Which GRE scores should I send?

[Karasu56]

Which scores should I send?

V 152, Q 155, AWA 4

V 148, Q 157, AWA 4

I am applying to a Electrical Engineering PhD program.

[CoreyM]

Hey Karasu56. I was in a similar academic situation as you, as I was applying to Chemical Engineering PhD programs at MIT and CalTech before choosing to go to MIT. Here are GRE section averages by program type, provided by ETS.

Not too surprisingly, Engineering applicants tend to have higher quant scores than they do verbal scores. And for good reason to, as your first-year grad courses will heavily involve upper level math (yes, that DiffEQ class you took in undergrad will finally be put to use!). So for that reason, I'd suggest sending in the second score since it has a higher quant score.

Finally, I'd suggest trying to improve your GRE scores a bit, particularly if you're applying to a competitive program. Your quant score is just slightly below average, and bumping it up 5 points or so would put you on the other side of the average. To study, I'd suggest that you break the GRE into “digestible skills” and identify your weakest skills. Then specifically focus on those skills where you're weakest. Remember to spend more time learning and reviewing your mistakes and less time mindlessly practicing problems. If you target practice and improve your performance skill by skill, before you know it you’ll be seeing a clear increase in your GRE score and soon enough, you’ll be hitting and exceeding your target GRE score. Best of luck!

[Karasu56]

Thanks for the reply!

 

I have taken exam 3 times with little improvement the 157 Q score is the best I have done. I dont think I will retake it, unless for next season if i dont get in.

 

I have very good GPA for all my undergrad math and engineering courses. As well as tutoring experience for math. The problem I find with sending in the second set with higher Q score is the very low verbal that time 39 percentile (148 V) is very low and a cause for concern i would think....