What do I do???

[chaos]

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So I've coughed up the $1000 and enrolled in a Princeton Review GRE course. I took an evaluation test, and was shocked to find that my quant score was a dismal 410 and my verbal a mediocre 650. I'm more worried about the math though. Granted I still have most of the PR course ahead of me, but I've been studying on my own for over 6 months and I just can't raise my math score. I just don't know what to do. I'm getting really depressed and on the verge of panic- if I can't get into grad school, I don't know what else there is for me. Are there any grad schools that don't require the GRE? Are there any magic pills that can make me able to do simple algebra? I was homeschooled in a religious environment that definitely didn't focus on math, so I never learned much beyond 7th grade math...I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent person but right now I just feel stupid. 🙁

 

[dakwegmo]

Did you take any college enrance exams? If so how well did you do?
Generallly the GRE math is easier than the SAT and ACT, so if you did well on those you should be able to get your quant score up enough to be competitive.

If you were going in to the eval test cold, that may explain the low score. ETS relies on trickery rather than truly difficult math concepts, once you learn the tricks you'll have a much better chance of raising your score.

Lastly, when are you planning on applying to grad school? If you have enough time, you may want to take a college algebra and/or a geometry course.

Oh, a 650 Verbal isn't exactly "mediocre" as it puts you above the 90th percentile.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

PR will teach to the test (a good thing). I've heard good things about them, so I'd give it a shot and see how it goes. Let them know about your math concern, and hopefully they can teach towards that.

-t

 

[dakwegmo]

I would definitely go ahead and take the PR class you've already paid for. They will let you retake the class for free for any reason, so you've got nothing to lose by taking it now.

 

[Dr.JT]

First, 650 is a good score; especially if other aspects of your application are strong. Second, you can still improve your quant score which is generally easier to improve substantially in a relatively short amount of time. So relax, all is not lost.

 

[perfektspace]

First, 650 is a good score; especially if other aspects of your application are strong. Second, you can still improve your quant score which is generally easier to improve substantially in a relatively short amount of time. So relax, all is not lost.

+1

That's a great verbal score and you will probably do well on the analytical section as well (for what it's worth). I had a really crappy quant. score at baseline when I took a prep class and raised my score quite a bit despite not being great in mathematics. Hey it's only one part of your app. anyways.

Don't freak out, just study hard and remember that actually being in a clinical program is going to be much more pressure packed than preparing for the GRE (from what I am told by friends). Good luck!

 

[amy203]

Hey chaos! Ug, I was in the exact same position, except my quant score was lower! I think my verbal score on my first practice test was exactly the same as yours.

I actually didn't get a lot out of the PR course when I took it, and I think the main reason was because I hadn't learned (or had forgotten) a lot of basic math skills. If you have time before taking the course, try to work your way through a math review workbook. I used the Kaplan GRE Math Exam Workbook, but there are others out there. Just relearning the basics boosted my score about 200 points.

I also used a tutor - he was actually a high school teacher (not from Kaplan or Princeton - those are crazy expensive!). He helped me learn to stay calm and gave me a sequence to follow when I got stuck on a problem. After working with him for about a month, I pulled my score up another 100 points. I didn't end up with a super high score (620) but I'm hoping it's good enough for admissions to ignore it in favor of the rest of my app.

As for your verbal, I would keep trying to pull it up. You already have a good score, but you can help make up for a lower math score with a higher verbal. Your PR course should give you some good tips on how to do this. Also, get some flashcards now and start learning more vocab. I bet you can pull your score up by at least 50 points, probably more.

Good luck!

 

[chaos]

I never took the SAT because I started out at a community college then transferred to a university. I thought I had dodged a bullet but I regret not taking them now.

Amy- good to know that it's possible to raise one's score so dramatically. The other day I was looking over a problem and was like, wait a minute, how do I add a negative and a positive number...and I am totally hopeless when it comes to geometry. I don't think I've answered a single geometry question correctly on any of the practice tests I've taken. hehe so I think a review of the basics is indeed in order. By the way a 620 isn't bad at all. I'd be thrilled to get above a 600. At this point I'd be thrilled to get a 500, which is pretty sad.

I got a bit of a nasty shock upon recieving my analytical writing score for the practice exam. I got a 2 and a 3 out of 6...and I have no idea why. The only comment I got was that I need to elaborate more and make it longer...but I worked on it for the full 30 and 45 minutes and granted it wasn't a novel but I thought I had a fair ammount. I've always thought I had decent writing skills so it came as a big surprise. Definitely not what I needed to lift my spirits.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

What is important is that you are able to identify the areas you need to work on. Best of luck.

-t

 

[perfektspace]

I got a bit of a nasty shock upon recieving my analytical writing score for the practice exam. I got a 2 and a 3 out of 6...and I have no idea why. The only comment I got was that I need to elaborate more and make it longer...but I worked on it for the full 30 and 45 minutes and granted it wasn't a novel but I thought I had a fair ammount. I've always thought I had decent writing skills so it came as a big surprise. Definitely not what I needed to lift my spirits.

The analytical score doesn't seem to get much weight in admissions decisions. However the comment about elaborating more and making it longer seems contrary to what I did... well sort of.

I write very concisely and scored very well. Address the topic by "mapping" your argument and then take it apart step by step. They are looking at how you construct an effective argument (and grammar/spelling to a lesser extent) not how verbose you are or if you are right or not. Don't get caught up with length. It waters down your argument. This is the toughest part to actually study for but I think you can have Princeton score a few practices...for a price of course.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Perfekt is right about needing to map out your argument in clear and concise terms. Back when I took my GREs I got lucky with the writing section. One of the essays was on something that I knew quite a bit about, and I had just read a few articles on the exact topic. I ended up scoring a perfect score on the writing section......which was good since my quant wasn't great.

I had a geometry question that was in one of my hardcopy practice tests, again on an online one....AND I got it on my actual GRE...of course, I think i got it wrong. Stupid tests!

-t

 

[amy203]

chaos - one other suggestion. You might consider taking the new GRE instead - I think it starts in October. A lot of people are really worried about it because it is a longer test (4 hours) and there aren't as many study materials available. However, the verbal section will focus more on reading comprehension (rather than knowing individual vocab words), while the math section will have less geometry and more data interpretation AND you get to use a CALCULATOR!!! (this would have been huge for me since I still tend to count on my fingers🙄)

I'm hoping I'll get into grad school this year but, if I don't, I'll probably look into retaking the test with the new version.

 

[serotonin]

DEFINITELY take the PR course.

I was in a very similiar situation, with my quantitative quite dismal but a good verbal. I took the Princeton Review class, and my Q went up 200 points to a 700 🙂 Not the most amazing score in the world, but considering how bad I am at math I was PSYCHED!

Your 650 in verbal is great! It's MUCH harder to learn how to well in this section compared to the math section, which can more easily be taught.

 

[Sorg1123]

Regarding the writing section, at 4.5 I did not score as well as I could have (who does when you didn't get a 6?). I put much more emphasis on studying vocab and practicing math and did well in both those sections. I think I only did about ten practice essays. In retrospect I would have done at least twenty (ten in eash section). That's only about 12.5 hours of work. I tend to go a little overboard in preparing for tests. I feel my application has enough limitations and I didn't want something I have control over (my GRE score) add to my drawbacks. That was my philosophy while preparing. I considered retaking the test to boost my writing score, but the consensus seems to be that this section doesn't carry much weight in the application review processes.

 

[chaos]

wow that Princeton Review course is really something. I'm halfway through the course and I just took my second practice test...and get ready for it:

590 quantitative
710 verbal

I am so psyched! Of course I took it untimed and took more time than I would get on the actual test but still that's a huge increase in a short amount of time. They are teaching me so much stuff that I just never learned or forgot, and it's really helping. Maybe I have a chance after all