GRE scores question

[musk0031]

Hello all,

I am gong to be applying for my PhD in criminology for admission in Fall 2017, so I will be doing my apps this coming fall, 2016. I am finishing up my master's in a related field, so I will have both my bachelor's and master's completed at the time of admission. I am wondering about my GRE scores. I took it for my master's admissions, and it was good enough to get me into 8 out of the 9 programs I applied for- but I know PhD programs are different. Currently, I have my eyes set on about 6 different programs in criminology.

My scores are (new format)

Verbal: 157
Quant: 152
Writing: 5.5/6

I do have extensive research experience working in a research lab, as well as doing a quantitative thesis and another quantitative research proposal. My GPA is a 3.9 for my master's. Should I retake my GRE? Of course, I would prefer not to... but I will, if the scores do not seem good enough.

Thanks in advance!

[Partinrn]

I had much lower score than you (151v and 146q with a 4.5 AWA) and I was offered admission to several schools, including Florida State. You have plenty of time to retake your GRE (I did not). I would retake it if you plan on studying and  obtaining higher scores. With that being said, I was told by every school I got into, as well as those I did not, that my GRE was not the reason for their respective decisions. Experience, GPA, and references have a higher weight. Some schools may use the GRE as a "cut-off" but that wasn't a factor for my applications. I was rejected by schools because they did not have an advisor open that was related to my field of study (Biosocial). You have plenty of time before application season so I would advocate trying to get the highest score possible. With that being said, please do not focus solely on the GRE. It is one facet of your app and will not make or break your future by its lonesome. 

[altikr25]

Hello,

Personally, I think it depends on the school(s) you are planning to apply to.  Each school may have different standards/expectations for what they want.  One of my recommendation letter writers mentioned to me that I should try to improve my GRE for a certain school that I was applying to (she seemed to be familiar with that school).  While I do agree with Partinrn, I think you have plenty of time to try again (if you feel like it), which may boost your chances of getting into a specific school you want and obtaining funding.  Otherwise, If you do not have your heart set on any particular school, I think your chances of getting in and funded somewhere are pretty good with those scores.

*This is all from my personal experience in applying and information I gleaned through this forum.

I have pasted a link that includes surveys of the incoming classes if you'd care to go through it.

http://www.adpccj.com/

[liesandfish]

Just my two cents! 

I had much lower scores (153 V/150Q and a 6 writing) and I was accepted and funded at 8/9 PhD. programs I applied to- including FSU. (I was rejected from Harvards Soc program). I had one of my letters of recommendation mention my lower scores in my letter with the backing up of my GPA, work ethic and other positive attributes. Additionally, I really think attending conferences and seeking out connections prior to my acceptances was important. I really made sure that in speaking with people from programs I was applying to- they could see that I am more then some shitty test scores.

Also- I actually did retake the GRE and got the EXACT same scores the second time after a few more months of studying. I really don't think your scores are poor at all and I think with everything else that goes into applications you will be competitive to many many programs! Also, final piece of advice- I went in to the application season with my heart set on a school that ended up not even being in contention once I began conversations with faculty and had fantastic funding from other places! Funny how it works out.

 

*AKA I agree with @Partinrn and @altikr25 

 

 

[AspiringScholar17]

@Partinrn@altikr25@liesandfish Hello!
I saw your posts from all over this grad cafe page and was wondering if you could enlighten me on some of the score requirements!
I read many of your former posts and saw that GRE scores are not the most important factor in many phd programs for admissions. But as an international student coming from Canada, I was wondering if there was a general score that I should aim for -- or, a score that would be considered safe and okay. Of course, the higher the score the better, but around what score should I expect to be comforted knowing that it was accepted by many programs? Also, how long would you recommend I study for my GREs? I focused a lot of my time researching and publishing that I didn't allocate time for my GREs until now -- I plan on taking the exam sometime in October for an application in the winter. Cognizant that studying time depends on the individual, how much time do you think one would need (on a general basis) to prepare for a decent score?

One last question (my apologies for asking for many general and silly questions about the GRE): I read that I can take the GRE as many times as I wanted, but do I have to submit the score to the universities every time I write the exam? Is there an option where I can just go into the exam, write it to see how it is, and view my score, and just keep it private? Or is it the case that if I take the exam, although the university won't see my scores if I don't submit them, they'll see how many times I've taken it when I do submit them.

Thanks again for all your posts in other threads as well as this one! Congrats on getting into your respective programs! I'm super excited for you all, and hopefully, I can join this feat this coming spring! 

 

[Partinrn]

On July 17, 2016 at 11:23 PM, AspiringScholarPhD said:

@Partinrn@altikr25@liesandfish Hello!
I saw your posts from all over this grad cafe page and was wondering if you could enlighten me on some of the score requirements!
I read many of your former posts and saw that GRE scores are not the most important factor in many phd programs for admissions. But as an international student coming from Canada, I was wondering if there was a general score that I should aim for -- or, a score that would be considered safe and okay. Of course, the higher the score the better, but around what score should I expect to be comforted knowing that it was accepted by many programs? Also, how long would you recommend I study for my GREs? I focused a lot of my time researching and publishing that I didn't allocate time for my GREs until now -- I plan on taking the exam sometime in October for an application in the winter. Cognizant that studying time depends on the individual, how much time do you think one would need (on a general basis) to prepare for a decent score?

One last question (my apologies for asking for many general and silly questions about the GRE): I read that I can take the GRE as many times as I wanted, but do I have to submit the score to the universities every time I write the exam? Is there an option where I can just go into the exam, write it to see how it is, and view my score, and just keep it private? Or is it the case that if I take the exam, although the university won't see my scores if I don't submit them, they'll see how many times I've taken it when I do submit them.

Thanks again for all your posts in other threads as well as this one! Congrats on getting into your respective programs! I'm super excited for you all, and hopefully, I can join this feat this coming spring! 

 

I would estimate a safe score, assuming an equally acceptable GPA as well as good/great LoRs would be around 155 for both verbal and quant with a minimum if a 4 on the AWA. I studied for a couple of months; I am horrible at standardized tests. I would suggest truly studying for a couple of months and taking many practice exams. Try a real GRE when you feel your scores are sufficient but I would caution you to leave enough time for a retake or two if need be. 

I do not believe there is an option to view your score without officially submitting it. With that being said, unless you know you've done horrible I would not cancel the scores, I would submit them but be sure to show an increase during any subsequent testing. I believe schools *can access any of your scores, but most only accept the most recent/your best (within their given time frame). I hope this helps and good luck!

 

P.S. You'll be fine!  The real stress begins when you start applying and interviewing. 

[AspiringScholar17]

@Partinrn Thank you for your reply! Haha, yes the struggle will become super real when I start applying and begin the interviewing process!

Thank you again for your words and suggestions! I truly appreciate them!