Are GRE scores that important?

[BrianaGrace17]

Hello everyone!

I just took the GRE this week and am not surprised, but slightly disappointed with my scores. I'm book smart but the anxiety of standardized tests have always gotten to me. Felt pretty good about the essays -- Verbal: 150 and Quantitative: 140.

I know those aren't great scores...I prepared and did what I could, but I don't think it's worth it to possibly improve my score by a few points.

I'm an otherwise strong applicant (I think)...

SLP/Audiology major with 4.0GPA, 3.99 Cumulative. A large variety of volunteer experiences and internships related to Audiology, many academic awards, and attended a lot of conferences/lectures.

Is it worth the time and stress to take it again? Will the scores negatively impact my chances?

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[lstactionxero00]

Hello everyone!

I just took the GRE this week and am not surprised, but slightly disappointed with my scores. I'm book smart but the anxiety of standardized tests have always gotten to me. Felt pretty good about the essays -- Verbal: 150 and Quantitative: 140.

I know those aren't great scores...I prepared and did what I could, but I don't think it's worth it to possibly improve my score by a few points.

I'm an otherwise strong applicant (I think)...

SLP/Audiology major with 4.0GPA, 3.99 Cumulative. A large variety of volunteer experiences and internships related to Audiology, many academic awards, and attended a lot of conferences/lectures.

Is it worth the time and stress to take it again? Will the scores negatively impact my chances?

I don't think that the scores will be a huge negative for you, considering the other strong points of your application. It really depends on what schools you're wanting to apply to though. I would recommend contacting the schools directly to find out if they place a good deal of consideration on the scores, or if they are just requiring them for the sake of requiring them. Some of the places I applied to just wanted to know that you took the test.

I scored V: 152, Q: 150, W: 4.0 and I managed to get into a fantastic program. So, mediocre scores aren't the end of the world and if the programs don't put too much stock in the scores, don't stress about retaking it.

 

[BrianaGrace17]

I emailed at least two programs I plan on applying to, both top 10 programs, and they seemed to say it was just a part of the puzzle. What program are you currently in?

 

[lstactionxero00]

I'm going to be starting at the University of Arizona in Tucson this fall (ranked #12). They seemed to be more concerned with my community involvement than my overall scores for GRE and my GPA.

 

[BrianaGrace17]

Congrats! That's one of the programs I plan on applying to in the Fall. =)

 

[lstactionxero00]

Thanks! Good luck to you. If you're interested in some of the top-ranked programs, you might want to see if you can get some research experience, if you don't already have some.

 

[BrianaGrace17]

I can deal with my Verbal score but my Quantitative is so low...some of the best programs are saying it doesn't matter and others are saying they need a minimum score (which I don't meet).

 

[Orin13]

I think it really depends on where you are planning to apply. If you don't meet the minimum requirement then you should definitely re-take it if you are interested in that particular program. The ASHA website contains information on previous student stats for different schools. Most of the top ranked school want a minimum of 300 combined V/Q. However your gpa should give you an advantage and you can briefly explain yourself in your personal statement.

I applied with 152/152/5 gre scores to 7 schools and got into 2 wait listed at 3 and rejected from 2. Gpa of 3.4 neuroscience and psychology double major.

 

[BrianaGrace17]

Just got my AW score back and I got a 4.5. If I don't retake it with my low scores, should I just ignore it in my application or discuss why they're low?

 

[lstactionxero00]

I think that's really up to you if you want to mention it. If the adcom looks at your scores from your transcript, they should get a good picture of how well you can perform. Plus, you also have to consider how precious the space in your statement is. A lot of schools only allow for a small amount of characters to be submitted. Choose your words wisely. It might be good to write two drafts, one with an explanation and one without, and decide how it sounds afterward.

 

[allie4409]

I talked specifically about my scores with some of the schools that I visited. I had one school tell me that I would have gotten in the previous year with my scores and another told me that my scores were not going to "break" me. I had a 146 verbal, 148 quantitative, and 4.0 writing (3.8 gpa). I got into 2 schools ranked 12th. If you get the chance to talk to someone from your schools, ask them if they would recommend you take the test again. I took it twice and only my writing score improved by .5 points. I would think if the rest of your application is solid, you would be ok but some schools are very particular on their scores.