In fact, the official Guidelines for the Use of GRE Scores, published by the Educational Testing Service, strongly discourage the use of cut-off scores:
"6 Consider Carefully Any Use of a Composite Measure
A cutoff score based only on GRE scores should never be used as a sole criterion for denial of admission. The use of a cutoff score combining Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing is especially problematic because the scales for the measures differ greatly. Any department considering the use of a cutoff score should compile a rationale justifying the appropriateness of such a score for each measure: 1) evidence that the proposed cutoff score for the measure usefully distinguishes between individuals who are likely to succeed in graduate school and those who are not, and 2) the impact of the proposed cutoff score on the institution's goals related to diversity."
Anyone who has concrete documentation of violations of this policy, should contact us at bobschaeffer at fairtest.org
