Should I retake the GRE

[cbx2v]

I just took the GRE and my unofficial scores were 170 verbal and 156 quant. Though I am ecstatic about my verbal score, I'm a little worried about my quant score. I want to go to a top international relations MA program and I'm worried the 156 won't make the cut for those schools, even when balanced out with my verbal score.

Background

Undergrad: UVa

Undergrad GPA: 3.77, graduated PBK

4 years of work experience in my field, one year of which was spent abroad in Cairo, Egypt.

Verbal: 170

Quant: 156

Writing: Not yet scored

I think I could improve my score with a month of study. I took a prep course last year, procrastinated for 12 months, decided to take the GRE, then studied intensely for a week before taking the test.

 

With a month of study I could probably improve by a few points. However, I'm wondering if it's worth it? And if I did retake and my verbal score went down, would that detract from my application?

Any insights would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Christine

[GREMasterEMPOWERRichC]

Hi Christine,

If you know the specific Programs that you plan to apply to, then you should be able to research them so that you can get a better sense of how 'competitive' your current GRE score actually is. Given how you described your prior studies, a month of consistent work could help lead to a significant improvement in your Quant scores.

1) What application deadlines are you facing?

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

Rich

[cbx2v]

Hi Rich,

Thank you for your insights!

My application deadlines are concentrated in late December and early January. Time enough to retake the GRE, though I would prefer to avoid it unless it's necessary.

The problem is that, for the programs I'm looking at, my GPA and background are about average, my GRE verbal score is above average, and my GRE math score is below average. For example, Georgetown's MA program is 163 Verbal, 158 Math, and 3.71 GPA. Yale's averages are 164 Verbal, 161 Math, and 3.7 GPA. My age and work experience are typical for these programs. As you can see, my background and GPA are where they should be, and my GRE Verbal scores are above average, and my math scores are too low.

I am unsure how this will affect my chances. Will my math score knock me out of the running, despite my verbal scores? Will the stellar verbal score and mediocre math score basically cancel out? Will my great verbal score offset my math score so that it doesn't matter very much? 

Basically, I want to know if it would be "worth it" to devote another month to GRE when I could be working on other aspects of my application. Will a 160+ math score make an appreciable difference in my application?

 

Thanks for your help!

Christine

[Quickmick]

I wouldn't retake it. My score is lower and I kept it (but that is just me! ) In my opinion spending the time on your SOP instead of GRE prep would be more fruitful. Adcomms advertise that they look at the 'whole package' and I get the feeling that in many cases GRE scores will get you through a round of cuts but, beyond that, is not the "go to" metric. Maybe if all is is equal they might, but as a matter of course I can't see someone going to bat for applicant A over applicant B on a "but look at the 3 points on the Quant!!" basis.

You might find this interesting: https://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/RR-02-08-Walpole.pdf which is ETS funded report on how GREs are used.

[cbx2v]

Hi, Quickmick,

 

Thanks! I think I agree with you in regards to retaking the GRE. I should probably devote the time to the rest of my application package. And thank you for the link to the ETS report. It looks really interesting and I can't wait to read it!

Thanks again!

Cheers,

Christine