Are GRE scores important?

[Kevin1990]

Even though I'm in the early process of looking into graduate school, many grad programs that I've looked into don't seem to put lot of stock into the GRE i.e. the exam is more of a formality with them and much less important unless you totally bomb it or you have a borderline GPA(ex.3.0/2.9).

One consular even told me that GPA, recs, experience, fit/interests and other aspects of one's academic record a much more important to graduate school's then the scores on the GRE.

However, is this true or only heresey?

I know that grad school admissions are radically different from those of undergrads which mainly looks at grades/scores, but is this the case or not?

[Hopin'-n-Prayin']

I have had more than one advisor at top programs tell me that the GRE is one of the first things they look at in order to whittle the stack of applications from several hundred to a few dozen which they will look at more thoroughly...

[emmm]

When I went in to talk to programs while deciding where to apply, they always asked me what my GRE scores were. It was usually one of the first questions I got -- as if they were deciding whether I was worth chatting further with or not. And when it wasn't one of the first questions, I did notice a change in the tone of the conversation once they heard my scores. As a non-traditional applicant, I did get some condescension initially -- people acting as if I had no clue what graduate study in the sciences involved.

[cunninlynguist]

There's no simple answer.

If you're applying to a competitive, highly-ranked PhD program at an institution with many other excellent graduate programs, your GRE scores will be important for fellowships and other sources of funding at the school level. They'll be used to compare you -- in a somewhat objective manner -- against other candidates in different programs for the money offered by that school.

For most MA programs, it's a threshold. As long as your scores are high enough to demonstrate some competency relative to the rigors of said program, your file will likely receive careful examination. Once you pass the barrier (and the admissions committee can reduce the numbers of applications), it won't be a critical piece of your application.

Frankly, applicants seem to attach more weight to GRE scores than is warranted. We're not able to assess the strength of our qualitative application materials -- even though LORs, SOP, experience, etc. are generally more important -- so it's easier to gauge our value in numerical form.

[MCS_aspirant]

I got into University of Michigan and my GRE has not reached the adcom yet. If your other parts of the application are super strong, you will be fine without GRE. This is what I heard from professors at my university. It can certainly vary. In general, I have heard from several sources what Admitedlylucky said:

"I have had more than one advisor at top programs tell me that the GRE is one of the first things they look at in order to whittle the stack of applications from several hundred to a few dozen which they will look at more thoroughly... "

Just get above average score for the institution you are applying, and forget about the GRE.

Everyone knows GRE is a totally worthless test. How the hell are they supposed to measure the skills of an aerospace engineer and a philosopher using the same test.