grackle Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 I always managed to have questions that haven't come up before... I graduated in 2008, took the GRE and got 770Q 650V 5.5AWA. I've been working since then. Planning on going back for Fall 2011, and decided to try and get higher on the GRE. Just took it today and got 700Q 680V ??AWA (not sure what happened, I felt like I was prepared). So, should I try and retake it again in early November? My current thought right now is no, and that adcoms will use the highest score (the 770), which is fine but not great. I'm just worried about how the 700 looks (maybe it's possible to explain away as a bad day?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noa Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 I think the consensus here is that less than 780 is a retake, but with a 770 it's a tougher call... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buzios Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 What schools are you looking at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team3 Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Personally I wouldn't retake it. Some adcoms are going to view 3 tests as an indicator of, not your native intellect, but your ability to study for the GRE (which is arguably less useful to the committee). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grackle Posted October 18, 2010 Author Share Posted October 18, 2010 Thanks for the feedback everyone. In terms of school range, I'd love to go somewhere in the top 10 (wouldn't we all?), but those schools tend to be a toss-up even with a strong application, so I think I'm only going to end up applying to 3-4 top 10 schools (including some business school programs at top 10 econ schools). More realistically, the 10-50 range. I think I have a good application aside from GRE scores (MS in Public Policy with a number of PhD Econ and optimization courses, PhD Econ math, good GPA, relevant work experience, etc.) After some further pondering, I think I have three options: 1. Study more and retake in 2-3 weeks. Pros: Recent knowledge of the test, hopefully won't repeat the bad day I had on the test yesterday. Cons: Looks bad if I don't do well. 2. Apply with my 770. Pros: Not a terrible score, still valid. Cons: Not an 800. 3. Wait for the new GRE next fall, study hard for that, and try to get an 800. Pros: Lots of time to study. Cons: Lots of time to study. Leaning towards #2 right now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blockRed Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 If you do 3, do they send old scores too? One could argue that the format is different, and the old scores are not relevant for the new ones. Not sure but something to look into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grackle Posted October 19, 2010 Author Share Posted October 19, 2010 I can't actually find anything about whether or not they're sending the old scores, but I do know that the scoring is changing (130 to 170 in 1 point increments), so presumably departments are going to have to change how interpret and use the scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowLearner38 Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 I do know that the scoring is changing (130 to 170 in 1 point increments), so presumably departments are going to have to change how interpret and use the scores. Since the new system reduces the number of possible scores from 60 to 40, in theory the adcoms will have less of an ability to distinguish between applicants based on GRE scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grackle Posted October 21, 2010 Author Share Posted October 21, 2010 Still trying to figure this whole situation out... What's the current consensus on/can anyone comment on how adcoms use the scores? If they only look at the highest and completely ignore the others, then it seems like I should take it again. Otherwise, I'm leaning towards using my old score, since it seems like doing badly on the GRE again would have a very negative effect. Also, if they only use it as a first cut, using my old score might make sense (since getting an 800 wouldn't necessarily improve my chances at getting into, say, Harvard very much.) Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liwanyo Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Not rock solid information here, but for what it's worth I was told by someone in a top 10 econ department that, for that school, 760 is a definite retake and 770 is probably a retake too. As a first cut you might be ok (for the schools that only look at the highest score, which I believe depends on the school... you can call them and ask), but I think it may be something you'll have to make up for with the rest of your application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grackle Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 That's good to know, thank you. Looking over the list of schools I'm going to apply to, I might not end up applying to any Top 10 econ programs (I'm looking at a lot of b-school programs). B-school programs should generally be a bit less picky when it comes to GRE scores, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliephant Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 B-school programs should generally be a bit less picky when it comes to GRE scores, right? Not if they're top schools! I remember reading on Stanford GSB's and HBS's websites that their students "compare very favourably with students at top economics departments" on all dimensions. If you're aiming for the likes of Wharton, Booth, Sloan, etc., you bet you'd better have that 780-800Q. Sorry to burst your bubble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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