Not too confident about my GRE score (159-Q 164-V 4.0 AWA)

[cybergla]

So I took the GRE this month and I was kinda disappointed by my Quant score. I'm wondering if I should give it again. I'm applying for a masters in Computer Science or a related field. By the looks of it most applicants to this field have a 165+ Quant score.

What do you guys think?

[sjoh197]

I think it depends on how important this factor is compared to the rest of your application. 159 isn't bad... it's still the 75th percentile. 

Edited January 28, 2016 by sjoh197

[cybergla]

But as a qualifying criteria, is it enough to get into top universities? Like say, Stanford or CMU? I just want to make sure they don't reject my application just because of my GRE score.

[acciodoctorate]

I'd say that since you have another year to take it, you should take it again.  Spend some time with some GRE study resources (there are plenty of good ones for pretty cheap on Amazon) and give it another shot.  You can take it in October and still have time to get your scores in before your apps are due (assuming they're due in December).  Don't spend too much time and effort on verbal or analytical, since it looks like you're doing well in that regard, and for a computer science program quantitative will be most important.  In general, GRE scores aren't as important as the rest of your application, but for top schools, you'd probably want to be at least above the 80th percentile.  Check the schools you're considering applying to--a lot of them, but not all, will give the average scores of their accepted students.

[Komugi]

From my experience, you definitely need a 165+ Q score to get into top schools.

[vini@nodnat.com]

Hi, taking GRE again depends on number of factors. First & foremost the application cycle that you wish to apply for & the deadline for the same. Secondly, keep in mind your own motivation & the time that you have for preparation keeping in view your other commitments. Also, focus on Quant for sure but do not neglect Verbal as you would not want the verbal to go down & again make your total score low. So assess your situation & your program requirements & then block a date for retest accordingly.

[bandinterwebs]

I would recommend retaking the GREs. I wanted to get into a top 10 engineering program and wanted to be > 90%, so when my first score was 88-89%, I re-took it and got a much higher score the second time. Based on the results page, I would say the quant score is a key factor, and aiming to get in the top 95% would be ideal.

For the programs you listed, I think a strong quant score is crucial. I personally would not worry to much about the verbal if you could nail down your quant score.