1420 GRE enough to offset so-so GPA

[TheGuy2000]

Hi,

I'm really looking to go to Penn's Special Science Program, or Boston U's MAMS program, and was wondering how competitve I'll be. My GRE's are above, and my GPA is only at a 3.0. I know that the average GRE is at around the 70th percentile for these, so is a 1420 (780m, 640 v)above/ below I'm confused. And will these stats be enough to get me in?

Thanks,
The Guy

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[lightnk102]

Hi,

I'm really looking to go to Penn's Special Science Program, or Boston U's MAMS program, and was wondering how competitve I'll be. My GRE's are above, and my GPA is only at a 3.0. I know that the average GRE is at around the 70th percentile for these, so is a 1420 (780m, 640 v)above/ below I'm confused. And will these stats be enough to get me in?

Thanks,
The Guy

I got into both Penn's and BU's program last year with similar numbers. I ended up opting for BU because I wanted a degree for my efforts. That and, I didn't want to just take advanced science courses (Penn), I thought taking actual medical school classes would hold more weight with adcoms (BU). Though, I'm a bit confused about your GRE score. ARen't there 3 scores? analytical, quantitative, and verbal?

 

[Phil Anthropist]

Though, I'm a bit confused about your GRE score. ARen't there 3 scores? analytical, quantitative, and verbal?

I think they have a Writing section instead of the Analytical section now, but don't quote me on that. I really need to find out though--I need to take the GRE.

 

[PsychStudent]

Yup, they have an essay section now (took it last year to get into my current program). It's out of 6 points and goes in increments of .5. It's nothing to worry about though if you can write decently; I found it extremely easy and did no prep for it.

 

[TheGuy2000]

Yah there was another component the writing section, but I don't know if the people really care about it. When you finish the GRE it just gives you those 2 scores. I'm assuming I'll have some college professor read my essay and grade it a few weeks later. Whatever. Next up MCATS!

 

[Phil Anthropist]

Do you know how long after you take the exam it takes for the scores to get to the grad schools you're applying to? I'm applying to several programs--some don't have deadlines, but some are as early as March or April. I just want to make sure my scores are in on time. And my understanding is you know your results when you walk out, but I wasn't sure how long it takes for the schools to get the results...

Also do you know anything about the program GRETools? I can't figure out how this thing works (it's a free computer vocab program).

Any suggestions for other study materials? This thing sounds like SAT with more advanced math, harder vocab, hard-to-read-screens-for-the-verbal section (I keep hearing it's like trying to read squished paragraphs ), and a weird "computer adaptability" based on how well you're doing.

I was gonna take the MCAT in April, but I plan on postponing it till August now (I don't plan on filing AMCAS this summer, so there's no reason for me to rush and take the MCAT in April). Anyway, good luck on the MCAT. And if the GRE scale is analogous to the SAT scale, it sounds like your GRE will be pretty solid for grad schools. Someone here on the postbac forum mentioned he got into BU MAMS on his GRE alone (I think he said 95th percentile).

 

[PsychStudent]

The deadlines for my programs were Dec 1 to Jan 1, and I took the general GRE at the beginning of October and the subject test in November. The Princeton Review books were great study texts.

 

[junebuguf]

Do you know how long after you take the exam it takes for the scores to get to the grad schools you're applying to? I'm applying to several programs--some don't have deadlines, but some are as early as March or April. I just want to make sure my scores are in on time. And my understanding is you know your results when you walk out, but I wasn't sure how long it takes for the schools to get the results...

Also do you know anything about the program GRETools? I can't figure out how this thing works (it's a free computer vocab program).

Any suggestions for other study materials? This thing sounds like SAT with more advanced math, harder vocab, hard-to-read-screens-for-the-verbal section (I keep hearing it's like trying to read squished paragraphs ), and a weird "computer adaptability" based on how well you're doing.

I was gonna take the MCAT in April, but I plan on postponing it till August now (I don't plan on filing AMCAS this summer, so there's no reason for me to rush and take the MCAT in April). Anyway, good luck on the MCAT. And if the GRE scale is analogous to the SAT scale, it sounds like your GRE will be pretty solid for grad schools. Someone here on the postbac forum mentioned he got into BU MAMS on his GRE alone (I think he said 95th percentile).

I took the GRE three years ago when there were three numerically graded sections and got a 2180. Unlike the MCAT, theres a lot of crap out there for GRE review. I worked from the Barrons review because they had a very extensive vocabulary list. That should be enough to do well (1300+), but if you're shooting higher, I would recommend a no longer published book by ETS (the company that administers the GRE) called "The GRE Big Book." Do a search on Amazon or Ebay for used copies. It has 27 previously administered GREs. I found the questions harder in the Big Book than on the actual exam. The toughest part of the GRE, I thought, was the timing. The quantitative questions arent really any more difficult than the SAT. The verbal section is exactly like the SAT in format, the questions are just scaled up, so you need to review more advanced vocabulary words. And the beloved analytical section has been done away with and replaced with a writing sample, which I did not have to take so have no input on. The new exam is all CBT and graded almost instantaneously. It took about 4 weeks for my schools to get the results (or at least process the results after receiving them.)

 

[TheGuy2000]

June Bug is wrong about the verbal. I'll tell you how it really goes down. The math is an f'ing joke, and if you are anywhere near competent you should get a 750+. The first question on my GRE, was what set of numbers does pi fall between. Come on. The two essays I wouldn't worry about, since I don't think they really count for much anyway. The verbal is a bit trickier, but basically just know SAT words. And watch out for antonyms, they didn't have those on the SAT. I did well on the SAT 1450, and wasn't too concerned about this particular test. I took one practice test from Kaplan and got a 1400, so I figured there was no point in studying. Thankfully I was right I didn't even need to crack a book.

The CAT from what I heard means that if you get a question right you get a harder one, get it wrong an easier one. This test really is simple, and I wouldn't worry about it. I'm just dreading the MCAT beast come August PM me if you need any specific help.

 

[Phil Anthropist]

Doesn't sound too bad, thanks everybody!

 

[junebuguf]

June Bug is wrong about the verbal. I'll tell you how it really goes down. The math is an f'ing joke, and if you are anywhere near competent you should get a 750+. The first question on my GRE, was what set of numbers does pi fall between. Come on. The two essays I wouldn't worry about, since I don't think they really count for much anyway. The verbal is a bit trickier, but basically just know SAT words. And watch out for antonyms, they didn't have those on the SAT. I did well on the SAT 1450, and wasn't too concerned about this particular test. I took one practice test from Kaplan and got a 1400, so I figured there was no point in studying. Thankfully I was right I didn't even need to crack a book.

The CAT from what I heard means that if you get a question right you get a harder one, get it wrong an easier one. This test really is simple, and I wouldn't worry about it. I'm just dreading the MCAT beast come August PM me if you need any specific help.

I fail to see how I'm wrong about the verbal. The format is exactly like the SAT--antonym (I guess they removed it sometime after I took the SAT), synonym, fill in the blanks, passages. And the vocabulary on the antonym and synonym questions is noticeably increased in difficulty from the SAT. Also, though the concepts tested by the GRE on math are not hard, there are a lot of them. You will have to review a lot of trig that you may not have seen in a decade. So unless you're a recent college grad you may not find it to be an 'f'ing joke.'

 

[PsychStudent]

I agree with TheGuy2000. I didn't take *any* math in college and after a few days of prep I ended up scoring quite well. Even though my score was in the 700s, my percentile was 70 something which isn't that high. Conversely, my score on the verbal was 100 points lower than on my SAT, and it was still in the 97th percentile. The percentiles may be slightly skewed because a lot of econ people take the GRE, but I think anyone would agree that it's harder to score well on the verbal section than on the math. In the antonym sections for example, if you don't know what the word means you're essentially screwed because there's no contextual cues.

By the way, make sure to do well on the first half of the questions on the test. Because it's a computer-adaptive test, those are the questions that determine the bulk of your score, whereas the later questions are just fine-tuning your score in a small range.

 

[blankguy]

PsychStudent,
if you don't mind me asking what was your SAT verbal score range?

 

[PsychStudent]

Sure, my verbal GRE was 700.

 

[blankguy]

What is the range for 70th percentile for GRE verbal and in total score?

Also anybody with a sub 3.0 who is at BU Masters?