[NABS-L] GRE Prep

[Justin Salisbury]

Hi Maura,

I think it's great that you're preparing proactively for the GRE. Since I'm getting my PhD in education leadership, I'm immersed in all the talk about trends in higher education on a daily basis, so I want to share this:

Yes, there was definitely a push to waive the standardized testing requirements for undergraduate and graduate programs during the pandemic, but there had already been a movement for programs and universities to divorce themselves from standardized testing. This movement appears to be continuing to live on after the pandemic lockdowns. It has been done in the name of equity. Of course, in higher education, when we talk about equity, it almost never means equity for people with disabilities, but it can sometimes create a positive spillover effect on us. Many universities have been waiving the standardized testing requirements because people from underrepresented racial minorities were not faring as well as more privileged groups, and they wanted to do a better job of embracing DEI principles in their admissions processes. 

Additionally, there is very little correlation between standardized test scores and academic success, so they are not good predictors. 

Prestige in higher education is still largely rooted in who institutions exclude, so barriers to admission like standardized testing will still live on. If you can take the GRE, I think that's great. The ability to go to graduate school without taking the GRE will continue to be a possibility at many of the institutions that waived it for the pandemic. 

Aloha,

Justin


Justin Mark Hideaki Salisbury
he/him/his

Board Member 
National Association of Blind Students
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-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Miso Kwak via NABS-L
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2022 12:12 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Miso Kwak <misokwak12 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NABS-L] GRE Prep

Hello, 
I took the GRE 5 years ago, so take my response with a grain of salt. 
I worked with my university's disability service office to submit the paperwork necessary for requesting the accommodations. 
When I requested the accommodations, I was also able to request practice materials in Braille. I believe you have an option to take the GRE using Braille or using an accessible computerized version. I took the former and have no experience with the latter. 
I was able to receive the Braille practice materials from the ETS and used those to prepare. 
I recall also using some practice books from Bookshare, especially for the verbal part. Searching for sample writing prompts and simulating the test experience to practice writing essays using those prompts was also quite helpful. 
I am sure folks who have taken the exam more recently can give more advice; hope this is something you can get started with. 
Best, 
Miso 


Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 14, 2022, at 6:37 PM, Maura Loberg via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello all! I hope everyone has had a fabulous summer, and you're all getting ready for pumpkin spice latte season! I'm entering my junior year of college, and grad school is looming. I know I will want to take the GRE, even though some schools have waived the requirement due to COVID. I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction as far as securing accommodations on time. I also thought I would ask if any generous humans have braille prep books they would be willing to part with? I would pay any and all fees. This would be a huge help! Thanks so much in advance!
> 
> Maura J. Loberg, she/her/hers
> Psychology B.A.
> Nebraska Wesleyan University | Class of 2024.
> 
> 
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