GRE questions. help!

[twojohayt]

I have a bachelor's degree in health and rehabilitation sciences and a minor in biology. I did 5 years of undergrad and have a lot of classes under my belt. My overall GPA (I think, because I transferred) is about a 3.5. My science GPA is probably a little lower but still good. I have great recommendation letters. I have over 4 years of experience as a care provider and experience as an ER tech. I have done about 50 hours of PA shadowing as well. 

 

BUT

 

I recently took my GRE and have never been very good at standardized tests. I bought a kaplan test book to study from. I got a 146 on both math and verbal section and a 3 on the writing. I really don't know what to do. I know this score is not good and the schools that I am applying too don't even give a minimum but I know it's bad. I'm not made of money and don't know if I can afford to spend another $150 to retake the GRE. I also am turning in my CASPA in about a month and a half so I don't have too much time. I just don't know what to do. People say that schools don't really care about the GRE and I know that people don't really improve their scores significantly between GRE tests. CASPA is expensive and I don't want to turn in an application that will be a flop. I have researched schools that don't require the GRE but they are few and far between. It is just very disheartening to work so hard and do so bad at this.

[wesr_gordon]

I think you are beating yourself up a bit too much. Top tier schools ask for a combined score above 300 to be competitive... you are at 292. While not great it isn't bad either. If you are at the point of deciding whether or not you should still apply with those scores I would err on the side of applying. 

[rev ronin]

I'm not made of money and don't know if I can afford to spend another $150 to retake the GRE.

1. PA school is expensive and full of unexpected expenses.  You need to have the financial resources to do what needs doing, even if it is a few hundred dollars you weren't projecting.  PA school is highly-expensive, but leads to a highly-rewarding career.  To put it in financial perspective if (increased % chance a second chance will get you into PA school) * (1st year PA salary - your current salary) is greater than GRE cost plus one year of compound interest, then it's a good bet.  That's actually a bit oversimplified, but you get the idea.

 

2. No point in retaking the GRE, regardless of financial hangups, unless you know why you did badly and can correct it in time for it to matter. You state you "have never been very good at standardized tests"--this is a telling statement.  I happen to be ridiculously good at them, and I've been doing ridiculously well at them since grade school, so I get that one can get on a particular track with respect to standardized tests.  Problem with this is... the PANCE is a standardized test, too.

 

3. I really don't know how much a 30th percentile ranking would affect your PA school chances. That means out of 100 students applying for a graduate program, you managed to beat 30, with 69 doing better than you.  Consider, that for many programs, the GRE really is just a grad school requirement and no one actually needs to get any particular score, because there are more potential seats than students applying for them.  That is not the case in PA school, and a 30th percentile could be the kiss of death, because programs are graded based on their first time PANCE pass rate, and if you can't do at least better than 50% of incoming graduate students, you're a risk for failing it, which makes them look bad.

 

Whatever you decide, good luck.  If you don't get in this year, do make sure to take a class in standardized test taking/GRE prep.  Odds are you can move from a 30th percentile to a 70th percentile pretty readily with a little coaching and test prep.

[zoopeda]

Don't use Kaplan.  Use ETS (the company that writes the real test as well) and Manhattan Review.  They both make awesome practice tests.  Do nothing but take practice tests.  Over and over and over.  And review every incorrect answer.  Don't spend an hour scrutinizing every detail of every wrong answer, but you'll start to see repeated mistakes.  Looking up solutions before taking more tests is an excellent way to learn the material.  I say that as someone who's also terrible at tests like this.  I followed this method (mainly because it most closely mimics the real experience and gives you great predictors of your real score in advance) and ended up with a score competitive anywhere in the country.  As for the writing, the good news is a lot of schools apparently don't look much at the writing score.  But getting up just .5 or 1 points would at least not draw a critical eye.  Again, read the writing sections of the ETS and Manhattan books.  They give great examples of all scores.  First and foremost, they give great tips on how to organize written thoughts and little tidbits like "stats show again and again that longer essays with errors get better scores than more perfect shorter essays." Finally, most schools don't even require the GRE!  Do you really need to apply to schools that want top scores?

[JohnnyM2]

You really don't have time to study for and retake the GRE during this cycle. IMO you would be best off getting your app in sooner rather than later. You seem to score well on the other basic requirements. If you have a really outstanding personal statement, rely on what you have and hope for an interview, unless you would rather just wait for the next cycle. If you don't get in, start working on the GRE again, retake it, and get your app in by May of the next cycle. (Early applications often do better.) There are as lot of tricks that can help you improve your GRE score and preparing for the GRE can be a grueling process. With some work, it's realistic to improve your score by 10 points. That may not sound like much but it catapults you from uncompetitive to competitive. Stop worrying about the money. Getting into PA school is an investment in your future. Have confidence in yourself and be determined to go the distance.

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire HDX using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[UGoLong]

There is also the parallel approach plan. You could apply now and then later retake the GRE and have them send in your new scores. I agree with the Rev on the general subject of standardized tests; if you think you've taken a lot of tests up to now, just wait for PA school! This is an area where you have a weakness that you need to turn into a strength.

 

Good luck!