Do I need to take GRE subject test for compter science?
September 10th, 2009 | 
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Looking for info on gre preparation classes, gre preparation courses,gre test course and more?
Hi and welcome to my blog,
I opened this blog to help anyone who is preparing for his GRE exam.
I remember myself when I started - I was so lost and in such a panic.
Luckily I got this great Gre guide that helped me a lot
So study hard and good luck!
I’ve bacholers degree in mechanical engineering.
But I’ve work experience of 4 years in Software field.
I want to do MS.
Is general test enough for me or I need to take subject test for Computer science?
Please answer this. I need to make quick decision now or I would’ve to wait till next year.
Posted in gre test | 
Tags: computer science, degree in mechanical engineering, software field, subject test
Depends on the university’s policies. Some require it, other don’t! Check their admissions guidelines, criteria, FAQs etc.
If they don’t require it, then you don’t need to take it. However, seeing as your background is in mech. eng and not comsci, it may be a chance to demonstrate that you’re capable of performing and succeeding in a graduate comsci program. I would suggest looking at the Practice booklet as well:
http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/CompSci.pdf
Lastly, be extremely careful about your decision. What you use in the field is quite different from theory which you learn as an undergrad. Many school place more emphasis on theory in their comsci programs than engineering (even computer engineering or software engineering). Look carefully at the program you want to enroll in, and make sure that you’re competent enough. They may require you to take a couple of undergrad preequisites even.
That really depends on the university. Some of the less competitive programs make it optional and they might even work with you so that you can fulfill some of the undergraduate deficiency courses. For the more competitive programs, since your degree was in something other than CS, it would impress the admissions committee if you can score high on the subject GRE to demonstrate that you are ready for graduate courses. So really, you should check the websites of the universities you are interested. However, I don’t know if you have taken a look at the CS GRE but it tests a wide range of topics, not just software and programming, such as architecture and networking.