Psych GRE scores: to submit, or not to submit

[psychyogini]

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I have good general GRE scores (730 V, 790 Q, 5.0 A) and graduated from Duke, but was not a psych major and have since "compensated" by taking required courses, getting research experience, etc. My subject test score was a 730, which is good, but not mindblowing. However, my experimental subscore was above the 90th percentile - my social subscore brought me down - and I am hemming and hawing about whether to submit the scores for schools that neither require nor recommend the subject test. My consternation comes from the fact that I was not a psych major, so the psych GRE is my other testament to my potential in the academic world of psych. I am applying to Clinical Psych programs, btw.

Any suggestions?

 

[psychyogini]

So basically, you used my thread to share your story😉 Where are you applying?

 

[doggums]

.

 

[psychyogini]

Well, I wasn't seeking feedback, but I apologize if you seriously felt I was threadjacking. I intended to respond to the topic question, although admittedly I did so in a pretty round about way and I did share a fair amount about my own situation in regard to the psych GRE.

I started a very similar thread about a week ago, so you may want to check that as well as waiting for replies ITT:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=957257

I imagine it is going to be tough for anyone to give you a definite correct answer as to whether or not you should submit the score, but as I indicated in my earlier post, if you are significantly below the psych GRE mean at a school you are applying to and they don't require the test then it logically makes sense to withold it. Other than that, I think it makes sense to submit it because, if around the mean, it at least shouldn't hurt you and you have already taken the test and done reasonably well, and if above the mean then it can help you so you should obviously submit. Of course this cycle you don't know what those cutoffs are going to be, but you can use past stats as a proxy.

At all but the very top schools you are probably right around the mean or above for the psych GRE, so generally I think it makes sense to submit, unless perhaps you are only targeting Harvard, Yale, UCLA etc (where the mean psych GRE is 750 or 760). But really the best way to answer this question may be to contact the schools directly--it is school by school, as ppl shared in the thread I linked to, so getting info directly from them may be a good way to know whether or not to submit (ie whether the non-submission for that school could hurt more than having a below median or mean score for the school).

Other than this type of approach to the issue (considering your score relative to each school's stats, and getting info directly from the schools), I think you are waiting in vain for any magical answers about your 730.

That said, in answer to your question to me, I applied to apprx. 10 clinical psych programs (mid- to top-tier).

I hope you didn't think I was being nasty- I was kidding when I was talking about using my thread. Your advice is sound, so I will just have to make a judgment call when it comes to each school.

Thanks!