Gre...

[thaowey]

just curious, how many times have y'all taken the GRE?

i know that it's best if you only take it once, but how badly is it looked down upon if you take it twice, max?

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[twelvetigers]

Haha. Three officially, four unofficially. I don't think it matters, just try your best to improve on each take (which you should anyway, given the cost).

You can take it more than twice. It doesn't matter. But... planning and studying should, hopefully, ensure that you don't HAVE to take it more than twice. Because, you know... it sucks to sit through that damn test.

 

[kaydubs]

I've taken it once. This is my first year applying for vet schools and I'm graduating undergrad this year. If it played a significant role of not getting into vet school this year, I'll consider-retaking them. I'll keep my though (I am a rather dreadful standardized test taker so when I saw the score, I thought Good enough! - I took the SAT's 4 times....)

 

[Coquette22]

I don't think it looks bad to take it multiple times. Unless you take it multiple times and your score keeps going down or staying the same (which to me would say that you don't realize where you're going wrong and/or just aren't really trying). But if you keep increasing, I don't see a problem.

I've only taken it once, got a decent score (not fantastic, but good enough that I don't feel compelled to put myself through it again).

 

[idahoequestrian]

I took it twice - the first time I did well, but wanted to raise my quantitative score. So I studied only math for about a month, then retook it; I raised my score 100 points. They definitely don't look down on you for retaking it, especially since some schools will combine your highest scores from multiple tests, which can be really nice. It does cost quite a bit to take it though, so make sure you are fully prepared each time! Good luck =)

 

[ColoradoDVM]

I took it once....was planning on taking it again but realized I could utilize my time more effectively elsewhere. My score was so so.

 

[hunterjumper12]

I've taken it once. This is my first year applying for vet schools and I'm graduating undergrad this year. If it played a significant role of not getting into vet school this year, I'll consider-retaking them.

Ditto. I took the GRE in late August, and was fully prepared to retest September 1st if needed. My score was decent, but if I do not get accepted this cycle and my GRE score is brought up, I will definitely consider retesting.

 

[DVMDream]

I have taken it 3 times... 2nd time was the best, but third time did increase my verbal score which is what I wanted to increase, but my quant score went down some as well as my AW went down .5. I don't think it matters as long as you are showing that you are trying and improving some. Obviously, it looks bad if it takes 5 or 6 times just to get average scores. The worst part about retaking it is the cost and just that it absolutely sucks to sit through that test.

 

[thaowey]

thanks y'all. def helps alot. about to go register for that damn test now...yay...

 

[kaydubs]

thanks y'all. def helps alot. about to go register for that damn test now...yay...

Good luck with it! Also, I know they're changing the GRE up a bit soon-ish (don't know the date off the top of my head...) which could be good or bad?

 

[twelvetigers]

August 2011 I think? Now, I don't know how long it will take Kaplan etc. to catch up to the new format, so I would be worried about having material to study and stuff. So, I'd try to get it taken before then, or try to take it a while after the change (unless you just want to see what it's like, I suppose).

 

[bee83]

I'm taking mine at the end of this month. If I don't do as well as I had hoped, I may just wait to take the new one in August or September and see if I like that one better. Though it's scary to think that they are switching up the tests on us! btw, I am doing practice math tests, and the geometry is killing me. I haven't had to deal with this stuff in years! bleh.
To answer your question, though, I don't think it would be a problem at all to take it twice!

 

[NStarz]

Just wanted to let you guys know that scores for the new GRE taken in August of 2011 will not be out in time for admissions to the class of 2016 cycle. The GRE website recommends that if you need your scores before November to take the old GRE. (I believe VMCAS does as well).

 

[bee83]

Just wanted to let you guys know that scores for the new GRE taken in August of 2011 will not be out in time for admissions to the class of 2016 cycle. The GRE website recommends that if you need your scores before November to take the old GRE. (I believe VMCAS does as well).

Ah, good to know. Thanks!

 

[iowaworker]

Do the schools know if you tested multiple times if you didn't send out the scores to them? Example: I took the GRE late July and did pretty well so I sent out my score to 4 schools. I then took the GRE in mid-august (just to see if I could do better), and ended up doing worse this time around so I didn't send out my score...so obviously the schools only know that I took it once, right??

 

[NStarz]

Do the schools know if you tested multiple times if you didn't send out the scores to them? Example: I took the GRE late July and did pretty well so I sent out my score to 4 schools. I then took the GRE in mid-august (just to see if I could do better), and ended up doing worse this time around so I didn't send out my score...so obviously the schools only know that I took it once, right??

I'm not sure they'll know if you never take the test again, but if you repeat the GRE a third time, the schools will receive all of the scores you've gotten (from all 3 tests). Come to think of it, if you request score reports from ETS, it'll probably include both tests on it. Not positive, though.

 

[anjabryn]

August 2011 I think? Now, I don't know how long it will take Kaplan etc. to catch up to the new format, so I would be worried about having material to study and stuff. So, I'd try to get it taken before then, or try to take it a while after the change (unless you just want to see what it's like, I suppose).

All of Kaplan's new books labeled 2011 have the new GRE format, which includes the fill in questions for the quantitative section.
Even their 2010 books covered a few of these.

 

[twelvetigers]

Really? Well, that's good to know. Guess they're on top of things!

 

[kitty613]

My GRE score blows! I suck at exams. Can't get past 700. Oh, and I already have two B.A.'s and an M.A. and my total GPA is 3.8 overall. What gives??? Is the GRE really that important?
I'll never get into vet school...

 

[EllieGirl89]

My GRE score blows! I suck at exams. Can't get past 700. Oh, and I already have two B.A.'s and an M.A. and my total GPA is 3.8 overall. What gives??? Is the GRE really that important?
I'll never get into vet school...

A 700 V+Q? Or a 700 in just one section?

A 700 in one of the sections is a good score. I didn't break a 700 in either of my sections.

But if you were to apply to vet school with just a 700 composite score you're going to run into some obstacles. Some schools require a minimum GRE score before they will even consider your application. Ohio State, for example, won't consider anyone with a GRE below 1000.

All is not lost, as I only got in the 900s before I started studying for the GRE. I brought up my score nearly 300 points after learning how to take the test. There are lots of threads on it if you do a search, but just getting yourself a book and learning the strategies and doing practice problems will really help.

 

[drwildlife]

Good luck with it! Also, I know they're changing the GRE up a bit soon-ish (don't know the date off the top of my head...) which could be good or bad?

The next GRE is going to be way more difficult. They're adding calculus to the test - which could be good for some people...bad for me. The verbal is also going to a killer. On the sentence completion (on multiple blanks) instead of having choices with two words put together, they're all going to be separate. Like a word bank. There will also be more than two blanks in most of the questions

 

[NStarz]

The next GRE is going to be way more difficult. They're adding calculus to the test - which could be good for some people...bad for me. The verbal is also going to a killer. On the sentence completion (on multiple blanks) instead of having choices with two words put together, they're all going to be separate. Like a word bank. There will also be more than two blanks in most of the questions

I don't know where you heard this, but they are NOT adding calculus to the GRE. Most people don't take calc at all, and many people only take it in college. They are upping the difficulty of the math section by using material from up to algebra II (no pre-calc, no calc).

 

[twelvetigers]

They are also making the math a bit more complex since they are adding a calculator, but I mean like... math that's harder to do in your head? That was my understanding.

On my most recent GRE attempt that I will not speak of here otherwise... I did have to take a 'just for practice' version of the verbal that was, I believe, in the new format. It was odd - the answers were in a set of maybe six boxes, and you had to pick two of them... I was upset so I didn't pay a bunch of attention, but maybe someone else who is taking it soon will be able to talk more about what it's like, or will get a practice math section.

 

[AuRevoirFinance]

On the GRE I took yesterday, there was an experimental quant section at the end they wanted me to do. 18 questions, 30 minutes. There were definitely some different format stuff in there -- but then again I was so brain-drained after the prior sections that I only made a sad little effort on a few questions and then hunted for the "Exit Section" button.

 

[smilin1590]

On the GRE I took yesterday, there was an experimental quant section at the end they wanted me to do. 18 questions, 30 minutes. There were definitely some different format stuff in there -- but then again I was so brain-drained after the prior sections that I only made a sad little effort on a few questions and then hunted for the "Exit Section" button.

This makes me laugh! I just took it this morning and was like "hey why not, i'll do the experimental section" One question into it, I was like "screw it I'm outta here"

 

[Alhazred]

I felt like the real sections of the GRE were easy, but I have to agree that the experimental section was much harder. If I were going to take it again, I would definitely do so before August 2011.