As an older student, I am half in it for personal validation (IMO; as a test of undergraduate preparation someone who is years older than the average undergraduate, has had considerable time for autodidacticism, and has spent considerable amounts of time on preparation should not do anything less than perfect) and half in it because I need the best possible odds for transferring, this is a disaster. I admit it could have been far worse; I was expecting something along the lines of 800/800/750, but I would much rather have had a 2400.
I’m going to wait for Q&A to come out, then throw away $50 (and I emphasize throw away, I doubt it could have been anything different) for a hand-rescoring if it looks like a technology error may be possible. There was this certain question on the math section for which I took far more time than was appropriate, and I believe I put in 3 different entries. Perhaps the machine mis-scored the entry.
@CBlueDreams is it worth blowing away $50 for that reason? I think it is more likely you made a silly error or something. Not saying that’s a bad thing by any means, but $50 is better spent on a nice dinner or the newest video game, IMO.
I’d sort of insist on getting 1600 or 2400 on the SAT; if I can’t do it now, because I am seeking to transfer, I’d like to do it on the new SAT, which would take time off my schedule to prepare for.
I would much prefer to stick to using my spare time for languages as well as to begin prep for the GRE; I have recommended that HS Freshmen begin SAT prep, so to take my own advice I ought to prep for the GRE as soon as possible.
Of course, this is all dependent on what the QAS shows. You are right I probably screwed up with a silly error, but getting around 760 4 times in a row is terrible, especially considering the amount of time I spent for prep.
And yes, I do know that no one cares about 2370 vs 2400, especially for someone in my situation. However, if you look at personal vindication, 2400 is worth it.
@CBlueDreams I feel like there is a point where it might be better to pursue other things. If you indeed got a 2370, would you risk ~$50 and massive changes in format to go for a 1600?
This is your decision, and I understand there are many differing viewpoints, but I feel like the best GRE prep is acquired beforehand; through reading lots of different texts to writing essays in HS/college to having a solid background in HS math. I took the GRE a few months ago, and I don’t know how the GRE is significantly different from the current SAT in terms of content, except for slightly different essay types and a little more statistics in the M section. If you’re scoring 2370-2400, I don’t see the need for extensive GRE prep.
Additionally, especially at the graduate level (as well as for transfer admissions), colleges will also look at your GPA, the rigor of the courses you’ve taken, any jobs or internships you’ve held, letters of recommendation, etc., and these factors are likely more important.
If $50 doesn’t mean that much to you, go for it. If it will make you feel better to know it was scored correctly, then fine. To take it again after 4 attempts, seems a poor use of time. As a mature student, it would seem you would move on from this and onto better uses of time and by that I don’t mean GRE prep. There is more to life and college than acing a test. Take it from someone even older- life is short.