Tuesday
Nov132007
About That GRE...
Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 09:45AM
I don't remember much about the first time I took the GRE (Graduate Record Exam -- the standardized test prerequisite for Grad School) when I graduated from college in 1990. Seventeen years later, after having studied for eight weeks, I went in feeling confident, not nervous at all. This was several weeks ago, on the morning of my Surprise Party for my 40th Birthday, as it turned out.
It was devastating.
(The GRE, not the birthday party, or even turning forty.)
I started having flashbacks during the test, mainly: "Damn, this is a lot harder than I expected..." I literally cried all the way home, on MARTA, which was an adventure in itself.
When I finally made it back to the safety of my lobby, young Mr. D, our Concierge, got all wide-eyed and panicky that I was so visibly upset, even more so when I told him about the GRE. Turns out, he's graduating soon with a degree in Psychology and will be taking the GRE, too. (I didn't know before my little break down, and then I felt bad.)
1) The only good thing about the test, and this seems strange to me, but the only good thing was the two written sections: Argue an Issue (45 minutes) and Critique an Argument (30 minutes). Thankfully, those were first, and while they were not easy, it was nothing compared to the horror that was to come...I went on to the Verbal and Quantitative Sections with a false sense of security...
2) I studied for 8 (EIGHT) weeks: online, books, prep workbooks and practice tests, and I GOT it, even the math, or so I thought. As I said, I went into the test confident, not nervous at all.
It was hard. Nightmare-ishly hard: None of the words seemed familiar to me on the Verbal Section, which is the infamous analogies, antonyms and fill-in-the-blank sentences. I'm an avid reader, and a WRITER, for god's sake! I guessed my way through it.
3) For the first time in my 40 years, I GOT the math concepts on the Quantitative Section -- at least on the practice tests. None of those concepts -- angles, probability, basic algebra, geometry, even the Pythagorean Theorem (I finally got it!!) -- came up when I was sitting there at the test machine. Not one. It was a Level of Hell I had never experienced before. I wanted to push the ESCAPE button (EXIT TEST) and walk away, but I had $140 on the line. I started guessing, which was agony, because I hate to be wrong. I ran out of time. I wanted to lay my head down on the desk and cry, but the computer kept going...on to the next section!
And finally, it was over.
Seventeen years later, the computer now gives you two of your scores, the Verbal and Quantitative, right there, before you leave. I actually had proof of my failure, got to take it home with me! And so I left, head hung low, a little blue post-it with the scores clutched in my hand. Although, honestly, I didn't know what the scores really meant, whether they would get me in to Grad School or not. I just felt miserable.
The OFFICIAL scores came last week, while I was immersed in Writer's Workshop. I still don't know how I did, really, because the scores are quite confusing, with the SCORE for each section, and then the % BELOW in the next column. There are three more pages of explanation and information: Interpreting Your GRE Scores. None of it makes much sense to me (more math) and provided no clue as to whether my scores would get me into the Creative Writing Program at GSU, or whether I should be registering for a re-take.
Fortunately, I saw one of my possible future professors, from the English Department at Georgia Statue University, at the middle school Writer's Workshop. (We have kids the same age, and he was teaching a workshop session, too.) I asked him, carefully, "So, what would be considered 'competitive scores' on the GRE? And does the math score count for anything for the Creative Writing Program?" Answers: generally, scores above 500, the GRE is not the most important consideration (whew!); and no (thank god!!). I'm in! Well, as far as the GRE goes, anyway...
So, do you want to know?
Okay, here it is:
VERBAL Score 610 % Below 87 (1990: 660/91)
QUANTITATIVE Score 580 % Below 44 (ouch) (1990: 580/55)
ANALYTICAL WRITING Score 5.0 (scale 1 to 6) % Below 73 (1990: 710/91)
(I thought I was getting smarter with my 'life experience' and all...apparently NOT.)
It was devastating.
(The GRE, not the birthday party, or even turning forty.)
I started having flashbacks during the test, mainly: "Damn, this is a lot harder than I expected..." I literally cried all the way home, on MARTA, which was an adventure in itself.
When I finally made it back to the safety of my lobby, young Mr. D, our Concierge, got all wide-eyed and panicky that I was so visibly upset, even more so when I told him about the GRE. Turns out, he's graduating soon with a degree in Psychology and will be taking the GRE, too. (I didn't know before my little break down, and then I felt bad.)
1) The only good thing about the test, and this seems strange to me, but the only good thing was the two written sections: Argue an Issue (45 minutes) and Critique an Argument (30 minutes). Thankfully, those were first, and while they were not easy, it was nothing compared to the horror that was to come...I went on to the Verbal and Quantitative Sections with a false sense of security...
2) I studied for 8 (EIGHT) weeks: online, books, prep workbooks and practice tests, and I GOT it, even the math, or so I thought. As I said, I went into the test confident, not nervous at all.
It was hard. Nightmare-ishly hard: None of the words seemed familiar to me on the Verbal Section, which is the infamous analogies, antonyms and fill-in-the-blank sentences. I'm an avid reader, and a WRITER, for god's sake! I guessed my way through it.
3) For the first time in my 40 years, I GOT the math concepts on the Quantitative Section -- at least on the practice tests. None of those concepts -- angles, probability, basic algebra, geometry, even the Pythagorean Theorem (I finally got it!!) -- came up when I was sitting there at the test machine. Not one. It was a Level of Hell I had never experienced before. I wanted to push the ESCAPE button (EXIT TEST) and walk away, but I had $140 on the line. I started guessing, which was agony, because I hate to be wrong. I ran out of time. I wanted to lay my head down on the desk and cry, but the computer kept going...on to the next section!
And finally, it was over.
Seventeen years later, the computer now gives you two of your scores, the Verbal and Quantitative, right there, before you leave. I actually had proof of my failure, got to take it home with me! And so I left, head hung low, a little blue post-it with the scores clutched in my hand. Although, honestly, I didn't know what the scores really meant, whether they would get me in to Grad School or not. I just felt miserable.
The OFFICIAL scores came last week, while I was immersed in Writer's Workshop. I still don't know how I did, really, because the scores are quite confusing, with the SCORE for each section, and then the % BELOW in the next column. There are three more pages of explanation and information: Interpreting Your GRE Scores. None of it makes much sense to me (more math) and provided no clue as to whether my scores would get me into the Creative Writing Program at GSU, or whether I should be registering for a re-take.
Fortunately, I saw one of my possible future professors, from the English Department at Georgia Statue University, at the middle school Writer's Workshop. (We have kids the same age, and he was teaching a workshop session, too.) I asked him, carefully, "So, what would be considered 'competitive scores' on the GRE? And does the math score count for anything for the Creative Writing Program?" Answers: generally, scores above 500, the GRE is not the most important consideration (whew!); and no (thank god!!). I'm in! Well, as far as the GRE goes, anyway...
So, do you want to know?
Okay, here it is:
VERBAL Score 610 % Below 87 (1990: 660/91)
QUANTITATIVE Score 580 % Below 44 (ouch) (1990: 580/55)
ANALYTICAL WRITING Score 5.0 (scale 1 to 6) % Below 73 (1990: 710/91)
(I thought I was getting smarter with my 'life experience' and all...apparently NOT.)
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