Miserable GRE scores?

[neocia]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I'm days away from taking the GRE for the first time... I realized I kind of backed myself into a corner where if I'm not happy with my score, I can't really retake it within 21 days and still submit the scores to VMCAS by October 2nd with a good margin of safety. I've done a few practice tests and been studying for a while - consistently getting between 150-155 for both the Verbal and Quant sections. (I got a 5 on the essays I've done, scored through a GRE tutoring service so that part is OK.) I have noticed that many successful applicants score 165+! Whew, not sure if I could pull that off!

Sorry if this seems petty - just curious to hear more about GRE scoring (I've looked at vet school's websites and most do not give specific numbers) and how important it ultimately is if you have good grades, strong experience, etc. Can someone explain the composite scoring? My IS state school's site says "An average GRE composite percentile of 63%"?

Thank you!

 

[Fly Racing]

I didn't study for my first GRE. After 3 months of moderately dedicated study on quantitative only, I score 2 points lower. Oops!

I'm not sure about those saying you need a 165+. I scored a 158V and 155Q, and one school on file review said my score were "great, top 75th percentile for all applicants." At one interview, they asked what my GRE scores were, looked down at the scores in front of them and say, "outstanding, you have great scores." And moved on to the next topic.

Honestly, once you understand the test format and you still have a good grasp on algebra and lower math, you're pretty well prepared. If you have not already, I would read the entire math review provided on the ETS website (free) between now and your test. Beyond that, there isn't a lot of knowledge to cram for. You could learn 200 new words, but you'll likely forget most of them and not see one on the exam. I had several 4-6 Letter (fairly common) words, that made me think the test wanted to see me put together ideas with what I know rather than see if I knew big words and all my Latin prefixes and roots. I'm not saying there weren't several words that I couldn't place in a proper sentence at all, but it wasn't endless mumbojumbo. The reading for context seemed really easy (I did them first so I wouldn't be rush to read fast). Watch for what they are tricking you into; there is always something you can easily see where people would pick the wrong one. If you can't pick out the tricks you might be falling for them! Don't focus on it, but keep it in the back of your mind that the reading summaries are set up to lead you wrong, but the right answer is still written right in front of you. Remember for the math, if you are doing a lot of work for the answer, you aren't doing it right. The questions are not "math problems" as much as concepts, problem solving and even reading comprehension through numbers. You need to demonstrate abstract knowledge within basic skills rather than demonstrate your genius IQ. I recommend immediately skipping any question you can't answer or don't have a quick plan to solve ASAP. Time is often a factor on the quantitative and you don't want to rush or have to guess on otherwise simple ones just because you have 2 minutes left and 5 answers left.

Best of luck! Don't burn out your brain power on the writing. Just put something down that is clear, answers the prompt, is correctly written and simple to read.

 

[Fly Racing]

A 63%tile is about a 154V 156Q and 4.0A. The conversion charts are on the ETS website.

 

[wildchild210]

I'm days away from taking the GRE for the first time... I realized I kind of backed myself into a corner where if I'm not happy with my score, I can't really retake it within 21 days and still submit the scores to VMCAS by October 2nd with a good margin of safety. I've done a few practice tests and been studying for a while - consistently getting between 150-155 for both the Verbal and Quant sections. (I got a 5 on the essays I've done, scored through a GRE tutoring service so that part is OK.) I have noticed that many successful applicants score 165+! Whew, not sure if I could pull that off!

Sorry if this seems petty - just curious to hear more about GRE scoring (I've looked at vet school's websites and most do not give specific numbers) and how important it ultimately is if you have good grades, strong experience, etc. Can someone explain the composite scoring? My IS state school's site says "An average GRE composite percentile of 63%"?

Thank you!

As long as you have good grades and your overall application is pretty strong I think you'll still be competitive. My GRE scores were awful (both Q and V under 150.. yikes! and also definitely below the 63% percentile) but that was the weakest part of my application. I got an interview at Illinois that I heavily prepared for and luckily after the interview they no longer consider grades and GRE in the final decision.

I would say just try and do the best you can and if you aren't happy with your scores just know it isn't the end of the world and you still have a chance. If you look in the accepted for c/o 2018 thread there's quite a few of us that definitely did not get in the 160's.

Good luck!

 

[WildZoo]

My quant was 159 and about 74th percentile, so if you're scoring the high 150's I'm thinking you're scores will actually be considered good by most schools!

 

[Rainheart]

You should've seen my GRE scores... those aren't half bad! And hey, I still got in!

 

[Country_roads]

I agree with everyone else, I got a Q 156 and a V 152 with a 4 A and there's no way I'm retaking it! And I'm not worried about it hurting my chances at all. I think as long as you're over the minimum (Mizzou is 285 from what I've read) and you have an otherwise solid application, you're fine.

 

[neocia]

Thanks everyone! Very helpful advice. I spoke with the vets at my work today and they all pretty much said the same - as long as the rest of your app is strong and so long as you don't absolutely bomb the GRE, you should be competitive 🙂

 

[LetItSnow]

Thanks everyone! Very helpful advice. I spoke with the vets at my work today and they all pretty much said the same - as long as the rest of your app is strong and so long as you don't absolutely bomb the GRE, you should be competitive 🙂

It really just depends on how the school(s) to which you are applying evaluate candidates. It's probably true at most schools that if your GPAs are good your GRE won't matter *as much*, but .... for schools using some sort of point-assigning process, every little bit might count. Just hard to say.

But the real point is: Don't stress over it. You've done the calendar math and decided you can't take it again in time this go-around. That means you don't have to do any thinking about it - just go do your damn best and apply and let the chips fall. 🙂 The more relaxed you are the better you will do.

 

[MouseWrangler]

Good luck on your GRE! My best advice to you is get plenty of rest the night before and don't let it play mind games with you. I took it the first time a year ago for a backup master's program - my first choice didn't require it because my GPA was over a 3.0 so I really didn't study for it at all. My first score was a 153V 157Q 3.5A. I took a Kaplan class after I decided to apply to vet school this year and I studied really hard for it and my scores went DOWN! I was really nervous that second time and I think that's what went wrong. I took it a month later for the last time and made myself at peace understanding that my first score wasn't bad and that it's over the minimum required for a lot of the schools. The third time I got 155V 159Q 4.0A and I'm very happy with that!

From what I've heard talking to admissions staff at several schools, they pretty much look at your GRE score as a minor detail. Like others here have said, the rest of your application is much more important, so if that's competitive, you're in a better spot.

Just remember on test day - get plenty of sleep the night before, eat a good breakfast, and don't let the test make you nervous! Oh, and P.S., if it makes you feel any better, I took 3-4 practice tests and never scored over 151 in any section.

 

[lhmhtd]

I just took my GRE last month for the first time, and like everyone else is saying, just get a good nights sleep, eat a good breakfast, listen to the radio on the way to your test, and don't stress.
I did decent and I found that covering the answer choices before I made a decision helped a LOT. That way, you're not swayed by their "tricks" to choose the answer that seems right but really isn't.