Questions about GRE Physics paper-based test

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skywriter
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Questions about GRE Physics paper-based test

Post by skywriter » Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:13 am

Hello, everybody!!

I'm a tiro here, just registered for the April's GRE Physics test.
I will highly appreciate if someone could answer such questions as:

1) Is there any problem with reporting your scores to graduate institutions after receiving your scores if you haven't designated any during the registration?

2) What should I do if don't receive admission ticket till the test date?

3) Is it really necessary to answer more than 90 problems correctly to get the score of 900 or higher?

4) How do you know about your scores? By phone?

Thanks

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quizivex
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Post by quizivex » Wed Jan 09, 2008 8:06 am

1) No there's no problem with this, but you would be wasting money. You can send reports to the 4 schools you designate during registration "free" with the test fee. If you wait until afterward, you can still order reports by phone (or by mail) at a price of $15 per school, but then you'd be wasting the 4 free ones.

2) Since you just registered for the April test 3 months in advance, you should certainly receive the admission ticket long before the test date.

3) No way! Have you looked at the practice tests? On the 9677 test, a raw score of 56 was enough for a 900, which means you could get 60 correct, 16 incorrect and leave 24 blank and score a 900. On some versions of the test you'd need more correct to score 900, but the most I've seen was the 0177 test, where you need a raw score of 73, which means you could get 75 correct, 8 incorrect and leave 17 blank and get 900.

4) The ETS website somewhwere near where you registered will tell you the dates that A) the date the score reports are mailed and B) the date scores are available by phone. Typically, both are actually done about 5 days before the listed date. They're available by phone about 12 days before the reports are sent. But since you won't be applying until the fall, there's no big practical advantage for you to pay for scores by phone, unless of course you have a strong urge to know your score early.

Hope that helps!

skywriter
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Post by skywriter » Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:25 pm

Thanks you a lot for answering!!

Have you already passed this test?

One more question: Is it possible to request admission ticket one more time if it hasn't been delivered? ))

Oh, thanks God it's is not necessary to solve all the problems!!)))))))))))
I guess it's impossible, well, for me )))

I wonder if it is really possible to apply for graduate school without having the scores of GRE General test, because in the place where I live(Russia) this test is only presented in a paper-based form and is held just two times a year: in February and October. The only way for me is to get prepared for the fall's test, isn't it too late?

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quizivex
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Post by quizivex » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:08 pm

Have you already passed this test?
Yes, I took the test on October 6 and got the maximum possible score of 990 so I guess that's "passing". :wink:
One more question: Is it possible to request admission ticket one more time if it hasn't been delivered? ))
Yes, just call ETS.
Oh, thanks God it's is not necessary to solve all the problems!!)))))))))))
I guess it's impossible, well, for me )))
As you look through the practice tests, you'll notice that nearly all of the problems are very feasible and not too difficult (but still tricky). I'd say that on each of the practice tests and the real test I took in October, only about 2 questions out of 100 did I have no clue what the problem was talking about. As long as you know undergrad physics comprehensively, you should do very well with the problems. Of course, none of us will get them all correct because we'll make some silly mistakes and forget a few formulas, and the time limit/pressure will limit our effort on each problem, but that's nothing to cry over!
I wonder if it is really possible to apply for graduate school without having the scores of GRE General test, because in the place where I live(Russia) this test is only presented in a paper-based form and is held just two times a year: in February and October. The only way for me is to get prepared for the fall's test, isn't it too late?
Applications are not due until December/January, so taking your general GRE in October leaves you with plenty of time!! You could even take the physics GRE in October if the April one doesn't work out to well.

skywriter
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Post by skywriter » Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:47 pm

Thanks again for you answering!! :D
That really helped me to better understand what GRE Physics test really is))
I hope I'd be successful on the April's test, I just have to review some of the undergraduate material..
Yeah, some of the problems are really tricky, and all of us, well, especially me, make silly mistakes :D too many :shock: :D
I guess it'd be alright to get to the test center without an admission ticket if I am on the list of test-takers of that test center?

Maxwells_Demon
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Post by Maxwells_Demon » Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:50 am

@ quizivex,

Wow, nice job on the GRE! Intense. Did you study all 4 GRE practice tests? If so, did it help you achieve your score? I assume they re-use some of the questions...

-Maxwell's Demon

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quizivex
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Post by quizivex » Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:11 am

Yes you definitely need to review the 4 practice tests. A few questions on the real test will be similar or nearly identical to those on the practice tests (maybe 5-ish) but that's not the main reason to use them... The best reason is to see what is covered on the test so you'll know some of the specific topics you need to review. For instance, each of the practice tests has a question involving reading logarithmic paper, and so did my real test, so you'll need to learn how to use that.

I first did a review of undergrad physics for about 1.5 months leading up to the test and looked through some of the practice tests to help me pick out what I needed to learn. I saved actually solving the practice tests for the last week once I already knew the material.

I don't know if you can go to the testing center without the ticket, call ETS to ask.

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grae313
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Post by grae313 » Fri Jan 11, 2008 7:56 pm

SORRY
Last edited by grae313 on Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Maxwells_Demon
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Post by Maxwells_Demon » Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:15 pm

Apology accepted...

-Maxwell's Demon
Last edited by Maxwells_Demon on Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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grae313
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Post by grae313 » Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:21 pm

OMG, I'm so sorry. I just went back to look and it was maxwell200 who was stalking me, NOT YOU! I'm really sorry about that. Let me go resend that PM to the correct user.

I knew it was Maxwell something or other , and today all my friends and family let me know that this crazy guy was sending them messages. I was so angry, I rushed to call him out without realizing that it was actually a different person.

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fermiboy
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Post by fermiboy » Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:37 pm

What's the deal with this grae313? How did someone on this board get your friends' and families' contact information?

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quizivex
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Post by quizivex » Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:39 pm

Hey what happened here?? I have a pretty good idea, but was surprised to hear that this maxwell200 was sending messages to users' relatives and such. Did that really happen?

I've gotten these personal messages too. At first it seemed this maxwell200 guy just likes to write up lengthy discussions and send them personally to the more prominent members of this forum hoping to get some responses. But what else is going on?

I'm sorry there was some confusion, Maxwells_Demon, you are very welcome on this forum. I'm glad I didn't use a common physics name for my username. Nobody can be confused for quizivex, hehe... the closest was a guy named qanx who frequented the threads last year.

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grae313
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Post by grae313 » Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:48 pm

Yes, it really happened. He sent me a million PM's, I could tell they were mass-messaged and he was sending them to a lot of other people. He seemed pretty freaked out so I answered his questions. I guess I shouldn't have. He actually found my myspace profile and sent really long messages to everyone in my top 8, including my father and my former boss. They both forwarded his message to me and told me that I should set my profile to private since there was a stalker after me! :shock:

Maxwells_Demon
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Post by Maxwells_Demon » Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:50 pm

It's all good. I was just very confused, lol. . . .

Man that sucks grae313.

-Maxwell's Demon

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fermiboy
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Post by fermiboy » Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:11 pm

I also had some PM conversations with this maxwell200 person. I don't what to reveal anything else, since it was private, but this is very strange.

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grae313
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Post by grae313 » Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:03 am

well, I'm not upset about it any more. I really just wanted to call him out in public so he would stop.

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quizivex
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Post by quizivex » Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:16 pm

Congrats on being the first member in the history of this forum to reach 200 posts, grae313.

It'd be funny to have an annual golden globe award ceremony on physicsgre.com.

We could make nominations and take votes for things such as:

a) Most active member - grae313
b) Best sense of humor - RG
c) Most successful in the admissions process - slee
d) Best Post - garden
etc... haha

Oh yea and we'd have to invent a category so that marcelpopescu gets an award... he made one post in his life and it had no apparent relevance to the thread it was on...
I' am interesting in this domain and I want to know what are the materials which describes the basic ideeas in this domain.
So classic!!!

cancelled20080417
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Post by cancelled20080417 » Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:21 pm

quizivex,
that is really funny!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

cancelled20080417
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Post by cancelled20080417 » Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:22 pm

grae, I was trying to reach 200 first, but you bit me!

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grae313
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Post by grae313 » Sun Jan 13, 2008 12:02 am

quizivex wrote:Congrats on being the first member in the history of this forum to reach 200 posts, grae313.
Thank you! Thank you very much!

Image

I'd like to thank all the little people...

cancelled20080417
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Post by cancelled20080417 » Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:33 am

Grae, do not be so ecstatic, I will take the position soon by being the first one to post over 300 posts! hahaha,

All of my frens from biology have already started hearing from grad schools,but why does it take so long for the Physics dept admissions committes to review our application! Are people in the Biology dept realy smart than people in the physics dept!!hahahaha
The last question is funny ,becoz some one on this forum will disagree and say it is not like that. My msg to that someone is: dude, I also know it is not like that!

time to bed again!



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