Should I take the GRE again?

[LauraRose730]

Hello-

So I am starting to get things together to apply for grad school this fall. I am applying to the biomedical engineering programs at schools like Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan, Cornell...etc. Duke is my long-shot school but I still want to apply and see what happens. 

My undergraduate major is BME as well. I have a GPA of 3.45. I scored a 159Q/161V on the GRE. I have undergraduate research experience and this year I will be completing an undergraduate honors thesis. I am a little concerned about my quantitative score. It's a little on the low side of what I wanted. I'm just wondering if you guys have any input about if taking the GRE again would be worth my time or should I not worry about it? The GRE really doesn't test on things relevant to engineering, so I don't really know how seriously engineering grad schools take it.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I would retake it if I were you. If your GPA was higher I would say you might not need to worry about it. Your verbal school is real good for your field. You should shoot for at least a 165 on the quantitative in your field. How long/intense did you study when you took it the first time? Could you increase the intensity? 

Edited July 26, 2013 by JoeyBoy718

[SydTheKyd]

I had similar scores and a lower GPA.  I took the GRE twice, but got basically the exact same scores.  I feel like I wasted my money - I should have studied a bit harder.  I say take it again, but only if you're willing to really work harder next time (I regret asting my money :/).  It never hurts to try once more, and you have some time.

 

Not all hope is lost though.  Despite my "poor" GRE scores and GPA, I was accepted into a top BME PhD program (I have a BME B.S. as well) thanks to strong letters of rec, strong leadership activities, and a a strong research background.  It's not the end of the world.  Remember, your application is a package - you can have stellar GRE scores and a perfect GPA, but no one is going to let you in with a sub-par personal statement or resume.  Your GRE and GPA will not "doom" you.

 

Yes, some schools "filter" you out initially, based on GRE/GPA alone.  Other schools do not.  It's truly hard to tell what a school will do - even departments within a school vary differently on how they look through applicants.  Some schools "filter", other schools admit you based on whether a professor "likes" you enough, other schools look at everything first, etc etc.  It's a real crapshoot.

Try again, see what happens, and even if your scores are not what you wanted, don't give up! 

Edited July 26, 2013 by SydTheKyd

[C&C]

When I got my AW score back on Monday, I found myself in the same boat. After some very helpful responses from members here, what convinced me to take the exam again was this webpage I came across: http://www.insidetheadcom.com/applications/should-you-retake-the-gre-or-gmat/. I can't get the link to work at the moment (maybe the adcoms found the site and shut it down! haha), but thankfully I saved the most important part of the page for my own reference. (See below)

 

Should You Retake the GRE?

"I often ask candidates with weak test scores if they are true representatives of the candidate’s ability and they invariably say no.  When the test was more than three or four months earlier than the conversation, I expect a candidate will have retaken it, scheduled a retest, or have a great reason why that is not feasible.  Candidly, most of the time people do not answer this question well.  It is unsatisfying when a candidate had several months to continue preparing for the GMAT or GRE and failed to put the effort into it, especially when they say the first test scores do not accurately represent their ability."

 

That quote removed my doubts, because I want to show schools just how MUCH I want to pursue an advanced degree in my field. If nothing else, they should respect your perseverance and dedication. Hope this helps!