Ideal time to apply?

[place123]

I applied late last year and everyone said that i should try to apply earlier this year.  Only problem is i need to take the gre and need time to study.  

 

What is the ideal time to apply?  

[LadyNichiavelli]

I'd say by mid-June.

[ajames]

Make it a target goal to take the GRE before the application cycle opens that way you can focus all your energy into the GRE and crafting your personal statement. Then once the cycle opens, you can shift your focus to your application and filling out supplemental essays.

Yes, you should apply early because a lot of schools do rolling admissions so some people may start to receive invites for interviews by July. Mid-June application is a good due date but make sure to begin as soon as it opens and have your GRE/LORs/PS ready to go!

[JD2012]

Personally I think mid-June is too late.  Since you still have the GRE to do, I would get on that ASAP, also it takes 2 weeks to grade your writing portion.

I would also get things in line, especially your letters of rec, BEFORE the cycle even opens. Give your writers the heads up and that they will receive links for uploading. You NEED to have these locked and loaded and ready to go out ASAP. It is seriously the most time delaying part of the process. My first cycle app was delayed a month waiting on a letter of rec.

2017 cycle I was apply to have everything submitted and verified before the end of May. 

I also noticed schools with a January start date already have a couple of phases of interviews in by mid-June, with interview invites starting in mid-May.

[BearDown]

set 2 weeks and grind the heck out of the GRE - just get it done. The material is far too dry to study months in advance.

[Cadapter]

Don't make the mistake I am currently living with the GRE. I still have to take it as well. I put off taking it for months and months because friends and posters to PA sites (and reddit) all said that the GRE is trivial and you only need a "month at max to study." Well, it may be trivial to someone who is 3-4 years out of school, but to me who hasn't seen algebra or geometry in 10 years, it is nerve wracking. So here I am a month out and I am panicking more about the GRE than the actual application cycle.

Like other users have said, try to get your application out before mid-June as some schools may already have had 1-2 rounds of interviews.

[JD2012]

I did a month on magoosh going through all of the math lessons relearning a ton of stuff. I literally studied EVERY day after work and on days off.  For those days I really didnt feel like doing I would do 30mins just to get some studying anyway. I might have taken one or two days off during that month but that's it. It was tedious!

Ended up with a 309 and 4.0 writing and was trying to shoot for a 310 minimum, I wasn't going to complain.  At the same time though, I was determined to only have to take the GRE once.

[HopefulPA0004]

I agree with Cadapter, everyone's background going in to the GRE is different so do not rely on just 2 weeks. Take a practice test online to see where you're at with the quantitative and verbal, that will give you an idea of how much studying needs to be done and if there are specific areas you need help in. 

I ended up taking the GRE twice to get a better quantitative score, so make sure you give yourself time since I believe you have to wait around 30 days before taking it a second time. Good luck!