GRE scores of those accepted

[mmonte4]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I feel like that was the weakest part of my application and the reason I didnt even get 1 interview- 0/6. I ended up scoring a 1080. Im curious of those admitted to clinical programs- what did you score on the GRE? Plaese share.

 

[Psyclops]

General or Subject, did people take the subject test?

 

[Jon4PsyD]

Well I dont know how comfortable most people are with sharing, but Im pretty open LOL. Umm...I'm in the 0/6 club too (6 PsyD) and I got no interviews🙁.

I got score reports of 840 on the General and 260 on the Subject test. Sucks huh? I thought I did horrible.
*I get an email 3 weeks later saying they were scored wrong. My REAL scores were an 1140 General and 560 Subject. Now...do I know if all of my PsyD schools made their decision BEFORE ETS sent them the corrected score sheets? No...just another nightmare in this process I suppose. But I think other things hurt me more anyway.

Jon

 

[joetro]

I ended up with above a 700 on both Q and V, a 6 on writing, and a 690 on subject. I think GRE's, along with grades, letters, statements, etc. just get you in the first cut, or at least get someone to look at your application. They also help with fellowships, but they certainly don't guarantee an acceptance or even an interview. Professors probably give them very little weight after the interviews. Besides, what's the difference between a 710 and 720?

Your scores might have hampered you; I know that some schools have cut-offs that you just might not have made. If you can re-take the general and get those scores up, you might have better luck.

Good luck.

 

[JatPenn]

(I applied last year ) 690 V 710 Q

 

[Mell-Dogg]

670 Verbal, 710 Quant, 790 Subject

out of 14 apps, got 6 interviews, 2 offers, and still on 2 wait lists

 

[mmonte4]

wow- im seeing scores around 1400.

I am not sure that 1400 is a realistic score for me. I am shooting for 700quant and 600v. Last time I got 580Q, 500V.

All I want is an interview and I think ill be fine.

Also, Im not applying to the finest schools- the schools I applied to all had avg gre scores of 1200-1300 for those accepted.

Im sorry to hear that Jon, that is VERY unfortunate.

 

[mmonte4]

do most schools require the subject test or analytical writing section. My university told me that the writing section was ignored.

 

[Psyclops]

Ok, if we're all sharing, 630 V, 720 Q, (3 years ago) Read 'em and weep: 810 Subject (it doesn't count for s**t).

That super sucks J4PD.
Writing section is ignored as far as I know I only got a 4.5 which is 51%.

I'm told you want a 600 on each, that will get you in the door most places. Although Minnesota told me they require a 625 on each if not all teh faculty have to endorse you in a meeting. But generally 600 on each is waht you need. It does matter for fellowships at alot of places. The higher your score the more money you get.

 

[perfektspace]

*I get an email 3 weeks later saying they were scored wrong. My REAL scores were an 1140 General and 560 Subject. Now...do I know if all of my PsyD schools made their decision BEFORE ETS sent them the corrected score sheets? No...just another nightmare in this process I suppose. But I think other things hurt me more anyway.Jon

That's horrible. Sorry that happened. I bet you would have done Ok otherwise.

I had a similar nightmare with two of my 3 rec's not being sent anywhere close to on time through two bizarre errors I had no control over. I also had 2 applications lost and several schools claiming they didn't have my GRE's. Coincidentally, I received 1 interview, from the only school that hadn't yet reviewed materials before I was able to resend everything. I will never know how much this did or did not affect my chances. Next year I am ignoring the request not to contact the graduate school until such and such a date. How hard can it be to process paperwork?

 

[Psyclops]

This is something that has not been covered on these posts and should be. First, do not assume that you materials will make it there, call and confirm, this is a must! Second, don't assume that those SOBs over at ETS sent everything, or that the department correctly filed it. Be courteous when you call, and just let them know that you want to confirm, always allow enough time for everything to get there. Also, as deadlines approach, and you have sent things in, but they have yet to log them, make sure that loose credentials will be accepted late and that as long as they were received on time, it doesn't matter if they opened them late.

Also, I want to rant about ETS. So $130 per test, they give you four slots, but lets face it, who knows if you want to send them until you see the scores, right. So no free slots. So thats $260 for the tests assuming you only take them once. Then it's $15 dollars per school, plus 6 dollars for the call to ETS and you can only put in 8 schools so then you have to recall and get charged another $6. so for 10 schools taht's 162 dollars, and if you took the two tests at different times or one late, just double that because you allready sent the oter scores in. Thats over $500 to ETS alone in the process. I hate them with a passion. They run a racket, thier monopoly allows them to charge the redonkulous charges. I partially balme the schools for requireing offical scores but still. And you can't get these fees waived. I hope they all get diahrea.

 

[lazure]

To the OP - contact the profs you were really interested in and ask for feedback on your application. To the rest of you, the GREs are a very small portion of your application - unless they are very high, they matter little. Your personal statement, research experience and letters of references matter SO MUCH MORE. The GREs are easy to fixate on since they give concrete numbers...work on other aspects of your application.....

 

[Psyclops]

To the OP - contact the profs you were really interested in and ask for feedback on your application. To the rest of you, the GREs are a very small portion of your application - unless they are very high, they matter little. Your personal statement, research experience and letters of references matter SO MUCH MORE. The GREs are easy to fixate on since they give concrete numbers...work on other aspects of your application.....

This is true....as long as you have at least a 1200...you have to get them to open your file...

 

[perfektspace]

I hate them with a passion. They run a racket, thier monopoly allows them to charge the redonkulous charges. I partially balme the schools for requireing offical scores but still. And you can't get these fees waived. I hope they all get diahrea.

I concur. They are bad bad people. 👎

 

[mmonte4]

I agree- the scores certainly matter when they are below 1200. All of my other credentials look great, but yet no interviews. Im convinced the 1080 is what kept me out.

 

[Noah333]

i did very well getting interviews with solid (but not amazing) scores - i am convinced that it was my personal statement that got me most of the interviews (in fact, i was told by several interviewers that they reread my SOP and/or passed it along to other faculty members to read)

consider the job that lies before the admissions committee - they must read stacks and stacks of dry essays that start to blend together very quickly - i decided instead to tell a very personal story and to put my (dry) credentials in resume form and submit that separately

i ultimately was rejected from few of the schools that loved my essay but i at least i got in the door... also i recommend going on as many interviews as possible (even to schools that are at the bottom of your list) - i got "better" with each interview and i nailed some of the more important ones (and certainly bombed at a few as well!!)

hope this is helpful

 

[Ratch1980]

I agree- the scores certainly matter when they are below 1200. All of my other credentials look great, but yet no interviews. Im convinced the 1080 is what kept me out.

One of the professors I was going to apply to work with told me she only looks at applicants who have scored at least a 1350 (combined V and M). I only got a 1300 ... so I didn't end up applying. It definitely pays to contact the professors first and check to see if they have a requirement.

 

[psychgal]

I felt very insecure about applying to schools as I am a non-traditonal student (age 36), so I studied for over a year for the GRE. I graduated from a state school. I felt like I needed it to get my foot in the door. I feel like my GRE scores did help open doors for me.
My scores were 790-V 720-Q and 720-Subject. I applied to ten schools and got seven interviews and seven acceptances (including my first choice). One thing professors mentioned again and again was my extensive volunteer work (most of it non-clinically related). I was the oldest student at almost every interview I went to. I feel like this ended up helping me although I felt insecure about it. I just want to encourage those of you who didn't get in this year. I feel like so much of it is being in the right place at the right time and a little bit of luck. I was prepared to not get accepted anywhere, so I was pleasantly surprised. I also worked on my personal statements for a long time. I wish you favor and luck next year.

 

[lazure]

This is true....as long as you have at least a 1200...you have to get them to open your file...

That depends on the school. And frankly, given the poor predictive validity of the GRE in predicting your grad school performance, I'd be wary of schools that rely highly on it. I know several examples of successful grad students who scored very low but had other strengths.

 

[perfektspace]

That depends on the school. And frankly, given the poor predictive validity of the GRE in predicting your grad school performance, I'd be wary of schools that rely highly on it. I know several examples of successful grad students who scored very low but had other strengths.

Thank you for being one of few people to say this, particularly regarding predictive validity. I hope you are right about it not being the holy grail of qualifications.

However, I have my doubts. I have some outstanding research/professional experience and a good GPA and got a very poor response this year (1 interview out of 11). Perhaps this was because of some mishaps (see previous post) with my materials not being received on time but I wonder if the GRE's being below the magical 1200 cut-off had something to do with it (I got an 1130).

In the end the message I got is that having first authorship in a prestigous peer-reviewed journal isn't as important as knowing geometry and select analogies. I sucked on the SAT's as well, but did very well in undergrad. Apparently, I am capable of beating out PhD's and graduate students for a spot in a journal but am not worthy to study with them. That doesn't make sense. Better luck next year I guess. That feels a little better.

 

[Forensic M.S.]

660 Q 460 V Writing 4/6
Subject: 550

Was good enough for master's level interviews... I don't know what to say. Personally the verbal part killed me but i felt like it was irrelevant as well.

 

[lazure]

first authorship in a prestigous peer-reviewed journal isn't as important as knowing geometry and select analogies

I'm sorry. But having sat as a grad student representative on a faculty committee who decided criteria for admissions I can tell you that 50% of the decision process has nothing with the applicant - it's about which faculty member has funding, space in the laboratory for another student and which way the politics point....Good Luck next year....

 

[Mell-Dogg]

This is true....as long as you have at least a 1200...you have to get them to open your file...

Yep, 1200 seems to be the magic minimum for most schools. It varies, though. I know of professors who have a personal minimum of 1300 or 1400 they require for "their" potential students.

It is possible to raise your score quite a bit, though, if you start early! Between a diagnostic test and the actual test (and thousands of flash cards in between,) I raised my verbal score by 240 points. Don't just leave it up to fate! Studying helps!

 

[Mell-Dogg]

Also, I want to rant about ETS. So $130 per test, they give you four slots, but lets face it, who knows if you want to send them until you see the scores, right. So no free slots. So thats $260 for the tests assuming you only take them once. Then it's $15 dollars per school, plus 6 dollars for the call to ETS and you can only put in 8 schools so then you have to recall and get charged another $6. so for 10 schools taht's 162 dollars, and if you took the two tests at different times or one late, just double that because you allready sent the oter scores in. Thats over $500 to ETS alone in the process. I hate them with a passion. They run a racket, thier monopoly allows them to charge the redonkulous charges. I partially balme the schools for requireing offical scores but still. And you can't get these fees waived. I hope they all get diahrea.

Absolutely! I think it really sucks to rip off poor college students to this extent. Really sickening...

 

[Mell-Dogg]

I'm sorry. But having sat as a grad student representative on a faculty committee who decided criteria for admissions I can tell you that 50% of the decision process has nothing with the applicant - it's about which faculty member has funding, space in the laboratory for another student and which way the politics point....Good Luck next year....

Oh absolutely, I contacted each of my potential mentors prior to applying in order to make sure they were accepting new students. Many programs, however, do have an official GRE minimum so I'm sure it helps to reach the magical cut-off.

 

[Psyclops]

Here is something else to think about kids, the actual selectiveness of a school depends on with whom you want to work. Look, if you are the only decent candidate that wants to work with Dr. X, then you are a shoe in. But if everyone and their hamster wants to work with Dr. Y, all of a sudden the odds of you getting in plummet. And of course they are 0% if the professor isn't taking anyone. Of course you could always not specify a professor, but you better have the numbers of Zeus himself, I think committees look down on people who are less focused.

 

[psychanon]

Here is something else to think about kids, the actual selectiveness of a school depends on with whom you want to work.

Very true, and by extension, you are less likely to get accepted anywhere if you are exclusively interested in "competitive" research areas--meaning you only apply to professors who do research in a particular area that many other applicants also want to study and in which relatively few researchers specialize. This is bad news for those of you who want to study, for example, eating disorders.

 

[PsychoEm]

750 math, 740 verbal. 740 psych. 3.8 GPA from a top tier school. 2 publications (one as sole author of a book chapter, other is first author in top journal). 3 conference presentations. plenty of research experience, clinical research coordinator on a yale research study. related volunteer experience. fantastic recommendations. exact research matches.

applied to 9 schools, 2 interviews-->2 waitlists-->2 rejections.

what the hell happened???

 

[JatPenn]

Did you check that the faculty you applied to were even accepting students this year? Do you come off as pleasant and easy to work with during interviews?

 

[PsychoEm]

Did you check that the faculty you applied to were even accepting students this year? Do you come off as pleasant and easy to work with during interviews?

yes, i verified all of the faculty before i sent my apps in. i thought my interviews went well, i definitely attempted to show myself as pleasant and easy-going yet hardworking and motivated.

 

[splendid]

yes, i verified all of the faculty before i sent my apps in. i thought my interviews went well, i definitely attempted to show myself as pleasant and easy-going yet hardworking and motivated.

You said in another post that you applied to "uconn, umass, yale, boston u, albany, american, duke, rutgers, vanderbilt, miami, temple."

I don't know about many of those schools, but some were just really hard. Yale is just ridiculously hard. BU had more applicants than any school I know. Duke accepted less students this year than in many years past. Rutgers is supposed to be very challenging. I know Temple tried to fill about 11 spots so your chances might have been better there. If the other schools aren't known to be as "hard" to get into, then I have absolutely no idea why you didn't get more interviews even. Otherwise, maybe the range of competiveness could have been wider in terms of schools to which you applied....
Honestly though, I can't believe you only got 2 interviews.

 

[Psyclops]

That is very surprising that you didn't do better, I'm sorry. I have a couple of questions for you. Were the faculty you applied to all doing the same sort of research? I.E., were you focused enough in your interests? I had the experience on one of my interveiws that the professor asked me to name the schools to which I had applied (there were 10). He then said let me name the faculty to which you applied at each one. He rattled off the names of every faculty member I had applied to, no errors. I was a little surprised, but he said that would be the list you should have applied to if you really are interested in what you say you are interested in. That was essentailly the end of the interveiw, I had answered all his questions with that.

Barring a lack of focus, I don't know what to say, except that is a tough list of schools, but then again they all are. You had really good numbers.

What type of research were/are you interested in doing?

 

[snh]

I feel very fortunate

580V 640Q 3.7 GPA

12 applications sent out

8 interviews

6 acceptances

2 waitlists

I had three years of research experience, strong science background, and very strong letters of rec from well know profs.

 

[PsychMode]

Did you guys take the GRE Psych? I didn't take it and found that it limited the number of schools I could apply to given my research interests. Not by much, though. (Oddly enough, I got waitlisted at a school that required it. It looked like a great program, but I went ahead and accepted another offer.)

 

[PsychMode]

I'm sorry. But having sat as a grad student representative on a faculty committee who decided criteria for admissions I can tell you that 50% of the decision process has nothing with the applicant - it's about which faculty member has funding, space in the laboratory for another student and which way the politics point....Good Luck next year....

I would have to concur with that. One school told me that they were not accepting anyone with my research interests this year because half the people they accepted last year were interested in the same illness. They said that my app was strong, but it was a matter of funding/timing.

 

[clinpsychgirl]

Did you guys take the GRE Psych? I didn't take it and found that it limited the number of schools I could apply to given my research interests. Not by much, though. (Oddly enough, I got waitlisted at a school that required it. It looked like a great program, but I went ahead and accepted another offer.)

I didn't take the Psych GRE. I was a psych major with a very strong GRP and none of the schools I applied to actually required it.

 

[lazure]

Psych GRE is a piece of cake. Take it after re-reading your first and second year notes once.

 

[clinpsychgirl]

Psych GRE is a piece of cake. Take it after re-reading your first and second year notes once.

In my situation, I actually spent about 3 months preparing for the darn thing, and was testing reasonably well and then it turned out that none of the schools I applied to required it. So, for me, it was just a matter of not paying ETS more money that needed.

I agree with you though- in most instances, it's better just to take it. For example, if you don't know if your schools are going to require it or not (e.g. are not sure of your "final list" yet) or if you are not a psych major, it would be valuable to take it. Otherwise, (in my experience) it doesn't hurt you not to take it if it is not required and you have solid grades in your psych courses.

 

[PsychMode]

In my situation, I actually spent about 3 months preparing for the darn thing, and was testing reasonably well and then it turned out that none of the schools I applied to required it. So, for me, it was just a matter of not paying ETS more money that needed.

I agree with you though- in most instances, it's better just to take it. For example, if you don't know if your schools are going to require it or not (e.g. are not sure of your "final list" yet) or if you are not a psych major, it would be valuable to take it. Otherwise, (in my experience) it doesn't hurt you not to take it if it is not required and you have solid grades in your psych courses.

I was actually planning to take it. I decided not to waste my money if the scores would not get there in time. Of course, I should have taken the bloody test because schools that required it ended up waiting for the scores.

I have no regrets, though. Well, of course it would have been great to apply to UCLA... just to see what would happen. 😉 I was thinking about taking it for the heck of it to see how I do. (Yes, I can be a big nerd... sometimes.)

 

[Psyclops]

Don't worry if you leave the test feeling horribel though, I was pleasantly surprised, although I thought I had screwed the pooch.

 

[Mell-Dogg]

Me too. I left the test feeling just OK about it, but ended up getting a great score! I just prepared for about a week (couple hours a day) using one of those Kaplan review books. Kaplan went into a lot more depth than some of my coursework on several important topics, but was still consise.

 

[SaraL124]

610 V, 610 Q, 5.5 Writing; 640 Psych Subject Test

13 applications

7 interviews

5 acceptances

1 waitlist

 

[perfektspace]

A question about Re-taking the GRE:

Does ETS take the best score from each section regarless of when you took the test. For instance if my verbal is better on my second test but my quant. is worse, does the score report use the best of my two scores or is it all or nothing?

 

[mmonte4]

A question about Re-taking the GRE:

Does ETS take the best score from each section regarless of when you took the test. For instance if my verbal is better on my second test but my quant. is worse, does the score report use the best of my two scores or is it all or nothing?

every score is reported. every verbal score and every quant and ever an. writing is printed on the report that will go to your school.

 

[MidwestPsyD]

The PsyD schools (university-based ones, at least) are a little bit harder to get into than it might seem:
560V, 760Q, 6 writing, 760 psych, 3.84 GPA, decent clinical experience

8 applications
3 rejections w/o interviews
2 acceptances
2 waitlists
1 interview which I turned down

...still can't believe Rutgers had 650 applications this year!

 

[Psyclops]

university-based ones

 

[mmcarson]

670 M, 690 V, 680 Psych, 4.5 Writing

3.7 GPA, 3 years research exp, 1 year clinical exp, completing an MA (4.0 Grad GPA)

5 applications to clinical programs w/ neuropsych track
4 interviews
2 acceptances (attended 2 of the interviews, declined the other 2 after accepted to other schools)

 

[MsAnaF]

610 verbal, 730 math 5.5 writing, 710 Psych
3.12 GPA (partied my way through undergrad....)
2 years RA experience, some posters but no publications

10 applications
9 interviews
4 acceptances
2 waitlists

 

[mmonte4]

610 verbal, 730 math 5.5 writing, 710 Psych
3.12 GPA (partied my way through undergrad....)
2 years RA experience, some posters but no publications

10 applications
9 interviews
4 acceptances
2 waitlists

NICE! what schools did you apply to? where did you get accepted?

 

[bigmood]

Don't worry if you leave the test feeling horribel though, I was pleasantly surprised, although I thought I had screwed the pooch.

"screwed the pooch"?!? ha. never heard that expression.

I did well on the psych GRE and was supremely surprised because I go to one of these supposedly horrible southern schools. After finding that I had done well, I felt much better about my education.

At any rate, though, it was useless to pay for the test. Nobody cared what I made.