01-08-2015, 03:10 AM
The natural science (+Mathematics) GREs are pretty much the hardest exam credits out there and Biology is no exception. But if you think about it, plenty on this board have taken or thought of taking the Biology CLEP, which is not an easy test and is only worth 6 credits, while the GRE is worth 24 at COSC. Looking at samples of both exams, while the CLEP is certainly easier than the GRE, I think the GRE has enough softball questions to be a better time investment than the CLEP.
The scoring system for the subject GREs is refreshingly transparent, and based on the December 2006 test results, you need to get around 52% of the questions correct to meet COSC's 40th percentile requirement. The exact score needed changes every year depending on the distribution, but the data points are very dense in this part of the curve, so ~55% should be pretty much safe any year. Considering all the questions are multiple choice out of 5, that's essentially a free 20%, and since Biology is pretty much just memorization, I'm pretty sure you could brute force the last 32% of the way with a textbook or GRE study resources. I did the official ETS practice test recently without studying at all and my score percentile was in the low 60s (60% correct). Granted, I do have 9 credits worth of Biology coursework, but the most recent of those was 5 years ago and I got a D. Even if you had to put in double the effort of studying for the GRE than you would have for the CLEP, you would still end up with quadruple the amount of credits, including 9 UL science credits.
If that's too much writing, basically I'm saying that I think the Biology GRE is something more people should consider because unlike other natural science GREs, you can pass Biology just by memorizing individual facts. This obviously isn't going to get you into a ranked MS Biology program, but 24 credits in one shot is still a huge step towards getting a degree.
The scoring system for the subject GREs is refreshingly transparent, and based on the December 2006 test results, you need to get around 52% of the questions correct to meet COSC's 40th percentile requirement. The exact score needed changes every year depending on the distribution, but the data points are very dense in this part of the curve, so ~55% should be pretty much safe any year. Considering all the questions are multiple choice out of 5, that's essentially a free 20%, and since Biology is pretty much just memorization, I'm pretty sure you could brute force the last 32% of the way with a textbook or GRE study resources. I did the official ETS practice test recently without studying at all and my score percentile was in the low 60s (60% correct). Granted, I do have 9 credits worth of Biology coursework, but the most recent of those was 5 years ago and I got a D. Even if you had to put in double the effort of studying for the GRE than you would have for the CLEP, you would still end up with quadruple the amount of credits, including 9 UL science credits.
If that's too much writing, basically I'm saying that I think the Biology GRE is something more people should consider because unlike other natural science GREs, you can pass Biology just by memorizing individual facts. This obviously isn't going to get you into a ranked MS Biology program, but 24 credits in one shot is still a huge step towards getting a degree.
CPA (WA), CFA Level III Candidate
Currently pursuing: ALM, Data Science - Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (12/48, on hold for CFA/life commitments)
MBA, Finance/Accounting - Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 2015
BSBA, General Management - Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, NJ, 2012
Currently pursuing: ALM, Data Science - Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (12/48, on hold for CFA/life commitments)
MBA, Finance/Accounting - Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 2015
BSBA, General Management - Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, NJ, 2012
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