Which GRE score should I submit?

[merelyverbal]

Hi everybody,

I'm an international applicant looking at graduate programs in the U.S. I've got two sets of GRE scores available:

2015. V / Q / AW: 166 (97%) / 160 (76%) / 4.5 (82%)
2016. V / Q / AW: 167 (98%) / 159 (73%) / 5.0 (93%)

My second score is higher for the verbal and analytical writing components, but unfortunately slightly slower for quantitative (which I'd most hoped to improve-- sadly wasn't able to practice as much as I'd wanted). Should I submit only the 2016 scores, which are higher for V and AW, but slightly lower for Q, or should I submit both? 

If I submit both, the departments to which I will be submitting will have the opportunity to take on board my highest scores for each section, but they'll also see that my quantitative hasn't improved much over the course of a year. I'd be very grateful for your thoughts on this matter.

Thanks, and good luck everybody!

 

Edited December 6, 2016 by merelyverbal

[k_kismet]

2016 for sure.  They both have the same superscore (V+Q added together) which is GREAT!!
But they slightly higher AW score will help you a little bit, that margin is a much bigger percentage difference than the V or Q scores

Good luck! You're scores look amazing!

[MentalEngineer]

2016. A 160 Q will still disqualify you from quant-heavy programs like Carnegie Mellon, so you should go with the report that has higher V and AW scores. FWIW, I did fine with a 159 Q.

[anonmaly]

1 hour ago, MentalEngineer said:

2016. A 160 Q will still disqualify you from quant-heavy programs like Carnegie Mellon, so you should go with the report that has higher V and AW scores. FWIW, I did fine with a 159 Q.

Off the top of your head - are there any other quaunt-heavy programs that would disqualify a student for having not outstanding Quantitative GRE scores? *cough* Asking for a friend with a meh quant score.

[Dialectica]

1 hour ago, anonmaly said:

Off the top of your head - are there any other quaunt-heavy programs that would disqualify a student for having not outstanding Quantitative GRE scores? *cough* Asking for a friend with a meh quant score.

The scuttlebutt has it that there are a few programs that use the combined verbal and quant as a way to weed out a large amount of applicants in the first round, without looking at writing samples (or at least not very closely). But, nobody has confirmed it, and why would they? That certainly might make for a less attractive program to which to apply. But there are plenty of anectodes out there that many at high-ranked programs just don't care about the GRE in admissions. 

[MentalEngineer]

22 hours ago, anonmaly said:

Off the top of your head - are there any other quaunt-heavy programs that would disqualify a student for having not outstanding Quantitative GRE scores? *cough* Asking for a friend with a meh quant score.

I have heard that MIT has a minimum quant threshold, but I don't know exactly what it is. One might think that if you have to ask, your score's too low.

[xypathos]

I thought I recalled reading on Leiter that it's usually set at 162-4 and shifted from year to year depending on application numbers and quality.

[Duns Eith]

2016.

[The_Last_Thylacine]

Good ol' Carnegie Mellon. Most of their philosophy graduate students have a undergraduate degree in mathematics. 

[merelyverbal]

Thanks for the input everyone!