Upcoming GRE Spooktacular

So I signed up for the GRE today. I’m taking it on Halloween, which seemed appropriate for some reason. But it is also the last day of October (which you may or may not be aware of). I actually strategically chose that day due to some fine print that I only discovered yesterday, stating that you can only take the test once per calendar month. That only gives me two tries: one in October, one in November. It was a bit of a panic when I discovered this, because it means that I have to really kick ass this month. But also something of a relief, because, after all the planning and the waiting for deadlines, at last something is zooming up. The process is beginning, and now I don’t have to drive myself crazy sitting around thinking and waiting anymore (since we all know about my thriving need for deadlines and resultant procrastination).

I also took the Diagnostic Test that came with the GRE book that I picked up at B&N on Sunday. I did poorly, but somehow it made me feel better. I missed a lot of math questions, which did not surprise me, and mostly showed me that my skills are rusty as hell. Usually the math problems can be solved using logic if you go about it right. Except the ones that involve 2 &pi r and &pi r2 and the eternal question: which one of these is circumference and which is area?

It’s strange, re-entering the world of standardized testing after a 10 year hiatus. It amazes me that my brain used to function so well in this environment. I had the system down, I was skilled at the bureaucracy surrounding the education system. I knew just what they wanted me to say, even when it was multiple choice, even when I didn’t know the answer.

Things are different now. My brain does not operate that way anymore. Or maybe I’m rusty. Or maybe I killed too many brain cells during college and the following four years in Aspen. But mostly now standardized tests just strike me as lame. What a lame way to decide if someone can get into your school. I realize they need a method, but standardized testing really says so little, especially when you’re talking about people entering graduate school, law school, etc. All it really shows is how well someone operates within the system. Maybe that’s their point. The cynical side of me says, yes, yes, all they really want is someone who they know will perpetuate their system and work smoothly and easily within it. Clearly, I will have to set these feelings aside and jump through the requisite hoops to get to where I want to be. Ah, well, compromise again.

Another thing today’s Diagnostic Test showed me: no matter how many times it pops up on standardized tests, I will never remember what abstemious means.