just got back - retake?

[tendaysleft]

HI everyone,

I just got back from the GRE and I didn't do quite as well as I had hoped. Should I retake the test? Or am I crazy? I got 690V 640Q, and I'm expecting to be in the 5-6 range in AW.

I'm applying to art history MA programs so I expect my poor-ish showing in math won't affect my chances there too much. And I realize my verbal score is pretty good. But I was really hoping to break 700 and really blow the schools I'm applying to out of the water. I have some good recs coming my way and my GPA is 3.62, major GPA probably higher than that. But I was really hoping to get a spectacular verbal score to push my application over the edge.

Would you retake, if you were me? I was scoring over 700 in the practice tests, I think the nerves got to me and I started rushing. But is it worth all the effort, not to mention restudying new material for the revised test? Is it kind of ridiculous or kind of justified that I feel a bit disappointed in that score? Any guidance would be really, really appreciated! (And feel free to tell me off if I'm making a bit deal out of nothing!

[ZeeMore21]

I honestly think your GRE scores are great, I personally wouldn't waste more time and money on another GRE exam. I would, on the other hand, go on to spending time working on perfecting your personal statement and writing.

[cunninlynguist]

Isn't that Verbal score in the 96th or 97th percentile? I think that qualifies as great. Do as ZeeMore21 suggested: work on the other components of your application and make sure they're as excellent as possible, rather than hoping a minor bump in the GRE will be a significant admissions factor.

[Bennet]

Those scores are great, and by the time you retake the test, it will be the revised version, so you'll lose the advantage of knowing what to expect from taking the test before. I wouldn't waste the time and money to retake when it's not even the most important aspect of your application. Be satisfied with your scores and shift your focus and efforts to your other application materials!

[vitaminquartet]

It is just too late to ever take a GRE like the one you took - the new verbal section is completely different (and seems to be less rewarding to people with big vocabularies who do so well on the old GRE verbal) - only take it again if you have reason to think it would play to your strengths.

Frankly, I don't think humanities departments ever use GREs as the basis for admitting an applicant, only as the basis for rejecting an applicant - so while it makes sense to retake if scores are too low (i.e. 500s) it makes little sense for a humanities applicant to retake in the hopes of getting a higher score since it will confer minimal advantage.

[tendaysleft]

Aah thanks for the advice everybody, I'm sure you're all right--it would be crazy to retake it especially with the new test, and all that time and energy would probably be better spent on making my writing sample and SOP totally perfect. I shouldn't have picked 700 as this arbitrary number to measure myself against!