psych gre

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ktwallis

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so i know a lot of us are about to take the Psych GRE in the next few months... so i thought i'd open up a thread so we can talk about strategy / frustrations / ask questions and advice of those who have already taken it...

i'm studying from Kaplan's book for the Nov 4th test - and to start off i guess i had some questions i thought i'd ask and see if anyone who has taken the test could give some advice

~ so i guess my main question is - how specific should my knowledge be? do i really have to know the name of all 8 developmental "crisis" stages that Erik Erikson developed in order and know what each stage means? are they really going to nit pick on that? how about Kohlberg's stages of moral development? all 6 in order with descriptions? there is only so much my post-college brain can handle these days - and i want to make sure i'm not going 100% overboard here... any thoughts?!
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I think it depends on what kind of score you want to get. My impression of the Psyc GRE was that the bulk of the questions were fairly conceptual (not "nic picky") and based around pretty general topics that most people with undergraduate psyc degrees should be familiar with (e.g. Piaget's stages of development, the physiological basis of an action potential, some of the major experiments in social psych, basic stats - that kind of thing).

For these questions, I thought Kaplan’s study guide was perfectly adequate. It spends too much time on psychodynamic theory and has WAY too many names, but overall it's a nice review. If you know that book, you should get at least a 600.

The rest of questions were pretty random. More in the line of "describe the findings of this obscure experiment."

I only studied the Kaplan guide, and I still got a really good score (780), but I think I lucked out because a lot of the more obscure questions were in the area of developmental psyc, which was my area of emphasis in college. If I had it to do over again, I probably would have spent at least a day going through my notes from my intro level classes. I wouldn't have spent a lot of time studying them - no notecards or even highlighting - just reading through so I might be prepared for a few more "random experiment" questions.

Hope that helps!
 
I remember some ridiculous questions, and you'll get frustrated if for example, you get to the I/O questions and never took an I/O course in your life. Oh and the neuro is pretty tough, but my guess is you don't have tons of hours to spend studying up. My experience involved very minimal studying, a really decent score, and satisfaction that my university psych education wasn't a waste of time afterall.

I would say, you know more than you think you do, don't spend days or months studying for it (unless you've been out of school for awhile), and go for it. Make sure you need it, though, of course. I ended up ditching my app for the one school that required it.
 
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Oh, and I forgot to mention, the score means next to nothing to most schools, especially if you were (are) a psych major with a decent GPA. I think they just find it amusing to make us jump through as many hoops as possible!
 
So does that mean if you're not a psych major (but have taken a decent range of psych undergrad courses) you should take the GRE subject test even if it's not required. I mean, of course the best case senario is you take it and you score brilliantly in it; the not so great senario would be you take it and you do mediocre in it... and the schools have that to judge you by even though it isn't part of their requirements.

Hmm, wonder if I should just start cramming for the Dec exam...
 
If you need it for one or more schools, then take it. If not, focus on other things.
 
I've heard that some programs use it as a way to gage the breadth of your knowledge in psychology if they don't think it's reflected in your coursework. I suppose you could give the schools a call to see what their policy is, but, generally, I agree with joetro. Focus on the rest of your application.
 
Thanks for the reassurance - one of the schools I was looking at that "strongly recommends" it said only about 63% of their admitted applicants took the Psych GREs, so I guess I shouldn't worry too much about it. As it is, I have enough to worry about... haha
 
i was actually just about to ask that question...

i have about 4 schools that "strongly recommend" or that just "recommend" that you take the psych GRE.

does this mean that i really should send it? i have to take them because 2 of my schools require it... but i'm nervous that i may not ace it - so should i play it safe and just send them my general score and not my psych gre?
 
i was actually just wondering the same thing...

what are people's opinions on a school "recommending" or "strongly recommending" the psych GRE? does this mean that we better send them or we won't be accepted/look like we're hiding something?
 
ktwallis, I am having the same problem. I don't think that any of my schools actually require the test. I am taking it because all of them "strongly require" it. However I feel like I need to compensate for the lack of research experience (I decided I wanted to do clinical psychology my junior year.), and for not going to an amazing university, but when I really think about it...its probably irrelevant.
 
ktwallis said:
what are people's opinions on a school "recommending" or "strongly recommending" the psych GRE? does this mean that we better send them or we won't be accepted/look like we're hiding something?
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Reason's for sending when the school does not require it:
1. Lower GPA in your psychology coursework (under 3.5).
2. You went to an unknown or less respected school so you want to prove you know your stuff.
3. You scored very high so why not.

I think everyone should take it and then decide if its worth sending to schools that recommend it. If a school doesn't require it save yourself the money if you can.
 
thanks for everyone's help/advice! as soon as saturday is over, I can breathe a huge sigh of relief. and then i'll be sure to give as much advice as i can to those who are taking it in december.

good luck!
 
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GOOD LUCK TOMMOROW EVERYBODY.:D :D :D

So i was thinking...none of my schools require the test, just strongly recommend it, couldn't I just take the test tommorow and send it to schools that i'm not even applying to, then when I get my scores if they are good enough then I can choose to pay and send them to the schools I want? I mean I know that its a lot of wasted money but I am really scared that my scores are going to be bad and I dont want them sent if they are.
 
PhDhopeful said:
GOOD LUCK TOMMOROW EVERYBODY.:D :D :D

So i was thinking...none of my schools require the test, just strongly recommend it, couldn't I just take the test tommorow and send it to schools that i'm not even applying to, then when I get my scores if they are good enough then I can choose to pay and send them to the schools I want? I mean I know that its a lot of wasted money but I am really scared that my scores are going to be bad and I dont want them sent if they are.
Click to expand...

That's what I did when I took the test in April - I knew a few of the schools I wanted to apply to, but I was too nervous to write them in, so I just left the section blank!

One more piece of advice - you will probably feel like you are doing horribly on the test tomorrow. DON'T PANIC!!! Most of you are probably used to getting the majority of the answers right on tests, which won't happen. Remember that you can get a lot of questions wrong and still get a great score! I really didn't think I did very well and ended up with a very good score, and I know other people who post here had similar experiences.

Also, you can find out your scores by phone about 3 weeks after the test if you don't want to wait for the mailed report - they will have the scores ready earlier than the website claims.

Good luck!:luck:
 
Another quick piece of advice... if you have been doing the Kaplan practice tests, be sure to take the real GRE test that they have online. It was 100 points better than the Kaplan for me and definitely gave me more confidence...I hope it helps tomorrow
 
I think it went better than I thought. However in my kaplan book the last 2 sections i studied were cognitive and learning and ethology, I skimmed them but felt like ALL the questions were on those sections...OH well you live you learn. Cheers!:D
 
I feel like the Kaplan book REALLY let me down. I was in shock... I don't think I recognized 50% of the questions. No joke. I think the Kaplan book is waaay out of date and I wish I could get my $130 back.
Looking at all the notecards I made from the book... there were NO questions on Bowlby's attachment process, Lorenz and imprinting, theories of emotion like James-Lange, Jung wasn't in there once nor was Eysenk... no mention of Yerkers-Dodson, Tyron, schizophrenia..... there's like 10 pages of dense info on schizophrenia that makes it seem like it's guaranteed to be on the test... and there wasn't a single question on it....
 
I agree, I was much better prepared for the practice test ETS gives you than I was for the real test. Oh well, I guess everyone else was in the same boat sorry to say!
 
I don't think I even knew 50% I knew like 20% max, the rest was educated guessing. Is each test different? I had questions on Jung,however I am ultimatley disappointed by Kaplan as well. The thing is that it MAKES you feel really prepared, when apparently youre not.
 
I found the same thing last year. I can't really explain it, but the test just feels so different from how the practice books go. Hopefully you all did well, but it ultimately isn't that big of a deal at all in the grand scheme of things.
 
True Joetro...I just hope it turned out alright. I at least know one question turned out for me as I had a suicide question and that is my research :). It would have been nice if I had been researching something broader though.
 
Yes, there was a lot of educated guessing on my part as well... 3 questions in a row about a guy getting his foot accidentally stepped on... a question about a kid saying 'the sun is sad today' ... a question about a woman and her ability to see red/green... a question about sunken costs being similar to a company that cancels a health plan after they've already paid...
I feel tricked.
 
Yeah even I was stumped with the sunken costs thing! But the rest of the test was pretty good...had no clue for abt 20% of the qts. I had prepared reading through all my undergrad texts, so it was pretty simple. Though I wish I could've done physiological thoroughly...oh well...:D
 
Take a look at some of the past forums on the psyc GRE and you will see that most people feel very frustrated after taking this test. Everyone had questions on experiments they had never heard of, and everyone had certain topics they spent hours studying that didn't end up being on the exam. That's just the nature of a test that spans the entire history of a very broad science.

Take a breath and get to work on the rest of your application. Your score will probably be much better than you expect!
 
i have to say - amy's advice was perfect

don't rely on kaplan! it's a great start, but it isn't enough
 
I can understand how all of you are feeling so screwed by the prep books. I don't know what kind of disclaimers they offer -- if any -- but if ETS's own practice tests weren't representative of the actual test, then it's not surprising that the Kaplan et al. books were all off the mark. (BTW when I took the subject test back in '02, the Kaplan book was rated among the worst of the prep books. As I recall, the most recommended at the time were with the hard-to-find ARCO book and The Princeton Review.)

But if you were all blindsided by a test that no one could have reasonably prepared for, remember that you will receive a percentile ranking along with your raw score. There's your chance to stand out from the crowd. Perhaps that will help to level the playing field, to some extent at least, among the cohort that took your edition of the test.

This also begs the questions about the importance of the GRE percentile rankings (PR) results. Do admissions committees even bother to look at them or is raw score data the only determining measure. I've never come across any mention of the PR statistic in any program literature.
 
PsiKo said:
I've never come across any mention of the PR statistic in any program literature.
Click to expand...

I have. Northwesterns Feinberg school of medicine program requires scores for the general and psych to be above a specified percentile rank. I think its around 75. I did much better than I expected on the psych gre, better than any practice test. I found the kaplan book and the ets practice test to be quite helpful.
 
I'm sure we'll all do great! I think that many of us were really prepared, I know that I've talked to people who have been studying for quite some time. The reason we feel sort of "tricked" is because the Kaplan book focus so much on names for example. They pounded name after name into your head, and I believe that I had one question on names. The focus of the book was off track. I didn't personally feel tricked by the test itself as much as my study guide (that seemed to be quite useful while I was using it). At least we can warn future test takers to use a different method!!!
 
For those who haven't taken the test yet, I would reccommend studying from 2 books, because each book has different content. I wasn't a psychology major and barely knew anything, but after studying only the Kaplan and Princeton Review books, I scored in the 700s.
 
Hey guys,

I am new to this board...I'm a repeat applier and I took the 11/4 Psych Gre...boy was I blown out of the water! I didn't see ONE question on the psychosexual stages, wow, I really hope I did OK... since last time I applied I have really gotten some good experience and have had a lot of opportunities to strengthen my CV, but still...wow.

When do you think we will have our scores?? I'm so nervous!! Let's all post them when we get them!!:eek:


I'm so glad I found this board -- I really need the moral support...it was so hard for me to work up the courage to re-apply.

*Ella
 
Welcome Ella. Don't stress it too much, most schools (at least the ones I am looking at) don't seem to look at the Psych GRE too much unless you were not a psych major or something like that. Your feelings (and mine) are normal, and we will just have to see, but try not to stress it.

Also, don't stress what you see on this board too much. It is a great resource, no doubt, but also I really think the people that are here are the stronger applicants. You will see some crazy stats on here but not everyone you are competing against have those stats if you know what I mean.

Good luck your second time around. Did you learn anything the first time around that you can tell us first timers?
 
Hi Irish (and others)!

Thanks for calming my nerves...it was good to get a reality check! I'm really struggling writing my personal statement and could really use some advice. Balancing my background with work experience has been a little tricky. How did you all handle it?

What really has me anxious though is that I graduated a few years ago and I am just not sure how strong of an applicant I am (my stats aren't amazing). Sometimes I feel like maybe this is futile!

Oh well, I have to keep pushing on! I will never know if I make the cut if I don't try!

*Ella:cool:
 
Hi Ella!

As I said in a previous post, your scores should be available by phone after about 3 weeks. It doesn't cost anything to call and check to see if they are ready - only to actually hear your scores (which I think costs about 10 dollars). So, if you are like me, you can start calling obsessively after about 3 weeks, or you can just wait for someone on the boards to post that they are ready!

Again, remember that this score is a really minor part of your overall application - definitely not worth stressing about! For instance, I remember one person who posted last year got over an 800 on the test, and he said he was pretty sure it didn't make any difference to the schools he applied to. By the way, before seeing his score, he was also quite certain he had bombed the test!
 
Ella_Mental said:
Hi Irish (and others)!

Thanks for calming my nerves...it was good to get a reality check! I'm really struggling writing my personal statement and could really use some advice. Balancing my background with work experience has been a little tricky. How did you all handle it?

What really has me anxious though is that I graduated a few years ago and I am just not sure how strong of an applicant I am (my stats aren't amazing). Sometimes I feel like maybe this is futile!

Oh well, I have to keep pushing on! I will never know if I make the cut if I don't try!

*Ella:cool:
Click to expand...
Hi again! I am also working on personal statements - last phase of the application for me, hurray! I have been reading a book called Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way Into the Graduate School of Your Choice by Donald Asher. I actually found the book to be very inspiring, believe it or not. I'm kind of enjoying writing them now - well, enjoying is kind of a strong word, but the process definitely doesn't seem as intimidating!

The book has some really good tips for how to explain weak points in your application without sounding whiny, and I think it gives particularity good advice for people with non-traditional backgrounds that don't fit the cookie-cutter format of the rest of the application. You might check to see if your library has it, or you can buy it used on Amazon. Good luck!
 
Thank you Amy for the tips! I feel totally behind with having to get this all done while working a full-time research job that requires me to do on average, 50 hour weeks.

The second time around has definitely been more difficult...I am no longer in school with a student's hours and that also means that a lot of the information isn't as fresh. I've really had to buckle down and re-learn some things.

And now it's Monday, 11/13...can someone please turn the clocks back???? EEK!:eek:

*Ella
 
Hey guys,

On a whim I called ETS Scores by Phone tonight and my 11/2006 (psych gre) scores are "in the system but not available at this moment." I was prompted to call back in 1 week. I took the test as a standby so maybe this is just standard procedure.

I'm curious to see what other people hear when they call...

This wait is killing me!:cool: :eek: :rolleyes:
 
One more week of waiting... that's painful news. I really doubt I did well because I felt like I guessed on 80% of the test but we'll see.

I'm also struggling to get just 1 basic version of my SoP done so that I can have a backbone for the 20+ versions I have to write for each application. My problem is that each of my readers has voiced a very different opinion on what would work best - some push for the straightforward approach and some are telling me to package myself like a shiny new toy. I'm not sure which direction to take it in, but I'm leaning towards doing something more playful at the risk of being 'gimmicky' just because it would be more fun for me and that would make the process a tiny bit more bearable.

I've also been out of the academic world for a while - graduated in 1993 - so this has definitely been a scary journey for me. On the other hand, all the professors I've met and emailed have been very encouraging so I decided to just give it my all, swallow the fear and go for the gold.

Wishing you all the best.
 
does anyone know if you definetly can look up your scores by phone tommorow or just if they have them. I'd imagine that they would have them because they'd want you to call and pay more money as that they are trying to bleed us dry :D
 
I just took the Dec Psych GRE. I feel the same way so many people here did with the November. I had at LEAST one question on Jung, Eyesbenk (spelling), and Freud's stages. I had two on Kohlberg. I studied only from the Kaplan 2006 book and don't feel it was enough. Example: There was a question on Eysenk, but it dealt with something extremely specific about introversion that Kaplan never even mentioned. You also needed to know Sternberg's theory (also never even brought up). There were alot of questions on material that was in the Kaplan book, but it didn't go into enough detail. There seemed to be alot that I just didn't know "in depth" enough, so I do feel like I blew it.

So my question is... of all you people in the November exam who thought you blew it.. what was the final outcome?
 
I also took the psych GRE yesterday and studied exclusively from the Kaplan book (and ridiculously overpriced online review component of Kaplan). I completely agree with you, SteelMariposa, that much of the material on the exam was covered by Kaplan, but in a superficial way. It was so frustrating to read a question and KNOW that I had studied this material, but then realizing that I didn't have enough knowledge (for a good number of questions) to answer confidently. I have no idea how I did - I also left feeling disappointed, but (naively?) hopeful that my educated guessing was right a good percentage of the time. I wasn't a psych major as an undergad, which I think is a major disadvantage as the test requires knowing an absurd range of information. I wouldn't have thought, for instance, that industrial-organizational psychology would have been on the exam, though there were several questions from that field.

I'm curious how other people found the 12/2 exam.
 
Phrenologist,
I was surprised by the IO psych questions as well. The Kaplan book went into so much detail on physiology and schizophrenia. I feel very disappointed in the Kaplan information review process at the moment. I wonder if I would feel differently, had I also studied from Princeton Review's book.

I was surprised by the "teratology" question. I had never even heard the term. Now, I'll never forget it!

Bleh.
 
Just called...scores are in...

OK, so I managed a 740 and I am not quite sure how?!?! Someone, anyone?!?! I still feel as though the rest of my stats suck =( Really, I do not think this is going to cover some of my other numbers (i.e. Verbal score)

Anyone else have a score and care to share? Excellent/Good/Bad/Horrible please let's share this horrifying moment together.

*Ella
 
That is a really high score, Ella Mental. But I hate to tell you this... from what I hear (and I have alot of friends already in Ph.D. programs) not a whole lot of emphasis is placed on the Psych GREs... maybe a bit more for people who did not major in Psych or something, but overall if your application is not strong... your 740 is not going to help you *that* much. But good luck!!! Let me know it all works out!!! I guess I will pony up the 10 bucks and call in to get my score as well...
 
Hi Psych_Ho

While I appreciate your feedback and acknowledge that yes, the psych GRE score only goes *so* far, I really felt that your delivery was quite poor.

Think of it from my point of view: I'm reapplying this year and am a little bit older/a little bit rustier than most other candidates and I do not have THE most impressive background but I work hard and have tried to erase my deficiencies. This score meant a lot to me, maybe not in terms of will or won't a program take me, but more for my own self-esteem.

Could you maybe just allow me 5 minutes of happiness?

Thanks!

*Ella :(
 
Hi Ella_Mental... I can understand your point of view but I was just trying to be honest with my feedback... I thought that was what this forum was for? Most of us will *not* have a 740, unlike you, so I was trying to also gear my comments to the forum in general...

And are you sure you weren't just looking for alot of pats on the back from all of us? OK, I will give you one - "Congratulations" on your 740.... that is definitely a great score... I have a feeling the rest of your stats are not as "weak" as you describe them... but that's just a wild guess. We should all be so lucky to have such a "weak" score! By all means though, don't let *me* keep you from enjoying your celebration! Good luck!
 
That is a very good score, but I think that Psych Ho also has a point that the Psych GRE is not super important in terms of the overall picture. GRE scores and grades only determine the cut for interviews; they by no means get you in. Plenty of people with super high scores and grades get turned down in favor of people with lower scores but other "better" parts like fit or previous experience. It isn't all about the numbers.
 
Thanks joetro... I really was just trying to talk about the Psych GRE as a whole, not really about Ella Mental! Just trying to remind the rest of us that if we don't get super high scores like Ella Mental, it won't make or break our apps!!

I just called and paid the 10$ to get my score and I got a 620. It's no 740, but I think it is decent enough. I think the fact I have solid research experience and letters from Psych profs will help balance out the fact I am not a "superstar" on GRE's... at least I can only hope!
 
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