GRE discussion

[shadowcross]

When I Inquired of the GRE examinations, my education councilors, said these are out of the question until, after I get a bachelor's degree.

I realize these tests are super-hard, but the rewards up to 30 credits, is far too tempting.

So is there any pre-qualifications to take the GRE?

Cheers!

[tcc]

I took the GRE without having a bachelor's degree. Many people take the subject GREs without having taken the undergraduate courses associated with the subject. In my case, I had tested out of some introductory psych courses, but that was it. Where are the counselors you spoke to getting their information?

[snazzlefrag]

Originally Posted by shadowcross

When I Inquired of the GRE examinations, my education councilors, said these are out of the question until, after I get a bachelor's degree.

I realize these tests are super-hard, but the rewards up to 30 credits, is far too tempting.

So is there any pre-qualifications to take the GRE?

Cheers!

The GRE subject-specific examinations are intended, primarily, to allow you to prove to a graduate admissions committee that you actually LEARNED what you were supposed to learn, in the process of earning the 30 'major' credits towards your Bachelor's degree.

Thus, if you score very highly on a GRE, you will have proven that you know the subject well enough to have earned 30 credits in the subject. As a result of this, some colleges will ACTUALLY go ahead and award you the 30 credits towards your major if you take and pass the appropriate GRE subject exam prior to earning your Bachelor's.

This absolutely makes sense!

However, the vast majority of people who take the GRE have already earned their Bachelor's and are now trying to impress the graduate admissions people. This is why your education counselors said what they did.

One potential problem with earning all 30 credits of your major by passing the GRE (with a very high score), is that your transcript will simply list something like this:

"GRE English Literature - 30 credits - 680 - PASS"

While this might earn you a degree, it won't necessarily impress a graduate admissions committee. They will likely be looking for certain grades and specific course titles. So you may have trouble getting into a Master's program if your entire major was earned by passing the GRE.

However, if you already hold a Bachelor's degree, and now simply wish to earn a second degree in a different subject, the GRE might be the perfect opportunity.

As far as I know, there are no pre-requisites to taking the GRE. Anyone can register, pay the fee, and take the test. But, as you already know, the GRE exams are not like taking a CLEP. You WILL need to know enough about your chosen subject to earn 30 credits in one exam. So it definitely isn't a means to bypass the required learning, rather it is a means to bypass having to prove your knowledge of each course INDIVIDUALLY (as with CLEP/DANTES/ECE/TECEPs, etc.).

Best of luck,
Snazzlefrag