How far below the "minimum" are you? And, are both scores below, or just one?

Just briefly looking at Rice's website, the minimum requirement is to have 2 out of 3 scores above the 70th percentile, which only one of my scores meets, one is 79%, the other is 63% (the third is below that even, ha).

I haven't applied to Rice, but if all else fails, you could try calling the graduate coordinator, Lauren Neatherlin or someone else on staff and asking, they might be helpful.

Two of the three scores are close and one is far below.....your scores are in a closer range

I have sent an email to the coordinator as you have recommended. Will see if she can provide any direction. I'll post here is she responds in case anyone else is wondering the same.

I have a high GPA but a requirement is a requirement.....

thanks for the thoughts

I got 480 verbal, 680 math, and 3.0 on my essay. still got into cornell, washu, berkeley, uva, only rejected from penn

is the GRE as boring as other standardized tests. I always did terrible on ACT and SAT exams because i never found any interest in "Natalie's grandmother that collected native american coins" and other ridiculous reading platforms.

I have read soooo much more in the past few years that I feel like I could do well, but Im also a huge pansy and tend to be afraid of failure. But like you said, a requirement is a requirement. I'd like to take a stab at this thing.

CheesesChrist - thanks for the scores coupled with schools etc.., good to know

spacefraud - yes the test is boring....similar feeling to taking the SAT. similar to those test as well in that (at least for me) it's not the content that is so difficult it's more the pressure of being timed and the feeling that so much is riding on one score.

my advice to you would be to take it well in advance of when you need to apply for grad school. i think it's just a matter of practice practice practice...something i have not allowed myself much time for.

on a positive note the person from Rice responded to me and said to apply despite what the website says. she also noted that she would then expect other parts of my application to be "exceptionally strong" in order to make up for the fact that I don't meet their minimum requirements.

more comments/ scores / rants on this topic welcomed!!

what about a math score under 500? has anyone gotten into a program with a very poor math score?

good question!! i actually got a better verbal score than math. seems like most people posting here got the opposite, with higher math/lower verbal.

Just apply anyway. I did lower than the requirement for many school, applied and still got into some of the schools.

It will be easier to get in with lower scores when enrollment is down. Then they revert to who has the loans or cash.

well considering the job market I think most schools enrollment is way up! but i'll try not to focus on that :)

Are there really that many schools with minimum score requirements for the GRE? I know, as you mentioned, Rice does, and Columbia says no lower than 500 per section, but every other school I've researched either doesn't mention it or only "recommends" that you hit a certain score, but welcome you to apply even if you're below it. Then again we may be looking at completely different places.

You know, I got super-nervous when I took the GRE back in September just because I was thinking it was my only shot and put a lot of pressure on myself to do well on it. It was completely self-defeating, because I ended up scoring a lot lower than I was doing on practice tests. I've thought about studying a little and then taking it again, just on whim, since I figured if I didn't improve I wouldn't be any worse off - less pressure. Maybe you could do better the second time around if test anxiety is part of the problem.

Columbia says 450 on the verbal is the limit, but they suggest a 500 or above.

My question is, on practice tests so far, i've been getting around 650 for verbal and between 450 and 550 on math. which is more important for m.arch? they seem to stress the verbal.

I've got two days left to study, should I try and make my verbal stratospheric or balance my math score?

Just to put in my 2 cents, I'd never expect to get into Colombia with my 570/660, and not because my GRE scores aren't good enough, but because the GRE scores are just there to make sure students have a pulse, basically, so I think they're one of the least important aspects of an application. They wouldn't like me because my undergrad GPA was less than stellar, and, even though I haven't started my portfolio yet, I doubt it would be the kind of architectural masturbation that top schools seem to like these days.

So, basically, if you plan on going to an Ivy League school, I would at least expect you to match my scores (I'm pretty much only applying to public universities), or score a 451 and have a 4.0 undergrad GPA and have a portfolio that will make the committee cream their pants.

That being said, what I did was go to Barnes & Noble and pick up a study guide, I can't remember which one I bought, but they have a couple, and they're like 30 bucks, I got the one with the CD with extra practice tests on it. Maybe you've done this already. I just made some vocab flashcards with the definitions on the back, and the real help was the math formulas. Write them down on the flash cards too and memorize them, simple stuff like area of a circle, etc. I was a math major before architecture, and being fast and accurate at math comes from doing it over and over til it becomes second nature, being able to recognize, "Oh, I've done this before". Anyway, my best advice is to take as many different practice tests as you can, and be sure to go back and figure out how they got the right answer if you got it wrong. Then go back and take the "same" test a couple days later to see if you remember.

thanks, will do. been practice testing alot already, just got ramp it up. the math flash cards are a good idea.

sarmath - i would focus on the math and try to balance things out. sounds like you are strong on your verbal.

also not sure if other people had the same experience but i scored close on the actual test to what i was scoring on the practice test when i timed myself.

milwaukee08 is right try to be familiar with as many formulas and "tricks" as you can. the math on the GRE is not super hard it's just very time consuming if you have to solve the problem with long division, testing out solutions etc. and of course you don't have that time on the exam.

Yeah, I def agree with that. The math is fairly simple, but the questions are structured so that you almost can't get through the test in time unless you know all the tricks. it's particularly frustrating because i've always been good at math, but haven't needed to use this type of algebra in 10 yrs or more.

thanks for the advice, am already doing

agh, fer chrissake. my score on practice tests was going up, then i switched to computer based practice tests and now it's going back down...consistently. did i over study? yeesh. time for turkey and beer, i guess. gotta take the test in the morning, wish me luck.

sarmath - not to be a downer but i had the same experience. i think there is something about using there software that seems to make me more nervous and not do as well....

i realized this about half way through my studying and switched to trying to do as much as i could on computer based practice test to help me better simulate the actual testing conditions.

good luck tomorrow, try to enjoy the holiday today and free your mind from the GRE!

Good luck sarmath, just hope you didn't have too much beer!

Like I've said before, the GRE is as much of a speed test as it is an ability test. The test only shows which students are smart (at basic math and vocabulary) AND fast at it. They don't care IF you can get the correct answer, they only care if you can do it in under a minute. Kind of nonsense if you ask me, but I still had to fork over the $150 or whatever it is for the privilege. Personally, I'd rather have put that money towards a portfolio.

tired of thinking about it. studied my ass off only to watch my score climb and then fall again. I dont think I can study enough to make much of a difference in my score between now and tomorrow at 1pm, so rest and some tea, I suppose. at least I'll have an idea tomorrow afternoon whether I should continue wasting my time and money applying to Columbia.

went and took the test today, made a 650 on both. not too shabby, and a lot higher than my practice scores. at any rate, relieved to have this part overwith.

sarmath! that's great news, congradulations

thanks! i'm elated, or at least relieved. i'm a bit of a perfectionist, so i wish i had time to get a 800, but for only studying for 1.5 weeks, i'll take that 650. now on to wasting my time and money applying to Columbia!

not a waste!!! don't think that way...just like obviously the studying was not a waste :) good luck with the rest of the application.

i was joking, referrring to an earlier post in which i sounded a bit downtrodden. at least, i hope i was joking ;)

and thanks again!

Nice work sarmath! Now on to the portfolio, or is that pretty much completed already?

portfolio nearing completion... but i just got my percentile score, and they appear to be so different than my numeric scores. On the school sites, I can only see reference to numbers, i.e. Columbia says 450 min and 500 recommended on the verbal. anyone have knowledge or experience with how percentiles play into it?

Years ago a GSD professor on admissions committee said that acceptance was based on number of factors: "some based on portfolio, some based on recommendations (employees of department chair's office, it seemed), and some based on 800s on GRE". I remember being very surprised by that candid description.

A Yale professor once also once told me "we accept those who already demonstrate competence in what we will be teaching", which seems to be rephrasing the GSD's professor's comment.

I suspect that GRE minimums are guides which can be circumvented if the rest of the application package is outstanding. Excellent references/referrals; excellent portfolio work, excellent GPA from undergraduate school, etc. On the other hand, if entire application reflects an average applicant, then GRE minimum is far more likely to apply to you too.

thx. i'm at 650 verbal/93rd percentile, 640 math, 4.5 analytical, 3.4 gpa, and i'm pretty sure my refs will be over the top. I feel fairly solid about my portfolio, but we'll see, i suppose.

btw, your GSD story reminds me, the only person I've met that went there was this total bro who lived below me and was always smoking weed in shorts, no shirt, and flip flops, drunk out of his mind. for a solid year. and then all of a sudden he went to GSD. i remember he came back complaining that no one wanted to party.