First of all, I think standardized test-taking is ridiculous and a silly requirement for graduate school. But to add to this: Rather than taking 5 minutes maximum to fill out a webform to send my GRE scores off to institutions, I had to spend 12 minutes on the phone punching in numbers, confirming those numbers were correct, and then punching in more numbers(repeat cycle). You’d think that a company making bank off a scam system of millions of students taking the SAT and the GRE and so many other tests, that they’d have a developed web interface where students could order scores. But then again, when you’re working off antiquated pedagogies (standardized tests), I can’t suppose that I can expect them to work with user-friendly software and 21st century technologies.
About Michael J. Faris
I study rhetoric and composition as a PhD student in the English Department at Penn State University.
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Taking the GRE freaks me out, not only because I tend to do poorly on standardized tests, but because of all the stress involved in actually sending the scores and everything.
I refused to do it online because they charged $6 more to do so. That just made me angry. So I did it through mail.
I hate standardized tests with a passion. I don’t think they adequately assess what our strengths are, nor do they give a realistic portrayal of what kind of a student we will be. Some people just don’t take tests well and it is an unrealistic expectation to think that they will miraculously pull through because this test *matters*.
I meant via phone. Grr. I wish they had online access.