Introducing the New ScoreSelect Option

[yoyostein]

http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/ ... coreselect

Sounds wonderful.

Probably everyone who can afford the money will be retaking it again and again till they get >80%.

Any comments on this new scoreselect option?

[Zetetic]

http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about/scoreselect

Sounds wonderful.

Probably everyone who can afford the money will be retaking it again and again till they get >80%.

Any comments on this new scoreselect option?

Well, you're kind of limited by the fact that the subject exam is only offered 3 times per year, and some people re-take 3 times anyway, sometimes more. I'm not sure that it's really a huge difference. If I were on an admission committee this might cause me to devalue the test as a legit measure of ability (not that other factors haven't already devalued it). This may be good for those who don't have great scores since it essentially takes information about performance on the test away from admissions people. Conversely, this might hurt those who get a great score the first time, since it would not be possible to distinguish between a once-and-done and a long slog of incremental improvements.

[owlpride]

I don't think it should matter if one gets a 90th percentile score on the first or third try. What should matter is that the applicant has mastered basic undergraduate material because that's the only thing the GRE measures. It's an achievement test, not an aptitude test.

[jplusip]

What should matter is that the applicant has mastered basic undergraduate material because that's the only thing the GRE measures.

Very basic undergraduate material. I've always felt that the Math GRE was more suited for someone coming fresh out of undergraduate courses in "Math for CS Majors" and "Math for Physicists/Engineers" than actual math students.

Want to test whether someone is ready for math grad school? Give 'em a set of axioms and make 'em prove some theorems. Not this bizarre "Basic Calculus Speed Test" BS.

[slm]

It could also hurt you. It seems possible to me that someone could go like 50%-70%-60%. Now you either have to report 60% to grad school or you report all three. Retaking a test does not guarantee your score to go up and this scoreselect option makes retaking seem misleadingly convenient.