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Bad Subject Test Scores are not the End


Argon

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I've been lurking on this board for the past year or so and I just wanted to give hope to those who did not do so well on the GRE Computer Science Subject Test.

 

I took the test in December. I am not your average test taker in that I am 30, have been out of college for almost 6 years, and hold a Masters in Electrical Engineering. I want to go into computer science because I have been working in AI for a while now. The transition from what I now do (mainly software engineering with computer engineering) to computer science (more theory than applied engineering) showed immensely on my subject test. I scored in the 41st percentile.

 

But last week I received acceptance into UIUC for a computer science PhD. With financial assistance.

 

I assume the reason being is that while I did miserably on the test, my other merits more than made up for it. I have close to 20 papers, my undergrad was from a US State University not known for great research, my undergrad GPA was above 3.9, my master's GPA (from the same college) was above a 3.9. I have conducted research since I was an undergrad, I taught labs when I was a graduate student. I compiled 5 letters of recommendation consisting of past faculty, current supervisors, and one from NASA which is where I do contracted research.

 

Listening to this board had me really bummed out. I watch as people on here talk about the 75th percentile and are upset about their chances. I think this board is serving to convince everyone on here that any performance below the upper 20% on the test is an indication of potential failure when applying to college.

 

So when I got a letter of acceptance from a school ranked 5th overall in computer science, with financial assistance, I was a little taken aback. I had assumed my chances were gone with that subject test score. I was pretty much devastated when I learned of the score. And who knows, I applied to eight schools in total, including CMU, Cornell, UIUC, UPenn, and Yale and UIUC may be the only one that accepts me. But now I'm starting to take another perspective, one that is much needed after lurking on this board, and one I want to impart to anyone who may think that a score below the 80th percentile spells d-o-o-m.

 

No matter how you may feel after reading this board, your subject test score is not the only thing these schools consider when they review your application. If you think you did badly, as long as you have other strong merits, good schools will still accept you. Your life is not over if you get in the 70s, or even if you get in the 60s. Heck, it may not be over if you get in the 40s, I'm a prime example.

 

So don't look at some of the messages on this board that talk about high scores and figure that this means anything lower will result in your application being ignored during the review process. And don't add to some of the frenzied thought where you think the only way to succeed is to get a 90th percentile on the subject test. This is not true. Good scores can help you but bad scores are not the end. Sometimes it seems like the messages on this board indicate that only the very highest scores on the test can get into grad school. Stop believing that and believe in yourself.

 

Argon

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Wow, good for you. I hope your right. I am 34 and not so good at standardized tests. My everything is top notch (even did 99% on General GRE), but my Subject score in Math was 57%. I really hope you are right because I have been told previously how much schools rely on the Math subject score as evidence of preparation for grad school. Maybe CS is different. Do all schools require a CS subject score? I am not sure if they do, but for a Math Ph.D. they do. Anyway, I will take your words to heart and try not to be too anxious.
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Wow! thanks argon. that was a really nice write-up. as u put it so well, most of us undergrads have hardly been through the kind of things, or the experiences that you have been through ( i could glean a little from what u had mentioned about ur self). The entire bunch here is mostly paranoid about their future, unsure if the last thing that they did is going to jeopradize their apps, worrying infinitely about things not worth worrying (me included) and becoming a total nervous wreck even before entering grad school. Some say its the competition which has grown to such a stage that a mere slip can be the end of it all while some say its simply a battle of mental supremacy measured by marks and publications. caught between aplethora of such ideas we ( ok ok i will speak for myself) loose ourselves....

 

nevertheless i am still jittery. and i shall be so until i get at least one admit to reassure myself that the things that i did was right and the effort that i put in was worth it all....until then...

 

adios argon and may thee farewell...

many congrats on your astounding admit

plz share it with us in the success board!! there are a lot of eager uiuc applicants who would wanna know more about it...:)

JO

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This may be really obnoxious, and I don't mean it to be, and I apologize in advance if anyone is offended. But, I wanted to ask Argon if he was American?

 

I don't know about CS, but in my field, Math, I have been told by professors that my subject test scores don't need to be as high as foreign students. He also said that American students usually aren't as well prepared as foreign students and don't do as well on their comprehensive exams. It was clearly implied that there is some kind of affirmative action for American students going on. Just something to consider.

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adios argon and may thee farewell...

 

many congrats on your astounding admit

 

plz share it with us in the success board!! there are a lot of eager uiuc applicants who would wanna know more about it...:)

 

JO

 

wasn't that supposed to be 'fare well' ?!! LOL

 

yeah.. congrats Argon. That was an inspirational mail... n please do share your experience on the 'Success' forum! I'm one of those 'eager UIUC applicants' !

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  • 2 years later...

Bumping this thread as a reminder that GRE CS scores aren't everything:

 

The transition from what I now do (mainly software engineering with computer engineering) to computer science (more theory than applied engineering) showed immensely on my subject test. I scored in the 41st percentile.

 

But last week I received acceptance into UIUC for a computer science PhD. With financial assistance.

 

I assume the reason being is that while I did miserably on the test, my other merits more than made up for it. I have close to 20 papers, my undergrad was from a US State University not known for great research, my undergrad GPA was above 3.9, my master's GPA (from the same college) was above a 3.9. I have conducted research since I was an undergrad, I taught labs when I was a graduate student. I compiled 5 letters of recommendation consisting of past faculty, current supervisors, and one from NASA which is where I do contracted research.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Another surprise:

 

A recent score for the GRE Subject Test in Computer Science is recommended for all PhD applicants and for Master's (MS) level applicants who are seeking aid of any form. Guideline scores are 720 for PhD and 670 for MS admission. GRE Engineering and Mathematics Subject Tests are acceptable for MS applicants. GRE Subject test scores expire after five years.

 

NC State Computer Science: Graduate Program - GRE/TOEFL Requirements

I would think their average would be higher than that, so these guidelines seem to only suggest minimum scores. Another factor is this guideline may be more geared towards domestic students, who generally do not have to compete with foreign students on the same level. Still, compared to the cries for "90th percentile for PhD" in the old posts, this is a big surprise.
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