuming I score higher, of course)? Also, my analytical score is good, but schools will most likely not take this into account, correct? I apologize if these are silly questions, but the most information I could find on this topic is on this forum. Thanks!