GRE dilemma- PHD

[hbot2013]

I just want to know what the "average" score for the GRE is right now, and what schools are looking for. Many schools say "it doesn't matter" but that if its a low score you won't be accepted.

Ok, so then what is considered a low score for a school like Emory or PTS? They are so vague, its just unclear.

Any thoughts would be helpful. You know I keep hearing that the old test was way easier than this new one (even the verbal was made harder)- so I'm not sure how a school is going to grade the new system, especially in comparison to the last test which put way more people in the top percentile than would be there in the new test.

Thoughts?

[Lux Lex Pax]

I'd say 90th percentile or higher should be good enough. A low GRE will keep you out, but a high one will only get you in the running. I had a friend (white male) who got into a bible program Ph.D. program at Harvard with a verbal GRE score somewhere around the 85th percentile, so it really depends on the complete package you bring to the table.

As for the revised GRE, I thought it was easier than the previous one. I like the emphasis on reading comprehension rather than on analogies, so I'm biased.

[Kuriakos]

I had people tell me to make sure I broke 700 on the verbal. I don't know how that works out in the new system, but I suspect that is close to the 90th percentile that Lux Lex Pax offered.

[Kuriakos]

I don't want to speak for someone else, but I'm guessing he/she is referring to the perception that the deck is stacked against such candidates because of the recent attempts to diversify.

Edited December 15, 2012 by Kuriakos

[Lux Lex Pax]

I don't want to speak for someone else, but I'm guessing he/she is referring to the perception that the deck is stacked against such candidates because of the recent attempts to diversify.

Exactly.

[11Q13]

I had people tell me to make sure I broke 700 on the verbal. I don't know how that works out in the new system, but I suspect that is close to the 90th percentile that Lux Lex Pax offered.

I got a 640 which was 92% at the time. Cracking 700 was 97%+ IIRC

Edited December 17, 2012 by 11Q13

[Seatbelt Blue]

I got into Seton Hall with a middling GPA and a GRE Verbal of 170/170.

[Kuriakos]

I got a 640 which was 92% at the time. Cracking 700 was 97%+ IIRC

Well I don't know what the percentage is, but I had professors across several institutions who had no relationship with one another say the same thing: over 700 Verbal to be competitive.

[AbrasaxEos]

Same deal here, I think the only way to compare the GRE in these transitional years is via percentile, which is what I would think that most institutions will also be doing at least until they get a sense of what the new scores "mean." Similarly, the GRE is kind of your "front door access," in that it isn't going to make or break your application, but will definitely get someone to take a second look. When top-tier schools are getting in the range of 80-100 applications for 1 or 2 spots, they are not going to read through the entirety of every one to check and be sure that the person who got a middling score on the GRE isn't a genius. Such is not to say that one could not be, I know plenty of brilliant people that can't take a standardized test to save their life. Unfortunately, such is the way of doctoral programs.

One other mention on score, I think 11Q13 is correct, over 700 was around the 97th on verbal. Math is a bit harder, because it is pretty easy to achieve a perfect score on it, so the higher percentages are closer to a perfect score there. Somtimes the advice is "not to worry about math," which is generally true, though a truly embarassing score on it might give a commitee reason for pause. However, if you are applying to state schools (UNC, UT, any UC, etc.) consider trying to up that score. The reason being that some of the more prestigious fellowships are cross-disciplinary, so the only way that some of these places have of comparing a Religious Studies PhD candidate with a Physics one might be GRE score. So, if the school gives out 6 total "Presedential (or whatever title they give them) Fellowships," they may really be looking mostly at GRE scores and GPAs among accepted students. This does tend to be true mostly with the state schools though, as many private schools have discipline-specific awards. Consider also that in my own experience, when applying to UNC, the difference between the basic funding and the higher tier one was almost 5k, which is a nice little bonus, upping your equivalent hourly pay from $7 to a whopping $9!

[la sarar]

I got a 640 which was 92% at the time. Cracking 700 was 97%+ IIRC

 

I got 640 in 2009 but 640 is now 89%. Wondering why....perhaps because of the conversion to the 170 range. 

[theologian2011]

It depends on the school. Most schools value personal statement, letters of recommendation, and fit much more highly than GRE scores. Also, it depends on how well a school knows you and your work. If you already know faculty on the admissions committee personally, they are less likely to care about your scores than if your name is totally new to them. 

[Ubi charitas]

From what my professors have told me, breaking 700 (I guess that would be ~ 166 on the revised?) on verbal will make you competitive for most programs, and math only becomes important when applying to top tier programs. I'm guessing that's because most people applying to those programs are already in the top 2-3% in verbal, and a higher math score is a way to gain an edge on other applicants.

 

But theologian2011 is right. I think it depends, not only only the school, but on the particular committee member evaluating your application. Some give the GRE a lot of weigt, some don't. One professor told me that his colleague has made the argument that the GRE math score is an important idicator of aptitude for learning languages. Now, the professor who told me this thought it was silly, but it lets you know what some people are thinking when they're looking at your application.

[boywholived]

One professor told me that his colleague has made the argument that the GRE math score is an important idicator [sic] of aptitude for learning languages. 

 

I have heard this from multiple sources, too.

[Kuriakos]

What Poppycock. My GRE Math was pitiful, but I've always done well in language courses.

[sacklunch]

What Poppycock. My GRE Math was pitiful, but I've always done well in language courses.

 

Agreed. Mine was sad, too. I imagine that good grades in all of your language courses would prove such an assumption wrong.