Retake or not to retake?

[futureapppsy2]

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Hi all,

Took the GRE today: 660 Q, 590 V. For most of the programs I'm looking at, that's average-above average (averages tend to be around 640 Q, 570 V). There's a couple where the mean Q is a little higher (695 with an sd of 63, another with a mean of 685 ), a couple where it's pretty much equal to the mean and couple where the mean V is slightly higher by about 16-18 points. As far as I can tell, I'll meet all cutoffs.

1) Should I retake?

2) Is it worth it to apply to schools where your Q or V scores are slightly below the mean?

Thanks!

 

[cara susanna]

Your Q is fine. V should be okay, too, IMO.

I got an interview at a school with an average quant of 750--my quant score was 580. So, I say yes, it is worth it 😀

 

[krisrox]

Keep it. GRE's are basically just a cut-off to get to the next round. You'll be fine!

 

[Ollie123]

Once you are over the cutoff (which is usually well below the mean) it doesn't really matter. GRE is not usually a major factor in admissions decisions. It sounds like you will be fine for the programs you are interested in, provided everything else is in order. A higher GRE certainly never hurts, but I wouldn't prioritize re-taking it over enhancing other parts of your application.

 

[deadmau5]

Mine are approximately the same (590V, 690Q). I will be looking at the average scores for students entering last year, but, I too don't think it's that critical. I think you are definitely above any cut off (usually 500s?). So no, I think your fine.

Did you get the percentiles yet? Wait for those, it might be better than you expected b/c it's based on user-norms?

 

[AryaStark]

I got an interview at 2 schools that I was above one and below one. However i DIDN'T get an interview at a school where I was well above both means/medians from last year. It really depends. To be honest, even if you have the best GRES and the rest of your application is crap, you won't get in. So it's kind of hard to say whether or not to retake. Because this whole process is really just very unpredictable. If you have the extra money and KNOW you can do better, I guess... why not?

 

[PsyStudent925]

I actually had the exact same V & Q scores as you and I did get some interviews. I would say it's probably fine. But in the end it's really about what you're comfortable with.

 

[psychgirl77]

I don't think you should bother to retake it. I had similar scores (though it was a somewhat higher verbal and a somewhat lower quant) and got interviews at 7 places and 5 acceptances. I think you'll pass the initial cutoff and after that the gre doesn't really matter.

 

[futureapppsy2]

^
That was sort of my thinking. I'm worried the sub-600 V might hurt, but on the other hand, most programs in my area seem to have sub-600 means for V.

Thanks for the input. It is all much appreciated, especially because I scored in a very gray area (30 points lower and would definitely retake, 30 points higher and I wouldn't consider a retake unless my scores were very unbalanced).

 

[cara susanna]

It's because verbal's the hardest section. I wouldn't be as worried about a 590 verbal as I would about a 590 quant (though like I said, I got interviews with a 580 quant).

 

[GradStudent87]

It's because verbal's the hardest section. I wouldn't be as worried about a 590 verbal as I would about a 590 quant (though like I said, I got interviews with a 580 quant).

What about 530 V and 640 Q is it worth retaking? I pretty much am planning on retaking it unless people say it's really not necessary but someone at the Master's program i'm going to said generally it's important to get around 600 at least in both sections but it doesn't matter much to get higher then that.

 

[Ollie123]

Depends where you are applying, but 1200 is the cutoff at many schools. Many would still look at you if your credentials are otherwise good, but if you feel you can boost it up with additional preparation then its certainly a worthwhile endeavor. I would say the 1200 is more important than 600 in each section. Almost everyone scores higher on quant than verbal...my verbal score was almost 200 points lower than my quant and the percentiles were about the same!

 

[futureapppsy2]

What about 530 V and 640 Q is it worth retaking? I pretty much am planning on retaking it unless people say it's really not necessary but someone at the Master's program i'm going to said generally it's important to get around 600 at least in both sections but it doesn't matter much to get higher then that.

Personally, I would have definitely retaken anything under a 1200; as Ollie says, that seems to be an informal cutoff at a lot of programs.

 

[cara susanna]

Yeah, I'd retake under a 1200 as well, unless you studied to your absolute max and you don't think you'll improve much.