Low GRE

[Tmatt065]

I got a score of 287 on the GRE, even studied with some prep material. I have 2,500 direct patient care hours, a cumulative 3.25 GPA and a science GPA of 3.15. I have also shadowed a PA for 50hrs and have great letters of recommendation. Oh, and about half of those hours are med/surg and ER as a patient care tech respectively. I know the GRE is really only used as a tool to "thin" the heard and would really not like to take it again. I don't know if this helps any, but the hospital I work at is closely connected to the med/health sciences school where students and residents shadow and work. Thoughts on the GRE? Thanks guys!!

[MT2PA]

Take it again.  Aim for 300+.  You could be setting yourself up to be auto filtered out.  GRE may not be a huge component but if it's the first hurdle into the door against 2000 other applicants, you need to retake it.

[panglossian]

I think you need a retake. A low GRE score like yours may make some adcoms questions your academic ability. I used Magoosh for prep and loved it!

[cg02186]

You definitely need to retake it.  Many programs will automatically throw your application out if it is below 300.  Also, it's not like your GPA is super high to make up for it.  Your best bet would be to take it again, get over a 300 and shoot for at least a 150 in each section, and try to raise your GPA some while getting more PCE.  Good luck! 

[Tmatt065]

Looks like Magoosh has really good reviews, so I'll do that! I think as long as I can get my GRE to at least a 300, I'll be fine. I know my GPAs aren't as competitive as I'd like them to be, but I have a good amount of healthcare experience and when I get the 300+ on the GRE, I'll submit the application :)

[ilygurlie]

2500 isn't a lot by any means. I'll be applying with about 2300 hours and I still don't think that's enough to make up for a low gpa. 

[rhazen9]

Like others have said, you need to retake it considering your GPAs aren't that high to makeup for a low score. You need at a minimum, 50th percentile on each section and should shoot for over a 300. Not wanting to retake a test with such a low score raises many red flags

[LDQ]

I took the GRE at the beginning of this month and did not meet the minimum requirement for the GRE, instead I was 6 points below. However, I submitted my application already in order for it to be verified. In regards to the GRE topic, is it better to submit my low score so my application can be seen as complete for programs, or only submit my new GRE score which I will retake at the end of June? I didn't submit my first GRE score as I stated because I was nervous it would automatically weed me out, even though my GPA is high and the rest of my application is strong. Does anyone have any advice if I made the right decision with not submitting my low GRE score? Thanks! My biggest concern is that because my application won't be marked as "complete" by the programs until late June when my new score comes in, that I will be at a major disadvantage, as compared to if i would have just submitted my first low GRE score. 

[Yulik]

Hi guys! I also got low GRE score... 282... you think I should not apply this year? I prepared with Kaplan for 2-3 months. Or may be it worth to try schools who does not require GRE? Like Towson.

[kdeluca10]

On 5/2/2017 at 8:27 AM, panglossian said:

I think you need a retake. A low GRE score like yours may make some adcoms questions your academic ability. I used Magoosh for prep and loved it!

I also had a similar low score. I am having a very hard time trying to find ways of improving in a short amount of time. Did you use the Magoosh app? Any other tips for better studying?