<p>If you are sure your child wants to go to graduate school, take the GRE's NOW! Even if they don't have plans, take them anyway. I am 34 and studying for the GRE's (took them for the first time in 1993) and I cannot believe how much the two tests are alike. If you do well on the SAT's, take the GRE's and just don't have them sent to any schools. You can always take them again after college, but I think that killing 2 birds with 1 stone will save a lot of stress later on. Just a thought.</p>
<p>Most grad schools don't accept GRE scores that are not within a specific time frame. Scores from a test taken four years earlier would not be able to be submitted.</p>
<p>Actually, scores are good for 5 years, so yes, they will take them.</p>
<p>I think that even if you dont take it for real, its good to take a practice test as early as possible to see what you'd have to know for them. Might also add some incentive to begin studying early if going to a good grad school is in your future.</p>
<p>As a graduating high school senior, I think my son would rather cut off his hand than take another standardized test right now- even for practice!</p>
<p>As a graduating high school senior, I, too would cut off my hand rather than take any three letter standardized right now.</p>
<p>And yeah, I even did okay on my SATs. I just despise them.</p>
<p>"If you do well on the SAT's, take the GRE's and just don't have them sent to any schools. You can always take them again after college, but I think that killing 2 birds with 1 stone will save a lot of stress later on. Just a thought."</p>
<p>I didn't study for the SATs and I didn't study for the GREs. My scores on the GREs were slightly, but not much higher. I don't think my GRE scores today would be that different than they were 20 years ago - especially since I probably wouldn't study now either. I read widely, I can still do algebra. What's to study?</p>
<p>Right, go ahead and take a practice test without studying, see how your test taking skills arejust as good now as 20 years ago.</p>
<p>If you believe that you will not learn anything in the next four years of college, it seems like a good strategy.</p>
<p>plus, things can, and often do, change. what if in 4 years he doesnt want to grad school? or go right away? or decide to do a program that doesnt require the gre, such as the mcat/lsat/etc? i know many many people who were convinced they were going to be premed in college, and decided it wasnt what they want.</p>
<p>"Right, go ahead and take a practice test without studying, see how your test taking skills arejust as good now as 20 years ago."</p>
<p>I've looked at enough of the tests helping my kids prepare. My test taking skills are fine. My instincts about the right answers in reading passages are much better than either of theirs. I think that's an area where age and experience helps.</p>
<p>MomofWildChild...am laughing at your comment. The last thing my kids would want to do at that juncture would be another standardized test just to be ready and get ahead or something, when it can wait four years! One thing at a time. </p>
<p>Beprepn, I agree that hopefully one may learn something during the four years of college and so would be in a better position to take the GREs. </p>
<p>Mathmom, I don't recall ever studying for the SATs or GREs back in my day either. </p>
<p>Even today for the SATs, my kids mostly took some practice tests under timed conditions and read over the strategies in a book. It wasn't like they were studying and studying for months. I'm sure something like what they did for the SATs could be done when the time came for GREs IF they ever took them in fhe first place. Why take the test four years earlier when you may never even ever have to take them? </p>
<p>When it comes to testing, only do what you have to. Opposite philosophy of course when it comes to schoolwork. More is always better!</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>"If you believe that you will not learn anything in the next four years of college, it seems like a good strategy."</p>
<p>Please look at a GRE and point out something that is being tested that is not covered in high school, or for that matter, on the SAT's. With the possible exception of basic graph reading, the math on the GRE is EASIER than the SAT. This is fact. Students comming out of high school who start in pre calc or calc 1 will never see GRE math in college. Students who do well on the SAT are in a better position to do well on the GRE out of high school. It baffles me that noone understands this.</p>
<p>Chinese students deride the math section on the GRE as covering only "junior high math," and that is literally true by comparison with the standard school curriculum in China. But it is also true that most people can get better, or worse, at GRE content simply based on their life experience and school learning--test prep as such is never the main issue in doing well on that kind of test. I'm very confident that today at age forty-something I could ace the GRE verbal section (again) and this year I would probably add a few points to my math score, because of my recent community volunteer work as a math coach--at the junior high level. </p>
<p>Note that many graduate programs also require specific GRE subject tests for entrance, and for those you need more than mere general knowledge. The GRE math subject test would be a killer to anyone who has not taken college-level math, I think.</p>
<p>Would it be impressive to undergrad admission officers if a high school applicant took GRE exams and did well on them?</p>
<p>Jason, why oh why would you even think to take the GRE exams in HS? Seriously, I am worried about the motivation to take this test at your age! It scares me how far a student might go or feel pressure to get even more "ahead". Frankly, if I were an adcom and saw a HS kid who took the GREs...I'd be thinking the student was "test crazy". It would raise questions for me, not impress me. Sorry, just being honest. There are not magic "bonus" things to do to get into college. Just be a very good student, excel in your interest areas, particpate in a significant way in activities, devote energy to your admissions process, and so on. Truly, many kids get into top colleges doing normal high school things...though do them very well. They didn't need any "tricks" up their sleeves to get in.</p>
<p>^^i agree. there is absolutely no need to take the gre, and i think colleges would see right through that. it would be like taking the mcat even though you have no intention to go to med school. why would you waste the $150 and hours and hours of prep time? plus, gre scores are only good for 5 years, so if you even decide to go to grad school you cant use those scores. worst idea ever.</p>
<p>If you do well on the SAT as a HS junior you will do well on the GRE's as a college senior. You're not going to get "dumber"?</p>
<p>I did no math at all in college. Closest thing to it I took was logic. I don't recall studying for the GRE's either, but I scored the exact same score as I had on the SAT's. But it do agree that it's almost exactly the same test.</p>
<p>no offense but when I read the heading of this thread I had to laugh and think * as opposed to their parents * ;)
but ya-
My daughter graduated high school in 2000- she didn't graduate ( from Reed college) till 2006. She does not want to go to grad school right away- so a GRE that she took in high school, but was only admissible for 5 years, wouldn't have done her any good at all and it would have been another stress and expense senior year.</p>