Many people decide to return to graduate school after some time in the real world - either as a professional, a parent, or a wanderer. Not everyone who is preparing for the GRE is a college student. ![]() Instead, focus on taking the test when you have the time, energy, and resources to completely and effectively prepare for it. If you are not looking to go to graduate school right away, or if you are currently a first year student or Sophomore, then taking the test in the summer or fall is less important. Keep in mind that you must wait 21 days before taking the test a second time. That way, if you need to retake the test, you will have enough time to do so. And even if you can prepare for and take the test during the fall semester, it’s better to aim for a September or October test date. If your current fall semester is very busy, then it will be better to prepare for and take the test over the summer. But does that mean you should wait until November to take the GRE? No, not at all. ![]() For those of you looking to attend graduate school in the fall of next year, this is a good target. That means you should aim to have all of the pieces of your application polished and ready to go by the beginning of December. Application deadlines for most programs are in December and January. This is perhaps the most important factor to consider. If you plan on attending graduate school either immediately or nearly immediately after graduating from college, then taking the test during your Junior year is ideal. If you’re looking to get a few years of professional experience under your belt before heading to graduate school, then taking the test during your Senior year might make more sense: you’ll still have five years to make the decision to return to school before you have to take the GRE again. Make the decision to take the GRE once you are confident that graduate school is your next career move. Otherwise, you’ll just have to retake the GRE again.Ī better approach would be to wait until you have a couple of years of college under your belt. While there is some validity to this argument, it fails to consider a pretty relevant factor: are you completely sure you want to go to graduate school when you are just in your first year of college? Because GRE scores only last five years, taking the test during your first year puts you in a position where you must go to graduate school no later than one year after you’ve graduated (assuming you graduated in four years). ![]() The argument goes something like this: since the GRE is so similar to the SAT, and because you’ve recently taken the SAT, it’s better to just take the GRE while those basic math and vocabulary skills are still sharp in your mind. Some people suggest that the optimal time to take the GRE is during your first year of college.
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