To retake or not to retake?

[TheHymenAnnihilator]

Hi all, I am seeking advise as to whether I should retake the GRE or not. I took the exam this morning receiving a score of 650 A and 540 Q, which is an acceptable score but not outstanding. I'm frustrated because I lost focus and had to go to the bathroom very badly (my fault for drinking too much water during the break!) during the quantitative section. On practice exams, I had been scoring anywhere from 680-800 on the quant section and around a 700 in verbal. Am I insane to take the exam again?

Also, for the sake of context, you should know that my field is in the humanities. I already have a master's degree from a research university in New England and a bachelor's from a top-tier public school.

[emmm]

I would retake, since it sounds as though your score does not accurately represent your ability.

[Eigen]

I would say it's probably worth it to re-take the exam, if you can do that much better on a follow up.

For most humanities (you don't specify which you're in) I think the verbal is the most important score- and your 650 isn't bad. You end up with an 1190 overall, which is probably above most of the minimum requirements. But if you think you can get a 1400 or 1500, those will be much stronger, and might help with funding offers.

I think your research is more important, but if you're really pretty sure you can get a much higher score, I'd go for it. It never hurts.