[nabs-l] GRE

[Cindy Bennett]

It depends on the type of program you are applying to as to whether
the GRE is typically required or indicative of its rigor or
legitimacy. So, I think you should ask some professors in your
department. One other idea is to consult the website of whatever
professional society offers certifications in your discipline. For
example, I went to the American Psychological Association’s website to
find a list of clinical psychology programs in the U.S. that they have
accredited. So this means that despite the individual requirements of
these schools, they maintain a national standard. Schools that are
accredited in a certain discipline can sometimes mean that they are
more difficult to get into, and non-accredited schools do not indicate
poor programs, but the accreditation made me feel better about where I
applied. Not all fields have national accreditations though. I am
going to grad school in psychology and only 1 of the schools I applied
to did not require the GRE, and it is a professional school which is
different in more ways than one. However, I have some friends who are
in the fields of social work and blindness and other disability rehab,
and very good programs in those fields do not require the GRE.

I do believe that if a school requires it, you should not request to
submit anything in its place. I do not know of anything you could do
that equals the difficulty and pressure that every student required to
take the GRE goes through.

Although you cannot currently register online, I am very impressed
with the accessibility of the voiced GRE. You get supplements in
braille, but in order to get instant scores, you must submit your
answers on a voiced GRE. ETS will send you an example test and
tutorials on the keystrokes associated with the software. I would
recommend purchasing other practice materials though. Since the test
just changed, there are probably not many used books available, but
used is always cheaper, and Kapplan and The Princeton Review have good
practice materials. I obtained a copy of the top 200 words found on
the test and learned them. I also learned 25 word families which are
groups of synonyms with a theme such as sadness or courage. That
allowed me to learn simpler definitions of about 500 words. I got a
reader to tutor me in math, so I am not sure how accessible the math
practice materials are. I took several practice English tests, and I
would recommend practicing a few essays. I made A's on papers all
through college so I felt that I did not need to prepare much for the
essay portion, however, it is the section in which I received the
lowest score, so I should have practiced a few essays and read example
prompts. I would recommend dedicating a lot of time to studying. Each
test is $160, and if you take the test multiple times, all
institutions see all scores, so if you bomb it just to get a feel for
the test, that will not look good to schools.

The test was difficult for me, but I have always been a bad test taker
under pressure. It is very possible to prepare for it and to do well
though. Accessibility does not account for any of the reason that I
did not get the score I preferred.

I hope this helps.

Cindy


On 12/21/11, Spangler, Robert <Robert.Spangler at rockets.utoledo.edu> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I am thinking of applying for graduate school when I return from my trip in
> Spain next year.  Many graduate programs do not require GRE scores but it
> seems as though the better ones do.  First, what are your opinions; is a
> program generally of higher quality if it requires GRE scores?  I have
> actually seen several programs that look pretty good that do not require GRE
> scores.  I have also noticed that some of the best schools in the country,
> such as OSU and UW require GRE scores.
>
> Next, what are your experiences as blind people taking the GRE?  IT appears
> as though, if one requires special accommodations, they are unable to
> register for the test online.  Also, the GRE is computer-based; would we
> take that version or a modified version of the paper copy?  In the bulletin,
> it recommends first that I ask the prospective institution if I can submit
> something else in place of GRE scores; what are opinions on this?
>
> Thanks,
> Robby
> --
> Robert Spangler
> The University of Toledo
> Senior, Urban Studies and Spanish
> robert.spangler at rockets.utoledo.edu
>
>
>
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-- 
Cindy Bennett
B.A. Psychology, UNC Wilmington

clb5590 at gmail.com
828.989.5383