I apologize for this kingdom's recent lack of activity. Since Monday, about 70% of my daily energy has been going into preparation for the GRE (not the GED, mind you), which I will take on Friday morning. I registered for this time slot back in September, when November 3rd felt years away. Sadly, I didn't begin studying for this exam until this week due to a potent combination of procrastination and a surprisingly busy work schedule. In an attempt to "cram" as effectively as I can, I have stayed home from work all week. Doing 7 to 8 hours of GRE prep has been my sole job the past three days. Tomorrow will be more of the same.
Standardized tests have never been my strong suit. Only on the ACT, when I scored in the 99th percentile, have I ever done an impressive job on such an exam. I took the SAT only once, and I loathed the entire experience- the preparation, actually taking the exam- all of it. I more or less vowed to never take it again. So when I discovered my score (a 1300) was the absolute minimum SAT score I could have and be considered for the top academic scholarships, I was more than happy to settle for being in the 89th percentile.
But now my academic future may hinge on the score I receive on the verbal section of the GRE. This test appears to matter more than all the other standardized tests I've ever taken. So I'm feeling more than a little bit anxious about how I will perform on Friday.
Why do I think this test matters so much? When a friend of mine from Candler spoke with widely respected New Testament scholar Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson about how much of a factor one's GRE score is when one's Ph.D. application is under consideration, Dr. Johnson said that the verbal score is how the admissions committee decides whose transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. they will even examine. Supplementing such a report is the rumor I've heard that a great GRE score won't get you admitted to a graduate department of religion, but an average one can keep you out. And what, according to Dr. Johnson, is the cutoff score for the verbal section? Seven-freaking-hundred! That's no modest number, my friends.
My three days of practice and review have not left me with any assurance that I can achieve this lofty goal. The study software I have been using to prepare provides sample questions from past exams. As I've worked through these problems sets I'm averaging about 8 for 12 on both the Antonyms and Analogies sections. That's a "D" in the school sytem I work in. Thankfully, I'm doing much better on the Reading Comprehension and Sentence Completion problems, averaging about 14 out of 15 on the former type and better than 9 out of ten 10 on the latter. Whether those four averages could possibly produce a 700 verbal score I have no idea. But my less than impressive track record in half those categories only feeds my natural pessimism.
At this point, you may be saying, "So what, Dave Scott? Why get so worked up about merely one of many things you will submit with your applications?" Why? First of all, I don't need much to get my academic anxiety going. Second, and more importantly, if what Dr. Johnson told my friend is true, that single thing could keep the powers that be from even looking at the other things I submit. Thus a sub-700 score could very well render my grades, recommendations, and past degrees invisible and kill my chances of being accepted. That would mean at least one more year outside of the academy, spinning my wheels with the same two unprofitable degrees under my belt.
I have two other friends whose common area of study is the physical sciences. Apparently the test didn't mean nearly so much when their applications were up for consideration. One of these friends even described the GRE as a cakewalk and its score as mostly unimportant. Oh how I wish I knew that to be true for religious studies. It would really take the edge off of my anxiety and paranoia.
Failure sucks, and the anticipation of possible failure is worse. But even flat out failure isn't the end of the world. I guess even if I mess up and Vanderbilt or Princeton won't have me, there's always Dallas Theological Seminary.
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Dave Scott,
Though it may not be enough to dispel your anxiety, you should know that after spending two months in class with him, I can say with some degree of certainty that LTJ is an arrogant and nasty little man. While what he said may be factually true, there is no circumstance in which you should base so much of your worry upon any words that came from a man whose academic practices include refering to his colleagues (like N.T. Wright) as "idiots" and "charlatans" in class lectures.
Besides, the school that rejects you is incredibly misguided. Tell them to call me for a reference.
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