Well THAT didn't go well...

[holdonhope]

Took the GRE this morning, and did not do nearly as well as I had hoped... 610v, 630q...waiting on AWA. :cry:

My question is, is it worth it to retake?

I'm applying to MPP schools that all have average GRE's that are pretty much higher than that, but I wonder how much my other credentials affect my application.

(Some background: 3.1 undergrad, 3.9 first masters (education), teach for america member, couple of internships.) Does TFA really help, or am I just fooling myself that I can get into a top 10 school? Or should I take it again, and cross my fingers that I can get a high 600s verbal (which I got on nearly all of my practice tests)?

Any help would be GLORIOUS.

[keepcalm]

I don't know if this helps, but I got a 590 V the first time I took the GRE, which I felt pretty iffy about. So I decided to take it again, studied and a month later and got a 720 V. It is possible to pull up your scores. Plus having a high GRE score from the second time made me a lot more confident about my applications!

I don't really know how important the GRE is to your field though. I wanted to have a high GRE because I knew my GPA, while good, was lower than the averages of accepted applicants at the schools I applied to. A lot of this was because I was changing fields, but I really wanted to prove that I was a competitive applicant. You seem to have a lot of experiences that would be beneficial to your application, but having a higher GRE score certainly couldn't hurt! Especially if you aren't confident about your current scores, I know I felt a lot better after the second time!

[xnormajeanx]

For MPP your Quantitative score is going to be more important most of the time. I would try to get that score up. You have a good background and have a good chance of getting into top 10 schools, but you would have an even better shot with a higher Quant score.

[nertperson]

Give it some time and think about it. When I took my GREs I was inconsolable because I scored 100 points lower than my practice tests. I realized after a week or so that my score, while not providing me with the bragging rights I so wanted, was still reasonably good. No one (NO ONE) has ever gotten into grad school because of their GRE scores. But people have been rejected because of their GRE scores. Are your scores low enough to keep you out? I don't know--I'm not in your field, don't know your schools, etc. However, it seems to me that your scores will probably be good enough. Best of luck.

[erin85]

the verbal is very good, the quant score I would be worried about though, especially if you lack a math/econ background. If you have a decent background there a letter explaining it might be enough.

I received a much lower verbal score than I wanted (590) but but my quant score (740) was higher than expected... My practice exams I usually scored in the 700s for verbal and 600s for Q... my call ended up being to stick with my first scores as my social science background would make up for the weaker verbal score... And my lack of a quant background made a 740 worth keeping.

I made some very good MPP programs with those scores... more rests on your background and work than the GRE, although it is important. I'd think about it ultra carefully... wait until you have percentiles in too... Almost all programs look at /all/ your scores, so if you do worse the 2nd time, your in alot of trouble.

[sosh]

If you're confident and keep studying, there's (relatively) no harm in taking the GRE a second time. I basically got your scores and made it into a top 10 MPAff. program -- the only program I applied to.

The biggest thing is making sure your work experience, recs and SOP is in line.

[engguy]

go to http://www.ets.org/gre and download the "Guide to the Use of Scores 2007-08," which is a pdf. On page 13 it will tell you your percentile if you took the test this year. I don't think they change very much.

If you are unable to find it, send me a private message and I will attach my copy. :roll:

[update]

http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/994994.pdf

[holdonhope]

Thanks for the help and advice!

I think I am going to take it again in May, just so I can say that I did. I'd hate to get rejected from all of the schools I apply to and wonder "what if" about my score.

[erikw]

If you study from the Barron's Guide you should be fine. The practise exams in the book are way harder than on the actual exam; it helps to go over the word lists as well. Grad schools usually regard low quant scores with a certain amount of skepticism since it's possible to do very well on that section fairly easily.

Good luck!