<p>I am thinking of taking the GRE subject test in psychology my senior year in high school (this comming November is the test date in which I shall take the test.) The GRE subject test in psychology is used by universities for admittance into Graduate school, but I will be taking advanced (college senior) level courses in psychology. </p>
<p>Do a lot of admitted Harvard undergraduates take the GRE in high school? And will taking it make me standout? Also, I looked at an old test, and I knew much, if not most, of the answers, so I think (hope!) that I will get a good score.
Thanks All!</p>
<p>No, it will not make you stand out. Furthermore, many programs will require that the test be taken within a certain time period (oftentimes less than a few years ago.)</p>
<p>Don't worry about the GRE right now. Let life take its course during undergrad.</p>
<p>^^^I mean for undergraduate admission into Harvard.</p>
<p>Also, people take math competitions like the IMO that are like the GRE and other college tests. That makes them stand out. So why wont the GRE in psychology make me stand out? Their are no psychology competitions</p>
<p>It's still not going to be weighted in anything but admission to graduate school. Good job on taking those courses, but it won't really do you any good until later down the line. I'd save the $100 for later!</p>
<p>It's highly unlikely to be anything really useful for your record. Focus on your SAT scores, your extracurricular activities, and your grades. I wouldn't worry much about trying to "stand out" by taking a test that's not used for admission--if you're doing well in the courses you're taking, you already stand out! </p>
<p>Seriously, save the $100 and time and apply it elsewhere.</p>
<p>^^^ Yes, thats a good point, but I already know much of the test right now, and I will be taking even more courses. Also, it would not take too much time to prepare, and if I get 700+ I'll get a big legs up, no?</p>
<p>No, you really won't. It's just going to be another token test on your record. Your SAT, SAT II, and grades will matter more. It's just not going to be a big leg up. The GRE is there for admissions to grad school, and undergrad programs really don't know how to evaluate it properly.</p>
<p>^^^^ I don't know... I mean, the AP psychology test is looked favorably upon, so why won't the GRE Psychology test? Also, why would the SAT2 be more important. They test math, chem, etc, while this one tests psychology. It's essentially an SAT2 to a more diffcult extent. (I also will take a load of thoses, 5 of them)</p>
<p>If you are absolutely set on taking the test, then please, go ahead. I'm just saying that it's not like there's a line on the application that's going to let you really highlight taking this test. You're going to take it and put the score in some little blurb somewhere on the app. This will not make a huge difference on your application. Standardized test scores are rarely, if ever, a deciding factor for admission to undergrad or grad school. </p>
<p>The SAT II is more important because it's required.</p>
<p>I doubt that Harvard publishes or even collects that information. I suggest you e-mail someone over at admissions. Nonetheless, I bet that it's overwhelmingly small.</p>
<p>This question comes up more than one would expect (that is to say, it comes up at all).</p>
<p>The GRE subject tests are not written at a particularly challenging level -- I took the biology test (for graduate school admissions), and felt that I could have taken it after freshman biology. The tests have to be dumbed down somewhat because the people who take them have varying levels of preparation. </p>
<p>High scores on the GRE subject tests are not terribly impressive in general, which is one reason many graduate programs don't require them.</p>
<p>Actually high school students applying to be freshmen in the United States from a few countries have to take the GRE general test (not a GRE subject test) as an SAT I substitute because the SAT I is not available in those countries. </p>
<p>As noted above, a particular GRE subject test may or may not be convincing evidence of high knowledge of the nominal subject of the test. It wouldn't hurt to ask a local department of psychology what an applicant to an undergraduate program could do as a high school student to demonstrate a lot of background and interest in psychology.</p>
<p>tokenadult, thanks for the advice, I think that's what I'll do. </p>
<p>molliebatmit, but you took the test as a senior, after years of biology at Harvard. I'll be only 17 when I take it, and most of the studying would be self study. Also, the GRE is, no doubt, harder than the AP tests, which are looked upon favoribily.
But I was just wondering, would getting, like, a 99 percentile make up for lower grades?</p>
<p>Don't think of this as "making up" for lower grades. I think you're imagining that people are going to read your app, see the test, and go "Wow!" I doubt that's how it would work. For one, like I said, it's not really something that you can note very well in the application. </p>
<p>Oh, and I doubt that the GRE subject test is much harder than the AP tests. They're seriously not that hard...</p>
<p>No, I took the test after four years of biology at MIT. :)</p>
<p>But I took the general biology test, which was mostly ecology, evolution, and organismal biology -- subjects which I had not covered at a college level, because MIT's department is all molecular/cellular biology. So my score was based on one day of self-study.</p>
<p>I never took the AP test in biology, so I'm not sure how the two tests would compare. I did think the GRE in biology compared at a reasonable level with the SAT II in biology.</p>
<p>One reason that students can take the GRE in place of the SAT for undergraduate admissions, as tokenadult notes above, is that the GRE general test and the SAT I are not terribly different (actually, the math on the GRE is easier). The GRE subject tests are similarly analogous to the SAT IIs.</p>