JWilliams

By the way: the sentiment I noted above is also echoed by faculty I've encountered. As I said, every program is different, and I'm sure you'll find faculty who think high GRE scores are a must. But most I've talked to and heard use the GRE because in many cases, there's just not much else to go on. Your case is different.

I agree it depends on the program, but IMHO you'd be better off requesting a waiver for any GRE requirements, and have your outstanding graduate performance considered instead. Think about it: if you've been doing a job in outstanding fashion for years, and are now applying at a new place, when making a hiring decision would it make more sense for the new place of employment to consider your clear track record of actually doing the job, or for them to have you show how quickly you can complete word associations and find the angles in a diagram? Schools are concerned about finding 1) good matches and 2) people who can and will complete the program. The GRE is supposed to tell you something about ability, but most programs know these days that it's a highly flawed metric. You've already shown you have the ability, drive, and interest in doing exactly what you'll be doing in a PhD program. The GRE would be a distraction at this point.

[This answer is probably after you took the GRE. Even so, it might be helpful for others...] Your GRE score may surprise you (the free ETS sample tests will actually give you a pretty good idea what to expect). Even so, I would guess that History programs, if they really care about the general GRE, would focus more on the verbal score. From the answers I've seen by faculty on selection committees where the GRE is still used, in many programs the GRE really only comes into consideration if scores are phenomenally low and other application materials just don't tell them much. And I know people who have gotten into highly-ranked programs with ridiculously low subject GRE scores. You DON'T need perfection in this area: PhD programs are really about research, not providing quick answers about how many degrees there are in the vertex of an octogon. But if you really want to know, you might contact some professors in those programs and ask them their approach (be mindful that the answer can ALSO vary from professor to professor, unfortunately).