<p>Your lowest is arithmetic. You can easily bring that up with practice. I haven’t been in a math class for fifteen years (and that was Calc I) and I got higher than the score you are imagining for yourself. I just do not see how it is possible that you would have been in a math program five years ago, and get a 600.</p>
<p>Rather than worrying, you should study and take the computer adaptive test online as much as possible. Your scores will get a lot better.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Neither do I. Then again, knowledge of differential equations and linear algebra is not what the math GRE tests, but things that are more along the lines of fast computational ability. When you have done no math in 5 years, it’s very easy to get rusty. Besides, this was just a “practice” practice GRE, and I felt no anxiety to do well. Or who knows, maybe I do suck that badly.</p>
<p>I do find it curious that relatively speaking, I did better in verbal than math.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Can you please give me the link? I mean I am not doing anything right now. I am unemployed. And since they say that the GRE is going to get harder later this year, perhaps I have nothing to lose if study for the GRE, and it might actually be therapeutic since it will keep me distracted from my unemployment. I guess I just need to take it easy and not let the timed nature of the test cause me anxiety. And as I said previously, I am not aiming for a top school. Perhaps an average graduate program (taking into account a few affirmative action points) will be within my reach? Also, when it comes to grad school, can the verbal score be complemented with a TOEFL (test of english as a foreign language) score?</p>
<p>You can just buy the book on Amazon. When is your GRE date? You need to buy the appropriate book, so it all depends.</p>
<p>[GRE</a> Preparation | Guaranteed GRE Results with Kaplan Test Prep](<a href=“GRE Prep - Courses & Test Prep | Kaplan Test Prep”>GRE Prep - Courses & Test Prep | Kaplan Test Prep)</p>
<p>Oh, and remember… it’s also confidence. Be optimistic. The economy sucks, and that is not your fault. Lots of people who have been employed their whole lives have been unemployed for the past five years. Don’t dwell on the negative while starting this process. It’s a new beginning. Really.</p>
<p>“You can just buy the book on Amazon. When is your GRE date? You need to buy the appropriate book, so it all depends.”</p>
<p>I don’t have a date. I thought I might want to get this out of the way before August. (assuming it’s going to be possible)</p>
<p>I also don’t know if I am better off taking the new GRE or the old GRE. If they are going to say that the current GRE is meaningless, then why bother?</p>
<p>@ BarrSyd – I have a graduate degree in math. I’m not sorry I did it but … It’s really hard because their goal is to train research mathematicians. I’m not trying to discourage you necessarily, I’m just trying to warn you about what you are getting into. The statistics department is a whole different program, not the same at all. You should decide which one you want to pursue before you get there. Then there is the possibility of an applied math program, which would be more computational and application oriented than a pure math program, which is very theoretical.</p>
<p>I don’t think they will say the current test is meaningless, however, I think that it has significant flaws that are recognized. Either way the scores will be meaningful. However, since you’ve already missed the application deadline for most grad schools, would it not be better to wait until August, give yourself time to study like crazy, and get into a much higher percentile?</p>
<p>If you’re good at math naturally, and going into a math program, to me that makes much more sense than studying like crazy when the absolute best you can do is get in the 94th%, because so many people are getting perfect scores.</p>
<p>Pea, thanks for the advice. To be honest, I am not interested in theoretical math, since I am not interested in training to become a “research mathematician”. An applied math program does sound like something that I would actually enjoy. Not that I should care, since I already said that my goal is to get a graduate degree for my own personal satisfaction, but is a grad degree in applied math something that might be laughed at by people who think it’s a joke compared to pure math? </p>
<p>Statistics also comes to mind, and is something which is applied and which might actually be of use to me at some point as far as employment goes. I definitely need to do more research the subject, but right now I think this is the time for me to get the GRE out of the way, since I am unemployment.</p>
<p>Another subject that I like is psychology, and I know that it relies on statistics, but then again, those programs are competitive, and are aimed toward people who are passionate about research and especially passionate about counselling people (which I am not).</p>
<p>Maybe graduate school is not for me? I’ve just reached a point in my life where I want to do something to feel like I am growing but it seems that I just don’t have what it takes to receive further education :(. A few years ago I discussed the possibility of graduate school with a career advisor but he didn’t seem enthusiastic about the idea… Maybe I am not that good and should focus my energy on finding happiness given the reality of my life?</p>
<p>MmeZeeZee, I wouldn’t expect to enter graduate school in the Fall of 2011. My goal is to begin a grad school program no sooner than the Fall of 2012, if that’s possible.</p>
<p>As for the study time, I think a month or two should be sufficient. I am not overly interested in preparing for the verbal since at this point in my life I think there is little I can do about it. Sure, I can memorize more words, but the analogies and the antonyms is just one part of the verbal test.</p>
<p>The people in the applied math and theoretical math departments don’t look askance at each other, the difference is more the type of math that a person prefers. I always liked the theoretical stuff, didn’t like the difficult applied problems. People in the applied program prefer the concrete problems, don’t like proving things as well.</p>
<p>I sometimes wish I had gone into the statistics program rather than pure math. I’ve always found statistics interesting and I was disappointed at how hard it was to take classes in other departments once I was in the math department. It’s not that the department doesn’t let you, it’s more that there wasn’t time with how busy I was with the math requirements.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to whether you should go to graduate school or not. Maybe your career advisor was an idiot, some of them are. One thing you could do to get started is take a class at a University if there is one close by. You’re there, you take a class, you get to know some people in the department and at the same time you can decided if being a student again is really something that you want. That might also help with the question that will inevitably come up when you apply to programs of what have you been doing lately.</p>
<p>If the earliest is 2012, then if I were you I’d wait. The CAT punishes slow computation severely so if you’re out of practice you will do worse on that test.</p>
<p>There are lots of things you could do besides going back to school. Have you looked into Americorps? Peace Corps? Teach for America? I realize it’s not employment, but compared to spending money on grad school, it seems like just as good as an option.</p>
<p>Maybe your counselor wasn’t enthusiastic because you approached it as a way to “grow” vs. a means to a specific career goal. It’s a lot of money to spend on “growing”, you know?</p>
<p>Just so the OP knows, there are several different types of Grad Statistics programs. If you’re going from a MS in Statistics from a Research University, you’re going to have to get through some classes in Mathematical Statistics (aka, Statistical Theory, aka Probability Theory). The “better” (more competitive) the program/school, the more difficult these classes may be.</p>
<p>There are several programs across the county that offer a MA or MS in Applied Statistics, designed for the working professional. Some take only 1 year. Others can be done strictly online. I know Penn State has an online grad program in Applied Statistics. It might be up your alley.</p>