Required GRE scores for the top schools in chemistry or natural sciences??

[harrysad]

Hello.

 

I'm an international student planning to apply in this year.

 

Currently, my dream schools are the top schools.. such as Caltech, MIT and Princeton...

 

However, I'm suffering from severe concern about my low GRE scores...T.T

 

My current GRE score is... V:155 / Q:168 / AW:3.5

 

In fact, this is the increased score... my original score was 154/167/3.5 before hard study for 2 months;;

 

I think I will not be able to significantly increase my GRE scores more than that(155/168/3.5) though I study so hard. T.T...

 

So I wonder how much the sufficient(or minimum) GRE scores do the top schools require.

 

I'll be so pleased if you give me some advice... Thank you.

[Vene]

This may give you an idea of the typical scores : http://magoosh.com/gre/2013/mit-gre-scores/and http://www.princeton.edu/pub/profile/admission/graduate/

However, graduate school admissions are holistic. For example, Caltech doesn't require a minimum GRE (https://www.gradoffice.caltech.edu/admissions/FAQ). All things considered, the GRE is probably the least important part of your application.

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi harrysad,

 

Have you researched the individual Schools that you're interested in? The websites from each of these Schools will likely give you a better sense of how competitive your GRE score is (and how it compares to the average score, median score, etc. for incoming classes).

 

At face value, these scores are likely 'in range' of the Schools you named. HOWEVER, grad programs really expect applicants to have AT LEAST a 4.0 on the AWA section. Your 3.5 might be a 'red flag', especially at competitive Schools. As such, you might want to put in a bit of work in that area.

 

GRE Masters aren't born, they're made,

Rich