Bombed GRE, but have quant background

[ZebraFinch]

So I decided to apply to grad school for fall  2015 just recently on a whim. I was on a six-month med course that made me little more than a depressed half-person, so I've been "myself" again only recently. I did my undergrad in poli sci and economics, got 3.69, won a Boren scholarship, etc. Today, I scored 159 on Verbal and 139 on quant. Are these so bad I should just skip applying this year altogether?I'm feeling very hopeless right now.

[Gov2School]

Well, don't feel hopeless. It's just one test, and the good news is it sounds like you have a strong academic background are capable of doing much better even though you didn't do very well this time.  If it was me, I would wait a year for two reasons:  1) obviously, gives you more time to prep your GRE. You're not penalized for taking it multiple times, so I would keep going until you get the scores you want; 2) it gives you more time to think about whether this is the best path for you.  A career-oriented policy degree isn't necessarily the best thing to sink your money into on "a whim".  Maybe it's worth taking some time to decide if this is really the way you want to go.   You have plenty of time  to consider your options, there's no reason to rush into it this year.

 

If you do decide to apply, you'll probably want to use your optional essays to explain what you think went wrong with your GRE score. 

Edited December 6, 2014 by Gov2School

[ZebraFinch]

Well, don't feel hopeless. It's just one test, and the good news is it sounds like you have a strong academic background are capable of doing much better even though you didn't do very well this time.  If it was me, I would wait a year for two reasons:  1) obviously, gives you more time to prep your GRE. You're not penalized for taking it multiple times, so I would keep going until you get the scores you want; 2) it gives you more time to think about whether this is the best path for you.  A career-oriented policy degree isn't necessarily the best thing to sink your money into on "a whim".  Maybe it's worth taking some time to decide if this is really the way you want to go.   You have plenty of time  to consider your options, there's no reason to rush into it this year.

 

If you do decide to apply, you'll probably want to use your optional essays to explain what you think went wrong with your GRE score. 

 

 

I should've clarified, for the last few years, I've wanted to go to grad school for a policy degree, the "whim" part was applying for Fall 2015 specifically. For some of the schools I'm interested in, I guess I can retake it later in December and just make the deadline, hopefully I can study more. I just don't know if schools "remember" applications so that if I don't get in this year, I won't get in next because of my awful GRE scores this year, if that makes sense.

[MJA87]

I should've clarified, for the last few years, I've wanted to go to grad school for a policy degree, the "whim" part was applying for Fall 2015 specifically. For some of the schools I'm interested in, I guess I can retake it later in December and just make the deadline, hopefully I can study more. I just don't know if schools "remember" applications so that if I don't get in this year, I won't get in next because of my awful GRE scores this year, if that makes sense.

 

Most (if not all?) schools take your best score for each section and combine them. As long as you retake in time and send your newer, better scores, your very low score won't be held against you. I'd recommend either really dedicating yourself to studying and doing practice tests for the next couple weeks and retaking the GRE in time to apply this year, or better yet, waiting until next year to apply and improving your entire application in the mean time.

Edited December 6, 2014 by MJA87

[Gov2School]

As MJA87 says, most policy schools just look at your best score, so if you have time to re-take the test before your applications are due, that's the best route. It's not like law school, where you get penalized for taking the test multiple times. And if you still don't get in (and you think it's because of your GRE score) you can apply next year and try for a better score, they won't care that you scored badly before.  Anyone can make a mistake. 

[ZebraFinch]

I'm retaking it again on December 29, it's pretty tight but I hope it's enough. Found  out I got a 4.00 in AW, is that good?

[MJA87]

I'm retaking it again on December 29, it's pretty tight but I hope it's enough. Found out I got a 4.00 in AW, is that good?

What percentile is it? What is competitive for your target programs?

On the whole I would say its mediocre if not slightly below average for most programs.

[ZebraFinch]

What percentile is it? What is competitive for your target programs?

On the whole I would say its mediocre if not slightly below average for most programs.

56%. I have no idea as the programs I'm interested in just mention average scores in the verbal and quant section. I'm ESL and expected to get a 3 or so in AW.