Strong Writer but Terrible AW Score

[amandap292]

Hi! I recently took the GRE for the second time. My Quantitative score was bad (which was expected). I was in the 98th percentile for Verbal, but I got a 2.5 for AW. That's the 7th percentile! I got a 3 AW score the last time I took the GRE. I am planning on going for a Masters in Art History, and possibly eventually a PhD in History. I majored in both in undergrad... writing is what I do. The score is illogical to me. I graduated from U of Michigan with High Honors for a thesis in the Art History department. I was constantly commended by my professors for my writing skill. I studied for the GRE through Magoosh, and thought that I understood what the essay readers were looking for. I can't figure out the discrepancy. 

Is it worth shelling out the $55 for a re-score? In your experience, how heavily is the AW score weighted? I'm a poor standardized test taker in general (my ACT score of 28 was technically not enough to get into U of M, yet the rest of my application sufficed). I feel pretty confident about my GPA, CV, letters of rec, and statements of purpose, so do you think my GRE score would be enough to prevent me from getting into my programs? I'm planning to apply to U Penn, Columbia, Yale, and possibly the Ecole du Louvre and U of M. Thanks! 

[fuzzylogician]

To my knowledge the AW score is the least important of the GRE scores, especially if you are also submitting a writing sample (and a TOEFL score, if you are international). I would not pay for a re-score because I can't imagine a 2.5 going up much beyond a 3, if at all, and both scores are pretty bad. So either you retake the exam, or you live with the score. The one thing you might want to find out is whether any school you are applying to has (unofficial) cutoffs that this score could cause a problem with. If not, I would probably let it sit, given that you've taken the test twice already and both times your scores were pretty low. But it's a hard call. 

[Vince Kotchian GRE Prep]

I would tend to agree; I don't think the rescore would help.

I wouldn't take much comfort in "AW is least important" until you have conversations (preferably phone ones) with your programs about how they think about applicants' AWA scores.

If you do retake the test, you could get someone to look at some of your practice essays. There has got to be some way you're misinterpreting the tasks (unless you know you bombed them on test day).

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi amandap292,

While the AWA isn't a significant factor in most applications, Grad Schools often expect you to be able to score at a minimal level (typically a 4.0 or higher). With a 2.5, you likely went 'off topic' when you wrote your Essays. If your overall application is really strong, then your AWA score might not matter. However, you've named some highly reputable Schools and the level of competition to get into those Schools will also likely be high. As such, you might want to contact each School directly and ask some pointed (but respectful) questions about what types of scores the Admissions Committees expect from applicants. If you end up deciding to retake the GRE, then you should post back here and we can talk through your study options going forward.

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

Rich