Question on GRE scores

[isthisagoodidea]

So I get that your GRE score will generally be used for a cut-off, and that if the cutoff is x, x-1 is usually thrown out and x+1 makes the cut.

 

My question is: is the score pretty much *just* used for that, or does it make a tangible difference in chances of admission if you have x+[high number] rather than x+[low number]?

[any5]

The formula for admissions is typically along the lines of:

[oranges]

6 hours ago, isthisagoodidea said:

So I get that your GRE score will generally be used for a cut-off, and that if the cutoff is x, x-1 is usually thrown out and x+1 makes the cut.

 

My question is: is the score pretty much *just* used for that, or does it make a tangible difference in chances of admission if you have x+[high number] rather than x+[low number]?

As a general rule of thumb: A very low GRE score (think sub 50-60 percentiles) will make a tangible negative difference in your chances of admission. A very high GRE score (think near-perfect GRE scores) will make a tangible positive difference in your chances of admission. 

Of course, the exact dynamics depend on which program you're applying to. Top 10 programs, for example, tend to accept applicants that have 90+ percentile on their verbal and 75+ percentile on their quant. If you score around those lines, your GRE will neither make nor break you. If you're applying to lower ranked programs, those the same scores will be more impressive, while you can get away with lower scores without it substantially hurting your application chances.

[Pennywise]

I was told by two different sociology admissions committee members that the faculty making decisions didn't care at *all* about GRE scores as long as they were above a cutoff, almost as if this were annoying box checking (which was annoying to me because I had almost perfect scores), but that the University admin did care about very high scores. Therefore,  perfect scores could help with negotiating for funding and that sort of thing. 

I think the story would be different in a very quantitative department like, say, Cornell,  where a 170Q might make a difference with faculty on admission committees, too. And of course, the story is different in many other fields such as economics. 

[kameldinho]

On 12/7/2015 at 1:53 PM, isthisagoodidea said:

So I get that your GRE score will generally be used for a cut-off, and that if the cutoff is x, x-1 is usually thrown out and x+1 makes the cut.

 

My question is: is the score pretty much *just* used for that, or does it make a tangible difference in chances of admission if you have x+[high number] rather than x+[low number]?

This will vary substantially between departments, but in most cases the GRE scores are certainly more than just a cutoff. X + [high number] may not necessarily significantly improve your chances of acceptance, but can affect the type of funding package you are offered as stipulated by the graduate school guidelines. Usually schools that are unable to offer a strings-free full funding package to all admitted students are instructed to demarcate candidates into tiers with candidates in lower tiers being given funding packages with greater TA/RA requirements.

[phillipgspaulding]

Universities, colleges, and department have cutoffs.  If your score is low, chances are, your app wont be read unless they use a GRE waiver for you.

[MaxWeberHasAPosse]

9 hours ago, phillipgspaulding said:

Universities, colleges, and department have cutoffs.  If your score is low, chances are, your app wont be read unless they use a GRE waiver for you.

Sometimes I wonder where people get their information. I'm in a top 30 program and I've never heard of a GRE waiver. And, in my department at least, all applications get read seriously regardless of GRE score.

[qeta]

1 hour ago, MaxWeberHasAPosse said:

Sometimes I wonder where people get their information. I'm in a top 30 program and I've never heard of a GRE waiver. And, in my department at least, all applications get read seriously regardless of GRE score.

Some schools may have strict cutoffs and require waivers from the departments if they push for a candidate who scored outside the range. There is some inside info about how GRE cutoffs work in the pinned post in this subforum. I doubt that this is a universal phenomenon though.