gre advice needed...worth taking it again?

[neelloc]

Hello all, this is my first post, but I have been reading for a few months now. I am in the process of applying to Clinical PhD programs with a mostly research focus--mainly child psychopathology, especially developmental and mood disorders.
My question is about GRE scores...I took the test back in July and did fine (670V, 650Q), but I am afraid those scores aren't good enough--I am mostly worried about the Quant score. Although math is definitely not my strong point, I ran out of time on the Quant section and left at least a good 6 questions completely blank. Should I try to take the test again? Time is running out--I have the subject test this weekend and then have a LOT of work to do on personal statement and such. How much more competitive would my app be with a quant score of 30 points more? 50? Is it worth it??
My GPA is pretty good (3.8) and I have a good amount of research under my belt...but I don't want to be kicking myself in 6 months for not taking them again.
Any feedback would be appreciated...Thank you!

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[lucyguard]

are u kidding? You got a 1320. That's all you need to be competitive as far as GRE goes. If your application is strong then your fine. If not, a higher score alone won't get you a spot.

 

[psychnic]

I absolutely agree with lucyguard. Props on doing so well! You're going to be hard pressed to find a school that questions the merits of a 1320. Sounds like you're on the right track to building a great application

 

[amphigory]

If it was a 1380 or 90 I might be tempted to try for 1400, but at 1320 I'd be afraid of dropping to 1290. I would have to be enormously confident that I would do better to take that chance.

Of course, if you have your heart set on Berkeley or somewhere else with averages in the 1400s it might be worth a shot. I would really do a lot of timed practices to get faster at the math so you won't have any unanswered questions.

 

[KillerDiller]

People may chide you for feeling insecure with a 1320, but it really depends on where you want to apply. Yale? Minnesota? Michigan? If so, then you may want to try to raise your scores. If you are applying to more mid-level universities, you will be in a good position.

That being said, regardless of where you apply it's probably not worth re-taking it unless you think you could raise your score 50 points or more (that was my criterion for making my decision on whether or not to retake).

 

[neelloc]

Thanks everyone for the advice so far!

I don't have UCLA or Michigan on my list, but I do have Vanderbilt, BU, UNC, and Duke on there...I guess I am mostly worried about the Quant score, which is anywhere from 50-90 points below these schools' medians from last year. My verbal is fine, but I don't want them looking at my Quant score and putting it in the "no" pile right away.

 

[BorntoRun]

I'll second (fifth?) the sentiments so far - your scores are solid, and the risk of doing worse the second time (regression toward the mean and all that) outweighs any benefit of scraping a few extra quant points. I think you're past the 'automatic no' pile for almost any school you would apply to.

 

[KillerDiller]

I'd say a 1320 is borderline for BU, UNC and Duke (just my initial thoughts, I applied to UNC but don't remember their disclosure stats). It's a really tough call. People say that once you pass a school's cut off score, your GRE ceases to matter. I think there is a lot of truth in that, but then again you always want to look as good as possible to make sure you make it to the interview. If you think you can afford to spend the time to study and try to get that quant score up, then give it a shot. On the other hand, don't stretch yourself too thin by taking away time from composing your personal statement and making sure all your materials are in order.

I was in pretty much the same boat as you a couple years ago and I remember it being an agonizing decision. Good luck with whichever you choose.