What’s on it?
The GRE is a 3 hour and 45 minute test that can be taken on paper or on a computer. Each test has six sections: two analytical writing sections, two verbal reasoning sections, and two quantitative reasoning sections. This test determines how well prospective students can apply knowledge and think critically. The analytical writing sections include the “issue” essay and the “argument” essay. These test the student’s ability to analyze evidence, think logically, and write to prove a point. The verbal reasoning sections include reading comprehension, sentence completion, recognizing relationships between words and ideas, and forming conclusions. The quantitative reasoning sections are math sections. This part of the GRE, just like the SAT and ACT, tests over algebra, geometry, data interpretation, and problem solving.
When should I take it?
The most common time to take the GRE is in your junior year of undergrad or the summer between your junior and senior year. Pay close attention to the deadline to take and submit your test scores for your school(s) that you have narrowed down to. However, the GRE is always recommended to be taken earlier rather than later. This is especially true if you plan to take the GRE more than once. If you feel like you may need to take the test more than once, the typical time to take it is spring of your junior year, and then again in the summer between junior and senior year. Keep in mind that you will not know immediately how you did on the test; you will usually have to wait 10-15 business days to know your score. The best advice is to take the GRE when you are ready, but make sure you ARE READY, and that you have studied quite a bit.
How should I prepare?
Preparing for the GRE should take you several weeks because you need to become as familiar with the test as possible. With this being said, START EARLY! It is a long, drawn-out process if you want to do well. First, you need to become familiar with the types of questions it is going to ask, the type of language it is going to use, and the timing of the test. The best way to study is to do as many practice GRE tests as possible, figure out what you are consistently getting wrong, study that material, and then go back and do more practice questions. This process needs to be repeated until you consistently get the score you are happy with. There are many tips to studying for the GRE, but you need to figure out what works best for you and stick with that. However, whatever works for you, make sure you start doing that early!
How will I be scored?
The verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning sections are scored on scales from 130-170 in one-point increments. The convert your raw score, the number of questions you answered correctly, to this scaled score. The analytical writing sections are scored on scales from 0-6 . The analytical writing test may be the most important section because schools want to see how well you can put thoughts to paper because as a healthcare professional, you will be writing notes, crafting communication letters, writing prescriptions, etc.
With that being said, the 50th percentile of the verbal reasoning test and the quantitative reasoning test is around 150, but does have some variability from year to year. This means that usually, to be in the top 50%, students must score above a 152 on the verbal reasoning section, above a 153 on the quantitative reasoning section, and above a 4.0 on the analytical writing section. These scores are considered “good enough.” For students to be competitive, however, you should aim for at least a 300 total score and at least a 4.5 on the analytical writing section. A total GRE score between 310-320 is highly competitive.
The GRE is a 3 hour and 45 minute test that can be taken on paper or on a computer. Each test has six sections: two analytical writing sections, two verbal reasoning sections, and two quantitative reasoning sections. This test determines how well prospective students can apply knowledge and think critically. The analytical writing sections include the “issue” essay and the “argument” essay. These test the student’s ability to analyze evidence, think logically, and write to prove a point. The verbal reasoning sections include reading comprehension, sentence completion, recognizing relationships between words and ideas, and forming conclusions. The quantitative reasoning sections are math sections. This part of the GRE, just like the SAT and ACT, tests over algebra, geometry, data interpretation, and problem solving.
When should I take it?
The most common time to take the GRE is in your junior year of undergrad or the summer between your junior and senior year. Pay close attention to the deadline to take and submit your test scores for your school(s) that you have narrowed down to. However, the GRE is always recommended to be taken earlier rather than later. This is especially true if you plan to take the GRE more than once. If you feel like you may need to take the test more than once, the typical time to take it is spring of your junior year, and then again in the summer between junior and senior year. Keep in mind that you will not know immediately how you did on the test; you will usually have to wait 10-15 business days to know your score. The best advice is to take the GRE when you are ready, but make sure you ARE READY, and that you have studied quite a bit.
How should I prepare?
Preparing for the GRE should take you several weeks because you need to become as familiar with the test as possible. With this being said, START EARLY! It is a long, drawn-out process if you want to do well. First, you need to become familiar with the types of questions it is going to ask, the type of language it is going to use, and the timing of the test. The best way to study is to do as many practice GRE tests as possible, figure out what you are consistently getting wrong, study that material, and then go back and do more practice questions. This process needs to be repeated until you consistently get the score you are happy with. There are many tips to studying for the GRE, but you need to figure out what works best for you and stick with that. However, whatever works for you, make sure you start doing that early!
How will I be scored?
The verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning sections are scored on scales from 130-170 in one-point increments. The convert your raw score, the number of questions you answered correctly, to this scaled score. The analytical writing sections are scored on scales from 0-6 . The analytical writing test may be the most important section because schools want to see how well you can put thoughts to paper because as a healthcare professional, you will be writing notes, crafting communication letters, writing prescriptions, etc.
With that being said, the 50th percentile of the verbal reasoning test and the quantitative reasoning test is around 150, but does have some variability from year to year. This means that usually, to be in the top 50%, students must score above a 152 on the verbal reasoning section, above a 153 on the quantitative reasoning section, and above a 4.0 on the analytical writing section. These scores are considered “good enough.” For students to be competitive, however, you should aim for at least a 300 total score and at least a 4.5 on the analytical writing section. A total GRE score between 310-320 is highly competitive.
