writing 6.0 needed for political theory?

[oldster]

I'm getting 5s on the electronically graded writing test. Obviously 6 is better but has anyone heard of students getting into specific political theory programs (please name) with a 5?

[Chianti]

As long as your other sections are strong a 5 on the essay should not be a problem. Professors I have talked to think very little of the GRE (a necessary evil if you will) and value the rest of your application.

[janaca]

Wait, is a 6 on the writing section a thing that is highly desirable in political theory, specifically? I've been talking to a political theory professor at my current institution (a middle-tier state school) who tells me that the AWA score doesn't even appear on the forms that the admissions committees see here. The university sees applicants AWA scores, I guess, but the adcoms only see Quantitative and Verbal--and this is the throughout our entire graduate school.

[Chianti]

It won't hurt, but I don't see why it would be "highly desirable." The kind of writing you do for the GRE is a joke and does not indicate your actual skill at all--it just shows how well you take the exam. The writing sample and statement of purpose give the adcom a better idea of where you stand in terms of writing. (Can you tell I think lowly of standardized testing?  )

[drownsoda]

I don't know much about your field, but I've heard across the board that a 5 is a solid score for analytical writing. I scored a 5, and according to the ETS diagram, that score puts me in the 93rd percentile, which is pretty good. 6 is a perfect score, but 5 is considered high I believe. I was checking the stats at Fordham where I'm applying, and my writing score was higher than their average score for their PhD students, which I was really surprised by. I'm applying for English programs too, so I'd be surprised if a writing score of a 5 was considered poor for political theory.