Take the Psychology Subject GRE or Not?

[thirdeye99]

Hi all -

I'm in a bit of a different situation here. I majored in psychology, but have been out of undergrad for almost 10 years. (Been doing research in behavioral medicine for 7 of those years). I am applying to PhD programs in clinical psych this year. Seven out of the 9 schools I am applying to do not require, but recommend, the psych subject GRE. However, two schools (Duke and Ohio University) do require the psych GRE for clinical students. I'm a little shocked/disappointed that Duke does.

I remember very little from my undergrad classes and am positive I would bomb the subject GRE, even after studying, and know it would hurt more than help my application. Questions:

- Should I fore go taking the subject GRE and apply anyway to those two schools? Given my "older" applicant status and an otherwise solid application combined with program fit, might there be a chance they would not completely rule out my application just because I did not take the subject GRE?

- Or if I did happen to take the subject GRE in november (and presumably did not do well), is there a way to tell ETS to send the subject scores ONLY to those two schools who require it so that the other 7 schools do not see the scores? Or are GRE scores a package deal? ie. ETS sends all GRE scores (general and subject) to any school I specify.

Thanks for any opinions and thoughts on this issue.

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[KillerDiller]

It has been a while, so I'm not 100% sure, but I believe you can easily send your general GRE scores without your subject test scores. I remember having to check a box on the request forms to verify that, yes, I did want my subject scores to go to my schools along with my general GRE scores.

 

[BorntoRun]

I do believe you can send them only to the schools that require them. However, competitive programs like the ones you mention can easily discard an application if the person didn't fulfill a requirement (e.g., taking the psych GRE). A lot of programs have so many qualified applicants that tossing out a few for not taking the psych GRE probably seems like an efficient and legitimate way to narrow things down. Brushing up on your undergrad psychology before you hit clinical programs is probably a good idea, another reason to study for and take the psych GREs.

 

[cara susanna]

My professor told me that, if the school doesn't require them, I shouldn't send them unless the scores are absolutely fantastic.

 

[mlwg1]

The school I attend said the psych GRE was optional. I took it anyway to fulfill requirements other applications to other schools. I didn't send the scores to my current school because they were reported after that school's deadline, which was really early. Some schools allowed applicants to send the psych GRE after their deadline. I think many programs are quickly losing interest in it.

The point being, I was accepted into a clinical psych PhD program without sending in an optional psych GRE score. However, I would still advise others to take it just in case.

Plus you can't be positive that you'll bomb it- you never know. I started studying two weeks before I took it and got a 700. Um, wouldn't recommend that either.

 

[psybee]

Plus you can't be positive that you'll bomb it- you never know. I started studying two weeks before I took it and got a 700. Um, wouldn't recommend that either.

i agree -- i studied for 3 weeks and got a 730. they were a very stressful three weeks though, and there was an all nighter in there. having said that. i too had been out of school for 10 years, so it is possible. i did do very well in undergrad, and i used the updated version of my intro book to do a review, so i think the similar language, format helped me pull some of the old information out. also, it's a paper and pencil multiple choice test. it's long and can be challenging, but it's a "normal" test, compared to the GRE. being able to skip ones i didn't know, getting my memory jogged for a hard question by an easier one, these were all advantages over the CAT GRE. look at your schedule, your MC test taking skills, and your willingness to devote serious time to the test and see where you stand. good luck!

 

[psybee]

- Or if I did happen to take the subject GRE in november (and presumably did not do well), is there a way to tell ETS to send the subject scores ONLY to those two schools who require it so that the other 7 schools do not see the scores? Or are GRE scores a package deal? ie. ETS sends all GRE scores (general and subject) to any school I specify.

Thanks for any opinions and thoughts on this issue.

yep, just write in the codes only for duke and ohio. if you find out you got a great score you'll have to pay to send it to the other schools, because you get to send the score to several schools if you write them in on the day of the test, but that may be worth it to you.

oh, misread you ques -- NOT a package deal! when you are filling in (on the real GRE, on the subject) where you want the scores sent, you can specify general or also subject. so when you order your gre scores, be it on the day you're taking the test or afterwards, and let's say you have already taken and gotten a score on your subject test, you can specify duke, general and subject, minnesota, general. (an aside--if you take the real GRE before the subject, it doesen't matter if you check off subject -- you haven't taken it yet, so they won't send it -- you have to order the subject gre seperately).

 

[bludreamz]

i agree -- i studied for 3 weeks and got a 730. they were a very stressful three weeks though, and there was an all nighter in there. having said that. i too had been out of school for 10 years, so it is possible. i did do very well in undergrad, and i used the updated version of my intro book to do a review, so i think the similar language, format helped me pull some of the old information out. also, it's a paper and pencil multiple choice test. it's long and can be challenging, but it's a "normal" test, compared to the GRE. being able to skip ones i didn't know, getting my memory jogged for a hard question by an easier one, these were all advantages over the CAT GRE. look at your schedule, your MC test taking skills, and your willingness to devote serious time to the test and see where you stand. good luck!

psybee, mlwg1

What were your tactics???? read reread reread? memorize question/answers? cue cards?

So it CAN be done!

 

[psybee]

psybee, mlwg1

What were your tactics???? read reread reread? memorize question/answers? cue cards?

So it CAN be done!

read and reread. flashcards. i used the prep books for structure and looked up what there were talking about in the real psych textbooks, to get more details and background and narrative -- narrative makes it "stick" for me. i got an a textbook that came with online quizzes and i did them, too. pretty quick;y into studying i figured out where i was weak and studied those areas extra hard. i also made sure that i had an understanding of how the scoring works. there's a formula, and then on top of the formula they curve. you can't know the curve, but you can know approximately how it's scored (don't remember off the top of my head, but it's in the prep books and likely online). that way, for all my studying, i could roughly score my test before i handed it in, figuring that i got the ones i though i got, didn't get the ones i had no clue on, and gave my self 1/2 credit for the ones where i could narrow down the answers but still wasn't totally sure. based on that, i thought i had gotten a 670-700 , which was fine. if i had bombed it, it would have sucked and i would have not sent my scores to the optional schools and may have had to change my letters of rec. and PS strategy. i was happy to realize i did well though!

 

[mlwg1]

I read through a prep book and did practice questions. I think the score probably was the result of employing general multiple test question strategies (e.g eliminate 2 synonymous answers because both can't be right). The psychology GRE has a much more traditional format than the general GRE.

I remember the whole experience was so stressful because I missed the deadline of the last testing date I could make before deadline. I tested as a standby and had to drive an hour to get to the testing site. And once I got there I went to the wrong building and nearly missed the test despite being there an hour early. These events have contributed to my general disliking of the Psychology GRE, despite the fact that most of them happened due to my own lack of preparation (classical conditioning maybe? Psych GRE was an unconditioned stimulus, now for me it's conditioned and elicits stress?). I think it's dumb and I hope schools will stop asking for it in the next couple of years.

 

[bludreamz]

read and reread. flashcards. i used the prep books for structure and looked up what there were talking about in the real psych textbooks, to get more details and background and narrative -- narrative makes it "stick" for me. i got an a textbook that came with online quizzes and i did them, too. pretty quick;y into studying i figured out where i was weak and studied those areas extra hard. i also made sure that i had an understanding of how the scoring works. there's a formula, and then on top of the formula they curve. you can't know the curve, but you can know approximately how it's scored (don't remember off the top of my head, but it's in the prep books and likely online). that way, for all my studying, i could roughly score my test before i handed it in, figuring that i got the ones i though i got, didn't get the ones i had no clue on, and gave my self 1/2 credit for the ones where i could narrow down the answers but still wasn't totally sure. based on that, i thought i had gotten a 670-700 , which was fine. if i had bombed it, it would have sucked and i would have not sent my scores to the optional schools and may have had to change my letters of rec. and PS strategy. i was happy to realize i did well though!

Thank you! I'm freaking out but staying optimistic. I'll be sure to look up the scoring system. (Wow, can't believe you can actually estimate your score!) Congrats on the really good score!!

 

[bludreamz]

I read through a prep book and did practice questions. I think the score probably was the result of employing general multiple test question strategies (e.g eliminate 2 synonymous answers because both can't be right). The psychology GRE has a much more traditional format than the general GRE.

I remember the whole experience was so stressful because I missed the deadline of the last testing date I could make before deadline. I tested as a standby and had to drive an hour to get to the testing site. And once I got there I went to the wrong building and nearly missed the test despite being there an hour early. These events have contributed to my general disliking of the Psychology GRE, despite the fact that most of them happened due to my own lack of preparation (classical conditioning maybe? Psych GRE was an unconditioned stimulus, now for me it's conditioned and elicits stress?). I think it's dumb and I hope schools will stop asking for it in the next couple of years.

Thank you so much for your test tactic and congrats on your score!

I went through a similar testing experience (not psych gre) running around (IN HEELS. silly me) an unfamiliar campus looking for an unmarked building (luckily, a student helped me out (and took me to a building he thought they did other types of testing in... there were NO SIGNS ANYWHERE and the test ticket did not have the name of the building (only the room number)!!! Even the security guards didn't know about testing taking place. I came half an hour late, luckily they admitted me right as they were starting the test!

On the psych gre note: A lot of schools stopped requiring the test, but there's always one or two schools that require them

 

[cara susanna]

How many questions can you skip and still get a good score? THat's what I've been trying to figure out. Because I think in my first practice test, I skipped way too many questions.

 

[JockNerd]

How many questions can you skip and still get a good score? THat's what I've been trying to figure out. Because I think in my first practice test, I skipped way too many questions.

Since you're graded by how others did, not by a raw score, it really depends on how many questions everyone else skipped, or guessed at, on that particular version of the test. I went on a strategy of only skipping if I had NO idea what on earth the question was about, that worked out well for me.

 

[thirdeye99]

Thanks all for your advice and thoughts to my original question. In the next couple weeks I'm going to gauge whether or not I have time to adequately study for this test, then make my decision from there.

I guess studying an intro book is the best way to go. Any further thoughts on test taking strategies (regarding scoring and guessing) are always welcome.

Thanks again.

 

[baylordude]

Hello,

If you do decide that you have adequate time to study for the psych GRE, then I would invest in the $20-25 Kaplan study guide. The guide combined with an intro book for reference really made the studying process much more efficient for me. G'luck with your endeavors.