NP School with a GRE of 300?

[outsidegirl]

Hi!

I will be graduating from a 4 year BSN program in 2018. I recently took the GRE and got a whopping score of...300 (out of 340). Yikes! I'd prefer to keep my 300 and not take the GRE again if the scores don't have too too much weight on my application. I know I have a *lot* of research to do on GREs and NP programs before jumping into anything; I'm just curious if anybody has a thought on how much my low score will hinder my chances of getting accepted into a good NP program?

I know that some programs don't require it, and some require it based on the highest math class you took, and some require specific scores for Verbal and Quantitative.

My GPA of 3.3 is low, but my resume is well-rounded, I'm active on campus, and I have interned at a major hospital the past two summers. I plan on working as an RN for at least two years before applying to NP school. Are these things enough to round out my GRE score?

[shibaowner, MSN, RN, NP]

You can always take the GRE again. However, fewer and fewer schools require it now. And I've never seen an NP program require the quantitative. Make a list of NP schools you are interested in and see if they require the GRE and if it is just verbal or both. Johns Hopkins and UCLA do not require the GRE.

You have a decent GPA and experience. Your application is evaluated on a lot of factors, not just GPA and GRE. Your RN experience will also be a big factor. In addition, your recommendations, essays and/or interview will be very important.

If you want to take the GRE again, take a review course.

Good luck

[direw0lf, BSN]

What grad schools are you trying to get into? The competition doesn't appear to be all that fierce to me? But not sure where you are thinking of applying.

[oceanblue52]

Most of the programs I have seen only require the GRE if your GPA is below a certain threshold. Figure out what programs you are interested in and see what the requirements are before you spend more money and time retaking it.

[outsidegirl]

Thank you for your thorough input!

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

I think as long as you meet the GRE requirement of the individual program you apply to, a 300 is okay. Nursing schools don't put much emphasis on GRE and for good reasons. However, if you want to apply to top programs, CRNA programs, or popular specialty such as FNP, your 3.3 GPA and 300 GRE will likely put you in the "below average" category among applicants. Rather than re-taking GRE, your time might be better spent on taking a couple advanced level courses such as advanced patho & pharm. Obviously you need to "A's" them to boost your academic profile. That would alleviate any concerns about your ability to handle graduate course work from admissions' perspective.