The Graduate Record Examination (GRE®) tests verbal, quantitative, and writing skills possessed by prospective graduate students. You can avoid the costs and stresses of the test when you get into a graduate school with no GRE® requirement. Certain graduate schools do not require GRE® test results with applications due to the test's limitations. The lack of a GRE® requirement does not necessarily mean that a school ignores standardized testing, however. Your application to a graduate school with no GRE® requirement must demonstrate your academic skills in lieu of the test.
Graduate schools with no GRE® requirements are generally clustered in scientific fields not served well by the test. Computer science departments often ignore GRE® requirements in favor of past grades and academic samples. The GRE® does not feature sections that overlap well with the graduate curriculum for computer science students. Another academic discipline that often overlooks the GRE® is engineering. Universities with engineering graduate programs usually place more emphasis on letters of recommendation, portfolios, and past performance when selecting students.
A growing list of universities and colleges is eschewing the GRE® as an admissions standard. The questions and format of the test have changed significantly since 2007; these alterations have raised questions about the legitimacy of GRE® scores before and after the changes. The GRE® has also come under fire as studies have questioned its ability to assess a student's intellectual capacities. Many universities that continue to use the GRE® in the admissions process have decreased its priority level.
A graduate school with no GRE® requirement might still require scores from standardized tests on applications. American students provide ACT® and SAT® scores on all graduate school applications to demonstrate core competencies. Universities in English-speaking countries require completion of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL®) from exchange students. Most national governments have examinations and certifications for post-secondary graduation that can be included in graduate school applications. Most graduate school applications still require results from formal testing organizations prior to admission.
Your chances of getting into a graduate school with no GRE® requirement can increase when you use other means to show your intelligence and knowledge. Graduate schools read carefully through transcripts to determine aptitude in major courses. The application essay allows you to explain why you are interested in graduate study and how you would enrich the program in question. Your letters of recommendation from past professors offer first-hand insight into your commitment to academic success. A graduate school with no GRE® requirement can often learn far more from these application materials than from a test results sheet.