Should I retake the test?

[meow]

I was hoping for V 165+, but ended up with 163.  Q is 170.  Not bad, I know, but wondering if I should just forget about it or take it one more time.

Only decided to apply to grad school two weeks ago, so that's when I registered for the GRE.  I guess that's what I got with two weeks of cramming while working full time....

Applying to top engineering PhD programs, aiming for MIT, Stanford, etc.

[stillalivetui]

That's pretty damn impressive, considering you only had two weeks to prepare.

I'd say you're all set and needn't retake it. 

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi myhaeon,

A Q170/V163 is an outstanding score - it's well above the 90th percentile overall, so you can comfortably apply to any Programs that interest you (and there's really no reason to retest). Remember that highly competitive Programs are going to nit-pick your OVERALL application, so you really have to make sure that it's as strong as possible AND that you're  'selling yourself' correctly to each Admissions Committee.

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

Rich

[TakeruK]

For sciences/engineering programs, I think your scores are well above the point of "diminishing returns". Getting a higher V score will do nothing for your application. With these scores, I would say you should only consider retaking if your analytical writing score is below 3.0.

[meow]

Thanks everyone-

I was considering retaking because the average verbal scores for most of the programs I had been thinking of applying to had been in the 161-162 range.  163 seemed a little on the edge to me.

It seems I should focus on the rest of my application.  Thanks for the advice!  I really appreciate it.

[TakeruK]

Thanks everyone-

I was considering retaking because the average verbal scores for most of the programs I had been thinking of applying to had been in the 161-162 range.  163 seemed a little on the edge to me.

It seems I should focus on the rest of my application.  Thanks for the advice!  I really appreciate it.

There are two main pitfalls of interpreting the average scores in this way:

1. You are assuming there is an actual (strong) correlation between acceptance and GRE V score. If there is no correlation, the average is meaningless! (e.g. if you knew the average height of an accepted applicant was 1.6m, what does that tell you about your chances to get in?)

2. Being near the "average score of accepted students" is not "near the edge". In fact, if it is a normal distribution, then being near the average, by definition, means you are better than about half of the successful applicants. 

[meow]

Thanks.  AWA scores came in strong at 5.5.  I'm done!