High GRE Verbal, Low GRE Quant

[zsa]

Hi,

I'm applying for a masters in architecture. I have a GRE score of 670V and 530Q. Does the quant score strike you guys as low enough to raise a red flag with admissions?

Also, I've noticed that most people with high verbal scores tend to have high quant scores.... any explanations for this? I seem to have it backward.

Thanks.

[Michelley262003]

I did better on the Q- 670 vs. V-540. I think it really depends on the form you get.

The GRE is crap anyway... I don't think they will place too much emphasis on it.

[Stories]

Is there an importance placed on the mathematics for architecture? If there is, you may not even get past the minimum GRE cutoff for quant. 530Q is a pretty low score.

[mlle]

I'm not in architecture--I'm in the social sciences and public health--but I had similar GRE V and Q as you, and I didn't have any problem getting into the schools I applied to (granted, I didn't apply to any of the ivies or anything--but I did apply and get into a number solid schools in my field). I did come across one school that had a quant cutoff of 600, but in my experience schools seem to be more concerned about whether your combined score is 1200 or over. If you put a lot of effort into the other parts of your application like your SOP, and finding good recs, I wouldn't think a low Q score would hurt you outside of the science fields, or econ or something. It wasn't an issue for me, at least.

I never understood myself why everyone says the math section of the GRE is easy. I tried studying to raise my Q score and gave up bc I kept doing even worse on the practice tests than on the real test :roll:

[socialcomm]

I also had a high verbal and low quant score. After applying last fall (PhD programs), I received feedback that people did question my scores because they were so far apart from each other. I'm retaking the GRE this fall -- I'm not overly optimistic the same thing won't happen again, but I'm trying my best!

[DrFaustus666]

Contrary to the assertion that "people who get high verbal scores also get high quantitative scores" .... I got 800-V, 650-Q, and 5.5-AW.

I did get into several solid grad schools, did not try for ivy leagues. I just wanted to dispel the idea that everybody with good scores in V also gets excellent Q scores. (Yes I know a 650 is not bad unless you're applying for EE or Astrophysics, etc).

And I also agree, the Quantitative is not "easy" ..... unless you got A's in Engineering Calculus and one or two other math courses as an undergraduate.

PS: on side note, I applied to both Kaplan and Princeton Review to work as a tutor, and was rejected by both because my quantitative score was too low.

[newtothegame]

I got a 670V 440Q and hope that I will be able to pull that score up with tutoring. I am going for poli sci but not with an interest in quant heavy subfields. Can you afford to work with a tutor? I realize this initial post was last year so if you did retake the exam, let us know how you did. Give the rest of us in the same boat some hope

[UnlikelyGrad]

And I also agree, the Quantitative is not "easy" ..... unless you got A's in Engineering Calculus and one or two other math courses as an undergraduate.

Good grief. There's no calculus on the test! There's not even any trig! It is all high school math. I didn't get a single A in math as an undergrad. In fact, I failed a couple of math classes and had to retake them. Granted, these were all advanced calculus, and I was at a top-5 school. But...

What really helped me, I think, was my ~5 years tutoring high school math in my "time out" years. Also, the tricks I learned from the Princeton Review book helped a LOT. (I'm good at math, but not necessarily fast. And you definitely have to be fast to ace the GRE Q.)

Get the Princeton Review book and learn the tricks. A lot of the questions can be answered with simple arithmetic, no algebra needed. Then get the Barron's book and work through it.

Since taking the GRE I've coached a tutor client through the SAT-Q* section. I'd worked with her before and knew she had math issues (LD). I taught her the tricks from the Princeton Review, and she pulled off a much better score on the math section than she thought she would.

*Note: the SAT actually covers MORE advanced math than the GRE. Go figure.