<p>And regarding the importance of the GRE–I suppose it depends on the school. Some schools are so popular that they do have a lower-level cutoff for GRE scores. Some schools are more purpose-oriented but I doubt you can get into a grad program for physics with a 450 Q, you know?</p>
<p>You can always call and ask the school how important the GRE is to them. They know you’re prioritizing your time and that is not something that you would otherwise do. It is definitely NOT like what you have in Britain with those tests after your high-school, what is the GSCEs? However it could make the difference between financial aid (like a scholarship) and none, particularly for a foreign student such as yourself.</p>