So I just took the GRE today and got a 168 Q and a 161 V (I know, nothing to complain about). The thing that gets to me is the AW section. I feel like I'm going to be teetering between a 3.5 and a 4.0 (pretty strong argument, not the best issue), which are not fun numbers to be teetering between 🙁 I'm already concerned since a lot of schools have a "recommended" AW score of 4.0 (I'm mainly looking at schools in Southern California). I know that most schools use a computerized weeding-out system, so my question is this: If I fall below a "recommended" AW score by .5, would my high Q and V scores be enough to keep me from being deemed an unqualified applicant? I guess I just want to know exactly what schools mean by "recommended." Assume all other stats are moderately competitive. I'm sorry that this is clutter, it's just that these next 10-15 days are gonna drive me crazy and I had to get it out!!!