Retake the GRE

[bparkm]

Hello all, I just took the GRE and would like some advice on whether or not I should take it again. I want to take it before the new test comes out, so in the next month or so if I decide to do it. Here were my test scores: V 550, Q 630. I haven't gotten my AW back yet, but I expect them to be around 5-5.5. I have a solid GPA (>3.5) from a pretty rigorous liberal arts college and pretty good research experience (I conducted original research for my senior thesis, and ended up presenting it at a conference as well as being published in an undergraduate journal).

I would like to apply to a top 20~30 grad program in sociology, do I have a realistic shot, or should I retake it? Will admissions committees look down upon me taking it twice (like the LSAT or MCAT)? It's been hard to get some advice from my professors because they aren't that well connected to the graduate world, so I'd like some honest advice. If you think my scores are way too low and I have no shot, please tell me!

[cunninlynguist]

Your other admissions factors sound good, but you may encounter some issues with the GRE score. Firstly, if you're applying for a PhD program, their score expectations are generally higher than Master's programs; you may need a minimum score (1200 is one I've seen frequently, but that's not all-encompassing) to qualify for the best aid, fellowships, and the like; and lastly, a strong GRE score may really boost your application while a decent one might not warrant any reaction from the admissions committees.

I assume you've already narrowed down some of your top choices - what do those programs say about how much emphasis they place on the GRE? For mine, it seems quite important and weighed similarly to GPA. Sociology may be different - 1180 isn't a bad score by any means, but it'd be worthwhile to know exactly where you'd stand relative to other competitive applicants.

Regarding the potential stigma of taking it again: I really don't think taking it twice is a big deal. I've seen reputable programs explicitly recommend taking it again to achieve the best score possible. You didn't bomb the first test and you would simply illustrate that you wanted to make the GRE component of your application as strong as possible - that's not a bad message to convey. If you had done horribly the first time around, it might raise a red flag.

And just as an unsolicited personal addendum: I scored 1240/5.0, which is literally right on the money of posted averages for admitted students in my field, at the best programs. I was pleased, but I want it to stand out. I'll be re-taking it in August or September (the new test should actually play to my strengths more, and the discount doesn't hurt!). Actually, now that I think of it, you may not be able to make a huge leap in scores if you take it only a month or so from now (and you might be a little burnt out).

My overall advice is to find as much absolute info as you can from your top programs and go from there. Good luck with your decision, either way!

[bparkm]

Thanks for your help! I've been looking around at programs and I don't think many have a minimum, but the averages are posted, and most of them are in the 600s for both sections. Which section do you think I should focus on studying more over this next month? I definitely spent more time on verbal studying for the first one, but I did a lot better than I thought on the quant section, and did a little worse than my practice tests showed in verbal. Thanks again.

[cunninlynguist]

I would brush up a little on the Quant, just to be safe, but I'd definitely put more time into the Verbal. You're already around the 75th percentile for Verbal, right? If you can get it close to 600, you'd be in good shape, and your percentile would jump a good 10 points or so. I imagine, for Sociology programs, that Verbal would be viewed as more important than Quant, too.

[bparkm]

Thanks for the help. I was shooting for around a 600 for verbal. I'm familiar with the test format and everything, but I think my weaknesses are the analogies/antonyms. Should I just be studying vocab words? What about the quant section, I'm pretty rusty but have just been going through books trying to relearn a lot of that stuff.

[rainy_day]

Thanks for the help. I was shooting for around a 600 for verbal. I'm familiar with the test format and everything, but I think my weaknesses are the analogies/antonyms. Should I just be studying vocab words? What about the quant section, I'm pretty rusty but have just been going through books trying to relearn a lot of that stuff.

If your weakness is antonyms/analogies, you actually might want to wait and retake it once the new test comes ot, as those two sections are (as far as I know) removed in the new GRE.

Edited to add: Yes, those two sections are being removed. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/education/edlife/edl-17popquiz-t.html

Edited June 7, 2011 by rainy_day

[bparkm]

Yeah I saw that, but I'm a little worried that I'm not going to have as much time to study. I'm starting a new job in mid July, and I'm going to be much busier (my current job allows me to study during the day). Also, I don't want to spend another 2-3 months re studying for the new layout, question types, etc. Also, it seems like the quant section is going to be much harder. Do you think I should just hold off? I'm also starting to get a little burnt out, I've been studying since the end of Jan/early Feb, so it's been a while...

[rainy_day]

Well I'm terrible at the Analogy & Antonym sections, and so I decided my retake will be the new gre (my old scores are from pre-MA). You could try taking the new test (they have a pdf about it with sample questions, etc.) and see how you do comparatively! Personally, no amount of studying is going to improve my ability with antonym and anologies *that* much, and I do really well on the new types of questions. Math is largely irrelevant for me (English. Does it matter for Sociology?) and the new test gives you a calculator!

Anyway, personally, I think I will do better on the new GRE with less studying, so I'm going for that. Also, it's only $80 if you take it in August or September, and I like the idea of giving ETS even less of my $$.

[noraaaa]

Decaf,

Congrats on your GRE scores! I'm sure you fell very relieved to have the exam behind you.

I'm scheduled to take it later this month and while I know this will have little to do with my exam, I'm a bit superstitious and so I'm curious to find out if you happen to remember your essay topics?

I think I've spent more time preparing for the written part than the entire test because I'm so nervous about it!

Either way, good luck in your grad school applications though I'm sure you'll do great.

-Nora

[FingersCrossedX]

If you will feel better retaking it and have the time to study, I say do it. Otherwise, the GRE is not that important. The GRE isn't a great indicator of graduate school performance and there are parts of the application that are much more important. The absolute best advice I can give you is to make sure that each school you apply to is a good fit for you and your research. Look at professors that you want to work with and make sure they are taking students on when you are applying. Even with a perfect GRE score, without a good fit you most likely won't get in. This spring when results started rolling in people would post a rejection along with VERY impressive stats GRE over 1400 publications, high GPA and such. I would bet a lot of money that they got rejected because of a lack of fit. Like I said, if it will make you feel more confident and you have the time to do it, retake the test. If its going to stress you out more than keeping what you have, I say just focus on researching schools and fine-tuning your statement of purpose.

[bparkm]

Thanks a lot for your input, this is helping me a lot! rainy day - from what I've heard from others on the site, the quant part is somewhat relevant because programs want to see that you have at least an understanding of the concepts so you can do quantitative research later. I need to look more into the new gre, but I'm not sure if I can continue to devote my time to studying.

fingers crossed - I've been stressing about it but have had time to study for still. The thing I'm concerned about is not getting a chance to be looked at by adcoms because of my gre score (my thinking is, they have hundreds of applications to look at, so they whittle it down by gpa, gre, etc and then look more in depth at those apps. Am I wrong? This is just what I'm guessing). I have already found some professors I would love to work with and I think I would be a good fit (Northwestern, UC Santa Barbara). I know some of these programs are top tier, so I would like to be as competitive as possible.

Nora - good luck on taking the test! My advice for you, arrive early! Get situated with the environment, and remember your ID! Try and stay clear and focused throughout the test. As for the essay questions, I think the issue topic was on globalization and the analyze the argument was about building a bike path from one town to another because the highway was backed up (obviously lots of flaws in the logic). Hope this helps and good luck!

[runonsentence]

fingers crossed - I've been stressing about it but have had time to study for still. The thing I'm concerned about is not getting a chance to be looked at by adcoms because of my gre score (my thinking is, they have hundreds of applications to look at, so they whittle it down by gpa, gre, etc and then look more in depth at those apps. Am I wrong? This is just what I'm guessing).

From conversations with the adcom at my current school and advice circulating on this board, I've learned it's more likely that adcoms whittle it down by the first few lines of your SOP. My GRE scores were actually just below the required minimum at the schools I was accepted to.

[noraaaa]

Decaf,

That's really great advice, thank you so much! and thanks for posting the essay topics too i really appreciate it!

I forgot to mention before that if you plan on retaking the old version, as far as I know, although the new version starts in August, I don't believe they're testing in July. So if you took your exam in May you may only be able to take the old version until the end of this month. However if you took your exam in June, I don't believe you can retake it.

Either way, best of luck to you and thanks again for the help!