In recent years, standardized testing in admissions is starting to be questioned, with many colleges dropping the SAT as a requirement for acceptance. The same is also happening with the GRE at the graduate level. When I took the GRE as a pre-PT, I remember wondering how math I hadn’t seen since early high school correlated to success in physical therapy school, and I guess I’m not the only one, since many PT schools have since gone test optional.
According to PTCAS, 93 of the country’s 200+ DPT programs do not require the GRE – although you can submit your score to these schools if you’ve already taken the test. This is great to keep in mind if your GRE score is on the lower side, which is often considered scoring below 300 – the cutoff used by many programs. If you are applying without a GRE score, make sure you have a competitive GPA and put extra attention into other aspects of your application, including your essays.
Keep in mind, however, that even if tests aren’t your thing, you’ll be taking dozens of them throughout PT school and will also ultimately have to pass the NPTE (boards) to become a physical therapist. In fact, there is some research correlating scores on the GRE to passing the NPTE years later.