The Physics GRE does not help applicants "stand out"

TL;DR

This study analyzes admissions data from five physics PhD programs to assess whether the physics GRE helps underrepresented or less competitive applicants stand out, finding it does not improve their chances and may penalize low scorers.

Contribution

The paper provides empirical evidence that the physics GRE does not aid underrepresented or less competitive applicants in standing out in admissions.

Findings

High GRE scores do not increase admission chances for low-GPA or less selective school applicants.

Low GRE scores can negatively impact otherwise competitive applicants.

The physics GRE does not serve as a useful differentiator for applicants who might otherwise be overlooked.

Abstract

One argument for keeping the physics GRE is that it can help applicants who might otherwise be missed in the admissions process stand out. In this work, we evaluate whether this claim is supported by physics graduate school admissions decisions. We used admissions data from five PhD-granting physics departments over a 2-year period (N=2537) to see how the fraction of applicants admitted varied based on their physics GRE scores. We compared applicants with low GPAs to applicants with higher GPAs, applicants from large undergraduate universities to applicants from smaller undergraduate universities, and applicants from selective undergraduate institutions to applicants from less selective undergraduate institutions. We also performed a mediation and moderation analysis to provide statistical rigor and to better understand the previous relationships. We find that for applicants who might otherwise have been missed (e.g. have a low GPA or attended a small or less selective school) having a high physics GRE score did not seem to increase the applicant's chances of being admitted to the schools. However, having a low physics GRE score seemed to penalize otherwise competitive applicants. Thus, our work suggests that the physics GRE does not, in fact, help applicants who might otherwise be missed stand out.