GREs--??

[DarkChild]

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Has anyone taken them? ARe they easy? How long did it take you to prep for it?
Lastly - do you think its worth it for MD/PhD programs?

 

[jot]

they are only required for bme programs -- i am thinking about taking them for some scholarhips (dunno why, mstp should cover things, but just in case) like the nsf, howard hughes etc... i took a practice test cold and its not bad at all if standardized tests are your bag - after the mcat it should be a piece of cake (well maybe not). the subject tests can be trickier if you want to take them - but i dunno why one would. whatever you do, don't take them and not do well, that can only hurt. didn't none take them?

 

[vmn2]

just to let you know, if you are on a MSTP grant, you are automatically ineligible for most of those scholarships (i don't know about NSF, but you definitely cannot apply for a howard hughes). i don't think it really helps you to have a GRE score...if you did extremely well it could help, but if you didn't do extremely well it could marginalize a good MCAT score.

 

[jot]

hah oh man - thanks for the heads up vmn2 - that removes any thuoght of taking it - i was thinking i could sweaten a deal by grabbing a hhmi grant or something. i just checked about 3 other scholarships and the same rules applied -- that would have been a wasted effort ...

 

[Gradient Echo]

I took the GRE general test last year. BME graduate programs do generally require the GRE general test. Some of the grad programs will waive that requirement for MD/PhD applicants.

Last year, I know for sure that Michigan required the GRE for BME, and Ohio State, UVA, and UNC strongly recommended it.

I did pretty well, and asked other MD/PhD programs if they wanted me to send the scores. Hopkins told me not to worry about it.

I thought the GRE was fairly easy compared to the MCAT.

 

[none]

The VAST majority of MD/PhD programs do not require it. Some recommend it. If you take it and do well, it's not going to help a low MCAT score. If you take it and do poorly, it will bring a high MCAT score into question. My recommendation: do not take it unless you have a very specific reason for doing so. Once you have taken it, you must report the scores.

 

[Gradient Echo]

Originally posted by none
The VAST majority of MD/PhD programs do not require it. Some recommend it. If you take it and do well, it's not going to help a low MCAT score. If you take it and do poorly, it will bring a high MCAT score into question. My recommendation: do not take it unless you have a very specific reason for doing so. Once you have taken it, you must report the scores.

I agree, Michigan is the only program that i know for sure requires the GRE for BME (at least they did so last year).

But unless you are dead set on going to Michigan and doing BME/MD-PhD, then its not worth taking.

 

[exigente chica]

CASE requires the GRE for their BME programa and thier new program. I heard the subject test ares ridiciously hard.

 

[ceeepz]

how much prep did you do for the GRE general test?

what would you recommend?

and did you find the CAT format to be tricky?

thanks !!

 

[Rumit]

Originally posted by jot
the subject tests can be trickier if you want to take them - but i dunno why one would.

I took the Biochem subject test to fill a graduation requirement, and it's actually pretty easy. I did far better on it than I did on the MCAT bio section...primarily because it was my area of study. I mentioned that I had taken it on my AMCAS, and on a couple secondaries that had space for it, but I never bothered to have official scores sent to any schools, and none of them asked for any either. Unless you like taking tests, and feel like it'd be a fun challenge ;-) , I wouldn't bother taking it.

Good luck,

Adam