GRE Scores and Graduate School

Your GRE scores are extremely important in getting into a good graduate school. Think of the GRE as the SAT of graduate school. Graduate school admissions committees will use your GRE scores, as well as letters of recommendation, personal statement, and GPA, to gauge how well you will do in their program and what you might be able to contribute.

Weight of the GRE in Graduate Admissions

The weight of your GRE scores in graduate admissions varies by program. Some graduate schools use the GRE as a cutoff while others consider it to offset a low GPA. Additionally, different sections of the GRE could be weighted differently.

For example, if you are applying to a math or statistics program, the graduate program will probably place more importance on how you performed on the Quantitative section than on the Verbal and Analytical Writing sections. Similarly, if you are applying to an English graduate program, your Verbal and Analytical Writing scores will most likely be more important.

Stand Out in the Graduate Crowd

Varying importance does NOT mean you should take the GRE lightly or only try do well on part of the exam. It is always in your best interest to do well on all sections of the GRE.

Math applicants, for example, are generally average or below average on the Verbal and Analytical Writing sections. If you are able to score above average on the non-math sections and score high on the Quantitative section, you will have something in your application that other applicants will lack. This is a plus point for you.

Prepare Yourself for the GRE

The time you spend preparing yourself for the GRE is worth every minute. Don't worry if you are lagging in a section. With study and practice from books like Kaplan GRE Exam Preparation and the ETS GRE Big Book and guidance from StudyBeans, you'll be able to pick up the slack and score high on all sections of the GRE.

What Else You Need to Apply to Graduate School

Your GRE scores are especially important when you consider how few materials graduate programs receive to judge whether or not you are worthy of being accepted. Most programs will ask for your GRE scores, transcript, GPA, personal statement, and letters of recommendation. You should work hard to make sure all parts of your application are a proper representation of the type of student you are and the potential for the type of student you can become.

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