Should I Retake the GRE?

[Aramsey]

Hello everyone!  I'm looking for a little advice regarding my GRE test scores and whether I should retake the test or not.

 

 A little background:  I am a biology major looking into master's programs in wildlife biology or marine biology.  I want to use the master's program as a stepping stone to see whether I would like to go on to earn my PhD or if a master's will suffice for what I would like to do long-term.  I earned a 3.55 GPA as an undergraduate which included many statistics courses that I did well in and which are useful in my field.  

 

On the GRE, I scored a 160 (84th percentile) for verbal reasoning, a 5 (93rd percentile) in the writing portion and a 153 (53rd percentile) in quantitative reasoning.  I feel great about my writing and verbal scores but I did not do nearly as well in the math as I would have liked.  From my understanding, I cannot just retake the one section but instead have to retake the entire test which leaves me questioning whether I really need to retake it.  

 

So, my question is whether I should just attempt to apply to graduate programs as is with my GPA and current GRE scores or if I should attempt the test again?  I honestly don't want to retake the GRE and pay the fee again but I also want to get into graduate school (think state schools on the West coast).  What is everyone's experience and opinions?  All information is welcome and appreciated!

[Seeking]

I guess it's rather late to re-take anyway for Dec deadlines. Schools with late deadlines will most likely accept a Quant score of 153.

 

You can write to the schools where you're applying and ask if your Quant score is likely to keep you out. Point it out to them that you've taken Quant-intensive courses relevant to your program and did very well in them.

 

If they specifically say that they are looking for higher than 153, then drop them and apply elsewhere. If they don't specifically say this, take a chance and apply.

 

Highlight in your personal statement that you have taken statistical courses relevant to your program and have done well in them.

 

Make sure that your writing sample and personal statement are great.

[papergrader83]

Thanks for the percentiles (I still only really understand the old scale).

 

It depends on the school. The best school I am applying to said applicants who score in the 90th percentile are the most competitive, but another of my target programs doesn't even require about GRE scores.

 

I think the GRE scores do matter to some degree, but I'd say at this point just focus on the writing sample and SoP and, of course, we can always try again next year (as depressing as that might sound at this time in the year  ).