about my chances for top 30

[user_name]

Originally Posted by Skipper

I think what he/she is saying is that 71st percentile means 71% score LOWER than a 5.0. A 5.5 is 87th percentile, so 16% of test-takers score exactly a 5.0. If you assume that a given 5.0 scorer is in the middle of the 5.0 pack, then essentially a 5.0 is equivalent to the 79th percentile (71 + 16/2).

If you're at the 79th percentile, then 79% of test takers score lower than you did, which is simply not true. Don't confuse "lower than" with "lower than or equal to."

By the way, it's still not true even when you say that 79% of the test takes score lower than or equal to 5.0. The figure would be 87%.

[RonnieT1283]

Does anyone think its horrible if I got a 5.5 (87%) on the AWA the first time but a 4.0 (40%) the second time? I retook mainly to get a better Q, which went up from 720 to 770. I am just a little worried ad coms might be freaked out by the crappy AWA the second time even though I did well the first time.

[jahizbarlas]

the way i see it, the gre is a necessary condition, but obviously not a sufficient one.
if you get above a certain score, they toss it away and start looking at other things in your application
if you get a bad score, they dont even bother to look at your app.
so 5.5 shouldnt raise any suspesions from what i hear abt the admissions process.
does anyone think what i heard is incorrect? please share your views....

[Skipper]

Don't confuse "lower than" with "lower than or equal to."

I'm not. The scoring system for the AWA is fairly crude, given that 16% of test-takers get the same score (5.0). If you assume that, in reality, testtakers' analytical writing skills are distributed continuously, then an "average" 5.0 scorer should be around the 79th percentile. This testtaker would be "better" than all the people who scored lower than a 5.0 (71%), and 1/2 of the people who scored a 5.0 (1/2 of 16%). Thus, 71 + 16/2 = 79th percentile.

[user_name]

(double post)

[user_name]

Well, in that case, you are talking about the average 5-scorer, not an average one. There's no reason for adcoms to assume that an applicant is that median 5-scorer. There's no reason to assume that 5-scorers differ in their writing abilities either.

[Skipper]

Originally Posted by user_name

Well, in that case, you are talking about the average 5-scorer, not an average one. There's no reason for adcoms to assume that an applicant is that median 5-scorer. There's no reason to assume that 5-scorers differ in their writing abilities either.

Sure, I was just explaining how Kartelite likely arrived at the 79th percentile figure. (I should have let Kartelite explain it. )

[wendyecon]

hot debate on gre, however, what about my chances for top 30, anyone got an idea?

[user_name]

Originally Posted by wendyecon

hot debate on gre, however, what about my chances for top 30, anyone got an idea?

What math classes have you taken and what grades have you got?

[RonnieT1283]

Originally Posted by jahizbarlas

the way i see it, the gre is a necessary condition, but obviously not a sufficient one.
if you get above a certain score, they toss it away and start looking at other things in your application
if you get a bad score, they dont even bother to look at your app.
so 5.5 shouldnt raise any suspesions from what i hear abt the admissions process.
does anyone think what i heard is incorrect? please share your views....

Okay, that is what I figured. Since they will probably use the higher of my scores to boost their admissions averages, I figure thats what they would consider during the admissions process as well.