Advice Requested - Worth Retaking the GRE?

[coeusdave]

I'm hoping I can get a bit of advice from everyone here. I've taken the GREs once already and got 161V/160Q. I'm planning to apply to PHDs in the social sciences sometime in 2016. I'm hoping to get a spot in a top 25 program in my field. Do you guys think its worthwhile for me to invest another month or two into studying for the GREs so that I can hopefully reach 165V/165Q? I know my scores are decent as it is but I wonder if that extra 10 combined points on the GRE would make my application stand out just a little bit more in front of an Ivy League admissions committee? Would my time be better spent doing something else?

 

Thanks for all the help!

[economixed_policy]

While I haven't applied to PhD programs, only to Masters, I can say from my experience that unless your Schools have a minimum GRE it is probably worth focusing on something else.  I think its hard to say for anyone to say without knowing the rest of your profile, but I was going through a similar crisis in my head on whether to retake it or not.  I didn't retake it and mine were lower than yours for policy programs. I hope this helps.

[perpetuavix]

You might want to retake it if you think 1. you can improve your score by at least 3-5 points on both sections and 2. you have some reason to believe that departments you are applying to will care. I don't know how much you prepped before you took the test, but if you didn't do much, you have a better shot of being able to bring up your score. If you did some prep, the likelihood of bringing up your score substantial is decreased. Especially since you're starting from the low 160s, it's much harder to move 5 points near the top of the range than it is to move 5 points at the bottom or middle of the range. On the second count, you can look at the schools you're applying to and see what they say about the GRE. I've definitely seen a lot of places say that they require GREs, but "evaluate candidates holistically" (seriously, I have never seen the word holistically used as much as I have in grad admissions). But if you find schools that report their GRE scores for admitted candidates, give score minimums, or otherwise indicate that the GREs make a difference to their admissions committee, at least if you do improve your score, it will help your chances. 

[velua]

I don't have experience with the social sciences, but the answer may depend on what field. For example, I imagine economics would want 165+ Q for top schools, but verbal might be more important for history.

 

In my experience of applying to Math Ph.D. programs, as long as you get a 170 Math and like 450+ on verbal (whatever that is in the new system), you're fine. It was just to satisfy the university requirements, the departments really didn't care. Of course there was a very difficult subject test you had to take as well that did matter.

[pwe5000]

as long as you get a 170 Math.

....as long as you scale the Eiffel tower...

[velua]

If you're going to a Math Ph.D. program, you shouldn't make any mistakes when reading a graph or figuring out the angles in a triangle.

[h409291]

Check out the link below.

 

http://in.linkedin.com/pub/the-princeton-review-noida/36/430/960

[shinigamiasuka]

You're already 320+, that's a safe zone. I would suggest you get some work and/or research experience in the meantime to add  to your resume. And start drafting a SOP; you'd want to make it a strong one.