I am wrapping up the first year of my Master's degree at an R1 university (social sciences program). I really want to apply for my PhD, but I am concerned that my master's GPA is prohibitively low. I am ending the first year with a 3.6 (primarily due to text anxiety, which was new to me this year). I love learning and feel that I've gained a lot from my classes, but it's not reflected in my test scores.
My undergraduate GPA was a 3.9 I do not yet have publications, but I've joined multiple labs and connected with professors who know my research interests and motivations.
Will my GPA be too low for admission into a PhD program? I will be completing my thesis next year. At this point, I think I've gained a good perspective on how I need to approach my studies in grad school, and I've developed strategies to improve my academics in my last year. Can anyone recommend strategies to help me improve? Thanks!