<p>From what I understood, with SAT's, most colleges would take the best score out of the first 4 test scores.</p>
<p>However, does that rule apply to GRE's? or is it more like LSAT's, where colleges would start averaging together you GRE score if you take it more than once?</p>
<p>thanks for any pointers</p>
<p>Most programs average the scores. This can be pretty annoying as any retake would have to be a significant improvement to really help you out.</p>
<p>I think it would depend on the school. </p>
<p>Like, Harvard? Nah, man- it would not be a good idea to take the GRE four times.</p>
<p>Like, a second tier or third tier school? Why not? If at first you do not succeed try try again. </p>
<p>At a fourth tier school? Sure! Take it 20 times. No one will care. </p>
<p>I do not know the rules for averaging. I am assuming that would be up to the school.</p>
<p>Actually, it depends quite a bit on the program. There's no one-size-fits-all sort of measurement we can use here.</p>
<p>What are you interested in?</p>
<p>Every program I've contacted has told me they average. I've been looking at "top" schools. </p>
<p>Contact the schools you like, ask for their GRE avg for admitted students, and compare your results. Are you way under their average? If so, it might be worth retaking.</p>
<p>enviroman,</p>
<p>Every program...in what? Engineering? History? Germanic Studies? M.Ed? MPP? </p>
<p>I wouldn't worry so much about being below average...I'd worry about being more than one SD below average. I'd also take into account where your GPA falls, as well as how strong your other factors are.</p>
<p>UCLAri,</p>
<p>MPP, Geology, Geography, Environmental Chemistry, Soil Science, Soil Chemistry, Environmental Policy, and Environmental Science.</p>
<p>Schools:</p>
<p>Harvard (KSG)
Brown
Dartmouth
Columbia
Duke
JHU
MIT
PSU
OSU</p>
<p>And other people have said the same thing (about GREs being averaged in many programs). I am just saying I've not had a single school say they take the highest score. </p>
<p>Many graduate programs are very holistic in their admissions processes. The GREs, from what these programs have told me, are only a small part of the process. Some programs use them as cutoffs (MIT requires a 700+ Q for one of their programs I was interested in, for example) while others just use them as a guide to be used with the other parts of the application.</p>
<p>enviroman,</p>
<p>A couple of programs I've dealt with only take the MOST RECENT scores. It's kind of a pain too, if you ask me. But oh well.</p>
<p>That's quite a range of programs there...you have a definite plan? </p>
<p>I'd be more likely to say that outside of law and medicine, MOST grad programs are holistic. As I've beat into the ground, no one factor is a show stopper or star in admissions as long as you're not absurdly out of the 75th-to 25th percentile range. And cutoffs are VERY rare (are you talking about MIT's master's in poli sci, by any chance?). </p>
<p>My understanding at this point, after dealing with the process at least once... and talking to many professors... is that GRE scores are taken with a grain of salt unless you're waaaaaay below the 50th percentile range.</p>
<p>It was for MIT's master's of Technology and Policy. </p>
<p><a href="http://tppserver.mit.edu/index.php?idnum=18%5B/url%5D">http://tppserver.mit.edu/index.php?idnum=18</a></p>
<p>A minimum of a 700Q is required. I even emailed to verify.</p>
<p>Yeah, minimums cutoffs are somewhat uncommon, but not terribly rare.</p>
<p>I'd still like to know what the OP is applying to...</p>
<p>hi UCLAri</p>
<p>I am currently into masters program for computer science</p>