I am surprised that 610 on Verbal is 88%...

[wannaphdnHistory]

I thought 90th percentile was 640 or higher. Got 64th percentile on Math (660) and a 5.0 (81%) on writing. I plan to take it one more time to try to raise my Verbal score. I don't think anyone looks at the writing, but I am fine with a 5.0 score. I plan to apply to Vandy and Middle Tennessee State (Master's Program). I need to stay in Nashville area for family reasons; so, that severely limits my choices.

[ridgey]

The %iles move as more people take the test. 640 was probably 90th %ile at whatever point you heard it, and likely will be again at another point. And 610 being 88th %ile is pretty close to 640 being 90th %ile.

But I don't think the best use of your time is retaking the GRE. Your scores are good enough that they'll get you through the first cut. A score of 800/800/6.0 doesn't get you (generally, not you specifically, OP) admitted. The amount of time you'd spend with flashcards trying to learn words would be better spent (better in terms of likely admission) working on you SoP.

Of course, if you ook at my tagline you'll see I'm about to do this all again, so take what I say with a grain of salt

[synthla]

I can second ridgey - I actually got an 800V/790Q/6.0W and you can see that my results were 50/50. I'm sure it didn't hurt, but it certainly didn't get me accepted to places where my interests weren't a great match and/or other attributes didn't match up.

[slawkenbergius]

I had the same experience as synthla (only I was 800/770/5.0). No one I talked to, either among the professors who helped me with getting in or in the departments I visited, so much as mentioned my GRE score. It's personal statement and writing sample all the way.

[TMP]

I had the same experience as synthla (only I was 800/770/5.0). No one I talked to, either among the professors who helped me with getting in or in the departments I visited, so much as mentioned my GRE score. It's personal statement and writing sample all the way.

Agreed. They had very little interest in discussing my GRE scores (as horrendous the verbal score was) once they heard about my projects and interests. They said to talk up my projects and ideas in the SOP and my writing sample and never mind the GRE and GPA (okay, the GPA has to be decent at least!).

[misterpat]

I re-took a 600 Verbal, since it was 85th percentile when i took it. It didn't do me much good, since I didn't really get in anywhere, though I'm rather certain my scores weren't what kept me out. But I had a former professor tell me one's Verbal should be approaching 700, to be safe. Another Professor, at Temple - a lower-ranked (60s-ish) school, told me that I would probably need a 1350 to be a solid candidate for financial aid. (Full disclosure: I exceeded 1350, was admitted, but without financial aid. )

The above-posters, some of the board's finest I might add, have provided good advice. But I'd say if you were testing over 610 on Verbal regularly, re-taking might not be such a bad idea. Some professors/departments like GREs more than others, and while I have no doubt that the sample and statement trump GREs a thousand times over, it's tough to say with 100% certainty that your verbal is past the cut-off mark.

You get 4 score reports when you take the GRE anyway. So, worst-case scenario, you score about the same, and pay $150 for 4 score reports instead of simply $80.