<p>Hello. Many of the schools I'm looking at say we should complete the GRE by October (some also say we should complete the subject test by October), but I'm wondering if taking the subject test in November is going to put me at a disadvantage. The programs have deadlines in early December, and the earliest we'll have access to the scores would be mid to late December. So, has anyone had experience with this? Is the GRE deadline soft or hard? Oh...this is for the biosciences. Thanks!</p>
<p>If the schools don’t have the GRE scores by their deadline, your application is incomplete. Schools won’t look at an incomplete application. In a few cases you may be able to submit scores after the deadline but you’re going to have to ask the graduate department/application contact person about that and see if they’ll give you an exception.</p>
<p>Biosciences are very competitive and it’s usually better to get your application in early, not right on the deadline. And if your application is incomplete, it doesn’t bother them because they have so many other well qualified applicants.</p>
<p>Get them done before November. The verbal and quantitative scores are available to you immediately, but the AW score takes a little longer. Since schools don’t get your scores until all scores are together, and then some only get reports at the end of each month, you might miss the complete application deadline. If a program says it must be completed by October, then don’t take a chance.</p>
<p>We get people on CC in October who waited until the last minute to take the GREs and then were horrified that they didn’t score as well as they had anticipated. They had no chance to retake because they already waited until the end. I strongly urge you to take the GREs no later than September, just in case. Chances are, you’ll be fine and won’t have to retake; however, taking the test earlier will at least give you the option.</p>
<p>Sorry…I was referring to the subject test, not the general test. I’m doing the general test before November for sure, but does anyone have experience with the subject test, which isn’t really ever “required,” but often “recommended?” What about the deadline for that?</p>
<p>If the score is not required or recommended it is probably a waste of money (speaking from experience). There are few occasions where you need the subject test 1) poor grades and you want to show an aptitude in the subject, 2) You come from an unknown school or 3) you have a background different than Biosciences. That being said, if you are going to take it, you need to take it in October. By late December I had already heard from over half the schools I applied to. You don’t want them to wait for any information.</p>
<p>The November subject test scores are usually available in the first week or so of December, and are not considered late for most biological sciences programs. You can ask specific programs if they will accept the November scores, but most will.</p>
<p>Although many deadlines are in early December, the programs often spend the first few weeks after the deadline putting together applications and collecting test scores and late recommendation letters. The November GRE subject test scores will be available in time to be processed for most programs.</p>
<p>I took the biology subject test in November and had no problems with any of the programs to which I applied, all of which had official deadlines in the first two weeks of December.</p>