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How many of you who have gone on to grad school took the GRE? Was it required for entry, or optional?
I have polled several of my grad school friends, and some were of the opinion that it is a useless test; nevertheless, it is required in some instances.
Since I am wanting to use this as an alternative to the GMAT to get into business school (some biz schools accept GRE), I probably will just take it. I just want opinions about it first.
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I'm not quite sure what you're asking. The questions you asked have nothing to do with opinions on the GRE. What only matters is if the school you want to attend requires a graduate admissions test and will accept the GRE. You can always find schools that don't require one, but they are often not the best if that matters to you. Of course, there are exceptions to this.
I took the GRE because it was required by the PhD programs I was looking at. My masters program did not require the GRE. In my opinion, the GRE wasn't as pointless as the version of the SAT I took back in the early 2000s. There are two different camps on the value of admissions tests. Some believe that they are a lazy way to thin the herds while others think they really do predict future performance.
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Yes, a strong GRE score was required for me to apply to a competitive master's program. Like any test, it is easy to have mixed feelings about it. I had done well on previous tests, so this one was not that intimidating; however, it did feel like a lot of pressure for my future goals to be riding on the results of one test. In my case, I looked at it as the only opportunity to compare my academic record equally with other applicants, since my undergraduate education was almost entirely non-traditional. I wanted to do very well and not leave any doubt about my abilities. I left feedback with my experience in my signature. I hope more students from this forum will try taking the GRE and not limit their graduate school options by avoiding it.
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No GRE Required | What You Make of It.
Great website on where to go to get a Masters or PhD without stopping off for the GRE test. 
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There are also schools which allow the potential student to select between the GRE and Miller Analogies Test (MAT), plus others which just outright require the MAT.
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The GRE is a beast, no doubt about it. My school flat-out required it, no exceptions. I will advise you to make certain WHICH GRE you need, there is the general and the subject tests. Most require only the general. Take studying for it seriously, this test is a monster.
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BGSU_Alum_86 Wrote:There are also schools which allow the potential student to select between the GRE and Miller Analogies Test (MAT), plus others which just outright require the MAT.
The Doctoral program for which I'm currently in the admissions process offered the choice between the two. I ended up taking the MAT because (no math) it was more my type of test (no math). I really liked the layout of the test (ok, there was some math but not much) and I did pretty well on it. I was glad for the choice because I'm not very fond of the GRE general test layout though I do have some extensive study materials for it should I ever need to take the test.
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^^Yes, I have many testing candidates tell me they would much rather sit through the MAT (120 analogies in 60 minutes) than the GRE (4-hour test I believe). Not much you can do to study for the MAT plus you get immediate unofficial results for the computerized version. I think it is also cheaper ($50 for the MAT).
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corpsole2 Wrote:How many of you who have gone on to grad school took the GRE? Was it required for entry, or optional?
I have polled several of my grad school friends, and some were of the opinion that it is a useless test; nevertheless, it is required in some instances.
Since I am wanting to use this as an alternative to the GMAT to get into business school (some biz schools accept GRE), I probably will just take it. I just want opinions about it first.
I've taken both. I took the GRE several years ago prior to my MS, and took the GMAT about a year ago prior to beginning an MBA.
They're similar enough that IMO it doesn't matter that much which you take. The verbal sections are similar. The GMAT focuses more on reading comprehension and grammar, the GRE more on vocabulary
The GMAT math seems to be heavily weighted toward Geometry while the GRE is more balanced.
The best thing is find what the programs you're interested in require, get some study materials and take that test.
One piece of advice. Many schools ignore the essay portion school. Call the admissions office of the school(s) you're interested in. If they don't evaluate it, you can skip doing it and save some time on test day.
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TMW2010 Wrote:The Doctoral program for which I'm currently in the admissions process offered the choice between the two. I ended up taking the MAT because (no math) it was more my type of test (no math). I really liked the layout of the test (ok, there was some math but not much) and I did pretty well on it. I was glad for the choice because I'm not very fond of the GRE general test layout though I do have some extensive study materials for it should I ever need to take the test.
(no math!!)
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