Darth.Vegan

Riiiighhht....

You know, if you can at least get a legit diagnosis, you can get accommodations including a few more breaks and 1.5 or double time.

There a number of top schools in my discipline that only calculate your GPA based on upper division courses anyway, so I really wouldn't worry about it too much.

I have unmedicated ADD as well, and had the same problem on one of my practice tests. I would strongly suggest retaking to at least break 1000.

So I ended up with a 1280 on the old scale. My V score was 163 (650) and my Q score was 150 (630). I don't know about AW yet but it doesn't really matter much. Those scores are 91st percentile and 43rd percentile respectively. I am still hoping that my A+ in stats last semester will buffer the low quant score a bit, we'll see what happens.

Naw, also just make sure you don't frame it in terms of their program not being good enough. Framing is everything!

Yes of course you can do that. Say that you think "xyz program" is the best one to prepare you for PhD programs. I wouldn't use the terms "more desirable" or "stepping stone" but I think you get the idea.

I am applying to 15 programs. I am not listing all 15 on my applications, more like 5.

I would suggest downloading the powerprep software from ETS. The Powerprep tests give you a real score at the end (from 130-170) and my practice test scores were basically right on with my actual tests scores.

I was actually just about to ask if you had anything else in your record that would make up for the low quant score, but I take it from your GPA you don't. I'm sure you will get into a great program with all that experience, but you may get rejected from a few top schools unless you have high grades in some math classes that may shed some light on your overall quant abilities. I am actually in a similar boat, I got the exact same quant score and 163 on verbal. However I'm not as concerned because I got an A+ in stats last year, have a 3.94 at my degree granting institution, a 3.7 overall and a 3.9 major GPA.

I'm not big on electoral politics, hence my profile pic. However, Romney just got decimated in that debate.

Usmivka is mostly right, but many schools that list averages often list them in terms of a total.

I honestly wouldn't even worry about your undergrad GPA. Northwestern is a great school and having a 4.0 graduate GPA should buffer any concerns regarding your undergrad GPA.

So I studied for a solid 2 weeks. I ended up with 91st percentile on verbal but only 43rd percentile on quant. My difficulty with the quant came not from an inability to do the problems but with a difficulty in keeping that many different math concepts fresh in my memory at the same time with very little prep time. My verbal however improved from about 75th (156) percentile up to 91st (163) percentile within that time frame. My quant did improve as well as my diagnostic was very low, only 143 and my actual test was 150. I should add, I didn't study flash cards at all. My vast improvement in verbal came just from getting used to dissecting the reading comprehension and strategizing through process of elimination.

According to Barron's online GRE prep, all quadratics on the GRE can be factored.

You will want a high quant score for programs like those, I imagine verbal doesn't matter as much but it would be best to bring it up above 70th percentile on verbal just to make sure. With your research experience you should be competitive, but I would apply to 10+ programs and make sure that you have 2 you think you have a decent shot at and 2 that are safeties. Good luck! I am in a similar situation applying to sociology programs. My GPA is very high (3.94) and my verbal score on the GRE was above 90th percentile, but I am concerned about my abysmal quant score for programs that are quant heavy. I did get an A+ in stats last semester that should help a bit, but a quant score in the 40ish percentile is concerning to say the least.

Those are good scores, I don't know where people get this idea that you have to have 90th percentile+ to get into good programs. Those scores are 77th and 81st percentile, if you don't get into those programs your GRE scores will have nothing to do with it.

You definitely don't need it.

I would think it doesn't really matter but if you email the professor's directly you can find out about their current research which may help strengthen your SOP.

So I took the test today V:163 Q: 150. It comes out to a 1280 when converted to the old scale. The quant is a bit low I know, but I think the verbal is high enough to make up for it in most departments. I also got an A+ in stats last year which should buffer it a bit. I am only slightly lower than UT-Austin's #14 (584 Verbal, 647 Quantitative) average quant and quite a bit higher on verbal so I expect to be competitive outside the top 10 and still have a decent shot within the top 10. What do y'all think!?

Not in sociology it isn't, I assure you. Some departments differ, but in general this is a waste of time.

I did it for some schools and not others. Outside of ensuring certain faculty will be there and will be accepting students, I don't think it's necessary.

That is an 1190 on the old scale, so that is sort of low. Ideally for top programs you want 1300+ but above 1200 may be sufficient. That's not to say that you can't get in to a good program with that score if the rest of your app is strong, but it does hurt a bit. I actually got the exact opposite score on my power prep practice yesterday V:158 and Q:150, which comes out to a 1210 on the old score. Your quant score is 74th percentile, you may want to retake and try to get it above 80th for engineering programs, your verbal while low, may not matter as much. Above 80th would only be a 2 point increase (160), seems very doable.

So my practice GRE scores are all over the place and I take the real thing tomorrow. I will talk about these in terms of the old scale just because it's easier. My practices have ranged from 1200 on the low end to 1320 on the high end. I did the ETS power prep test yesterday and got a V:158 Q:150 which is a 1210 on the old scale. My verbal score is fine although I am capable of higher having scored as high as 163-165 on a Barron's practice test, but the quant really has me concerned because it's under 50th percentile (47th to be exact). I actually know how to do most of the problems, but I make stupid mistakes on questions I should get right and have trouble keeping all the different math concepts straight in my head. I have a mediocre (3.2 GPA) from community college with about 34 credits, and a great GPA (3.94) from a mid-ranked flagship state research school in the state of Hawaii :-), haha. I also have 2 years of research experience including a paid research position and independent research experience.I also took social stats last semester and got an A+, I am hoping ad com's will take that as a better predictor of my potential as a quantitative sociologist. I am hoping for a top 30 sociology program. We'll see what happens I guess. I will definitely post on this thread after the application season is over with an update!

Just to let you know, that score converted to the old scores adds up to a 1220. You might have some trouble in the top 20 programs, but with a strong enough application otherwise, I wouldn't be surprised if you still got a number of offers.