Physics GRE Discussion Forums

Hi there,

I'm from India and I was preparing with much endeavor to give my PGRE on Oct 29. Unfortunately , I missed my registration deadline as I didn't see any registration deadline on the ETS website when i created my account( chances are I might've missed it). I am planning for Fall 17 admission. I've registered for the General GRE which is on Nov 21 but I'm in a state of depression that i couldnt do the same for PGRE. I'm planning to do MS/PhD in theoretical physics ( Quantum Field Theory or String theory). So what are my chances now? I know PGRE is a prerequisite for me as I'm transitioning from an engineering field( mechanical eng) so I've no chances of skipping it. My only option right now is to take the April test next year( which I'm willing to as I don't want my whole preparation go waste). I'm in a dilemma . Can I get admission for Fall 17 by giving it on April? or should I drop the whole idea of PGRE if I want for fall 17 admission? I'd be much obliged if you guys could help me out in this regard by laying out the options that I have.

Thanks in advance;

I am afraid you cannot do anything about it. For an international student like you and from a non-physics background you need to have PGRE score while applying. Unfortunately to make matters worse there is no test scheduled for April 2017 in India. You can go to Nepal and take the test in April 2017 but I don't think you will be able to start in grad school in Fall 2017.

Some Universities have declared Physics GRE scores as optional for consideration.
This thread might help.
http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?p=51660#p51660

Aikya1 wrote:Some Universities have declared Physics GRE scores as optional for consideration.
This thread might help.
http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?p=51660#p51660

I saw the thread. But it only mentions about universities that dont require PGRE for Astronomy Dept. and doesnt mention anything about the Physics Dept. Is the non requirement of PGRE exclusive to Astronomy or applicable to Physics Dept as well?

ananthu wrote: I saw the thread. But it only mentions about universities that dont require PGRE for Astronomy Dept. and doesnt mention anything about the Physics Dept. Is the non requirement of PGRE exclusive to Astronomy or applicable to Physics Dept as well?

In that thread, I linked directly to the specific page that describes the GRE requirements for each department listed. All of the departments I list are Astronomy departments, so it is not automatically true that the Physics department at the same school have removed the PGRE requirement as well. I would recommend that you check with the physics department webpage for the schools you are interested in!

Although I may have an observational bias since I interact with Astronomy departments much more than Physics departments, I see that Astronomy departments tend to be more supportive of removing the Physics GRE than Physics departments. But with the recent quantitative studies showing its ineffectiveness as a metric for future academic success, maybe Physics will follow suit.