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Not scoring well on GRE

postelrich

Joined
10/10/09
Messages
39
Points
18
I have taken the GRE three times over the past three years and have gotten a 720, 730, 720 with a 720 being from this past Monday. Over the past year I have been taking the requisite courses for admission and have been getting A's. I'm worried that my admission is going to be hindered from whatever it is that is keeping from getting past these scores. I am willing to try one last time to take the test. Do you think its worth to take it again? My concerns are that I will either still not do better and/or will not look good that I took it so many times. Should I just suck it up and apply and hope the rest of my application will compensate for the GRE? I would hope that my grades in the more advanced math courses would be weighed more heavily than the simple math of the GRE.
 
If you are actually adequate at the math, I would look seriously at your test-taking skills. Do you perform well under pressure? Do you have strategies that save you time? Do you execute these strategies automatically and without hesitation? This could make the difference.

If you are not adequate at GRE level math (NOT including the math subject test), I question your suitability for MFE.
 
I actually know Rich's math abilities, and they are good. He must not test well. How this will play in his applications depends on his ability to explain this in a credible way.
 
Thank you for your replies. I pretty much try to explain that I believe my success in the more advanced math classes I have recently taken should rest any concern about my ability.

I don't know if that is sufficient, I am torn between writing more and keeping it short and sweet.

I believe I am not a good standardized test taker. I tried 2 different tutors this time around and they both said there wasn't anything they could help me with.
 
My guess is that those tutors tried to help you with math, not test taking.

I suggest going to a local bookstore and picking up one of the larger GRE books and browsing to see if you can pick up any strategy hints. If you can, use them, and if there seems to be enough value, buy the book and retake it.

Since you know the math well, it's just a matter of budgeting your time wisely and pursuing the most cost effective solution method for every problem, which in some cases just means eliminating the answers that seem completely unreasonable then plugging in the few remaining ones.

Not retaking it restricts your options more. Having Dan's faith is great for Baruch, but I'm not sure how other schools will see your score and explanation.
 
You might want to give this a look Vedic Mathematics . I ran into someone who said it helped him hit a quant 800, after a string of low 700s, high 600s. You probably already know all the math..but you need to hone your test taking skills/strategies.


postelrich said:
Thank you for your replies. I pretty much try to explain that I believe my success in the more advanced math classes I have recently taken should rest any concern about my ability.

I don't know if that is sufficient, I am torn between writing more and keeping it short and sweet.

I believe I am not a good standardized test taker. I tried 2 different tutors this time around and they both said there wasn't anything they could help me with.
Click to expand...
 
I have the ETS, Kaplan, and barrons books. Used CATgreprep.com and 800gre.com for practice. I do agree its prob my test taking skills; I rush through easy problems and make stupid mistakes. But that is what I worked on this time while studying, was to take my time.

My fear is that 800 isn't really going to matter now considering how many times I've taken it. Its going depend on whether the person looks at it as determination or says look how many times it took him do well. What do you think?
 
I know that my GRE quantitative grade is 730 and is close to the average accepted applicant’s grade but I feel my performance on these recent courses can rest any concern on my ability. To be honest, I am not the best standardized test taker and there is a lot riding on just that one score."

The first sentence I'm definitely leaving in but I want your opinions on the second.
 
I have the same problem, Im good at more advanced math but not at standardized tests. I think your main problem(as mine) is that you are concentrated in technical math, meaning that you can conduct complex mathematical calculations but cannot focus on simple problem or cannot mobilize your attention on it. For example I can easily arrive at method how to solve the stochastic differential equation, but have trouble in thinking what proportion of land was plowed and cultivated by a tractor. But the numerical calculations are easy. To sum up, i think nobody can tell you "try again" or "give up". Its depended on your expectation and possible outcome resulting from it. I wish you Good luck
 
postelrich said:
"I know that my GRE quantitative grade is 730 and is close to the average accepted applicant’s grade but I feel my performance on these recent courses can rest any concern on my ability. To be honest, I am not the best standardized test taker and there is a lot riding on just that one score."

The first sentence I'm definitely leaving in but I want your opinions on the second.
Click to expand...
I really have no idea here. I did explain away a few bad grades on my statement, but there were only two and my GPA was decent. Maybe Dan or some other major player can weigh in?
 
I don't believe my application to be lacking really in any other sense now besides the GRE.
 
And that's your Achilles' heel. Wrongly or not, many programs will look at your repeated GRE scores of low 700s and stamp a big reject.
You need to understand who you compete with and for many people, standard test taking ability is part of the game. You should expect not to get into some program with that GRE.
It is what it is and you need to maximize your chance. Having Dan vouch for your math is good if you only plan to apply to Baruch. Any other program is fair game.
 
Andy, so you think I should take it again? And if I happen to do the same, you think my chances nil?
 
No, you should not take it again. My guess is that you WON'T magically get 800 judging from the pattern of past score.
Getting 800 GRE means absolutely nothing to me, or a lot of people. Getting 700s means you don't perform well in high pressure, time limit environment. And that's the kind of job environment you will find in this industry. You have to learn to prioritize your task.

Maybe you should question your fit for this line of job. I'm going to sound like a put downer but who am I to say you can do well on the job?

Apply to whatever program you want but lower your expectation. I don't know who you are and your full profile to say about your chance.

In the grand scheme of things, test score is not that important because everyone expecting to join this field shouldn't be concerned about it, meaning, take the test, do well and move on.

Good luck to you. I'll be curious to hear back from you when the decisions are in. Maybe put your applications in the tracker so I can check back later.
 
Thank you for your candor. The problem is I generally handle high pressure situations great which only makes me more confused about what the problem is. I am inclined to agree with you about taking it again as well but more that I can only see it doing more harm than help at this point. I'd rather just focus on continuing to ace the math courses that I have been taking and see what happens.
 
postelrich said:
Thank you for your candor. The problem is I generally handle high pressure situations great which only makes me more confused about what the problem is. I am inclined to agree with you about taking it again as well but more that I can only see it doing more harm than help at this point. I'd rather just focus on continuing to ace the math courses that I have been taking and see what happens.
Click to expand...
hey i think you need to get novas gre math prep book. i studied my butt off for a week. first practiced with barrons to know the basics and second with this book. i didn't beat around though. everyday i practiced 8 hours nonstop. all these tutors are really not helpful since you are taking college level courses, you should be able to handle gre on your own. Itook the exam and got a 790. kaplan is nice but if u want to break 750...take the novas...i swear by it. to give you some motivation. i remember last thursday, after our nla seminar exam, i studied the barrrons for 2 days and finished the book. i took a practice Cd that came with barrons and kept getting a 620. then my NLA score came from Dr. Stefanica, i dont know what it did, but it boosted my self motivation. studied novas from monday till end of tuesday and finished reading like 250 pages..i.e 300 math problems, took the practice ETS test and scored a 690. went and talked with Dr. Stefanica (understood how important the math part is:), made a list of why i am always making silly mistakes even when i have 15 minutes to spare at the end of the exam, then decided to spend more time on the first 15. went and took the exam this morning at 8 with the goal of spending more time on the first 15 minutes rather than pacing through it. I kept telling myself, this math is for middle school students. if they can do this, i should ACE it. when i got done. score was 790. if you still cannot after novas math prep. then nothing will help you. dont ask me about english though. it was embarrassing. [/quote]
 
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