GRE scores-- should I retake it?

[242598]

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[PsychBrownBag]

I don't think there's necessarily a single correct answer to your question, unfortunately. Being above the average score for that school helps get your application through the initial filter as the faculty composes a list of potential interviewees. Beyond that, my understanding of the process is that different professors place a different degree of emphasis on the GRE as a whole as well as particular components of the test.

My professor claims to heavily weigh the quantitative portion of the GRE and I have heard the same about several other prominent researchers. At the same time, I don't think most of these folks have specific algorithms and cut off scores for the GRE that ultimately make or break admission and, if they did, you might want to consider if that type of decision making and form of evaluation is what you're looking for in a long, difficult academic training experience.

So, my wordy answer would be, if you feel as though you can improve, definitely take it. Not because you need to but because improvement in a highly competitive process is always useful. If you do not have such confidence, I would focus your energy on other areas of your application where you think you can make a dent, with the assumption being that, if nothing else, being able to talk about projects you took on leading up to the application process will be useful during interviews.

 

[cara susanna]

You should be fine. Most people do worse on the verbal so your percentage will be higher.

 

[kh1264]

Your research experience looks wonderful and I'm sure you will thoughtfully chose profs and schools that you feel match your talents. Your verbal really isn't that bad but if you don't spend time really studying then I don't know if taking the test again would be helpful. I took the GREs last August, did ok and then convinced myself that I would study really hard and retake them in October. Did I study at all? Not really. Did I retake them anyway? Yes In the end, my score was basically the same and there was $140 wasted. So, if you are going to retake them then schedule in some serious study time because it takes quite the effort to increase your score and to keep your math score and/or raise that as well. Some schools will look at your highest scores while others only look at your latest scores. Check the school's website or shoot them an email to find out. Either way, I think your current scores make you competitive.

 

[ouroboro]

I was told by a number of people the only reason I did not get into a program this last app season was due to my GRE scores. My total score was 1150 (510 verbal and 640 Math) and I was told by the director of my MA program that I only needed about 20 to 30 points more on my Verbal and I would have gotten in. I am a strong canidate otherwise (especially due to my research experience). I think as long as the rest of your application is spotless you shouldn't waste the time and money on GREs. Just make sure you use the time you would have spent studying focused on writing your personal statements! Don't use not taking the GREs again as a way to postpone your apps... you'll regret it later.

 

[Wildcat06]

I was told by a number of people the only reason I did not get into a program this last app season was due to my GRE scores. My total score was 1150 (510 verbal and 640 Math) and I was told by the director of my MA program that I only needed about 20 to 30 points more on my Verbal and I would have gotten in. I am a strong canidate otherwise (especially due to my research experience). I think as long as the rest of your application is spotless you shouldn't waste the time and money on GREs. Just make sure you use the time you would have spent studying focused on writing your personal statements! Don't use not taking the GREs again as a way to postpone your apps... you'll regret it later.

Isn't this more of an argument of why one SHOULD retake the test...?

 

[apumic]

I'm applying to clinical psychology PhD programs this fall. I took the general GRE last summer and got a 700M, 580V, and 4 on the writing. Figuring that I could probably improve on those last 2 scores, I signed up to take the test again on July 18th. The problem is that I've also been juggling a full time job, a night class (in psychology), and working on a first author poster which I will (hopefully!) be submitting as a paper in a few months. So I haven't been able to study diligently every day after work like I'd originally envisioned. My practice tests have gone up a bit in the verbal but the math has dipped below 700.

I know that clinical psych PhD programs are really competitive and that I would be taking a chance by not re-taking the GRE. But it seems that most of the schools I'm interested in have mean scores around or below what I received the first time. I didn't realize this until very recently because I hadn't started to seriously look at schools and weed out the ones that don't have professors in my area of interest. I don't know if I should re-take it when I a) am pessimistic that my scores will go up by much and b) don't see myself being able to devote much time to studying again because of manuscript preparation and writing SOPs. And I don't know if I should risk the chance of scoring lower than I did the first time. (The schools tend to look at your most recent scores, yes?)

Some background info:
-GPA is a 3.48 from a well known liberal arts college (one of the top 10 in the country, according to US News, for whatever that's worth). My GPA is dragged down by my first semester, when I simply had trouble adjusting to college-- after that, every semester was 3.6 or higher.
-I've also taken some night classes (3) as a post-bac at an Ivy League school and have a 4.0 so far.
-I've got good research experience, and the majority of it is in the area I want to study in grad school. I've had an RA/coordinator job for 2 years now. I'm 2nd author on a publication in an undergrad journal, 4th and 1st on 2 posters, and will be 1st on the paper I'm currently working on.
-Psych GRE was a 650
-I don't know how much of a difference this makes but my area of interest, which I'd rather not mention, probably isn't overwhelmingly popular. I'll say that, in talking to other psych students/prospective students, many of them have said that they would never want to work with this population. Even other grad school applicants at my job are determined to focus on something else during school.

I think you'll be fine. I wouldn't waste your time or money taking the GRE again. 1280 your first time is quite good. The rest of your app looks pretty decent as well. Other than your GPA, your Psych GRE is the only thing that strikes me as fairly low (about average), but the truth is that the Psych GRE is probably the least important part of your app. Your research experience looks good and there's probably not a whole lot you can do at this pt to help your GPA (a 3.48 is certainly a bit lower than you'd want, but it shouldn't kill you with a strong 1250+ GRE). I'd go for it and apply as is. Maybe take some tougher psych and hard science (i.e., bio) courses this next year and shoot for all As to both raise your GPA and further demonstrate difficult coursework isn't a problem for you.

 

[ouroboro]

Isn't this more of an argument of why one SHOULD retake the test...?

I was just short of the cut off... I think schools typically cut applicants around 1200. Even schools that say they don't cut or that every application gets at least one look... If you hit a 1200 my advice would be to focus on the other aspects of you application rather then dedicating time and money to the GREs unless you know you can get 100 points or more higher. Thats my opinion and experience...

 

[deleted176373]

I was just short of the cut off... I think schools typically cut applicants around 1200. Even schools that say they don't cut or that every application gets at least one look... If you hit a 1200 my advice would be to focus on the other aspects of you application rather then dedicating time and money to the GREs unless you know you can get 100 points or more higher. Thats my opinion and experience...

+1, UNLESS you KNOW is the key phrase. Otherwise you are just confirming the existing data. No way to chalk it up to a bad day when you have 2 or 3 GRE's saying the same thing.

Mark

 

[cara susanna]

The program I'll be attending actually cuts off at the 33rd percentile, so you can score lower than a 1200 and still get an interview there.

And, yeah, some book I read said that it's very rare to score much higher on a GRE retake. I did, but most of my improvement was in an area I had already been good at (verbal, 90 points higher) versus my problematic area (quant, 40 points higher).

 

[242598]

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[psyed4clinPhD]

I know it can be disheartening when you don't get as high of a score on the GREs as you want. But I still think it is worth applying to some scools where your GRE is lower than the mean GRE. You just never know what they are looking for that year...

Best of luck with your applications!!

 

[cara susanna]

I agree. Two of the schools I got interviews at were places that claimed to cut off at the 50th percentile, which I was below. So you never know!

 

[deleted176373]

I know it can be disheartening when you don't get as high of a score on the GREs as you want. But I still think it is worth applying to some scools where your GRE is lower than the mean GRE. You just never know what they are looking for that year...

Best of luck with your applications!!

Yep, it's more about FIT... GRE's are just a gross sorting tool. Go to conferences, get to know the profs you want to work with, that's worth as much if not more than 100 GRE points. I got one interview just on my networking alone... sure I didn't get in there, but the professor was incredibly helpful!

Mark

 

[psyed4clinPhD]

Yep, it's more about FIT... GRE's are just a gross sorting tool. Go to conferences, get to know the profs you want to work with, that's worth as much if not more than 100 GRE points. I got one interview just on my networking alone... sure I didn't get in there, but the professor was incredibly helpful!

Mark

Thanks for the advice! I will be sure to try to attend some of the lectures given by professors with whom I am interested in working with.