Kicking myself over a high Verbal score...

[gradschoolorbust!]

Hey all! I recently took the GRE and it went well. I'm applying to Ph.D programs in the humanities but since I've also applied to some national fellowships, I couldn't completely forsake my Quant score (since they expect a good combined score). I was hoping for something in the six-hundreds on the Q and the seven-hundreds on the V, otherwise I was planning on retaking the exam in a few weeks (since my application deadlines are drawing near). Fortunately for the Math (and I'm not much of a math person) I got exactly a 600, so no need to retake it for the fellowships (and it's not very relevant to my field of study anyway). On the Verbal I got a 720. However, I had scored more or less consistently in the mid and high seven-hundreds and even an 800 on practice tests (both PowerPrep and others). Even though my actual V score puts me at the 98th percentile, I can't help but feel a little bit disappointed... like that I could have done a little better. I guess since I was doing well on the V, the computer decided it was cool to saddle me with very long reading passages (where on any given question, the choices collectively looked like a passage in and of themselves)! I didn't manage my time well on the readings and with less than ten minutes before my time was up and a handful of questions at the end to still answer, a long-ish reading passage came up. I was like, ahhh! Luckily there were only like two questions for that reading, so in the interest of time, I guessed on them to get them out of the way and then in the remaining few minutes proceeded to nail the remaining last few (non-reading) questions. Anyway, I'm pretty sure my V score will be competitive for the programs to which I'm applying. As for the AWA, I think it went really well (but we all know it's generally not very important in the end). Is the combined 1320 good enough for both external and internal funding matters? From what I've read on the forums, people generally say a combined 1200 or 1300+ are good for fellowships. Is this more or less accurate? (I know it varies by department and fellowship, but I'd like to have a general idea)

I know I shouldn't feel down about a 720 Verbal score, but I'm a little bit bummed inside. I definitely don't mean for any of this to be taken as veiled boasting. As for retaking, I have neither the time nor the money to spend on another GRE (again, since my deadlines are nigh). Furthermore, if I did retake it and got a higher V score, there is a definite risk that I wouldn't get a higher Q score than I managed to pull off (and it could even turn out a bit lower). So should I just accept what I got? Thanks in advance!

[eklavya]

...I know I shouldn't feel down about a 720 Verbal score, but I'm a little bit bummed inside. I definitely don't mean for any of this to be taken as veiled boasting. As for retaking, I have neither the time nor the money to spend on another GRE (again, since my deadlines are nigh). Furthermore, if I did retake it and got a higher V score, there is a definite risk that I wouldn't get a higher Q score than I managed to pull off (and it could even turn out a bit lower). So should I just accept what I got? Thanks in advance!

hehe... you english/arts/humanities/law people crack me up! my verbal was around the line of 400s, but excelled in quantitative, and was fortunate to cross the 1200 barrier.

in my field, if i had scored 720, the admission committee would go crazy, and think i prolly faked it. in yours though, it might have a whole another interpretation. and seems like it does, otherwise why this post! anyway, my suggestion is that you need to weigh out the pros and cons of verbal vs quant, and stop worrying. do you think lesser quant but ~800 verbal will be rejoiced by the committee? or would they want a student with higher verbal and not-so-bad quant? perhaps they don't give rat's a$$ about the gre? trust me, there are plenty of these types... i mean, a stupid 3 hr test, by no means, should be compared to 4 yrs of work !!

as you indicated, since you absolutely can't take another test, stick with your scores and impress them with your other credentials.

[papillon]

Hey all! I recently took the GRE and it went well. I'm applying to Ph.D programs in the humanities but since I've also applied to some national fellowships, I couldn't completely forsake my Quant score (since they expect a good combined score). I was hoping for something in the six-hundreds on the Q and the seven-hundreds on the V, otherwise I was planning on retaking the exam in a few weeks (since my application deadlines are drawing near). Fortunately for the Math (and I'm not much of a math person) I got exactly a 600, so no need to retake it for the fellowships (and it's not very relevant to my field of study anyway). On the Verbal I got a 720. However, I had scored more or less consistently in the mid and high seven-hundreds and even an 800 on practice tests (both PowerPrep and others). Even though my actual V score puts me at the 98th percentile, I can't help but feel a little bit disappointed... like that I could have done a little better. I guess since I was doing well on the V, the computer decided it was cool to saddle me with very long reading passages (where on any given question, the choices collectively looked like a passage in and of themselves)! I didn't manage my time well on the readings and with less than ten minutes before my time was up and a handful of questions at the end to still answer, a long-ish reading passage came up. I was like, ahhh! Luckily there were only like two questions for that reading, so in the interest of time, I guessed on them to get them out of the way and then in the remaining few minutes proceeded to nail the remaining last few (non-reading) questions. Anyway, I'm pretty sure my V score will be competitive for the programs to which I'm applying. As for the AWA, I think it went really well (but we all know it's generally not very important in the end). Is the combined 1320 good enough for both external and internal funding matters? From what I've read on the forums, people generally say a combined 1200 or 1300+ are good for fellowships. Is this more or less accurate? (I know it varies by department and fellowship, but I'd like to have a general idea)

I know I shouldn't feel down about a 720 Verbal score, but I'm a little bit bummed inside. I definitely don't mean for any of this to be taken as veiled boasting. As for retaking, I have neither the time nor the money to spend on another GRE (again, since my deadlines are nigh). Furthermore, if I did retake it and got a higher V score, there is a definite risk that I wouldn't get a higher Q score than I managed to pull off (and it could even turn out a bit lower). So should I just accept what I got? Thanks in advance!

A 720 is a fantastic score, in any field. Even if you were able to score higher on a retake, I doubt it would make any difference to the adcomms. You are already in the top 2% of test takers. You should definitely not spend a second worrying about that score, for admissions or for fellowships.

[gradschoolorbust!]

@bhikhaari: We humanities folks are a curious bunch, huh? Lol.

@papillon: Thanks! You're right. I was just so dead-set on getting an 800 or as darn close as possible that I guess I lost perspective when I saw my real score.

I'm just going to keep working hard at finishing my applications. Everything else about my background is strong (high GPA, honors, wonderful LORs, a strong writing sample and SOP, etc.) and my 720V will likely also be considered a positive aspect (I can't see adcomms reacting like I am, i.e. "*gasp!* a 720? Preposterous!"). In fact, one of the departments to which I'm applying (Harvard) recommends at least ~six-hundreds on each section (even though I'm applying in a humanities field). So I just made it for Q and exceeded it for V. I think only once my applications are actually submitted will I be able to more fully let go, but thanks to your comments, I see that I'm reacting a bit oddly to what essentially amounts to a good score. I'll get over this soon enough!

Can anyone confirm the general cut-off range for fellowships? Did I more or less make it?

[ScreamingHairyArmadillo]

Can anyone confirm the general cut-off range for fellowships? Did I more or less make it?

The GRE criteria for the OSU fellowship I received is "a 75th percentile average on the GRE general exam’s Verbal and Quantitative components and a 4.0 on the Analytical Writing component"

[gradschoolorbust!]

I've come to the realization that I've been kicking myself for having just missed the 99th percentile mark for Verbal by 10 freaking points... I really did want at least a 730... but my damn time management and the crazy long readings dashed that dream. There's definitely no use in retaking the GRE just to score a few points higher. Like I said, I'll get over it once my apps are finally in. It's not the kind of thing where I'll agonize for the rest of my life as if forever branded with a 720/98%.

Current grad students, please confirm that like undergrad GPAs, GRE scores (regardless of how good or not good) do eventually become a distant memory...