Mom90

Being accepted to any particular grad school is not guarenteed, no matter what your scores. Knew students who were accepted at Caltech but not to Harvard; admitted to Harvard but not to Stanford and the list goes on. Most students applied to around 8 schools; few were accepted to more than 6.

gsaray

For a mechanical engineer who wants to pursue a management focused M.Eng program in top 10 schools (Ivy equivalent):

V: 148 (English not first language)
Q: 162
AW: 4.0

Is my verbal too low? Is it really worth re-taking this test?

SleepyAlligator

I just got my GRE scores and am wondering if my writing is going to screw me (4.0). I got a 170 Verbal and a 161 Quant. I'm applying for very competitive English PhD programs, so I'm a bit concerned. From what I've heard, writing doesn't matter that much. Also, I won a prize for best honors thesis in my department my senior year, so that should outweigh the low AW score, right? Thanks!

BandTenHut

My girlfriend is freaking out because she got a 3 on AW. She is a very good writer and got 159 (80th %) on Verbal. Should she retake the GRE? Should she consider paying for a rescore? The idea that she is at the 11th percentile for writing is a joke.

BandTenHut

And how can they justify sending AW scores after the registration deadline for the next GRE has passed?

genie17

I did the gre yesterday and got pretty low score( v:156; q:161), applying to PoSci at some top 5 programs. Should I retake the test?

spectastic

it's easy for them to toss out an application if it's not complete. I think that if she takes it before end of thanksgiving, she can still get it in on time.

Elocin

Hi all,

I took the GRE today and didn't do as well as I had hoped. This is my second time retaking it, and I don't think I could afford to retake it again before applications are due.

Nonetheless, I'm wondering how bad is a bad GRE score exactly. I'm not aiming for top 10 schools or anything. Most of my choices are mid or mid-low tier Biology programs with a couple higher tiered ones for reach schools.

I got the equivalent of a 620Q and 500V, or 302 combined or that with the new system.

hamid77

Hello all,
I am international student and my major is mechanical engineering. I will graduate from one of US universities (rank 40) next may. I am going to apply to all of top 6 universities in my major (univ of stanford, univ of Berkely, MIT, Caltech, Michigan ann arbor, Georgia Tech). My whole application package is extremely strong. I have
1- more than 16 journal papers in very famous journals in the field of heat transfer
2- three conference papers in famous international conferences.
3- four years research experience.
4- Very strong recommandation letters
5- graduate GPA=3.98
6- I was the reviewer of more than 8 journals
and ....
The only weak point in my application is my GRE score. I took it three years ago and my score is Q=760, V=290 and Aw=3 which is very low. Unofortunately, I am not able to improve my Verbal score because I am very busy with my MS research and I will not find enough time to study for verbal section. Moreover, I have only less than one month for peparing myself for this score.
Do I have any chance to get addmission from one of the mentioned universities?
How much the GRE score is important for top 5 universities?
Thanks for your answers in advance

gsaray

You are a journal reviewer and you cant increase your verbal score from 290? Your arguement is invalid. Study for three days and you'll do better than you think

hamid77

Thank you for your answer.
As I mentioned, I took GRE three years ago and it is clear that I can improve it after three years. But I am not sure within this limited time how much i can increase the verbal score because for international student it is very hard section.
Yes, I have strong knowledge in my field of research and I was reviewer of many journals but reviewing a journal paper doesn't mean that I have very strong knowledge of english in any field of science.
If I apply with my current score, Do I have any chance to be admitted?

radioactiveroyal

Hi! I'm applying to Masters programs in History, and all of my applications are done, minus the GRE. I'm applying to IU, Purdue, Boston University, Iowa, and UMD College Park. I've never been a good standardized test taker, but the rest of my application (Writing Sample, LoR, SoP) is really strong. I have a 3.935 cumulative GPA, a 3.953 History GPA, and a 4.0 Anthropology GPA.

I took a prep course and then took the test for the first time back in late September. I got in the 23% in Quantitative, a 69% in Verbal, and and 4.0 on Writing. I was really nervous during the test, and think I can do better a second time around. I'm planning to retake it on November 2. Even if I only manage to improve a little bit, will a very low Quantitative score and a mediocre Verbal score shut me out completely from my programs or make me less competitive? I understand that there's no definitive answer to that question, but I can't help but worrying.

juillet

SleepyAlligator: I don't think English GRE programs really care so much about the AW because the writing is nothing at all like the writing you'll do in graduate school. You most likely have to submit a writing sample, so just be sure that it is as perfect as it can be.

BandTenHut: If your girlfriend is applying for writing-heavy fields, most likely she has to submit a writing sample. That's far more important than the AW score. If her writing sample is strong, that is so much more important than the GRE writing. Given the combination of a 3.0 AW and an 80th percentile verbal, if she is applying to very competitive programs I might consider retaking it - but not because of the AW. I wouldn't pay for a rescore; I hear they most often don't change the score, and your score can go down too. And they justify it because scoring the AW section takes a while. There are thousands of GRE takers.

Elocin: This really depends on the program. GRE scores are more important to some programs than others. There are some programs who won't even consider anyone with less than the equivalent of a 1200 combined, either because of their own choices or the graduate school's pressure. There are some programs that make exceptions for exceptional students, and there are some programs that will go to bat for great students with low GRE scores. Whether or not you retake it is up to you, but if you can't afford to retake it - the only thing you can do is apply and hope for the best. Your scores are good - not fantastic but not abysmal.

Hamid77: Everyone's busy. There are people working full-time, caring for children, traveling, what have you - we ALL have to prepare for the GRE, so being busy isn't really an excuse. I find it particularly difficult to believe that an MS student has been the reviewer for 8 different *journals* - not journal articles, but journals - but perhaps your field operates very differently from mine. Nonetheless, you don't want anything to keep you out. As gsaray says, you stretch your credibility as a writer and a journal reviewer if you can't get above a 290 on the verbal section of the GRE, and you raise doubts about your ability to take classes and perform research, which requires verbal abilities. Engineers don't need the best verbal scores ever, but a 290 is too low. Set aside a few hours every week (I'm a PhD student and even I have a few hours a week) and study for the GRE to get your verbal score up.

journal paper doesn't mean that I have very strong knowledge of english in any field of science.

Yes, it does. You have to be able to read English written at a very high level, and be able to give feedback not only on the science on the paper but whether it clearly conveys the content it intends to convey. If someone told me they were a journal reviewer but scored a 290 on the verbal, I'd assume either that they were exaggerating the truth a bit or that the journals they reviewed for weren't rigorous journals.

Radioactiveroyal: A low quantitative score probably won't hurt a history PhD applicant much, but a low quant score with a mediocre verbal score might. Try to get your verbal to at least the 80th percentile range.

hamid77

Julilet Thank you very much for your answer.

frozenyogurt16

Hi everyone!

I'm a senior at USC (permanent resident but not a U.S. citizen) planning to apply for the master's program in education/student affairs in CA. I want to stay in SoCal so my choices are UCLA and USC. I took my GRE yesterday without good preparation (I only took one sample test) due to my busy schedule of school and work at multiple places. And as expected, my results were not too desirable: V 154 and Q 153 (AW is still pending).

When I attended UCLA's info session, I was told the average scores for accepted applicants last year were V 157, Q 150, and AW 4, as well as the GPA of 3.7. My GPA is high (3.96) but I am worried that my V score is 3 points short of their average. I had already submitted my scores to the schools because I couldn't afford to take another one before the application deadline, but I was wondering if anybody had an idea if I could have a fair shot in getting into UCLA with good ROLs and SOP.

It's been difficult for me to research about this field (especially people who have already gone through the application process) because it's a very small program. I'd greatly appreciate your feedback!