GRE Retake Advice

[Aspire_to_Be]

Hey all, tomorrow I planned to speak to my adviser about grad schools and my GRE scores however before I even do that, I wanted to read some thoughts on my scores and current academic standing to see if it is even worth retaking it.

My undergrad GPA is 3.6 and as a second BA student right now I am at a 4.0 (prerequisites). My GRE score was as follows; VERBAL: 149, QUANT: 153, WRITING: 5.0

I was so distraught by my verbal score and am wondering if I should retake it now... I can't imagine pulling off a 5 again on the writing and am sort  of applying to some rather high ranked/mixed schools. They are the following... Queens College, Hunter College, Brooklyn College, NY Medical College, Northwestern University, Indiana University, University of Texas - Austin and Boston University.

I have looked into their average GRE scores as well as GPA scores. I would say I lean toward below average for all sections save for writing. Please do let me know what y'all think about my situation. I'm torn between retaking the GRE or not!

[bibliophile222]

I know it might seem like another 5.0 is unacheivable... but you did it once, so it is possible! If it were me I would try to raise the verbal score. I know there's not as much prep you can do for the writing, but there are sample essays you can look at to see what they're looking for. Try to remember what you did on your first test date, since it obviously worked!

If you choose not to retake it, then focus all your efforts on the non-stats part of the app. An amazing personal statement plus a great AW score could outweigh the verbal score. Don't worry about quant, CSD programs don't care too much about that, and your score is not outstanding but solid. 

Remember this as well-- stats aren't everything! I had killer stats but no experience and meh LORs. I got into 2 out of 5, so obviously programs didn't just care about my GRE.

[KEIM]

On 9/24/2018 at 7:37 PM, bibliophile222 said:

I know it might seem like another 5.0 is unacheivable... but you did it once, so it is possible! If it were me I would try to raise the verbal score. I know there's not as much prep you can do for the writing, but there are sample essays you can look at to see what they're looking for. Try to remember what you did on your first test date, since it obviously worked!

If you choose not to retake it, then focus all your efforts on the non-stats part of the app. An amazing personal statement plus a great AW score could outweigh the verbal score. Don't worry about quant, CSD programs don't care too much about that, and your score is not outstanding but solid. 

Remember this as well-- stats aren't everything! I had killer stats but no experience and meh LORs. I got into 2 out of 5, so obviously programs didn't just care about my GRE.

How did you prepare for the GRE? You had really good scores.

[bibliophile222]

Thank you! I used an app called Ready4 GRE, which has alternating verbal/quant lessons. The whole program took about 15-20 minutes a day for about 6 weeks. I was worried about my quant score, so I practiced pretty hard for that, because the whole time the app kept predicting I was going to get a 150. Turns out it was off by a bit! I guess underestimating the score is a good way to get people to study more! 

Unfortunately, I don't have any other specific tips. I've always been a good test taker, especially anything verbal, and I have a pretty large vocabulary, which definitely helped. I also don't get test anxiety, which really really helps! Still, as I've reminded people here before, stats aren't everything. Tests are my strength, but I was by no means the perfect applicant. Embrace your strngths, whatever they are!

 

 

[KEIM]

4 hours ago, bibliophile222 said:

Thank you! I used an app called Ready4 GRE, which has alternating verbal/quant lessons. The whole program took about 15-20 minutes a day for about 6 weeks. I was worried about my quant score, so I practiced pretty hard for that, because the whole time the app kept predicting I was going to get a 150. Turns out it was off by a bit! I guess underestimating the score is a good way to get people to study more! 

Unfortunately, I don't have any other specific tips. I've always been a good test taker, especially anything verbal, and I have a pretty large vocabulary, which definitely helped. I also don't get test anxiety, which really really helps! Still, as I've reminded people here before, stats aren't everything. Tests are my strength, but I was by no means the perfect applicant. Embrace your strngths, whatever they are!

 

 

Thanks  so much for all the info!