Yes. click my profile then send a message.

Smarthematician:


For all the current editions of GRE prep materials I can send for a token. So I can pay for my internet


Are these still available?

please drop your email let me know?

Grave consequence

Tough love! Hope they come through throughout the process. I wonder why someone would get offended on a faceless forum. It's anonymous so that one can handle truths in their convenience without getting embarrassed.

I've applied to six universities and I spent over $2,000 already. Perhaps, I shouldn't have paid for WES but I'm under no illusions, this thing isn't cheap. If all my applications required WES, that would've been an additional $300. Some unis even require official transcripts, which I paid 50k for that I didn't include. I haven't paid visa fees, I might get denied more than once even with travel history as it's quite common nowadays. Rich people with funded offers also get denied. There's also flight money, if visa gets approved. I also pay for internet and extra GRE score reports. Then the mother, living money, if your funding doesn't cover the recommended.

Get offended if you like, it doesn't distort facts that only your family or yourself would believe in you enough to pay for all these and give you bank statements for the visa.

Dude, there's nothing wrong in what he said, in fact, it's gold advice for the archives. Yankee no dey run! Even with fully funded offers people get denied visas. So, if you are having problems raising funds for common GRE resit, you better re-examine your aspirations because that's probably the cheapest aspect in all these, especially @ 45k.

Merry Christmas btw. It's not all about america.

md17:
Ponpon... you seriously think I don’t know all of these right?? I should man up, isn’t it? It’s not your fault anyways. You see, there’s no strict order in getting your stuffs ready. What if I’ve done all of those and I just need to re-write the GRE to boost my chances. BTW, those that felt concerned already got in touch. Merry Christmas Sir.

So unfortunate, hope all is not lost? I should add to your warning that there is a popular Nigerian criminal tendency of paying online fees and charges for others with stolen credit cards, of which it is the unsuspecting victim (not the owner of the card) that gets blacklisted and would appear as the criminal/thief. The reason I am leery of many massive discounted payment offers of standard fees from organizations that clearly do not provide any such discounts.

jegz50:
Hello House.

Permit me to make this post. I would like to advice all applicants, to ensure that they make application fee payment themselves. In fact if someone would have to pay for you because of financial constraints, unfavorable exchange rate or whatever PLEASE ENSURE IT IS SOMEONE YOU KNOW VERY WELL. I have discovered that some people exploit this application payment thing to SCAM fellow Nigerians. Recently, I logged unto my application portal and discovered my APPLICATION WAS WITHDRAWN BEFORE DECISION WAS MADE. Upon mailing the grad cord. She told me I went to the bank to revert the payment, and thus my application is null.

I was all over the place. Apparently, the person I asked to make the payment for me had other ideas about how to double his gain. This is very bad because I loose in two ways; A bad reputation with the school and wasted resources in terms of scores, transcript and recommendation sent.

I believe my post will save an APPLICANT OUT THERE, because recently this same thing happened to my friend. Different agent made payment, but the same end game. Let us consider future generations and future applicants. WHAT IF NIGERIANS GET BLACK LISTED FROM US SCHOOLS?.

Someone might say that is not possible, But do a search and you will discover there is a list of countries that US schools are skeptical and wary of, whenever a citizen makes an application from them. Nigerians are already perceived as dubious, con stars and fraudsters.

PLEASE, I BEG THOSE PERPETRATING THESE KIND OF EGREGIOUS AND UNNERVING ACTIONS TO STOP!!!

let us restore the GOOD OLD DAYS OF INTEGRITY......Pay that application fee yoursefl!!

I wish everyone success, admission and funding come 2019.

In this short life that somebody would still die again? I probably won't be able to empathize fully as my social standing wouldn't require such desperation but even so, common! going through all these for years - uncertainty, anxiety, loneliness, and frustration, without reuniting ones family (you could even lose them and still not show up for their funeral) for GC plus no guarantees because one might still end up broke or in debt or sick with cancer or something If this isn't misery at its finest, I wonder what is.

To each his own abeg, everyone decides what their life is worth. If you ask me, getting a 5.0 cgpa and securing a scholarship to the same country that would open a world of opportunities is way easier than what I've read here. Maybe Nigerians, as per self-acclaimed toughest breeds omostreet, just prefer the more adventurous path laced with landmines of humiliation, sanctions, deportation perhaps jailterms. Na wa! but what do I know.

The US is one hell of a place though.

The point isn't about homosexuality or your favorite folklore religion. The point is that just because you believe in and hold sacred something I consider ridiculous and deleterious to the mind does not give you the right to impose your own biases on others and the video up there, is just a depiction of that. IMN think they are the children of Mohammed, the Sunnis are infuriated that these 'heathens' desecrate their sacred prophet, plus they have guns.

You talk about Christianity but grossly ignorant of its history yet you think you lot are the chosen ones for what is right. Let me give you a tip, maybe it would ignite something in you. Jesus Christ is God, and God is omniscient, how come it was after 1600 years after God came down to earth that he decided to come to your ancestors through slave masters? Didn't He even know that africans were the first humans on earth?

You can choose to continue holding your superstitions all you want but if you have any conscience at all and can reflect on the divisions abrahamic religions have brought to the negroes especially when these religions historically didn't give a shit about black people, you would see how stupid these things are. How can an hausa man kill another hausa man because his version of Mohammad, the slave master pedo, is different or you look at your brother and say he deserves no rights because of your book of talking snake and donkey says it's demonic.

Enjoy yourself, blame Buhari all you want but he, like you, like the soldiers, and other religious fundamentalists think your god is in charge and are too ignorant about the religions you profess.

I was a Christian btw, if it would make you feel better, before I started learning about what I was indoctrinated with as a child by my society. You too can be freed, only through knowledge.

donnie:


You complicate your problem when you combine fighting for fundamental rights with atheistic views.

Ok what do you want? Approval to conduct gay weddings in Nigeria?

The Christian view is that homosexuality is an oppression of the mind. It is abnormal, demonic and those enslaved by it need compassion (not hatred) from Christians, and of course, deliverance in the name of Jesus and through His Word.

It is possible to live a disciplined, Spirit-filled life (regardless of what feelings or impure sexual attractions you might have had) if you so desire.

Question is, Do you?

Examine your conscience and ask why you think gay people don't deserve rights? If your strong opinion against conscious sexual preferences of consenting individuals is from a book of talking snakes and donkeys or prophet splitting the moon, the joke is on you to really examine your sanity because it is such calcified biases founded on deranged superstitions that lead to Sunni muslim soldiers to gleefully kill their Shia brothers, sisters and children in the name of religion, one which from inception didn't give a shįt about black people.

Mind you, I contemplated for long whether I should respond to your comment but decided you are worth an education.

Anyway, enjoy the holidays!

donnie:


Must you use every opportunity to campaign for gay rights?

Many times I wonder how the colonialists were inveigled into abdicating sophisticated and rigorously thought concepts of government, law and democracy to barbarians in Africa.

This is beyond Buhari, it is the culmination of individual biases and intolerance africans hold against one another. Give them religion that isn't even about them that they never contributed an iota to and watch them kill one another over it. Give them governments and watch the cycle over and over.

You may be quick to blame the president and the soldiers but look in the mirror how many believe homosexuals deserve to be killed because 'our religious book and God says so'

Eternal curses to the scourge of islam and the abrahamic religions in Africa. It's just unfortunate that even the educated ones are ignorant to realize that Islam and Christianity are fairy tales from superstitious goat herders.

Shithole!!

The WAEC requirement is a recent one. One can only imagine how many scam degrees WES must have recieved from Nigeria to include it.

So Yes, WAEC is part of the requirements and the evaluation cannot be completed until after they've recieved your verified results. By the way, ensure to include a scratch card along with your postal order.

darkelf:


Dude. Please I asked for a second opinion because I wasn't sure. If you guys had concurred, I would have processed with the WAEC result.

No offence oga, but you sounded a bit rude with your reply. Try to sound more courteous next time please.

PS: I had visited their website and I saw it as part of the requirements but I wasn't sure if it was compulsory.

Anyways, thanks all the same

Sorry about that. I understand your frustration, given that you had a month in-between and had this score. Honestly, the GRE is one test that makes smart people feel stupid and should never be underestimated. Statistically, people only improve by a few points in such time.
You just have to try again, I think your score, especially with the recent quant would hurt your application more, given that Geophysics is math based. Your GPA is great but imagine adcoms viewing your transcripts and seeing As in advanced calculus and math courses in contrast with a 146 quants. Q152 was 46th percentile for me – last year it was 47th, meaning people are performing much better this year, or at least 3 months before I took mine. Q146 would be much lower, 24th percentile last year, could be 23rd for you ie. your score was only better than 24% of the takers within 3 months of your exam. Many would expect a 50% and above

Options:
1. If you have anything else going for you like research exp., relevant internships, work exp, or super strong references, ask for the GRE to be waived for you, give reasons like finances, no time because of work etc something, anything.
2. If not, move your admission plan to next spring or fall, to give you more time to prepare for the GRE. That's if you want to study in a decent university that would provide funding.

Someone gained a fully funded admission with similar scores into an R1 university but I won't raise your hopes, because the person was the best graduating student in her university and was in contact with a professor long before considering admission also had a research proposal and publication(s). Only took the GRE because she was advised to apply and also it's one of those programs where the GRE is gradually being phased out.
Most times, even after being recommended by a faculty member, one would still have to take meet GRE minimums if any; you would have to be somewhat of a God's gift to the field for a professor to argue your case against required scores.

You could take chances but always be upfront with your profile and scores with the graduate officer of your department before you apply. I wish I could tell you that it is likely that you would raise your score by 13 to 15 in a month, under pressure, but it's extremely difficult, exponentially so for a 23 to 25+ increase. If you think you can, by all means, register again and go hard.

Good luck, and enjoy the season o. It's not all about GRE and grad admissions

mrcodebreaker:
Rewrote yesterday, But sadly I got 287 - Q 146 and V 141. Previous score 285 - Q 140 and V 145 and my toefl was 87. I am mentally drained and I am not writing again. I will have to raise money to pay the fees, I just have to work hard. CGPA 4.23/5.0. I am looking to study Geophysics. Please what are my chances. I sent my latest 287 scores to; texas a & m kingsville, Michigan Tech, Colorado state Uni, UT Dallas and I sent my first 285 scores I sent it to; Texas a & m Kingsville, Texas El Paso, Uni of Utah, Uni of Tulsa.

What are my chances. What do you think I should do. Please please I cannot rewrite again. Whats the way forward?

With a profile like yours, the GRE would not factor much and its good. You should shoot higher IMO only that you must have missed a lot of guaranteed review deadlines from the elite universities.

How did you come about your school selections?

Here's what I suggest you do, look for top schools that their deadlines are in January or late December, depending on how ready your supplementary materials are, and contact the graduate program officer, their email is usually on the program page. Send an email with your profile asking if it is within competitive range for admission for an international student. Attach your CV too (ensure it's less than 5MB to avoid it being spammed) I bet they'll all say yes, but you might get some interesting replies too like 'a couple of our professors are interested' etc You can then apply first, then contact the professors afterwards.

Getting late, but try with reach schools (no school is reaching with your GPA and research mettle)

Good luck!

**Don't forget to share your GRE experience and admission trails. Giving back makes the world a better place

NoelJunior:
Good evening geniuses,
Please kindly help evaluate my chances for PhD Computer Science (with funding). My profile is:
B.Sc Statistics with Computer (4.54/5)
M.Sc Statistics (4.87/5)
GRE: 310 (Quant-160, Verbal-150), AWA-4.0
TOEFL: 97 (Reading 21; Listening 21; Speaking 25; Writing 30)
Research Experience: 8 publications (4 Lead authored and 4 co-authored)
Skills: Python, Cinema 4D, Java, R, Machine Learning, Data Mining and Web development (with PHP & MySQL)
I’m worried that my TOEFL didn’t aggregate to 100 and my GRE Verbal is too low. Please are there chances of landing a TA or any kind of financial assistantship? Do I retake any or both of the tests? Meanwhile I chose FSU, OSU and WMU but yet to submit any application. Just got my TOEFL results.
God bless you.

Need access to a research paper? send a message I might be able to get it.

What are you applying for?

pronto543:
Good Morning friends,

I received my first admission decision mail this morning from Michigan Tech. It was a rejection . I applied for 2019 Fall intake session-an early application as the application deadline is February 2019.

Reason: "There currently is no advisor available in your specified area of interest". My application was marked "Completed" on November 10, 2018.

I'm awaiting decision from 5 other schools. USF is another school that has marked my application as complete as my program requires 2 references. It been marked completed since November 5th.


The 4 remaining schools require 3 referees. The third referee has failed to complete the online reference forms after several promises. I intend travelling to meet him next tomorrow. I wouldn't fold my hand and watch my dreams truncated.

I am not really surised by the rejection from Michigan Tech as most applicants on grafcafe and Yocket are usually rejected or not funded at all. I wouldn't have applied if not for the free application fee waiver. Although, I had to send my original TOEFL result to the dept.

My advice to everyone is to apply early and to many schools and be careful about applying to schools with application fee waiver. We shall make it!

PowerPrep

doziej84:
Abeg guys, which GRE practice tests provider best simulates the real GRE questions?

frostsc:
I doff my hat to these erudite scholars. The panache, sagacity, pizzazz and oomph with which you took your stand and gave reasons to support your motion displays your preponderance of perspicacious yet congrously precise ideologies.

Both views are right, depending on how you choose to look at it. Let's call a truce and help others in the little way we can. I'm really impressed by your wealth of savoir faire.

How you conveniently re-engineered my benign comment of encouragement and motivation to one that discourages people from applying to their dream schools is quite impressive really. You might as well be arguing with your self about 99th percentile GRE admission prospects.

1. His target schools and his GRE score only led to the assumptions that I made. For someone struggling with the GRE, at the brink of giving up trying, and having only Harvard and Stanford type schools on his list.
2. Saccharine stories for me is your type of disjointed logic. The only information about the person you referenced was her GRE score and deduce she is nigerian. If you simply believe just because she is nigerian and on nairaland and got into Harvard everyone can, fine. But I would bet my onions that she was surprised about her denied admission decision mainly because of information she never disclosed. Obviously, maybe not to you, she was quite confident about her chances. You don't believe, fine but don't accuse me of misleading people when there are increasing numbers of quality students not making the cut.

Here, again from the same article you said you read:

"Acceptance always involves some degree of luck. As one professor at Harvard told me after I had been turned down, “I am not at all sure that the reason for your not getting in was entirely your fault. My view is that it was primarily due to the fact that the applicant pool was very large and the number of places allowed to us very few. To give an example: We had at least seven Africanists who could have expected to be accepted at any first-rate university in the USA. We were only permitted to admit one. As a result of the very low acceptance ratio, the process has a high level of serendipity to it."

If one has an slightly above average educational history, not standing out at any point in academics, no awards invariably no shiny recommendations, a 99th percentile GRE would give adcoms a benefit of a doubt in that case, to consider reasons your profile should be considered above those 'superstars' with glowing recommendations from Nobel laurettes.

And YES, being on a self-funded PhD has much greater chances of admission than being funded by the department or faculty member. The real competition lies where the money is at. I mean you meet the requirements for admission into Oxford or Cambridge and can conveniently pay £40k+ for 3-4 years including money on rent etc, how many people would be competing for that? This isn't just hypothetical, I know people who have admission letters. It seems I'm more optimistic here than you are, how ironic.

It's not about $100 left or not, I only used that to explain my point. From the information given, it showed either the person does not know what lies ahead or the competition he is up against and I inferred and made my suggestion appropriately. You are the one making an encouraging comment seem like a warning. Why haven't you talked about how his masters should be perfect and how people without perfect masters get into Harvard?

I see you are suggesting 'safe' schools, why didn't you advise him about adding those, instead chose to pick out my comment.

By the way, this is an anonymous forum, and being one prevents people from disclosing full information about their profiles. So, if I claim or actually got into MIT and I share my GPA and GRE score, that is too little information to run away with and start preaching the 'mediocre students get into Harvard too' sermon. I might have attended some of the best schools and referenced by world-renowned faculty members who mentored someone on the admission committee. Not everyone on nairaland attended school in Nigeria. You simply don't know so I'll rather use the story and account of an Ivy league fulbright scholar and Harvard professor whose profiles are out there along with others as a yardstick than a nairaland anecdote. You don't have do the same, neither did I ask you or anyone to.

The End! Back to my corner.

Postfut:


Yes we can't tell same for the guy who asked or submitted his profile in the first place for evaluation. My point is we should stop throwing blanket assertions about what will get you an admit into a top school. Of course the "sweeter" your profile the better for you but still there are no guarantees or assurances except explicitly stated on the school's website. Peeps with "mediocre" profile have gotten in while those with "superstar" profile have been rejected and vice-versa. I repeat a "99 percentile" will boost your chances but guarantees nothing you can only know about your chances until you try and apply first.


Oh common not a fan of saccharine stories and a firm believer in statistics yet you have failed to drop one to back up your "facts"


So being on a self-funded Phd program equals to being easier to get in? Even at that, there are also shitloads of scholarship at Oxbridge too. There students who are fully funded programs there too.


Lastly, we do not know if the person in question has only 100$ left. As we make statements please put some caveats and restrain from hasty generalization except you have a reliable source that backs it up. An innocent lad seeing your post and without a 99percentile might be discouraged to apply if we keep making statements like this based on conjectures.


@All, If you do not have a 99 percentile please still apply to your dream school and other "safe schools" you never can tell until you try. No one on this forum can confidently tell your admission chances.

Postfut:



In as much I agree with you.No one can tell you the magic pill that will get you an admit to top schools, good GRE helps but does not guarantee an admit at top schools. What happened to LORs, SOPs, Extracurriculars, GPA, Research Experience, Publication etc.


This guy got into Havard(A Nigerian ) without the perfect score or prestigious school tag.


https://www.nairaland.com/4225931/general-u.s.a-student-visa-enquiries-part/371#68743725


In fact, you can be denied admission for a diversity of reasons. I encourage everyone to read the link above. I have seen 315 get into Stanford and have seen 330 GRE score denied.

Yes, like I said previously 99 percentiles also get rejected. The person is you referenced who got in never disclosed their profile and educational background but scored 322 /4.5 on the GRE, not perfect but was surprised when (s)he was denied admission by Harvard University perhaps that should have told you something. I'm not one for wishy washy sweet stories, I go by statistics. For all we know the person is a Nigerian with 322 GRE that got into Harvard. Would you be surprised if you got a 4.0/5 CGPA top 15% in your department, never was the outstanding student anytime throughout your academic history, no work experience in a prestigious company and with that GRE score if you get rejected from Harvard? If you had only $100 for one application, would you apply to Harvard with this profile? Perhaps you would and you'd advise someone to but I won't and won't advise it.
I also mentioned again that I assume this person isn't the lad winning all the awards in the university. A number of Nigerians are Harvard alumni so I never mentioned anything about Nigerians not getting admissions.

By the way, it is definitely NOT easy to get into Oxford.


PS. For your info, I have read that link before.

Talk about what you know. I only said it was easier to get into Oxford university if you meet the minimums and can pay the school fees. There a lot of self-funded PhDs in Cambridge and Oxford that are not the superstars you might think, if they were, they probably won't be paying for it.

I've lost the point of this. I never said the lad shouldn't apply neither did I mention that only 99%iles get admitted. My post was directed and it is not out of place. A 99%ile score would guarantee an application is looked as long as the minimums are met and for the schools (s)he is considering it isn't an unrealistic target.

Postfut:

Stop misleading people you don't need a 99percentile to get an admit at those schools. Of course, a top score does not hurt.

Of course, they usually have their minimums on the website and the holistic criteria narrative for admission but consider that almost everyone who'd have a 99%ile would apply to those schools + more emphasis is placed on GRE for applications from outside the US and unknown universities. I only assume (s)he isn't the lad winning all the awards in his/her university at the moment, so a 99th percentile target isn't out of place.
Besides, having a first and best graduating accolades from Nigeria with an atrocious 15%ile GRE scores only hurts your application and the academic rigour of university if anything. I'm a realist not a motivational speaker. But you're right, 99th percentile isn't all that is needed because they get rejected too.

2) For you to even be admitted to Oxford you probably have a solid background in Maths same cant be said of this guy in question. So this is a poor analogy.

I was talking about an Oxford student's GRE experience, not Oxford admissions. Oxford is easier to get in if you meet the minimums and have money to pay their school fees.

You should read this too: http://blogs.cofc.edu/honors/2017/04/10/i-was-rejected-by-every-phd-program-i-applied-to-this-year-i-got-into-my-top-choice-heres-how/

Perhaps I’d been overconfident, but the string of rejections caught me off-guard. During the application process, I’d felt as if I had my bases covered: A full scholarship during my undergraduate studies as an honors student, a master’s degree in anthropology, a year of research under my belt while on a prestigious Fulbright fellowship. One of my letters of recommendation had been written by a MacArthur genius. I’d thought I was a shoo-in. Where had I gone wrong?

The simple answer: I’d overestimated the odds of acceptance. In recent years, the number of applications to graduate schools has swelled while the pot of money available to them, especially to applicants outside of the hard sciences, has shrunk. Harvard’s Department of Anthropology, for example, receives over 250 applications each year, but only has spots for fewer than 10 students. That’s around a 4% acceptance rate. Other departments are even more exclusive—not necessarily because they desire to be, but because they lack the resources (including both funding and faculty) to admit more people."

The Manhattan 8 books series starts from the basics but I agree he should have those books handy. It would erroneous to ignore the background of people who score highly on the GRE only to attribute it to their preparation time.
There's a popular article on Medium about "How to score 330+ in 20 days" The guy was just going on about how elementary and high schooly the GRE quants is although he mentioned if you were solid in high school or a math major quants shouldn't give any problems. These guys easily score 320+ cold so their 10 days-340 scores are usually due to their experiences+preparation.
People who smashed SATs do better on AW and Verbal and on tests like the GRE compared with people who didn't at all. So, people should know themselves and manage expectations if they don't have time to begin from elementary stuff.

STENON:
Sorry about that. Please Don't start preparation by GRE textbooks for quantitative. Go and buy new general mathematics for JSS1, JSS2 and then move to new general maths for Ss1 and ss2. After that, you can start going over GRE quantitative textbooks. All the best to you

You have time so there is nothing to be scared about. As a rule, never register for the exam before you start preparing. It would only increase your anxiety and frustration index. Just have a deadline in your head and prepare like that's your exam day.

I'd suggest you complete all 8 Manhattan books including the 5lb. Work at your pace but try to do more each study time. Look at GRE this way: "I have to finish all these books before I take a practice test" If your score is 300+ you could then register for the exam and work on your weaknesses. Also complete all the official GRE books and materials you can find. Trust if you do these you'd be upper 80th percentile. I'd also recommend you self-study first because it's good training to learn about yourself and learning preferences especially for a prospective PhD that would likely be required to teach undergraduates at Harvard or Stanford. If all else fails, get a tutor.
For the schools you're aiming at, you'll need 99th percentile scores and your Master's degree should be perfect or and have an outstanding research.

A strategy from an Oxford final year science undergrad was that he worked out at least 200 quant questions of each question type. This was someone that had 323 cold o. He ended up 2 months later with 338 (Q170 V168 AW6). So, it can be done with time and effort.

Coloniel5000:
hello house, actually have been here once and I did write GRE but no much preparation and I score low Q,139, V,145, Awa,3.0... and I decided not to write again since my school never ask for GRE as requirement for my program, my visa has been refused on several attempts and have started my MSC here in Nigeria... but I'll be applying for my PhD next year and I'm considering top schools like Harvard, Standford and the likes...I know I'll be needing a good GRE score, but truth be told, I'M SCARED OF GRE, I can cope with the verbal and AWA part but maths is my problem... frankly speaking after months of preparation I remember I went for my GRE test and in the exam I had to just pick quantitative answers at random because I just couldn't solve any...just to say I'm TERRIBLE at maths...but I really want to score at least 310 above if I must get into those schools since my other application is good.. have decided to write GRE again and spend enough time preparing against next year application for those top schools..... PLEASE HOUSE, HOW CAN YOU HELP ME..I REALLY NEED HELP. THANKS.

Thanks. I contacted the graduate program officer some days ago and he said it might take some time but I keep getting prompted about my incomplete application. I'll contact them again on Monday hopefully it would be sorted next week.

and YesWeCan o for the Fall '19 matter

Sherlock5577:

You have good score and thanks for sharing. I also got that feeling of retaking too. We've got the same scores, just a slight difference in our V and Q sections.
Concerning your reported scores, you should mail the contact support given on the grad application website. Sometimes it might have been sent already and the graduate school may still be trying to sort out reported scores to their corresponding applicant profiles. I believe you'll get a quick response. If the customer support tells you they've not received it, then mail IELTS contact support. I faced a similar experience with my TOEFL, and it was resent without any charges. Although, the reply I got before it was resent said it was sent the first time. But they chose to resend it again.
Yes we can
#Fall '19

I sent my GRE score on test day using departmental codes and have noticed that they haven't been updated on any of my application profiles ever since unlike one I sent a few days ago without the departmental code. Is this a problem or is it from the schools? And does anyone here know how long it takes for IELTS TRFs to be mailed to schools. I don't even understand.

Update:

>>> Profile:
PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences/Medicinal Chemistry (US)

GPA: 3.25 (WES)
MGPA: 3.4 (WES)
Research: No publications. 2+ years exp.
GRE: 311 (V159 Q152 AW4)

I was disappointed and I really considered retaking, I know I could up my quants by at least 2 points, but I decided to put forward my applications anyway. I looked at some of the methods admissions are given and see some truth in "the GRE can keep you out but can't get you in." My composite score is within range for my applications to be looked at anyway.

Prelims:
1st attempt, cold (Manhattan) V156 Q151
2nd (Princeton) V159 Q153
3rd (Kaplan) V158 Q155

Then the shocker came two days before exam day,
PowerPrep I (306) V152 Q154

I was really shaken by this and couldn't sleep. So I started using only ETS materials. I completed all questions in the GRE Verbal and Quants books. I had already completed all exercises in the 3 editions of the Official GRE guidebooks. The SEs and TCs of the verbal were my fort, routinely scoring >85% on them. I had completed all the SE and TC exercises on the 5lb book, marked all the words I didn't know only to realise that they weren't at all helpful to the ETS SEs and TCs. Manhattan SEs and TC are structured differently – always having clues and require understanding of grandiloquent words. The RCs were decent ~40-60% depending on difficulty.

For the quants, I finished 3/8 of the Manhattan guide books, all the algebra and geometry exercises on the 5lb in addition to bits from other sections. My strengths were on geometry and algebra. I didn't really practice graphs and charts exercises, I was quite slow on those but accurate.

For the AW, I only read through some 6 pt essays a few days before and developed a structure I would use. From my PowerPrep I test I noticed I was slow and should up my speed and just write first especially if you are like me that think a lot.

Test Day 11/14:
I rested the day before, only looking sparsely at the AW essays at night. I arrived the centre earlier than most, 2 hours before stipulated time. The test started an additional 1+ hour later than expected. My AW issue was great, I wrote a long essay with real-life example and counterpoint. I guess I scored a 5 on the issue and 3 on the argument because my argument wasn't really sound and the length was just above half of what I had in the first section.
I was expecting quants first because I thought it would set me on a great footing but the Verbal section was the first. Going in, I planned to answer all the SEs and TCs first before meticulously picking out the RCs, but I was surprised by the kind of questions I met. The TCs were long and the SEs were long and honestly felt different, because of that I spent much more time on them than I usually would have. I thought I was guessing on some of them even. Moved on to the RCs, there came the long-winded super boring literature passages. Read over and over again, couldn't get the point, selected best guesses. On and on to the next section. Quants was decent, some of the first questions I plugged in values and exhausted options to find the answer, by the time I got to the Bar and charts questions I was running out of time, guessed on the final two questions.

Next Verbal was like nothing I had ever encountered in my life The TCs were two times longer (most 3 options), SEs had close words for answer choices and a bit more advanced words (nothing like manhattan) I spent longer time for them and these were supposed to be the ones I was confident at. Guessed at a number of them. The RCs were super voluminous, complex, vocab dense, and the answer choices lengthy. At this point my morale was eroded, I was supposed to be happy I got the difficult section for a shot at 160+ but I wasn't sure about any answer I had clicked. The guy next to me marked every mouse click with a huge sigh and a loud 'Jesus!' I always laugh when I remember how the GRE was giving him a dealing of his life

Moved on to the next quants, didn't notice any difference in difficulty but I started choking. I spent 3+ mins for calculating the distance a particle of light would travel in 3hours given the speed 3x10^8 m/s. And I got an answer that wasn't even listed . I was so disappointed at that point. I felt the pressure bursting the pipes. I ran out of time guessing for about 5 questions.

Next verbal was easier. Noticeably, shorter passages, one sentence SEs and single option TCs. I was thinking if the first verbal was the unscored section then I must have really flunked the previous difficult section to be getting these passages and TCs. I took my time and answered anyway. I was expecting a worse performance on the verbal but saw V159 Q152 on the screen at the end of the test. Surprised at the quants, didn't expect to score so low.

Looking at the GRE assessment report on my account, I found that I got most of the SEs and TCs correct, worst I did on any of the sections were 7/10 correct on the SE+TC. I got the hard verbal because I scored 15 correct on the first verbal but really messed up in the hard section. especially the RCs 2 or 3/10. The quants I only got 5 correct in the second section and scored about <14 on the first.

Useful Strategies
These are helpful suggestions that would lead to better scores.
General
Aim to get at least 14 correct in each section to get the hard section, because it is the only way to score 160+ on the adaptive test.
Consider the paper–based GRE (I would) until it has been phased out. Yes, extra 20 questions and writing with a pencil but no unscored section and your raw score is your actual score. I had more practice with the paper based materials and had little experience with the adaptive test so it is only logical.

Focus on your weakness and perfect them. Can't remember the article I found this but standardised tests are scored based on weaknesses not strengths. A month of practice might only improve your score a few points or not at all. Know thyself before spending money retaking a few days after. Especially if your score isn't as a result of running out of time on areas that you are confident at.

There is something called Choice Paralysis. Avoid it! Try to use as little prep materials at a time as much as possible. For Verbal use Official GRE materials and one other. The official ones should come after exhausting the other(s)
Verbal
Vocabulary is the least important if you like reading books and if you don't, you may not even get the hard section anyway. Don't waste time memorising flash cards or word lists!
For the TCs, read faster. Read the whole line including the blank without looking at the options, because GRE options are there to confuse you –On my actual test they were all meaningful depending on how you shuffle them – If you read that way you would notice your mind filling in the blank or at least you would understand the context. If it isn't happening, you are probably reading too slowly. The SEs are similar but easier, hard section a little advanced vocab.

Quants
I would use the advice myself

For all the current editions of GRE prep materials I can send for a token. So I can pay for my internet

frostsc:

... A Yoruba adage says "Someone who is wicked knows he's wicked. He's only looking for who to tell him" ...

You should be resting the day before not taking another exam. The GRE is also a stamina exam that tests your concentration for a stretch of about 4 hours. Add that 4 hours to the difference between the time you wake till the moment you are about to begin the test. It is very common for people to get mentally fatigued during the test. My first experience was delayed for over 4 hours before we eventually took the test, rest assured that I bombed it, 289 (V145 Q144 AW 3.0)

Anyway, make sure you get a lot of rest before the two days of your exams and after the TOEFL.

Good luck!

MIYATI:
Hello house, I have been following this page for months and I appreciate your enormous contributions. Finally my exams are hear, TOEFL Dec1 and GRE Dec 2.

No problem. When you have the time, you could drop a memoir here. Someone might get inspired.

slamcole:
Apologies, just seeing this. What exactly will you like to know?

Do you send additional GRE reports at cheaper rates?

ponpon:
Toefl is now going through y’all!!! Send those mails in... Patrick.jimoh60@gmail.com

abumeinben:

Please how much did you spend on wes evaluation?

WES Canada? 376 CAD. NB I have a number of degrees so it factored in and I did it before their frustrating WAEC requirement; would cost more currently.

And the did they mail the evaluation to you as I'm seeing two addresses: my residential and the chosen school's

Yes, they mailed copies to me according to what I specified and paid for. The options are there, from your screenshot, you opted for a copy and you're going to be charged for it. You could choose not to have a copy sent.

**I read somewhere on this thread about someone who sent transcripts with NIPOST for cheap, can't remember if it was evaluated transcripts but if you want to save cost, it might be better to have several copies sent to you so you could post to the institutions yourself with NIPOST. It might take 2-3 weeks but hey.

No, take your advice. You need it way more than I do. You go around here being smug on an anonymous forum about people's inquiries to the point of irritation. The application fees are not coming out of your pocket, neither are they asking you for it. You also aren't on any US universities' admissions board, so what is indeed your problem? You're repulsed by how people you have no clue about ask questions on a forum.

You really don't have problems, if out of all the things going on in the world, questions from people on a faceless forum bother you. Get away from nairaland a little and see the world around you. How about directing your irritation where it would be useful, like towards the plight of people's suffering in Nigeria?

What many children are taught is that if they have nothing good to say they should shut up. I work with a lot of young people and I know this pretty much comes naturally to them.

100kobo:

You need to grow up!