Should I retake the GRE? What should I do differently

[Dynssy]

Q: 156  V: 155 AW: 4.5

 

I'm looking at going in for economics and I find the idea of being in a top-ten school very appealing (pls don't laugh at that). What I need to know is, if I am able to come up with a great SOP and wonderful references, do I stand the slightest chance?

 

I must mention here that I have written the GRE twice in the last two years, once in 2011, and once last year. Whilst I am guilty of not having studied much the first time, I put in a lot more time last year with the princeton review as guide. All I achieved from this additional study were a slightly higher V and AW scores. V increased from 153 to 155, AW increased from 3.0 - 4.5. The Q score remained adamantly unchanged. If you suggest that I re-take the test, is there something in particular you would suggest I do to up my Quant score?

 

Please I need your inputs ASAP to assist me make a decision, Thanks.

 

PS: I'm an international applicant.

[exploregre]

As you are aiming for top 10 school, it is better if you retake. But, you didnt mention the materials you used. 

 

For quant, Manhattans book 1-6 is the best option , 5 lb for more practice, and off course, don't forget to take the 6 exam given with manhattans books

 

for verbal, it is better to increase your attention span by reading loads of articles from neworker, nytimes, the atlantic, etc.

[Dynssy]

Thank you so much for your input, I'll try wiith the materials you mentioned.  There is however one little problem; I'm a Nigerian living  in Nigeria so I dont know how accessible these materials will be to me. Can I get them on the internet? If yes, which website?

 

The Princeton review and power-prep are all the study materials I used to prepare the last time.

 

Thank you once again, I'm most grateful.

[Yetanotherdegree]

I think that before you decide on new study materials, it's important to figure out why you got the score you did. Then, once you know what your weaknesses are, focus specifically on fixing them. Were you too stressed during the test? Too slow? Or were there questions you didn't expect to see? Thing you hadn't covered in your prep?

How you study should depend on what you need to learn or improve.

[Dynssy]

Latte, thanks for your contribution. I admit that I was really fatigued at some point. But despite all d fatigue, I felt I was doing perfectly well especially in the quant section. I had little time constraints though, but I was hardly behind by more than 2 questions. My quant score was a shock to me after I submitted.

 

I have decided to do most of my studying on a PC instead of a text-book to familiarize my eyes with staring at the system for long periods. I have also decided to solve more full-length questions in improvise exam conditions. The most important thing to me is the quant score so I'm focusing on that.

 

If there are any other inputs you want to make as to how I study, I would really be grateful .

 

Thanks again.