GRE scores of those accepted

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I applied to 10 programs and got accepted at only one. My GRE combined scores were 1270 (710V/560Q). My Q score was low because I have been out of school for many years and hadn't taken an algebra or geometry course in over 20 years. In two of the schools I applied to I made it to the interview stage and was wait listed, but someone ahead of me accepted the offer. In both cases I was told that the main reason the other applicant was chosen over me was that they had GRE scores of 1500 and since we were relatively equal in all other areas, the GRE score was the "only common metric" they could use to distinguish between those of us who were the top contenders. There were other schools I applied to that wouldn't even consider applicants for the interviews if their GRE scores were less than 1400. Then, there was yet another school I was rejected from where their average for GRE scores was 1200 -- lower than mine and I wasn't even invited to interview there. Go figure. Some schools definitely count GRE scores more than others. It's definitely worth taking the GRE again if your scores are lower than you would like because as I learned this year, it can very well become the deciding factor in admission, even when you get down to the interviews.
 
Woah, please let me know which schools you applied to require a score of 1400 so I don't accidentally put those schools on my list!
 
If you think about how schools do things, they are going to place thier cut score where they feel they can best maximize the applicat pool they have. What I mean is, above some point the GRE score ceases to matter, and they want to make it high enough that their incoming class can handle the work load, but they want to make it low enough that they see more applicants that might have been a little low on the GREs but are good otherwise. My point is, schools are going to make them as low as they feel they can.

Also, having higher than average scores for a school won't gurantee you an interveiw, and you should know that. It's about fit once you pass the score threshold. The school I applied to that had the lowest scores didn't offer me an interview, I wasn't surprised, it was the worst fit.
 
Salsybabe said:
Woah, please let me know which schools you applied to require a score of 1400 so I don't accidentally put those schools on my list!

It's not a formal requirement, but the way it turned out this year, that's how it was for me. The program where I wasn't considered for the interviews was Emory where I was told that the people invited to interview all had scores in the neighborhood of 1400. The two programs where I came close but lost because of my 1270 GRE scores were Drexel and SUNY Binghamton. At those two schools, I was interviewed and was an alternate, but was told that the deciding factor in the offers given to the people ahead of me was their GRE scores of around 1500 because they considered us comparable on the other factors (we all had first authored publications, research experience, strong LORs, etc.). One of the professors at Drexel told me that they are getting more and more pressure from the administration to give more weight to GRE scores (ironic for an evidence based program since the actual evidence that GRE scores predict future performance is scant, but that's the way it is because it is the only common metric with which to compare applicants). Had the people initially given offers turned them down, I would have had a chance, so it's not hopeless to apply there and if I decide to have another go at it, I'm going to give it another try. It's really a matter of luck in who accepts offers.

I have a question for anyone who would care to answer it: What are some of the schools that have an average range of around 1200-1300 for the incoming class? I know that University of Arkansas was one of them -- their average is 1200. Any others that people know of? I'm going to try and pick those next time around.
 
Psyclops said:
If you think about how schools do things, they are going to place thier cut score where they feel they can best maximize the applicat pool they have. What I mean is, above some point the GRE score ceases to matter, and they want to make it high enough that their incoming class can handle the work load, but they want to make it low enough that they see more applicants that might have been a little low on the GREs but are good otherwise. My point is, schools are going to make them as low as they feel they can.

Also, having higher than average scores for a school won't gurantee you an interveiw, and you should know that. It's about fit once you pass the score threshold. The school I applied to that had the lowest scores didn't offer me an interview, I wasn't surprised, it was the worst fit.

In terms of evidence it's true that beyond a certain point (I read it was 1200) scores do not predict future performance. However, that's now how it worked at some of the top programs I applied to where I was a finalist. I was told that we were all good fits for the interests of the faculty and were comparable on other factors such as research experience and publications so in the end, they used our GRE scores as deciding factor in who to give offers to first because it was the "only common metric".

You make an excellent point that even if a person had very high GRE scores and they didn't match the faculty interests, they would probably not even make the finalists, but it is also true that if a person has very high GRE scores and is a good fit, that person will be given an offer over someone who has lower scores, even if those scores are above the score threshold. My own experience this year bears this out, at least for some of the programs. At some of the programs I applied to it was as you described, but not in the most competitive ones, especially with the more popular faculty. One faculty member at Drexel had 100 people out of their 400 applicants applying specifically to work with him.
 
And that goes to show you, the actuall difficulty to get in a program depends on the faculty member. Assuming you are doing things the right way and applying to a school based on specific faculty members. If the faculty member in question isn't accepting students it will be almost impossible for you to get in. If they have 100 applicants you ahve a one percent chance. If they have 2 applicants you have a 50% chance. More or less. Obviously alot goes into things, but this is something to consider.
 
Psyclops said:
And that goes to show you, the actuall difficulty to get in a program depends on the faculty member. Assuming you are doing things the right way and applying to a school based on specific faculty members. If the faculty member in question isn't accepting students it will be almost impossible for you to get in. If they have 100 applicants you ahve a one percent chance. If they have 2 applicants you have a 50% chance. More or less. Obviously alot goes into things, but this is something to consider.

Yes, that's very true and we cannot always know in advance how many applicants there will be for a particular faculty member. We can find out if the person is accepting students but if they are, we can't know in advance how many will apply although with some faculty who are known to be very popular and have a popular area of interest, we can make a good guess.
 
Dagny52 said:
It's not a formal requirement, but the way it turned out this year, that's how it was for me. The program where I wasn't considered for the interviews was Emory where I was told that the people invited to interview all had scores in the neighborhood of 1400. The two programs where I came close but lost because of my 1270 GRE scores were Drexel and SUNY Binghamton. At those two schools, I was interviewed and was an alternate, but was told that the deciding factor in the offers given to the people ahead of me was their GRE scores of around 1500 because they considered us comparable on the other factors (we all had first authored publications, research experience, strong LORs, etc.). One of the professors at Drexel told me that they are getting more and more pressure from the administration to give more weight to GRE scores (ironic for an evidence based program since the actual evidence that GRE scores predict future performance is scant, but that's the way it is because it is the only common metric with which to compare applicants). Had the people initially given offers turned them down, I would have had a chance, so it's not hopeless to apply there and if I decide to have another go at it, I'm going to give it another try. It's really a matter of luck in who accepts offers.

I have a question for anyone who would care to answer it: What are some of the schools that have an average range of around 1200-1300 for the incoming class? I know that University of Arkansas was one of them -- their average is 1200. Any others that people know of? I'm going to try and pick those next time around.

Hmm...that's interesting that Drexel turned you down because of GRE scores. I am a first year there and I had a 1220 combined score. If two applicants are completely equal on paper except for GRE scores and both make it to the interview round, the GRE isn't what makes or breaks the application. That's irrelevant once you get to the interview because they choose after that based on personality and whether or not the professor feels (s)he can work with you for the next 5 years.

I personally do not think that GRE is all that important once you make it to the interview round.

PS- Who did you interview with at Drexel? you can PM if you'd rather.
 
So you are saying Dagny's personality sucks?





Just kidding
 
SaraL124 said:
Hmm...that's interesting that Drexel turned you down because of GRE scores. I am a first year there and I had a 1220 combined score. If two applicants are completely equal on paper except for GRE scores and both make it to the interview round, the GRE isn't what makes or breaks the application. That's irrelevant once you get to the interview because they choose after that based on personality and whether or not the professor feels (s)he can work with you for the next 5 years.

I personally do not think that GRE is all that important once you make it to the interview round.

PS- Who did you interview with at Drexel? you can PM if you'd rather.

It is now. I was told that it just changed this year and that there was pressure from the administration to give more weight to GRE scores and I was told that my GRE score was the most relevant factor in others being ranked ahead of me. The year before that at Drexel, I heard that the scores were around the 1200 range of people accepted. This year things are very different. I interviewed with James Herbert and Evan Foreman and between them they accepted only one student out of 100 who were applying to work with them so it's possible that things were more competitive for those of us who applied to work with them. The person they picked had a GRE score of 1500+. They told me that the problem was that several of us were very good matches for their interests and fairly equal in every other respect so the GRE became the only common metric they could use to make a decision. This might not have been the case for other faculty.
 
Psyclops said:
So you are saying Dagny's personality sucks?

Just kidding

No, my timing sucks. I was told that it just changed this year because after Drexel rose in the rankings, they had gotten pressure from the administration to count GRE scores more than they had been.
 
SaraL124 said:
I personally do not think that GRE is all that important once you make it to the interview round.

I was under that impression as well. Depending on the school, GRE scores may be a factor that gets you in the door. After that it comes down to if someone wants to work with you for 5+ years and of course magic tricks and witty banter.
 
Voodo worked well for me. But seriously, I don't think they are considered much after the first pass. There are three hurdles to getting into grad school as everyone knows. 1) Meet the numbers requirements 2) Get invited to the interview based on letters and statment 3) do well in interviews and get the offer. remember jsut because you didn't ge the offer doesn't mean you were bad, just that maybe someone was better.
 
perfektspace said:
I was under that impression as well. Depending on the school, GRE scores may be a factor that gets you in the door. After that it comes down to if someone wants to work with you for 5+ years and of course magic tricks and witty banter.

If there's anything I learned this year, it's that there is a great deal of variation in the way different doctoral programs select applicants. That being said, it is very common for a particular faculty mentor to have several people he/she would feel great about working with for 5+ years, so the problem then becomes how to choose between them. I had a very frank discussion with one Director of Clinical Training who told me that once they've narrowed things down to 10-12 people to interview, the only purpose of that interview is to filter out people who have look great on paper but have horrible social skills and normally only a few people are eliminated on that basis. For those who get nervous at interviews, it is helpful to know that there is no need for witty banter or to have a stellar personality -- what it comes down to is that if you have basic social skills, you'll do just fine. The remaining applicants have already been pre-selected for being a good fit with the faculty mentor so what it can come down to is the GRE score, at least at some schools. Another Director of Clinical Training told me that for them it comes down to "splitting hairs" on who is the best fit, so they might look at who's research experience and LORs best specifically fit the faculty member's interest, but it is not a personality contest.

I also learned from someone on the SSCPnet (Society for Scientific Clinical Psychology) list serv that various faculty had a discussion/debate on how much GRE scores should count and although it was conceded that the GRE's predictive validity is not very impressive, it is often used anyway because there is no other way to choose between applicants who appear equal in every other respect.

One thing's for sure, though. None of us should take any of these rejections personally.
 
oops, double post!
 
Actually, you're right about the two professors you were considered for. I recently found out that their accepted student did have a 1500 GRE score and that was the decided factor on her acceptance. Well, I guess I slipped in just in time! I'm sorry it didn't work out for you at Drexel Dagny.
 
someone asked a question about the GRE scores of those accepted and this seems like what the poster was looking for so I wanted to go ahead and bump it 'vn tho it's old, things haven't really changed much I don't think

bump.
 
T: 1280
Q: 700
V: 580
A: 5.5
Subject: 640
GPA: 3.8

9 applications; 7 rejections; 1 acceptance and 1 app withdrawal.

Going to University of Denver in their social area which was my 2nd choice. In retrospect, I should have written a stronger statement, found labs that I matched up better with and MADE SURE that those professors were accepting new students. I found out that 4 of the professors I applied to were not taking on new students because they were either full or they were moving their labs to different universities. However, in the end I am very happy where I ended up.
 
Q: 770
V: 540
A: 4.5
Psych: 550

Applied to 14 programs, 9 interviews, 6 acceptances, 1 waitlist

*however* I applied the first time around with those exact same scores - applied to 5 places, 1 interview, no acceptances. Applied to those same programs the second time around (plus the other 9), got interviews at 4 of them and got into 3 of them. Scores can help get your foot in the door but there are a lot of other things that can help you make the first cut!
 
I don't think personal stats seem to make anywhere near as much difference as experience, but since there seem to be repeated threads about this, I'll throw my numbers in...

Q: 700
V: 680
A: 5.5
Subject: 760
GPA: 3.9 (but from a small, liberal arts school--and graduating in three years)

I applied to 7 PhD programs, and got 1 interview and 1 admit. Applied to 3 Master's programs and got into all of them, plus 1 acceptance from a Master's program at a school where I applied for doctoral level. I think the Master's programs were more interested in my stats, but my research experience was rather minimal, and as many of the schools I applied to (though I didn't think to investigate this before applying, only looked at POI research interests) were top ranked, that did not work out so well.

All you need is one, though! And I'm really happy with where I am ending up as the research is perfect for what I want to do and the school has a great track record for getting people out in 5 years.
 
Mine was for a Social Psych PhD, not clinical.

It was 730V, 720Q, 5.5 W; didn't take the subject test (I have expired subject test scores of 690, if I remember correctly... that test was well over 5 years ago).

It yielded 1 acceptance out of 7 PhD applications. The 1 acceptance was a top choice, though, so all is well 😀
 
Q: 760
V: 660
A: 5.0
Psych: 660
CGPA: 3.0+ (Above average @ UG)
LoR: Very Strong
Experience: RA for 1+ years

Applied to 10 programs (6 in Canada, 4 in USA), 2 interviews (both in USA), 1 acceptances (USA), 1 waitlist (w/o interview - CAN).

To sum up, the above marks got me passed minimum criteria for consideration/interview and my in-person interview got me into the program!
 
GRE: 770Q, 580V
Subject: 730

Applied straight out of undergrad and will be graduating in 3 years: 12 applications (all Clinical PhD), 3 interviews, acceptances at all 3 places- including my top choice!
 
T: 1070
V: 540
Q: 530
A: 5.0

15 applications, 3 interviews, 1 acceptance

Although I wouldn't get a second glance in a clinical psych applicant pool, my dirty little secret is that I applied to counseling psych programs. :meanie: Although they are competitive, they are easier to get into, generally speaking, when compared to clinical psych programs. Most of the schools I applied to had applicant pools ranging from 50 to 130 so the numbers were not as against me. The required GRE scores are lower so my score was more likely to be looked at in light of my other strengths (a good undergraduate & graduate GPA, research experience, LOR's, purpose statement). The lesson in this is that if you are going to apply then do it within your means. It's ok to have a few shot-in-the-dark programs, but be able to acknowledge that some programs may be out of reach. For those of us who do not have above a 1200, there is still hope if you don't mind not having clinical in your title.
 
I'm the low scoring person around these parts. 😉

T: 1150
V: 590
Q: 560
A: 5.5
Psych: 600
GPA: 3.89 (Cum Laude)

15 applications, 2 interviews, 2 offers, 1 decline of an interview

Some might be shocked to hear that I got interviews with those scores, much less acceptances. (I was definitely sweating bullets.) However, I have a great deal of research experience, & the type of research experience I had was a plus. (Very clinically oriented -- I had my own caseloads to track & test on a regular basis.) Anyway, my GRE scores are low, but the schools who didn't toss me out with the bottom of the pile noted that I was so busy when I took the GRE, there's really no way I could have studied for it. The things I was doing that interfered with studying time were looked upon favorably by them (18 CH of classes, 2 labs @ 6+ hours per week each, teaching assistant in 2 classes -- one of which was a 4900 level psych class, secretary in 1 honor society, president in another honor society, officer in an advisory committee, board member for the departmental undergrad committee, full time foster parent, etc.). I note this, because I really thought I had screwed myself over by not clearing my plate to study for the GRE. However, some of the schools were really impressed with all I was juggling & with my letters. A GRE doesn't have to be a death sentence. 🙂
 
V= 760
Q= 780
A=don't remember
Subject test= don't remember if i took the subject test, but i remember taking that stupid video Kaplan course for it.
GPA=3.0
LOR= extremely strong by a name in the field.
Experience= 4 years in several research projects ranging from animal models to treatment efficacy.


got in several places

chose a psyd for my own reasons.
 
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.

GRE = 1300
V = 560
Q = 740
A = 5.5
Subject = 680
GPA = 4.0

Year 1 Accepted 0/ Interviewed 2/ Interview Offers 2/ Applied 15
Year 2 Accepted 3/ Interviewed 8/ Interview Offers 14/ Applied 27

Mark
 
Q: 640
V: 740
A: 5.0
Psy GRE: 730
GPA: 3.72

Applied 11, interviews, 7, accepted 4
 
Man I really had to think about this (it's been at least 4 years).

710 quant
560 verbal (I blew this my first time around when I first finished my undergrad - led to a 7 year hiatus from school 😀)
5.5 writing
670 subject

My GPA was a 3.4 (3.8 for psych) or so. 1 year of research experience, no pubs. I applied to 7 places, got 4 interviews, 2 acceptances (1PhD, 1PsyD - took the PsyD).

I too concur with the sentiments for the GRE.
 
I'm the low scoring person around these parts. 😉

T: 1150
V: 590
Q: 560
A: 5.5
Psych: 600
GPA: 3.89 (Cum Laude)


Wow Psyched77-I have EXACTLY the same stats as you-including GPA (except my A was only 4.5)! And a lot of research experience (but no clinical)! I applied to 10 pretty competitive schools and was offered 1 interview which resulted in 1 acceptance. GRE scores aren't everything!
 
Wow Psyched77-I have EXACTLY the same stats as you-including GPA (except my A was only 4.5)! And a lot of research experience (but no clinical)! I applied to 10 pretty competitive schools and was offered 1 interview which resulted in 1 acceptance. GRE scores aren't everything!

How funny! Well see...we're both proof!
 
Here's my story... (all Clinical Ph.D)

First time applying last year:
T: 1080 V: 520 Q: 560 A: 5.5
Applied: 10 Canadian/2 American programs, Interviews: 0, Waitlists: 0, Acceptances:0

This year:
T: 1200 V: 570 Q: 630 A: 5.5
Applied: 10 Canadian, Interviews: 1, Waitlists: 2, Acceptances: 1

For both applications I had a Psych score of 670, UG GPA of 3.1 (sick during UG - explained in PS) and a Master's GPA of 3.7.
 
Applied to 12 programs- 11 PhD, 1 PsyD
6 interviews
5 acceptances

Verbal: 590 Quant: 640 Writing: 5.5 Psych: 690
GPA: 3.49 Psych GPA: 3.9 (was a BS, organic chemistry killed me)
 
T: 1270
Q: 660
V: 590
A: 4.5
Gpa: 3.6

1st cycle: Applied to 4 PhD clinical. 0 interviews. 0 acceptances.
Spent 1 year doing heavy clinical experience work.
2nd cycle: Applied to 7 PsyD clinical. 7 interviews. 6 acceptances. 1 waitlist I withdrew from.
 
I was a non traditional American applicant. BA/ MA English Lit from UK university.1 year exp.working in international business than Post Bacc student in US.
UK MA/BA GPA approx 3.7
Post Bacc: 3.5
2 yrs research experience in social, health and I/0 psychology
GRE: 1st time 1030 (690V 340Q (ouch))
2nd time 1420 (690V, 730Q)
Subject: 640

Applied to:11 competitive clinical PHD's and 1 MA program
Accepted Phd:1 (after interview) MA: 1
Rerouted to a phd's MA program:1
High Alternate PhD program: 1
 
Why not?

GRE Total: 1360
Verbal: 760 (Time1), 680 (Time 2) ---> Can you tell what I'm stronger at? 🙂
Quant: 500 (ICK! Time 1), 600 (Time 2)
Writing: 5.5
GRE psych: 780
GPA: 3.86 (Summa cum laude bc I did honors program)
Psych GPA: 4.0

15 applications (clinical psych Ph.D.)/3 interviews/1 acceptance/1 waitlist (withdrew application after other acceptance)/1 withdrew app following interview

I still wonder if my 1st quant score hurt me. Oh well, it doesn't matter now!!!:hardy:
 
Oh my God I love you people with 1100 GREs. That's my score (though hopefully it will go up once I retake it) and I am sooo terrified. It's great that you got acceptances!
 
GRE total: 1160
V: 590
Q: 570
W: 5.0
subject: 590
GPA: 3.45

Little over 2 years research and clinical experience in 4 different labs/studies.

Applied to 15 phd and psyd clinical programs. 2 interviews. 1 acceptance, 1 waitlist that I later withdrew from.
 
Oh my God I love you people with 1100 GREs. That's my score (though hopefully it will go up once I retake it) and I am sooo terrified. It's great that you got acceptances!

Are you saying you don't like the rest of us? Also, when your score increases will you still like the people in the 1100 as much as you do now, or will you look down on them with your new friends in the next bracket up?

LOL, You know I am just playing. 😀

Mark
 
GRE Total: 1410
V: 670
Q: 740
Writing: 5.5
Subject: 690
great LoR, 3.2+ college GPA, good research/counseling experience
3 out of 4 acceptances (chose PsyD for personal reasons)

If you have taken a prep course or at least studied as much as you can, then be happy with your score and choose your schools accordingly. But if you don't feel you've done your best, it might be worth your while to try again and shoot for 1400+...
 
My stats were average. I do remember thinking applying to 8 programs was a lot.....oh, how little I knew!!

1260-1280 GRE (Better than I expected, as the day before I had a big life change. I was scoring 1400's on my practice exams, but shot for 1200 so my app would be reviewed everywhere I applied)
My writing was the 90'something percentile (I believe I had a perfect score)
Psych GRE: I think 700-710?
3.6ish for a GPA
Solid research and related

Applied: 4 PhD, 4 PsyD (all balanced programs)
Interviewed: 3, 4
Waitlisted: 1, 1 (the latter I was later accepted, but I declined)
Accepted: 1, 2

Chose: PsyD
 
Are you saying you don't like the rest of us? Also, when your score increases will you still like the people in the 1100 as much as you do now, or will you look down on them with your new friends in the next bracket up?

LOL, You know I am just playing. 😀

Mark

I guess I did phrase that oddly! Be nice to me, I'm sick.

I studied like crazy, tbh, but I'm hoping that taking a math course this summer will help.
 
T: 1410
Q: 690
V:720
A: 4.5 (I guess references to the Godfather in your essay don't get extra points!)

12 applications
5 interviews
2 waitlisted without interviews
2 acceptances

Now if only these last two weeks of undergrad work would end 😴
 
1340
V: 570
Q: 770
A: 4.0
GPA: 4.0
2 years research experience, honors thesis research
9 applications (PhD clincal programs)
7 interviews
1 waitlist
1 acceptance (Glad it only takes one)
 
GRE: Sub 1000 (Don't remember exact score it was quite a few years ago-- it actually might have been a bit below 900)
MAT: 402 on a scale between 200 and 600
Undergrad GPA: 3.94, 4.0 in psychology
Graduate GPA: 3.97
Four years of experience in the field
One year clinical experience
1 Psy.D. application, 1 acceptance
 
T: 1330
Q: 710
V: 620
A: 4.0
psych: 630 or so (can't remember)
GPA cum: 3.35 (with a v. strong upward trend)
psych GPA: 3.89
12 apps, 6 interviews, 2 acceptances, 3 waitlists
 
Non-traditional, did not major or minor in Psych, but undergraduate degree from top 10 university

Took general GREs and Psych GREs once. I strongly considered re-taking it, but read on this board that it wasn't necessary, and it was all the encouragement I needed to avoid repeating that awful, awful experience (not a fan of CAT).

Overall: 1400

Q: 770
V: 630

Psych GRE: 670 (taken after completing 4 psych classes so didn't have the background in the other tested focus areas)

Applied: 7
Interviews: 7 (Accepted: 6)
Waitlist: 2
Accepted: 4 (including top 3 choices)

Counseling Psych PhD
 
GT: 1400
V: 680
Q: 720
W: 4.5

ST:700

CUM: 3.48
PSYCH: 3.71
JUN/SEN: 3.81

CLIN: 2.0 yrs. (one site)
RES: 0.5 yrs. (one site)

2005/2006: 10 applications: 0 interviews

CLIN: 4.0 yrs. (one site)
RES: 2.5 yrs. (three sites)

2007/2008: 9 applications: 6 interviews: 2 acceptances: 2 withdrawals: 1 waitlist: 1 post-interview rejection

Outcome: accepted at first choice
 
GRE: 1260 (the second time)
V: 650
Q: 610 (I'm so terrible at math)
PSYCH: 670

GPA: 3.97
PSYCH: 3.94

research: 2 years as RA at a children's hospital

9 apps
2 interviews
waitlisted at both, accepted at top choice off of waitlist

clinical phd
 
GRE: 1360
V: 680
Q: 680
PSYCH: 820

GPA: 3.78
PSYCH: 4.0

research: 1 year RA at a communty clinic
5 Apps - 2 Interviews - 1 waitist (not accepted) 🙁
 
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