low analytical score.....should i carry on with my application?

[aniket]

my GRE score is 1220 .. quant 710 and verbal 510... but only problem is analytical writing section where i got a 2.5.....But my college marks are in the range of distinction(over 70%).... my question is will i get an admit in a good college in US with this kind of score in civil engineering dept or is it a really bad score ? i e will i ve to take up GRE again?

[fuzzylogician]

my GRE score is 1220 .. quant 710 and verbal 510... but only problem is analytical writing section where i got a 2.5.....But my college marks are in the range of distinction(over 70%).... my question is will i get an admit in a good college in US with this kind of score in civil engineering dept or is it a really bad score ? i e will i ve to take up GRE again?

The writing score is generally the least important of the three GRE scores. Are you an international student? If you are, make sure that you get a good score in the writing part of the TOEFL exam. If you're submitting a writing sample (I don't know if you usually do that for engineering) - make sure it's well-written. Same goes for your SOP and any other essay you are submitting; make sure that they contain no grammatical or stylistic errors. You could also ask one or more of your recommenders to address your language abilities directly in their letters, if they've had a chance to see you present or write in English.

Definitely don't be discouraged from applying. I'd also guess that your scores are fine as they are (if anything, you might worry about the low quant score), but I'll let other posters who are more familiar with eng applications address this issue.

[DrFaustus666]

The quant score is definitely a problem, especially if you're applying to any of the more selective universities, or the "harder" engineering specialties (E.E., for example, or C.S.).

In 2003, so ETS reports, a 710-Quantitative score, while being 78th percentile over ALL GRE test takers, was only 35th percentile for Engineering applicants.

Scores have increased a bit since 2003 also. People are preparing more intensively, and there are more applicants (many of whom are out-of-work professionals seeking to upgrade from an M.A. or M.S. to a Ph.D. for example).

So, I'd definitely take the GRE again, try to improve your AW, but really concentrate on the quantitative score. Your target for your Q-score should be preferably 770 or so (90th percentile for all takers, 66th percentile for all engineering specialities).

Good luck,

John