When should I plan on taking the GRE?

Question

I'm a 5th year senior at the UW Madison who plans on taking one more semester of Organic Chemistry before graduating in December. I plan on applying to the University of Texas School of Information (and a few other library programs just in case).

I was just wondering...when is the best time to take the GRE? Should I be in a rush? I was thinking that since I have two more weeks off before classes start in September, I could study for it now, and take it right before the fall semester. However, this seems a little stressful to me, as I have a few other things going on in my life that might make studying difficult to focus on. Would I be OK taking it in December?

Answer 1

Ideally, you want to take it in the fall of your final year, get your scores, then apply to the schools you are interested in right away. Most of these graduate programs (at least for me) had application deadlines in December and January however I've heard them extend as as late as March sometimes.

Answer 2

Plan to take the GRE at least one full semester BEFORE you apply for grad school. Check the grad school admission requirements dates (for each grad school you are considering) and work backwards from the earliest. Probably need to take it ASAP as the testing sites often fill and you may not get into the first site of choice. Also, you will want your scores to see how well you qualify compared to the requirements before you apply to that grad school.