<p>I'm a sophomore with 40 credits, working towards 55. With a combination of AP credits and summer courses, I plan to avoid senior year and graduate August 2015. I assume this means I would begin applying to graduate programs in the Spring of that year. When would be an appropriate time to take the GRE?</p>
<p>Are you planning on applying to top programs? Pretty sure most of them only take applications during the Fall cycle for entry the following Fall… In which case you’d either apply during the Fall semester of your final year (“junior” year), or the cycle after you graduate.</p>
<p>ETA: Actually, come to think of it - Columbia’s Masters program in Poli Sci (assuming that’s what you want to study, based off of your username) accepts applications during the Spring semester. As far as I know.</p>
<p>I’m considering Political Science, but also MPA. Thanks! As for programs, right now my GPA is 3.89, with one W. But this isn’t a chance thread.</p>
<p>I should add that in the fall of my “Junior year,” I will only have 82 credits. I will be taking classes literally until the day I graduate in August 2015.</p>
<p>Application season is usually late fall through early spring, with deadlines usually ranging between December 1 and March 1. Professional master’s deadlines tend to be a bit later (January through March) whereas academic master’s and PhD programs tend to be earlier (December through late January, and sometimes as early as mid-November).</p>
<p>So if you plan to finish in August 2015 and you want to begin your program in August/September 2015, you would begin preparing applications in the Fall of 2014 (so a year from now) and submit them between December 2014 and March 2015.</p>
<p>So the best time to take the GRE would be some time between the early summer and early fall of 2014 - I would say any time between May 2014 and November 2014. Most students take it in the late summer or early fall (July to October). You don’t want to wait too late because your scores can take 4 weeks to arrive at the school, but I took the GRE at the last possible moment - mid-November for an earliest deadline of December 15 - and I’m currently in that program. But since you already know what you want to do (I was still deciding between law school and grad school until about mid-September) you should take it earlier and give yourself time to retake if necessary.</p>