Should I submit second GRE? 165/160/4.5 or 164/157/5.0

[justininian]

Hi all,

I already submitted my 164V, 157Q, 5.0 AWA to my 7 schools. I retook it last minute and got 165V, 160Q but only 4.5 AWA. Should I send the second score too? Thanks!

[haltheincandescent]

First, you should look at the percentiles as well as the scores. As far as the ones ETS currently has posted, the difference between a 164 and a 165 on verbal is only 1 percentile point, and I don't think that's enough of a jump to make the extra 27$ X 7 programs worth it (at least as far as the verbal goes--I'll get to the other in a second). But it changes a bit every time--you might find that 164 on the first and 165 on the second put you in the same percentile (which wouldn't be worth it), or perhaps the 165 jumps you from the 94th to the 96-7th, which could perhaps be worth it.

Second point: it also probably depends on what field you're applying for. If it's something where your quant score won't matter that much, relative to the rest of your application (i.e. the humanities), then I'm not sure if it'd be worth the extra $ to send them again for the 1 verbal point (again somewhat dependent on the percentiles). I'm not as familiar with STEM fields, but I'd imagine the Q is more important for those, and so those 3 points might give you a needed boost--especially if you have any concerns about your CGPA or your specifically math-related GPA.

It's also probably a good idea to look to see if your specific programs and schools (both, since the latter has a say in funding and might have different requirements) have any info posted about desired percentiles or score cutoffs, and then judge by that, and maybe even only send the new ones to a few if only that few have more stringent requirements, esp. for the Q.