You're not alone

Home

Chat

Blogs

Collection

Directory

Home : 2003 : September : 28

You're not alone
By Tara

Hi there. I'm retaking the GRE General (third time ever, second this year) in two days and googled "I took the GRE today" to make myself feel better. That's how I found your posting.

I took the GREs in 1997, before I went
for my MA. Back then, it was all on paper, there was no essay, you still applied to schools on paper. :-) Now I'm ready to apply for the PhD and everything's changed. The General is on computer, you can't jump around, and it costs even more. And my old scores, which were good? Expired. I can't believe the flippin' scores expire. They charge you over $100 per horrible test, and then the

scores evaporate in 5 years. So I had to retake the Subject and General this year. And each time I left the exam room in tears. I decided to retake both.

The good news about the General is that you get your scores, suffer your misery (in my case, crying in the testing center bathroom), and then next month you get the chance to go back, rematch,and beat that sucker. At least, that's what I'm really, really, really hoping I do this Monday. So I can't tell you for sure if going in and taking the test the second time will really make a difference...yet. But I definitely feel more confident than I did last month, and having survived the disappointing results has made me stronger and more likely to kick ass or die trying.

Hang in there.