<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I am applying to some top 10 cognitive psychology/cognitive science programs. I took the GRE cold and I guess I messed up on the analytical/writing section. Is it worth the $150 to retake the test? Or are GRE analytical scores generally disregarded? My GPA was only 3.7 and I don't have any published articles, so I wonder if I need all the help I can get from the GRE.</p>
<p>Thanks for any help!</p>
<p>sometimes it is very hard to tell if people are actually serious or just playing a joke.
if you are serious: no, of course not! not many care about the AW score and getting 800V is amazing.</p>
<p>Cool, thanks. Sorry, I know I come across as a tool, but I’m just getting jitters about this stuff. One of my top choices (actually, the top choice) says on its website “most successful applicants have above 700 on the verbal and mathematics sections (and above a 5 on the analytical writing).” I’m glad you don’t think it’s worth retaking.</p>
<p>Hmm, in that case, I don’t know. You can contact someone in admissions, or just apply and see! I really can’t say because I don’t know how competitive the programs are and the applicant pool. But you have WAY over above 700 in both other sections. Just have a really good SOP tends to be people’s advice to counteract a bad AW score. I’m not sure. Anyway, good luck, just wait and see. Who really knows what they mean by “most” - 99% or is it just the average?</p>
<p>Well somewhere else they give the stats for the class of 2005:</p>
<p>680/760/5.25 GRE Average for Verbal/Quant/Analytical respectively</p>
<p>and 3.6 average GPA</p>
<p>I also wonder whether it would be crazy to mention why I may have done poorly on the analytical writing section–I didn’t study for it and was unfamiliar with the way the word processing program work. The “Undo” button behaves differently than in Word and messed me up on the second essay–I think I lost a whole phrase from the essay with 30 seconds to go. My instinct is just to let it slide but some confirmation would be nice.</p>
<p>Seriously, not everyone can score a perfect GRE of 1600… let it go at that! <em>jealous</em> Besides, SOME programs might take the most recent GRE score and discard old ones. What happens if you re-take it and wind up with 700 in each section but a 5.5 AW? I’d rather take the former.</p>
<p>Why would you make it obvious that you can’t follow directions? The GRE software walks you through all of the features and functions before you begin writing, so by mentioning something about that to admissions, you’d basically be saying “I can’t follow directions, not to mention that I was so cocky about this test that I didn’t bother even reading about the format of the AW section.”</p>
<p>how likely do u think u can get a super-high score on the V and Q sections?</p>
<p>i don’t see the harm in doing it over, provided u’ll get >750 on the other sections.</p>
<p>if a 4.5 is going to make u lose sleep, then i say do it over.</p>
<p>Do not retake! GRE scores aren’t that important anyway. Your scores clearly qualify you for any program, so let them be. Yeah, it would have been great to get an AW score to match the strength of the others; however, your weakness is the score that programs barely glance at.</p>
<p>If your SOP is well-written, logical, and compelling, that will go a long way in dispelling any concerns about your writing, and your research (assuming you have it!) will dispel any doubt about your critical thinking skills.</p>
<p>You can always submit a writing sample.</p>
<p>I was in the same situation as you. I scored high on the verbal and quantitative scores, but poorly on the analytical writing (4.0). I also saw graduate program websites that said their ‘required’ or ‘successful applicant’ scores were 5+. However, I contacted them and they said that the low AW score wasn’t a big deal. I think you’re fine as long as you can demonstrate good writing skills in your personal statement. Think of it from the perspective of someone reading applications: would you feel safer admitting someone with an outstanding personal statement and 4.5 AW score or a decent statement with a 6.0 AW score? I would easily pick the one with a good statement. The statement speaks volumes while the score is just a little number. Save yourself the $150 and the stress and just write a good statement.</p>
<p>I’m in psychology and no one cares about the analytical writing score. It’s not at all akin to the kind of writing you’ll be doing in graduate school and the scoring rubric is kind of worthless rubbish anyway, so I wouldn’t worry about it so much. Just write a really good personal statement, as aforementioned.</p>
<p>And JUST a 3.7 - I wish my undergrad GPA was a 3.7, what? I had a 3.4, a 1530 on the GRE, and no publications. I’m at Columbia. They look at your whole application and you look solid, and they don’t expect undergrads to come in with publications.</p>
<p>Hey, </p>
<p>Definitely retake it!!!</p>
<p>There is no way you can get in.</p>
<p>1600 out of 1600? These schools want OVERACHIEVERS, those who find a way to get 1800+. </p>
<p>I just don’t see anyway you can be competitive…</p>
<p>^ Overachiever is such a relative term.</p>
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<p>Your sarcasm is really helpful. But the OP isn’t asking about the 1600.</p>
<p>No matter how you look at it, 4.5/6.0 isn’t so great if you’re applying to top programs.</p>
<p>To the OP: If it will help your peace of mind, retake it.</p>
<p>The 4.5 is inconsequential.</p>
<p>Your mindset needs to change, not your GRE score.</p>
<p>This is the ******-iest post I’ve ever read.</p>
<p>for a moment, i thought i was on a pre-med forum</p>