Anyway, I have been feeling a bit taupe, over here.
Showing posts with label grad school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grad school. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
taupe
I tend to think of this blog in terms of taupe posts and lime posts. The Taupes being about serious or heavy topics, the Limes being lighthearted and short. I try to keep it rather even between the two. You know, balance, what have you.
Anyway, I have been feeling a bit taupe, over here.
Anyway, I have been feeling a bit taupe, over here.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
seventeenth percentile
The time has come for me to start studying for the GRE. I started reading through my GRE book yesterday, and discovered (to my horror) that they are changing the test in August of 2011. I would rather NOT do some crazy new test that I can't prepare for, so I am going to have to take it by July. Which actually is pretty good timing, IF I start studying now. Good thing I looked at the book, huh?
In case you have not applied to grad school recently, the GRE has three sections: writing, math, and verbal. The math and verbal are basically like harder versions of the SAT. The writing is some kind of crap like nothing I have ever seen before. The writing prompts are not really writing prompts at all, it's just some crazy statement, and then you are supposed to "discuss." I am sure there is some kind of formula for scoring well on them, like there were for the issue spotting essays when I took the bar, I just have to learn the system.
Anyway, I took the practice test today, and holy crap. I scored in the 43rd percentile for math and verbal, and in the SEVENTEENTH percentile on the writing. Apparently, my gut feeling was correct and I have no idea what they are looking for when they tell me to "discuss" a statement. But the seventeenth percentile for writing is not so great for someone who wants to get into an English program, is it? This is the percentage of GRE test takers that scored higher on the writing section than I did:
Just in case the full impact of being in the seventeenth percentile didn't hit you the first time.
In case you have not applied to grad school recently, the GRE has three sections: writing, math, and verbal. The math and verbal are basically like harder versions of the SAT. The writing is some kind of crap like nothing I have ever seen before. The writing prompts are not really writing prompts at all, it's just some crazy statement, and then you are supposed to "discuss." I am sure there is some kind of formula for scoring well on them, like there were for the issue spotting essays when I took the bar, I just have to learn the system.
Anyway, I took the practice test today, and holy crap. I scored in the 43rd percentile for math and verbal, and in the SEVENTEENTH percentile on the writing. Apparently, my gut feeling was correct and I have no idea what they are looking for when they tell me to "discuss" a statement. But the seventeenth percentile for writing is not so great for someone who wants to get into an English program, is it? This is the percentage of GRE test takers that scored higher on the writing section than I did:
83
Just in case the full impact of being in the seventeenth percentile didn't hit you the first time.
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