Also in Survey: Majority of Programs Haven’t Yet Planned
for GRE Change in August 2011
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Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571
New York, NY (November 9, 2010) – According to a new Kaplan Test Prep survey of graduate school admissions officers at 108 top programs across the United States*, the admissions process will likely become increasingly competitive – 78% predict an increase in the number of applicants for the current cycle. This comes on the heels of an announcement made earlier this year by ETS – the administrator of the GRE, the admissions exam required by most graduate programs – that in 2009, global registration for the exam topped 675,000, a 9% increase over the prior year.
“The past couple of years have been hard for college graduates trying to enter the workforce for the first time, as well as for working professionals looking to change careers or bounce back after layoffs, which has made graduate school an appealing destination for both groups,” said Liza Weale, executive director of pre-business and pre-graduate programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “An increase in applications will result in an even more competitive admissions process, making it imperative for aspiring graduate students to put together a strong application. A graduate degree remains an important tool for job applicants seeking to be more marketable and can serve as a strong hedge against unemployment.”
The survey also shows that even with the vastly changed GRE set to launch in August 2011, 81% of graduate schools have still not developed a transitional policy with regard to accepting scores from the current GRE or the new one. And although the exam’s administrator says the new exam was created to make it a better predictor of student success in graduate school, 77% of admissions officers surveyed don’t know if it will be, based on the information they know. The GRE’s administrator also says the new test will have a new format, new scoring scale and new question types; that it will be about an hour longer than the current GRE; and that there will be stricter limitations around the frequency of taking it.
“The new GRE will be dramatically different – there is a lot of uncertainty among both test takers and the graduate school community,” added Weale. “While it’s safe to say most graduate programs will develop a transitional policy over time, we advise students to take the GRE before it changes, since scores are good for five years, and avoid the mystery if they can. Prospective students who want to apply for a graduate program with fall 2011 deadlines should take the current GRE because scores from the first administrations of the new test in August, September and October won’t be released until late November – too late for most fall 2011 application deadlines.”
Other Kaplan Test Prep survey results:
- GRE Most Important Admissions Factor: 30% of the admissions officers surveyed report that an applicant’s GRE score is the most important admissions factor, followed by undergraduate GPA at 26%. Work experience followed at 16%.
- High GRE Score = Money for Grad School: 66% say a strong GRE score will help a student receive merit-based scholarships, teaching assistantships or grants.
- Directly from College to Grad School: Compared to two years ago, 53% report an increase in the number of students applying directly from college.
- Not Friending or Recruiting via Facebook: Only 42% of schools use Facebook to recruit prospective students; only 2% say they’ve ever visited an applicant’s social networking page.
For more information about the graduate school admissions process and the new GRE or to schedule an interview with a Kaplan expert, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.
*The survey was conducted by phone in August 2010 and included responses from 108 of the top 200 graduate programs – as designated by U.S. News & World Report – in education, engineering, psychology and public administration. Kaplan also conducts surveys of admissions officers at colleges, business schools, law schools and medical schools.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com), a division of Kaplan, Inc., is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings and a complete array of books, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as English language and professional licensing exams. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.
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