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GregK

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I'm considering going back to school to get my PhD in biochemistry or a related discipline (virology or mechanisms of drug action most likely). I currently have a MS in organic chemistry and a BS in biochemistry, both from universities in Canada. There, I didn't have to write any GRE, so I'm wondering, if I were to apply to a school here in the US, what is the GRE like? Is it a brutal exhausting test, something that should be studied for for months? I'm assuming I would have to take the general and a specific chemistry one. I have worked as a research chemist for 4 years so I'm not too worried about a chemistry test, but what about the general test? Does anyone here have anything to comment on the GRE? Anyone have any experiences writing the GRE they care to share?

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It's also been several years since I took GRE. I believe it is now all computer-based. When I took it, it was still a paper test. Aren't there three sections-verbal, math and analytical?

I didn't do too well on GRE (especially verbal). My (poor) excuse was that English isn't my first language. But many international students do get high scores on all sections. Anyway, I managed to get into graduate school. But if I did well on GRE, I think I would have had more options. So, my answer to your question is that you should prepare well for GRE.

BTW, I do have a Ph.D. in Biochemistry (although the area of my research is Human Genetics).

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I took the GRE (paper) about five years ago. Verbal, Analytical, Quantitative (or something like that). I certainly did nothing to prepare, and was rewarded by an imperfect result.

One certainly *can* study for this, though. Probably not worth your while to spend time learning vocabulary lists, unless you have hopes of becoming a professional Scrabble player as well. But, a brief glance at an intro to formal logic book (like the book Copi co-authored with another fellow, called "Intro to Logic" [sections on formal and informal logic] or some such) could help, if you're at all concerned with the Analytic portion.

Good luck!

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I agree with the others -- it's worth preparing for the exam. I took it on my computer and wasn't used to the format, so I didn't do as well as I wanted the first time I took it.

If graduate chemistry is anything like graduate economics, then your score on the verbal section won't matter very much. They'll be impressed if you can SPEAK English.

Guy

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It's also been several years since I took GRE. I believe it is now all computer-based. When I took it, it was still a paper test. Aren't there three sections-verbal, math and analytical?

I didn't do too well on GRE (especially verbal). My (poor) excuse was that English isn't my first language. But many international students do get high scores on all sections. Anyway, I managed to get into graduate school. But if I did well on GRE, I think I would have had more options. So, my answer to your question is that you should prepare well for GRE.

BTW, I do have a Ph.D. in Biochemistry (although the area of my research is Human Genetics).

Thanks for the responses everyone. I don't think I'll be writing the GRE for a couple of years anyway, but it's something that I am just starting to think about.

JM, you say you have a PhD in biochem-are there any graduate schools that you can recommend for the chemistry side of biochemistry? Right now I've only looked at Michigan (for their pharmacology program) and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

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Here's my take: the general GRE is a somewhat more difficult version of the SAT. The math section will be a cakewalk for you, since you have a science background. Ditto the logic section. The verbal section is a vocabulary test as much as anything else, and you're not going to improve your vocabulary to the point where you are likely to see improved test results in a short period of time. In sum, I wouldn't bother studying for the general.

I took the physics GRE in 1999. Half of it was a cakewalk. The other half was a surprise in various ways:

1) There were more questions of an advanced nature than I had anticipated. For instance, there was a three part quantum perturbation theory question, were each part relied on the answer from the previous part.

2) There were a lot of historical questions. For instance, who published paper X, who first discovered Y, what device was used to measure the speed of light in the 19th sentury, etc., etc. I had about 10 questions (out of 100) like this.

3) There were a few questions just designed to test whether you were familiar with certain, seldom used notations, particularly in nuclear physics, which is obviously of some relevance to chemistry.

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I took the GREs nearly 40 years ago. In those days if you were good at multiple choice exams you did well. I scored very high in both math (which I hadn't taken since first year) and American Literature which I had never studied at all. (And about which I still don't know very much.) If they're still the same, take them if you're good at multiple choice exams.

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For the subject exams, it's all about your percentile. In some exams, 75% will put you in the 90th percentile, in other exams, it will put you in the 70th. Bear in mind that they give many different exams in one testing period, but they calculate the percentile for each exam individually.

What I am saying only applies to the subject tests. The computer-based general exams are scored differently.

Edited by J Larsen
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My understanding is that they have done away with Analytic completely and replaced it with an essay section. It probably wouldn't hurt to buy one of the guides to the GRE, particularly if it talks a bit about the computer scoring and gives some sample vocabulary and math problems. But if you take multiple choice tests well, it shouldn't be a problem.

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My understanding is that they have done away with Analytic completely and replaced it with an essay section. It probably wouldn't hurt to buy one of the guides to the GRE, particularly if it talks a bit about the computer scoring and gives some sample vocabulary and math problems. But if you take multiple choice tests well, it shouldn't be a problem.

I took the LSAT about 4 years ago (not that I ever did anything with the results, though they were good): I bought one of those study guides beforehand and believe it helped a lot, particularly in practicing for the essay (the thing that scared me the most beforehand). So I second Eric's recommendation to get an up-to-date GRE guide. Good luck!

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I took the LSAT about 4 years ago (not that I ever did anything with the results, though they were good)

Reminds me of when a college buddy was studying for the LSAT. He was having a real hard time, and he'd ask me the questions, and I was getting them right, one after the other. Man, did that piss him off, that another poli-sci major, one who, unlike almost every poli-sci major since the dawn of time, didn't have any interest in the law, was breezing through it. :g

As far as the GRE goes, I took mine over 10 years ago, so all of the changes since then render my experience pretty useless. I'm pretty sure the analytic part was being tested when I took it, it wasn't an official part of the exam yet. I remember hearing that the SAT is a good predictor, but my scores flipped from the SAT, with my math score being significantly higher, like 650, and verbal going down. I always had the feeling that my math score had a lot to do with my getting accepted at Washington University, where at that time the Political Science department had a strong reputation for econometric approaches to the discipline.

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I've tried to put these tests out of my mind but as a veteran of them as we all are, I recommend a course. When I had to take the bar exam, half of it is what is called the Multistate which is a multiple choice (guess) kind of test, just like the SATs. I took a course and I doubt I would have passed the bar without it.

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It's also been several years since I took GRE.  I believe it is now all computer-based.  When I took it, it was still a paper test.  Aren't there three sections-verbal, math and analytical?

I didn't do too well on GRE (especially verbal).  My (poor) excuse was that English isn't my first language.  But many international students do get high scores on all sections.  Anyway, I managed to get into graduate school.  But if I did well on GRE, I think I would have had more options.  So, my answer to your question is that you should prepare well for GRE.

BTW, I do have a Ph.D. in Biochemistry (although the area of my research is Human Genetics).

Thanks for the responses everyone. I don't think I'll be writing the GRE for a couple of years anyway, but it's something that I am just starting to think about.

JM, you say you have a PhD in biochem-are there any graduate schools that you can recommend for the chemistry side of biochemistry? Right now I've only looked at Michigan (for their pharmacology program) and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Greg,

I wish I could be more helpful, but I really can't comment on good biochemistry schools. As I said, I am a human geneticist, who happens to have a degree in biochemistry. If you are into human genetics, I can certainly recommend good schools to go to.

JM

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Don't want to disagree with Brad too much, but the GREs really are different and probably easier than law school boards. I think a course is probably not necessary, though a good book is helpful. One strategy might be to take the GREs early next year. If the scores are good, then no worries, since they are good for 5 years or so. If a subject or two is low, then you can investigate a course or study harder, and still have time for a second set of scores before applying to schools.

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