To redo or not, that is the question (V-152, Q-152, W-5)

[Tigla]

Hi all,

 

Verbal - 152 / Quantitative - 152 / Writing - 5

 

The question that is rattling around my head is whether I should re-take the GRE. I took the test two years ago and scored okay, but not the greatest. I'm planning on applying to PhD programs in history. I have been doing my Master's abroad in Germany and plan to complete it next summer. I think the test scores will not hurt me too much, but they will definitely not do me any favors when applying. Do any of you see a problem with using these scores or should I really consider re-taking the god awful GRE?

[Deep Fried Angst]

As has often been posted, GRE scores are viewed quite differently from school to school. Some schools use them to weed out the first round of applicants. Some use solely for comparison data among graduate schools (I was told what quant score I needed for a religious studies program because the Dean of the Graduate school needed that score to remain competitive among other schools...). It all depends.

That being said, I would recommend retaking the GRE based on your verbal score. From what I can find online and from being in a related field (historical studies sub-field within Religious Studies) a GRE verbal score of over 160 (over 163 is better) is typically recommended for top programs. Magoosh published findings is 2013 that for a top 100 program a verbal score of 157 is close to the bottom being accepted. (https://magoosh.com/gre/2013/gre-scores-for-arts-and-humanities-programs/) Your writing score is good. If you were able to bump it up to a 5.5 it would help your application. However, the biggest need for improvement is the verbal section. 

[cowgirlsdontcry]

On ‎7‎/‎31‎/‎2017 at 5:26 AM, Tigla said:

Hi all,

 

Verbal - 152 / Quantitative - 152 / Writing - 5

 

The question that is rattling around my head is whether I should re-take the GRE. I took the test two years ago and scored okay, but not the greatest. I'm planning on applying to PhD programs in history. I have been doing my Master's abroad in Germany and plan to complete it next summer. I think the test scores will not hurt me too much, but they will definitely not do me any favors when applying. Do any of you see a problem with using these scores or should I really consider re-taking the god awful GRE?

As someone in the humanities, I think your verbal score is too low to be admitted to many programs, especially if you're looking at top programs. Humanities' departments want to know their students have the ability to do close reading and discuss what they have read. The verbal portion of the GRE really is very much like doing close reading. I believe you need over 160--be in the 90 percentiles. To get that kind of score you are going to need to use one of the study programs or books. I personally liked Magoosh. I began with practice scores in mid-150s and by the time I took the GRE I ended up with a Verbal of 163.   

[Tigla]

Thank you all for the advice. You are really making me think this over.

The reason I'm having some trouble deciding, whether to take the GRE again or not, is because my professors here in Germany are telling me not to do it. I have several published articles and book reviews, I'm almost fluent in German and I'm working on Russian, too. The professors (they studied in the USA about 5 years ago) are saying that with those other qualifications and a two-year old GRE, the scores should be overlooked. Granted, this is coming from German professors, but they have me re-thinking about taking it again. It is one of those dilemmas, whether all the other supporting documents outweigh an old GRE score.

Honestly, thank you though. I'll be reaching out to a professor in the States to get his take on the situation.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Tigla

[JohnKim]

Your writing is already doing pretty good, but you have low scores on Verbal and Quanti. You might need to retake.

Although, you can check your school if their GRE score requirement matches yours.